The Pen Addict

Zebra Arbez Piirto Ballpoint Pen 0.7 mm Review

It is great to see manufacturers branch out from the norm and come up with fresh pen and pencil designs. Zebra takes it a step further by holding an annual contest for young designers around the world, and the Zebra Arbez Piirto was the winner of the 2011 event.

The winning design is based around the slim and simple form of an ice pick, which makes sense when you realize the designer is from Finland. It is quite stunning, especially when you consider that part of the design process was to make it as inexpensively as possible. Mission accomplished on all fronts.

Many pens use a rotation or twist mechanism to extend and retract the pen but where the Piirto differs is that the mechanism is in the grip area as opposed to the upper barrel area. It functions quite well and does not get in the way of the writing experience at all.

What does get in the way of the writing experience is the ballpoint ink cartridge. This is your basic cheap ballpoint refill, so set your expectations accordingly. A Zebra Surari refill would make this pen a knockout but would also raise the price, which goes against the reason the Piirto was created.

The Piirto ballpoint is available with black and red ink cartridges as well as a black barrel design. There is even a mechanical pencil version that is designed similarly. While it may not perform like a world beater, the design and price made it an easy choice to add to my collection.

Identify This Old School Pilot Ballpoint

Pen Addict reader Yohan doesn't want me go to all of this trouble to help him identify his pen, but I am more than happy to share it with the masses. I know as well as anyone how important some of the pens we grew up with are, if nothing else for sentimental reasons.

The pictures below are great, showing a classic retractable ballpoint design and the Pilot holographic sticker. Yohan originally bought this pen growing up in Indonesia, and used it heavily in the early 90's.

Can anyone come up with a model number for this Pilot ballpoint?

Retro 51 Tornado Classic Lacquers Roller Ball Pen Review

If you know me at all then you know that The Pen Addict was not created around 0.7 mm roller ball pens. It is sub 0.5 mm or bust around here, and the majority of pens I review that are 0.7 mm or wider are usually just that. Not this Retro 51 Tornado. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good.

I have known of Retro 51 pens and pencil for years, but until JetPens started carrying them I never had the opportunity to try one. Even then I was hesitant, but the classic barrel design drew me in. The Classic Lacquers Series feature a stainless steel body with a high gloss lacquer overlay. This makes all of the barrel colors in the series really pop. The knurled twist-top is the very definition of +1.

As beautiful as the barrel is, the quality of the refill is going to make or break the pen. I had zero expectations that it was going to work for me, but I am continually impressed by it. The tip is very smooth and, most importantly, the ink does not bleed like many 0.7 mm cartridges do. Is there some bleed? Sure, it is inevitable with this size tip and liquid ink. But compared to many other similar refills it is superior, at least in my non-scientific mind.

Does anyone else feel the same way about this refill and how this pen writes, or am I delusional? To me, it is better than any other similar refill I have tried. It is a telling sign that I keep my orange Retro 51 within arms reach among the jungle of 0.3 mm gel ink pens on my desk.

Ink Links

– Coming 03-01-12 (Doane Paper Feed)

– Say hello to my little friends (Pete Scully)

– Zebra B2A1 2 Color Multi Pen Silver (Multi Pen Dimensions)

– The Palomino Blackwing 602 (Not Like the Camera)

– Write This Down: Note-Taking Strategies for Academic Success (The Art of Manliness)

– Palomino Blackwing Wooden Pencil - 602 Model (No Pen Intended)

– Kuretake Fudegokochi (Penfan.ru)

– Pen Storage: Horizontal or Vertical? (A Penchant for Paper)

– Yes, there’s ink. But is there joy? (From the Pen Cup)

– Palomino Blackwing 602 Pencil (Drawing with a Squirrel)

– Scott Bakal Explores the Pencil as Illustration Tool (Escape From Illustration Island)

– Graph Gear Mechanical Drafting Pencils (Gert van Duinen)

– A Study of .35mm - .5mm Japanese Pens (Selectism)

– The Passion is Real. And I’m not alone. (Penagerie)

– 4 Ways Pen & Paper Can Kick Start Your Writing Process (Desiree Writes)

– Review: Kokuyo and Maruman Notebooks from JetPens (Notebook Stories)

– Waterman Hemisphere Agnes B. Fountain Pen (Pocket Blonde)

– Jinhao X750 fountain pen review (Peninkcillin)

– Papermate All-In-One Writing Pack (My Supply Room)

– Review: Pilot Precise BeGreen Liquid Ink Roller Ball Pen 0.5mm Blue (Gourmet Pens)

– Sharpie Stainless Steel Pen!!! (Does This Pen Write?)

– Pelle Leather Journal Review (The Well-Appointed Desk)

– Of Pens And The Subconcious (Ezra Hilyer)

– Serious fountain pens for serious beginners. (Leigh Reyes)

– Namiki Sterling Dragon (Greasemonkeyhands)

– Palomino Blackwing 602 Pencil (Office Supply Geek)

– Ink Review: Rohrer and Klingner Verdigris (Seize the Dave)

– Sharpie Pen - Stainless Steel (Economy Pens)

Zebra R-301 Stainless Steel Refillable Roller Ball Review

I take reader requests from time to time, and the Zebra R-301 Stainless Steel Refillable Roller Ball was one such request. I first learned of this pen last year from Brian at Office Supply Geek and knowing the style of writing instrument I prefer I wasn’t too eager to give it a shot. Wide tipped liquid ink pens just aren’t my thing, but it obviously doesn’t take much to twist my arm.

The first thing I noticed about this pen is that the design is based directly off the Zebra H-301 Highlighter. That is a good thing because the barrel design is great. I love the look of the stainless steel contrasted against the black plastic. The only issue I find is that the cap does not post tightly. It is loose and spins a little but it won’t go as far as falling off.

From an ink perspective it is HEAVY. The tip size is 0.7 mm but it writes wider because of the flow. In fact, I had to write very fast to stay ahead of the bleed. It is dark and consistent though, so any of you who like to write with liquid ink pens may enjoy it. That it is refillable is an added bonus.

I picked up my R-301 at Staples so you should be able to find these pretty easily at your local office supply retailer. If you own one please let me know what you think in the comments section.

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

Enough - Episode 104 - The Pen Addict

Patrick Rhone and Myke Hurley do an amazing job on the "Enough" podcast and I was honored to join them recently for a chat on two of my favorite topics - pens and paper. It was my maiden voyage into the world of podcasting and Pat and Myke made me feel right at home.

Our topics run the gamut from when I first knew I was a pen addict to my favorite pens and paper. If you can't tell by the show notes, we crammed a lot into a 35 minute podcast! I had a blast doing it, and I would love to hear your thoughts.

Download the audio file directly, or subscribe to Enough in iTunes.

First video and now audio at The Pen Addict. What is going on around here?

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Line Width Comparison Video

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Line Width Comparison from dowdyism on Vimeo.

I have to come clean. I completely FORGOT to schedule a post for today. I had an awesomely busy weekend, and Monday's are always packed on the work side of the ledger, so it slipped off the radar somehow.

To rectify this, I am going to phone it in a bit. I recorded a video comparing the line widths of all the Pilot Hi-Tec-C sizes, but I'm not too thrilled with it. The intro is lacking and the overall vibe is somewhat dull. I am going to run with it though and I promise to keep improving my video skills.

Enjoy!