Zebra Sarasa Clip

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.

(Nearly) The worst of the bunch: The Sakura Gelly Roll Gold Dust

The ONLY reason I purchased as many of these as you see here is because they were not available individually. With the other Gelly Roll pens, I have been able to pick and choose the colors I wanted in any given finish, as well as try them (on my hand if nothing else) in the store before purchase. I thought these looked cool, and they must've been decently priced, though I don't remember how much they were. I am guessing no more than $12. Jeez, I'd really hate myself if it was more than that. So these pens are basically the same premise as the "Metallic" Gelly Rolls, except that in this case, the metal is gold. In saying that, I mean these have gold "dust" or glitter over a colored ink background. If you really like gold, you may like these. Personally, I like silver better. Come to think of it, I really shouldn't have bought these at all, but I'm a pen addict; it's what I do. The colors on these are okay. Just okay. The green looks sort of like oxidizing copper. Maybe that could come in handy for something? The black is probably the only interesting one, but for me it teeters between interesting and ugly, like modern art. The purple looks more like mauve and the pink looks like a salmon color to me. With gold. If the Golden Girls had a line of gel pens, I think this would be the perfect palette. I could see Blanche Devereaux sending lurid love letters to younger men written in one of these inks on paper spritzed with Jean Nate. Alright, so the colors are kind of ugly. That pales in comparison to how terribly they write. Oh my gosh. The ink in these things is horrible! Not only is it globby and kind of sticky or oily or something... it smells! There is something in these things that causes little strings of ink to follow the pen from line to line. It is a lot like an old ballpoint pen when it hasn't been used in years and is all gummed up when you restart it. The only difference is that these pens are always like that. I don't like these pens and I wish I hadn't bought them. That's just about all there is to it. 
Shay.

Sakura Gelly Roll "Metallics"

I have owned these pens before, in the same colors even. I remember liking them a lot. I don't know if I had finer-tipped versions, if there even ever was such a thing. Maybe I was just more easily impressed then. These pens aren't horrible, and I'm sure they'd come in handy for scrapbooking. The problem is, I don't scrapbook. I journal, and doodle, and make lists. Sometimes, I write in my planner. I like pretty pens, and I like unusual pens. I like neat-o colors. That doesn't mean I throw form and function to the wind. I'm not the type to wear a pair of shoes because they're cute if they give me blisters. I like a happy compromise. As much as I want to, I'm not quite getting that from these Gellies. The colors are good, and as advertised: metallic versions of purple, blue, and black. The black ends up more of a dark silver/gunmetal color though. The ink flow on these is WAY too generous. I'd go so far as to say soupy. Goopy. Globby. Just plain yuck. These colors would be good if you could read what you had been writing. These are nice to have around, but I don't know what I'll really use them for. I purchased these individually a while back at Michael's. 

Shay.

Sakura Gelly Roll "Moonlight" Gel Pens

So I got these pens today at Michael's in an attempt at retail therapy. They are colors I have been looking for for quite some time now. They are kind of milky, and almost pastel-ish, but brighter. If chalk and gel-pens had babies, the colors would look like these. Supposedly they glow under a blacklight, but I don't have one to try it out. These Gelly Rolls lay down bold lines, but they are not goopy or sloppy like other bold Gelly Roll pens I have used. Overall, I am more than pleased with these. The green is almost a sea-foam green color, and I dig that. I love having pens in colors that not everyone else has. These inks would show up well on colored paper, even black. As they are intended for crafting, I assume that is good, though I don't really use my pens for that kind of thing. 

For this and other pen reviews, I will try to attach a written review/sample so that you can see these bad boys in action.  

(click to enlarge sample)

Shay.