Zebra Sarasa Nano Vintage Color Set Review

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

The Zebra Sarasa gel ink pens are well-known to anyone in this community, and it's for good reason. They feature vibrant colors, smooth flowing gel ink, and a nifty spring clip for attaching the pen to things. When I received a pack of Sarasa Nano pens, I was curious to find out what made them different than the standard Sarasa Clip version. While the Nano line is a bit more premium, they still use the same refills.

The Zebra Sarasa Nano line's main difference is the clever internal spring that provides a nice suspension for the refill to ride on while you write. In practice, this makes the pen feel like a smoother instrument when writing thanks to the small amount of give the spring affords when exerting pressure on the tip. Aside from this, the Nano also has a premium metal nose cone and a completely black body (unlike the transparent body of the Sarasa Clip).

Another key difference from the Sarasa Clip line is the tip size selection. For the Sarasa Nano Vintage Color set I have, you only have one choice: 0.38mm. There are some other Nano pens that have matching body colors and use a 0.3mm tip, but for all the pens with a black body, they all use a 0.38mm tip size. Compare this to the standard Sarasa Clip line, which offers options from 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, and a handful of 1.0mm tips.

Luckily, you can swap in any standard Sarasa refill in the Nano body if you want to use the fancy spring suspension system on larger tip size refills.

So, how does the Nano perform compared to other pens that don't include a shock absorber? It's a subtle difference, but it's definitely noticeable — especially if you are comparing with other 0.38mm pens at the same time. With any small tip size pen, it can feel like the refill is a bit scratchy given the tiny size. For me, I tend to be a bit heavy-handed, so this scratchy feeling is something I can agree with on typical small tip pens I use. With the Nano, it doesn't feel as scratchy or like I'm writing with a stiff nail.

If you press the tip of the refill against the page and apply pressure, you can see the refill retract slightly as the spring absorbs the resistance. When writing, it's extremely subtle to the point that you don't realize it's happening. I assume that this is by design — if you could actually feel the tip springing while you write, that would be incredibly distracting and would require you to alter your writing style a bit. The pressure is just right for normal writing.

Aside from the satin-finish metal nose cone and internal spring system, this is a standard Sarasa. The clip is largely the same — the only difference is the shape of the clip is a bit more petit compared to the standard Clip line.

The five colors that are included in the Vintage Colors Set (for $12.50) are Cassis Black (dark red), Green Black, Blue Black, Blue Gray, and Sepia Black. There is also a "Basic" color set that includes what I think to be the better color combination (pink, red, orange, blue, and black). The Vintage colors are all dark, but the blue black, green black, and sepia black are incredibly hard to tell apart. For me, the colors in this set do not excite me. But, for other people, this could be a great color combination that they love! That's the beauty of stationery.

The final difference I'll point out between the standard Sarasa Clip and the Nano is price. At JetPens, the standard Sarasa Clip is $1.75. The Nano, however, is $2.95. This is likely due to a variety of factors, such as the extra bits for the spring suspension, the metal nose cone, and the fact that (I believe) the Nano is a newer product. Still, when you remember that both pens use the same refills, it's a bit difficult for me to swallow the large price gap. I'm a huge fan of the Sarasa Clip body — I think they're really comfortable and work great. For me, the Nano body and shock absorber don't do much for me. For almost twice the price, it doesn't make sense. The shock absorbing body is novel, but I can also adjust my writing style to suite the standard Sarasa with little effort.

The Zebra Sarasa Nano is an interesting product, but I'm not sure it differentiates itself enough from the standard line to justify its existence. I'd love to hear other opinions about the Nano and how it works better for you than the standard Sarasa! For me, I'm happy to stick with my dozens of Sarasa Clips for the time being.

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

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Sakura Gelly Roll Retractable Metal Effects Gel Pen 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. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

My love for Gelly Roll gel pens is well documented. One of my only downsides to these, the millennial gateway drug to Pen Addict bliss, is that they are not at all fidgety. The result being that I used to fidget with the cap-clips, bending, twisting, breaking them off. My high school pen case was full of busted-clip Gellies.

But these ones? THEY CLICK. Clicky gel pens! All the fun of the smooth Gelly Roll writing experience, plus the fun of a fidgety click mechanism.

The Sakura Metal Effects pens have the classic Gelly Roll plastic body, with the classic silver branding written on the side. It's a cloudy, see-though plastic that allows you to see the level of ink inside the pen, so you know when you're running low. The caps are rounded plastic domes in the color of the ink inside, so you can always easily tell what color you're reaching for. The clips are made of the same plastic as the cap and also have a rounded oval shape. The clips are quite shallow. They aren't separated from the cap at all, so they don't really work. Which is why I never felt too guilty about snapping them off.

The whole cap is the click mechanism, so when you press down on the cap, the spring-loaded tip deploys at the bottom end. It's a smooth click--satisfying, but not too clunky.

These pens were built for a good time, not a long time. They aren't particularly durable, the ink runs out very quickly, and while there are refills that technically fit the pen's body, they aren't the Gelly Roll refills, so why on earth would you do that.

Because it's the ink that makes these fun, when it comes down to it.

Sakura Gelly Roll gel ink is known for its smooth, saturated quality. They aren't great for fine line writing. They have a standard .8mm tip, and the gel ink flows like a firehose. Which makes it perfect for showing off wild ink qualities--the other thing they're known for. This particular set is metallic, but you can also get glitter and other effects. The metallics work on black paper as well, though they're delightfully shiny on white paper. Photographing the metallic effect is tricky, so you'll have to take my word for it that the shine is pronounced and super fun. The ink is also archival quality, fade-proof, and acid-free, so these are perfect for scrapbooking or artwork.

This six-color set costs $14.50 at JetPens, and you can also get them in 3-color or 10-color sets, or as individual pens. Individual pens run at about $2.92. I would probably say that's a little on the pricey side, if I wasn't blinded by nostalgia and glitter.

As it is, I'm taking meeting notes like it's 1999.

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

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BENU Euphoria Collection Bourbon Fountain Pen Review

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

Christmas will be here before you know it, and if you're looking for any gift ideas for folks that appreciate a good pen, this product from BENU is a great option to consider.

The BENU Euphoria Collection is a classy pen design that looks great no matter which colorway you choose, but I'm smitten with this Bourbon variant. It reflects a lot of sparkly light, which attracts a lot of attention. The gold and red tones feel warm and cozy, and I just can't get enough of this material.

Before going into more detail about the material, let's look at the common traits that you'll find in any of the Euphoria Collection pens. The body and cap are faceted, with 10 small facets going around the diameter of the pen. These facets add a lot of visual interest to the pen, but also changes how the pen feels in your hand and how it behaves on flat surfaces (meaning it doesn't roll easily). Regardless of the colorway, every Euphoria pen has a broad, bold black band at the base of the cap that features a BENU logo debossed on the faceted side that also houses the clip.

These pens also share the same nib options — a Schmidt #6 with silver-colored plating and minimal scroll work. The grip is substantial and provides plenty of space to grip it however you like while remaining comfortable.

The overall size of the pen is similar to a Lamy Safari. While the cap only has a small taper from the opening of the cap to the top of the cap, the body has a more noticeable taper toward the tail of the pen body. This makes the pen body very comfortable to hold since most of the weight is concentrated toward the nib end. You can post the cap on the back of the pen if you want, but I prefer the balance of the unposted pen for writing.

The pen can house a full size international cartridge, but it also comes with a standard cartridge converter so you can pick the right ink to match or compliment such a bold pen material. I went with Robert Oster Whiskey even though I know it's some form of sacrilege to combine bourbon and whiskey. In this case, I make no apologies because I love the ink and pen pairing here.

Getting back to the real star of the show, this acrylic material is something I have yet to tire of seeing on my desk. The main acrylic is a translucent amber, but there are hundreds (thousands?) of small gold and amber metallic flakes suspended in the material that make it look like it's moving. Depending on the color of the light in the room, the pen can take on different colors from bronze, red, gold, orange, and even yellow. Regardless of the color of light, this pen reflects light like crazy and draws attention from whoever is nearby. Be prepared for conversations that start with, "Whoa; what is that?" when this pen is visible.

Writing with the fine nib on this pen has been a great experience. The balance of the pen is perfect without the cap posted, and the grip section provides a great area to hold and control the pen. Ink flow has been great, and I didn't need to tune the Schmidt nib at all out of the box. When it's time to pack up, the silver clip does a great job of securing the pen to a pocket or bag. The cap screws on to the pen with about two and a half rotations, so it's really secure when closed.

Overall, I've been so impressed and pleased with this BENU. The fit and finish are great, and the quality of materials are fantastic. Any pen from the Euphoria Collection would make a great gift, but I'm really partial to this Bourbon option. You can choose from fine or medium nibs at the moment, though it would be trivial to swap the nib out with another of the same standard size. At $157, this is a good value for the quality and artistry on display. I'd happily recommend this to anyone that looks at it and has a remotely positive reaction to the color.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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