This Week’s Pens — 7/13/14 – 7/18/14

I have a lot of pens. Many of which do not see enough use. So, I’m trying something new. On Monday morning, I loaded up my NockCo case with five pens that fit that bill. I then, spent each day this week using a new, new to me, or otherwise rarely-used pen. I’ve retired my usual go-to favorites for now. I’ll keep doing this each week for a while and share some mini-reviews here at the end of the week.

Here’s the pens I used this week:

  • Monday: Uni-ball Signo RT1 UMN-155 Gel Ink Pen – 0.38 mm – Black — Good pen. It’s comfy to write with, thanks to the rubberized grip, and has a consistent line and flow. It’s not as smooth on the page as the Uni-ball 207 micro I regularly use. That said, it is still a decent everyday pen.

  • Tuesday: Pilot Juice Gel Ink Pen – 0.38 mm – Coffee Brown — I’m usually either a Black or Blue-Black ink sort of guy when it comes to everyday pens. So, breaking this one out so early in the week was a personal stretch for me. But, I like the color. It is a rich, leathery brown. Perfectly fine for handwriting. The pen itself is not terrific — it’s a little harsh on the page. Toothy even on Tomoe River paper. While others might be inclined to blame the smaller point size, I know full well from my usual daily gel that it is perfectly possible to make a small point pen that is smooth like butter on the page.

  • Wednesday: Zebra Sarasa Push Clip Gel Ink Pen – 0.3 mm – Black — Proof that you can have a pretty small point size and still provide a smooth writing experience. I was also amazed at the number of people who told me this was their "go-to" when I mentioned it.

  • Thursday: Pilot Metropolitan, F nib, Black from Pen Chalet — This pen was sent to me for review by Pen Chalet. I’ll be doing a longer review soon. The Metropolitan has lately been getting a lot of press as the new gold standard in beginner fountain pens. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I can report that it is easy to see why. This is a solid pen for the money (as of this writing it is on sale for $15 at Pen Chalet). Beautiful classic design, great hand feel, and smooth writing. It does not feel cheap at all. This is a great pen and I’m kind of gobsmacked that a pen this good could be made at this price. Feels and writes like a pen costing 3-4 times as much.

  • Friday: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen – 0.4 mm – Brown — Once again trying some brown ink. If you are familiar with the Hi-Tec-C, well, this is that same great pen with some nice brown gel ink. Ask ink colors go, I think I prefer the Pilot Juice Coffee Brown but I much prefer this pen in writing experience. If I had to choose, based on that this pen would win every time.