My oh my, it has been a while! School, a new kitty, and Nick's bum knee have been keeping me busy. I wanted to come back with something a bit different. I'm giving the people a pen review, but I'll mix it up from my string of fountain pen inks and do a gel pen review!
This time around I'm going to talk about the Zebra Sarasa Clip, in two tip sizes: 0.4 and 0.5.
I have read many glowing reviews of these pens and initially, I picked up the Blue-Black and Viridian Green .4's (seen on the right of the above picture) from Jetpens a while back. They were alright, but being a fan of a broader point, they didn't do much to sway me from nearly exclusive fountain pen usage. The .4's are pretty much right on the edge of my "too fine and scratchy" cliff. I would use the pen in a pinch, but it isn't something I'd pick over better options in my stable. In fact, I have since rehomed my blue-black .4 Sarasa. (I hear it is doing well, and is very loved.)
Here is a comparison shot of the .4 and .5 tips:
The .5’s are a different story. I ordered them because suddenly- new, fancy, FABULOUS colors were available. I accidentally ordered .3's the first time, and they were NOT for me (they have since found a new forever home). Third time's a charm, and I finally got this lovely rainbow of the colors I was after in the right tip size.
The colors pictured above, from Left to Right are: Pink, Blue-Green, Light Green, Purple, Red-Orange, and Magenta. Aren’t they just swell???
So, about these pens, they have a smooth transition from grip to barrel, which I have found is such a big plus for me. They are a nice, sturdy retractable which will provide hours of mindless entertainment for you “clickers” out there. Worth noting is that the piece inside of the pen that exposes the tip for writing rattles a bit now and again. This doesn’t bother me, but I could understand it being a problem for some. You might not want to take this one with you when you do your nightly ninja attack.
These .5’s are pretty darn smooth writers, but they vary just a bit amongst the bunch. The smoothest is the Red-Orange, and the scratchiest is probably the Pink or Light Green. Here is your standard writing sample, which I had to shoot with a camera, the scan is WAY too light and bright:
From top to bottom the samples above are: Blue-Black .4, Viridian Green .4, Purple .5, Magenta .5, Pink .5, Red-Orange .5, Light Green .5, and Blue-Green .5.
Probably the most unique feature of these pens (aside from cool colors), is their “binder clip”. This sturdy clip is hinged so it can hold up to being clipped onto objects thicker than just a few sheets of paper. I think this is a fabulous feature, and it really seems like Zebra thought this one out and made it worthwhile. Here are some sweet clip shots:
I summary, these are pretty sweet little pens, and for somewhere near $1.50 a pop, they are one heck of a deal. I haven’t “workhorsed” these yet, but they hold up well to menu-making and grocery-listing. They’re not going to make you abandon your fountain pens, if that is your drug of choice, but sometimes life calls for a different tool. Heresy, I know- but it is true.
Keep it fancy (and thanks for your patience!!!),
Shay.
