#PenSwag

Cody recently reviewed the .5mm Pentel EnerGel, a pen that is in the Top 3 favorite pens for both of us.  In my recent order from JetPens I ordered the .35mm version to try something a bit different. I've never used a 0.38mm tip that I had really enjoyed before.  I was a bit tentative going into this review, but I was pleasantly surprised.



The 0.35mm wasn't scratchy at all! I really couldn't believe it when I took off the cap and started writing away.  The line is a bit narrower than the 0.5mm pen which is to be expected, and is a nice change of pace.  For my particularly messy form of handwriting the narrower tip keeps things organized a bit better, which helps the legibility.


The body of the pen is exactly the same as the 0.5mm version.  The body of the pen is a shiny metallic blue with a metal looking plastic clip.  The overall design is solid, although the blue body and black ink can be a bit off putting.  This is the one thing that bothers me about the EnerGel, why can't a black pen ink have a black pen body?.  The cap posts on the back with a very satisfying click and stays firmly on the rear of the pen when writing. The grip is unchanged from the 0.5mm version and just as stellar.

I didn't think that a pen could be better than the 0.5mm Energel, but the 0.35mm has surpassed it. I have actually switched to using the 0.35mm as my go to pen.  If you are worried about trying a sub 0.5mm pen tip this would be a great pen to start with.  The tip is not scratchy and glides across the paper. It is a great introduction to micro tip pens, and a great addition to any writing arsenal.


10 out of 10 mummies

This pen body came in my last order from JetPens about a month ago, and I haven't stopped using it since it arrived.  I was a bit hesitant about using the Coleto at first because of previous bad experiences with multi pens.  This pen more than reversed the negative stigma I had about multi pens. 

I ordered the 0.4mm Violet and Red refills for the 3 pen Coleto. ( I only ordered two because I mistakenly thought that the pen came with a refill in it)  These Hi-Tec-C refills write exponentially better than the G-Tec-C4.  The G-Tec-C had three problems that prevented it from being one of my favorite pens.  1. The pen took a lot of furious scribbling before it started writing.  (This is a major pet peeve for me when it comes to pens. ) 2. The grip of the G-Tec-C was ridged and dug into my fingers while I wrote. 3. The body of the G-Tec-C was very cheap and broke very easily.

The Hi-Tec-C Coleto presented resolutions to all 3 of these problems that I noticed in the G-Tec-C.  The Coleto writes without requiring scribbling, has a very comfortable grip and a sturdier body. The Hi-Tec-C refills did not require any scribbling to start and have written well every time that I used it.  The violet ink is a rich purple color that is pleasing to the eye.  The red ink is  a bit pale for my liking, but that is not very important as I only use it for underlining things.

The body of the pen is great.  This pen body was $2.50 and is a thicker cylindrical tube than the G-Tec-C (to be expected with the additional pen refills inside the body.) The body isn't overly thick and feels very comforatable in my hands.  Also it hasn't broken in my pocket like the G-Tec-C did.

The grip on the pen is also a vast improvement on the G-Tec-C's ridged grip.  Instead of ridged plastic there are 4 wavy grip strips placed vertically around the tip of the pen.  They are very comfortable and keep your fingers right where you want them without any fatigue to your hand during long writing sessions. 





Once the pen starts to write the writing experience of the G-Tec-C and the Hi-Tec-C coleto refills are the same.  However, the Coleto does not require any scribbling to start.  The grip, body, and refills are all better than the G-Tec-C.  This multi pen has definitely planted itself firmly on my list of favorite pens.

10 out of 10 mummies.

This was another pen in the recent order from JetPens. The Rotring Tikky is a solid pen, and one of my favorites from the order. It also taught me something, how to pronounce Rotring. (For some reason before I ordered this pen I always pronounced Rotring as Rot-o-ring, but once I got the pen I realized there was no o in the name)


The Tikky Rollerpoint is a liquid ink pen from the good folks at Rotring.  This is my first experience with a Rotring product but I have read that the Rotring name is almost synonymous with quality.  The Tikky has lived up to these expectations.


The ink comes out very smoothly along the paper of my Black n' Red notebook.  I hardly have to exert any pressure to write anything with this pen.  The ink is a very dark black that doesn't fade over time.  In the Black n' Red there is no show through and no bleed through.  In my Field Notes memo book there is minimal show through and no bleed through (unless you leave the tip on the same spot for an extended amount of time).  The writing experience this pen provides is stellar.

The body of the pen is reminiscent of a Pilot Precise, with a see through window to gauge ink levels in the pen.  The cap of the pen is marked with EF so that when stored upright in a pen cup you can tell the tip width at a glance.  This is a nice touch that shows the great attention to detail this company has.  

On the grip area there is one flaw that makes this pen a bit of a hassle to use.  The grip is covered in ovals placed to give improved grip for the writer.  However, these ovals actually make the grip seem slippery and make my fingers slip from the places I want them to be.  This is a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things, but it is an annoyance.


Other than a minor flaw this pen is great.  The Rotring Tikky Rollerpoint EF will be in my writing arsenal for a long time.  I can't wait to try other Rotring products.  I have my eye on one their gorgeous drafting pencils.

8 out of 10 mummies.

This pen was a surprise.  I was walking out of my house and saw that the mail had arrived.  I went to put it on the coffee table and noticed my name on one of the packages.  I was taken aback because I had not ordered anything recently.  It was a package from JetPens with the  blue Sakura Pigma Micron 05 Marker Pen inside. It was a great way to start the day.


The Sakura Pigma Micron Marker Pen is a high quality pen.  The 05 version writes with a .45mm line width.  Even though this is a line width than most pens I am used to writing with I would consider trying the smaller tip sizes in this line of pens.  At times I felt like my handwriting was getting a bit out of hand with this pen.


The ink is a beautiful blue that doesn't fade as it drys.  While it may look very wet when the ink comes out it drys very fast.  There was minimal show through in my Black n' Red notebook and no bleed through.  In my Field Notes memo book there was a bit more show through but not enough to make deter from using the backside of the page.


The bod of the pen is very nice.  Although it is plastic it feels very well constructed.  The one thing I absolutely love about this pen is the way the cap looks when posted on the back.  The cap of the pen when placed on the back of the pen is seamlessly integrated into the body of the pen.  There are no overlaps it just fits perfectly on the end.  


There are a couple of problems with this pen.  Although the pen is well constructed there is one thing that drives me absolutely crazy about it.  Inside of the pen there is some mystery item rattling around.  It is distracting to use and it detracts from an overall good writing experience.  This may just be my specific pen, but it isn't a nice addition.


The other problem is the lack of grip/design of the grip area.  i grip my pens very low when writing, and the are leading to the tip of the pen on the Sakura Pigma Micron Marker Pen is very harsh.  The area consists of two cylindrical shapes that are smaller than the previous placed on top of each other.  This leaves two relatively sharp edges near the end of the area that most people grip their pens.  Since I grip my pens a bit lower than average this leaves the edge digging into my finger while I write.


Other than those few problems the Sakura Pigma Micron 05 Marker pen in blue is a good pen.  The ink is waterproof and fadeproof, and the design is well done.  A few flaws keep this pen from being a really great pen

8 out of 10 mummies.