Posts filed under Zebra

Zebra Sarasa Mark On Gel Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

I'm continually amazed at the level of specificity that some stationery tools tout today. My most recent surprise came with the Zebra Sarasa Mark On gel ink pens. They look like a Sarasa Clip on the outside, but there's a different design on the barrel. What gives? Well, this particular model of Sarasa is made specifically for people who want to use a highlighter along with their gel pens while taking notes.

It's been a long time since I've regularly used a highlighter for emphasizing notes, so I had forgotten that ink can sometimes bleed after running a highlighter over it. That's exactly what the Mark On line of pens aims to solve. The ink in the Mark On is unique in that it dries quickly and is water and smudge resistant. Since highlighter ink is water-based, these two are a great match.

The models I have on hand are the 0.4mm variant, although they are also available in 0.5mm sizes. The color selection isn't great (just the standard black, blue, and red), but it covers the absolute basics. This is such a niche use case that I can't expect dozens of color options.

Just like the other Sarasa models, this model features a strong, beefy clip that secure the pen to anything that fits into the jaws. There's also a comfortable rubberized grip on the section that makes note-taking sessions a little easier to endure. In all, it's a standard Sarasa that we all know and love, but it has that one trick up its sleeve.

How does it stand up against highlighter smudge? In my tests, it works great provided you give the ink about five seconds to dry before using a highlighter over it. No matter the color, the gel ink doesn't bleed when introduced to highlighter ink. It's fantastic.

Even with the smaller 0.4mm tip size, the Sarasa Mark On writes smoothly and reliably. Just like other Sarasa gel inks, this is no surprise and I wouldn't expect anything less.

The Zebra Sarasa Mark On gel ink pens are a delightfully narrow-minded use case that will fit the specific needs of people taking notes all over the world. If you use gel pens in conjunction with highlighters in any capacity, this is worth checking out.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on August 29, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Zebra, Sarasa, Gel, Pen Reviews.

Zebra Sarasa SE Gel Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

To this day, gel pens continue to be one of the most accessible categories for exposing people to the wonders of pens. With so many options, it's difficult to imagine what else can be done in this space to innovate and provide something new and worthy of existence. In most cases, the easiest route of expansion is in offering more colors or more tip sizes. But, it's more rare to see offerings that focus on providing the same great gel pen experience with a dry time that's 85% faster than standard gel pens.

That's right — 85% faster. The Zebra Sarasa SE line of pens is similar to the regular Sarasa line in every way, except these things dry incredibly fast.

If you've never used a Zebra Sarasa pen before, you're missing out on one of the top five gel refills available today. They're available in several different sizes and configurations, but they all deliver vibrant colors, crisp lines, and a smooth feel. Add on super fast dry time, and you've got a seriously impressive pen refill.

I picked up several of these pens to try out, and in that batch I picked black, blue, red, green, and violet to test. Each of these colors is beautiful and vivid. Even the black is incredibly rich and dark — similar in richness and depth as the popular Pentel EnerGel series.

The body and grip of the SE pens are also similar to the other Sarasa lines, which is just fine. They're comfortable to use, the clips are nice and strong, and they perform great in that respect.

When I started writing, I was impressed by the crisp lines and bright colors. It wasn't until I moved my palm across the page to write somewhere else that I noticed that it didn't create any smudges. I was pleasantly surprised, so I started testing the dry times to see just how fast it was. In most cases, the ink was smudge-proof within 2 seconds. In every case, 3 seconds did the trick. This is incredible! Especially considering how wet these 0.7mm tips are. These aren't ultra-fine tips — there's a good amount of ink coming out when writing.

These pens are perfect for jotting notes when you're out. You don't have to worry about immediately closing your notebook because there won't be any excess ink on the opposite page. For left-handed users, this ink is fabulous. I'm mostly right-handed, but I'm working on training my left hand to write as well. When I was using these pens in my left hand, I never had any smudges on the page and there wasn't any ink on my palm when I was done.

I'm not sure how Zebra did this. There's normally a trade off if you market a pen as having an ultra-fast drying ink. In this case, the Sarasa SE line has smooth feel, vibrant colors, and incredibly fast dry times.

The Zebra Sarasa SE is fairly new, but there's already a nice selection of colorful inks. You're also limited to the 0.7mm tip size, so hopefully we see additional options soon. Pick some up the next time you make an order with JetPens! At under two bucks a pop, they're low risk experiments, and I'm willing to bet that you'll love them after writing with them.

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Posted on August 15, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Zebra, Sarasa, Gel, Pen Reviews.

Zebra Zensations Sarasa Fineliner Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

Who can resist the allure of a pack of brightly colored fineliner pens? Not me. Probably not a lot of you. Honestly, why try? Especially when they're from Zebra.

This pack of 12 fineliners is part of the Zebra Zensations line--art and coloring tools perfect for zentangles or other relaxing ink crafts. I've played with a lot of fineliners and have a decent stash of them already, so I'd planned to pass this pack off to the kids after the review. But I like them so much they snuck right back into my pen cup. They're now among my favorites.

The pen body is sturdy black plastic with a colorful wrap that shows the color of the ink. The clip is also the ink color, so it's easy to tell what you're reaching for. The clip is fantastic. It's strong but flexible and has enough room that it can clip to a book cover or a nice chunk of pages. The grip section is also in coordinated colored plastic. It's slim and tapers a bit, so there may be some slipping if you're using the pen for longer periods. I found it very comfortable to hold, though.

The tip is a .8 mm "needle point" felt tip. I've been a bit spoiled by insanely fine tips, so calling this a fine/needle point seems off to me. I'd consider this to be a fairly broad fineliner, but its lines are very crisp and precise.

The ink is water resistant, acid free, and archival quality. The colors are very rich and vibrant, and the tip provides excellent coverage. I think they're fantastic for coloring and journaling and I suspect artists would get good use from them as well.

Despite all this awesomeness, they're at the low end of the price range for fineliners. It's $1.75 apiece for open stock, or this pack of 12 costs $19.

If you need to get some colorful zen into your life, I'd snap these up.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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