Zebra bLen 3C 3 Color Ballpoint Multi Pen Review

The Zebra bLen has been a great addition to the stationery aisle over the last couple of years, and for good reason. The original ballpoint pen is a smooth writer, and the follow-up gel pen is an excellent competitor to the Pilot G2, Pentel EnerGel, and Sharpie S-Gel. On top of that, it brought updated barrel technology to the shelf with the introduction of a “vibration-free” writing experience.

As the product roadmap dictates, the next pen Zebra released as part of the bLen lineup should be a multi pen, and they did exactly that with the bLen 3C 3 Color Ballpoint Multi Pen.

I consider myself a big multi pen fan, and have used and reviewed dozens over the years. I’ll say right up front with the bLen 3C that I don’t like this pen.

Notice I didn’t say that this is a bad pen. I think it is good, not great, and maybe it will be a fit for your writing arsenal. But there are too many small things that add up in the cons column for me, and when you are going up against stiff competition in this category, that’s not going to be good enough.

Let’s look at some of the pros before I get into what makes the bLen 3C not for me.

For starters, the blue ink refill is excellent. I chose the 0.5 mm Grey barrel model, and while I do think that Uni-ball Jetstream ink is superior in every way, I like Zebra’s emulsion ink. In comparing those two inks directly, the bLen ink is a less clean writer, and has a bit of spidering between characters on occasion. Both of these things can be expected with fine ballpoint tips like this, but when you experience the clean lines of the Jetstream, even a little oddness is noticeable.

Secondly, I like the look of the pen. I mean, any pen that is inspired by the B1-series battle droid is a winner in my book. I could do without the plastic tip extension in front of the nose cone that gives it a sucker fish look (I’ll let you look that one up,) but overall its a good barrel, and has a great grip.

Thirdly, the price is fantastic. At $6 a pen, with 4 barrel color choices and two tip sizes (0.5 mm and 0.7 mm,) it is priced as good - or better - than any brand name entry level multi pen.

This sounds like a rave review - so what gives? The knock layout is a non-starter for me.

I didn’t notice the layout when I ordered the pen, but it was instantly noticeable when I began using it. Most 3 cartridge multi pens are designed with one of two layouts: The front click (often the using the clip itself,) is usually the Black ink cartridge in a 3 ink pen (or the pencil component in a 2+1,) or the clip is fixed and the Black cartridge is the first to the right of the clip when looking from the front of the pen.

In the case of the bLen 3C, not only is the Black refill in the center-back of the barrel, but its knock is a big, clunky, “what is this thing,” knock. Yes, they are attempting to visually match the bLen single cartridge design, but in doing so, made something odd and confusing looking. In addition to that, the Red ink is in what should be the primary slot for the pen (right-handed bias,) with the Blue ink around the other side. Could I swap the Red and Blue positions if so desired? On the inside, sure. The plungers? I’m not so sure without some surgery, which is not warranted even on a $6 pen I don’t believe. And none of that changes the weird knock in the back.

Why am I the way that I am, dear readers?

If the refills were brilliant (notice the Black and Red refills didn’t make the pros list above - they are much drier than the Blue,) I would get used to the weird knock style and layout. And the barrel is nice to hold and use. But I can’t get there when I have other great options available to me an arms reach away.

I love what Zebra has done with the bLen lineup since launch, and if you are a fan, and not as stuck as me on the knock design, I think you will like this pen. And again, for $6, it is a great deal. I’m going to stick with my single cartridge bLens for now, and see if they come up with something new to tempt me in the multi pen lineup in the near future.

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

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Zebra bLen 0.7mm Gel Pen Review

The Zebra bLen ballpoint is a fairly new pen that has quickly risen to the top of many stationery lists. And now, the newer gel variant of the bLen is here to compete with the Pilot Juice, G2, EnerGels, and Uno Signos that you can find on many store shelves.

At around $7 for a pack of two pens, the bLen is a great value that is comparable to other gel pens that have been on stationery shelves for decades. The version I have uses a black 0.7mm gel refill that leaves a delightfully dark and saturated line on the page.

According to the marketing materials, the bLen provides an "innovative vibration-free writing experience" due to a "gap-free internal system to reduce noise and a brass weight at the tip to lower the center of gravity." The pen is silent when writing, meaning there isn't any rattling or other noises as you move the pen across the page. You can also sense the lower sense of gravity, which is a nice touch and makes the pen easier to handle when writing.

These are nice features, but I wouldn't call them unique. I have plenty of gel pens that don't make noise while writing, but they don't tout quiet operation in their marketing materials. In all, it's a great feature even if the marketing is a little heavy handed.

It all comes down to simple questions that anyone can answer after a few seconds with any new pen: does it write well, and does it feel good in my hand?

In the case of the bLen gel pen, the answer is "absolutely" to both questions.

The pen is really lightweight overall, and it requires little effort to hold and control. The contoured grip is covered in a grippy silicone material that feels great. And, it's nice that the pen makes zero noise or vibration when in use.

The refill produces a smooth, dark line with crisp edges, and it dries really quickly. In my tests, it was smudge-proof within 3 seconds. The 0.7mm tip size is quite bold, and I'm glad it's still able to dry quickly while laying down so much ink. I don't choose black ink first in most cases, but this is exactly what I want from a black ink. It's bold, dark as night, and crisp at the edges of the line. It's fantastic.

The refill also starts up immediately and flows consistently. There aren't any globs or skips with this refill. It really is a great refill.

Comparing this pen to other comparable pens, it stacks up well. It performs similarly, so it will likely come down to a decision of personal taste and availability. All I know is that if you have a chance to pick up a Zebra bLen, you definitely should. If you can't find any locally, you can pick up a pack from Zebra directly or from Amazon (US store affiliate link).

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

Zebra bLen Ballpoint Pen Review

I was late to the Zebra bLen party.

When the 2020 OKB48 results dropped, a pen I had never heard of slotted in at number two. New pens sneak up on me all the time, but I would expect them further down the 48-pen list. Not directly into the number two spot.

I had a friend reach out at the time and offer to send me over one to check out, as they were only available in Japan on launch. And it was good. I liked it. And then I misplaced it, or maybe even gave it away. Why I didn’t slot it into the review queue at the time is odd for me, but now that the bLen has become even more popular, and propagated worldwide, it is time to correct that miss.

The marketing of the bLen revolves around two things: Zebra’s emulsion ink technology, and unique barrel construction.

Originally launched as Z-Mulsion ink, this was Zebra’s answer to the hybrid ballpoint ink technology popularized by the Uni-ball Jetstream, and later, the Pilot Acroball. What hybrid ballpoint inks offer is a far superior ink formula over the purely oil-based traditional ballpoint ink. It’s smoother, darker, cleaner, and more consistent. In short, this ink is far better than typical ballpoint ink.

Z-Mulsion didn’t exactly take off for Zebra on it’s first go-round. But going back to the drawing board and building around a solid refill put them on the path to a better product in the end.

In collaboration with Japanese-Canadian designer Saki Oki, the bLen barrel was engineered for silence. How often have you heard that in pen design? And if you haven’t, you know exactly what it means. Often times when using pens, primarily retractable pens, there is rattling going on in the barrel. It could be from the tip area where the refill is exposed, or it could be in the internals where the knock mechanism resides. The bLen was designed to eliminate all of that sound and vibration.

And it works. The Zebra bLen barrel is lightweight, and solid. The knock engages cleanly, and is quiet. The tip is cushioned, and smooth. Overall, Zebra delivered on their design ideas.

That design allows the refill to shine. Zebra always had something with the Z-Mulsion ink, but it didn’t land from a design and marketing perspective. Now with this unique barrel design, the refill performance is able to be noticed. I have an 0.5 mm Blue and an 0.7 mm Black in hand to test, and they are fantastic to write with. The 0.7 mm will win the popularity contest due to the tip size, but I, of course, have a soft spot for the 0.5 mm.

As much as I like this ink (especially the Blue 0.5 mm,) I do think both the Uni-ball Jetstream and Pilot Acroball do it slightly better. If the Jetstream was a 9 out of 10 ink performance, the Acroball is an 8/10, and the bLen is a 7/10. Still good, but a clear third place for me. The barrel practically makes up the difference, though. It’s that good.

The lines on both pens are consistent, and fine. Compared to similar tip sizes in gel and rollerball pens, the line from ballpoints is narrower on the page. The ink doesn’t spread on the page like the other two, despite the same manufacturing size of the tip.

I did see a little bit of what I call “spidering” in some of my writing, more from the Black 0.7 mm tip than the Blue 0.5 mm. If you look at the word “meaning” above, you will see a strand of ink from the bottom left of the A, to the top of the I-like a spider’s web.

I’m really enjoying the Zebra bLen now that I’ve given it some dedicated usage time. At $2.50, they are competitively priced, and have become more widely available. With the success Zebra has seen with this pen barrel, they launched a gel ink bLen option as well, which I’ll be looking at soon.

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

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!