Zebra Z-Mulsion LX 1.0mm - Pen Review

June 29, 2013

Hmmmm.... now, isn't that a great start to a pen review? Perhaps the tone of the review is already set with a "hmmm".

I saw the Zebra Z-Mulsion LX online through Staples and figured I'd put in an order to have one sent to my local store for me to pick up in a couple of days. On a side note, honestly, if you buy something from Staples.com, this is the best way to do it because the shipping is free (although travel to the store is not). Make it an on the way home pickup and its pretty much free.

My first impression of the pen even before I used it was that I really dislike the name. I think it is a weird slogan-like name that just doesn't work for me. Especially on a metal Zebra barrel, they could stick with their "part number" style like they do with literally all of their other steel pens (give it a look) like the F-701, F-402, G-301, etc. They could put Z-402 or something for Z-Mulsion (if they really like the idea of calling their ink this). The metal barrels with the letter/number name makes it seem like you're writing with some sort of aircraft part which is cool. It adds a small touch of class and quality to a pretty cheap pen. Z-Mulsion just doesn't do it for me.

The pen writes smooth, as in very little drag, but it is really globby. This could be due to the large size of 1.0mm. The tip of the refill also seems to wiggle a bit which makes me consciously think about trying to write neatly. This is a big red flag that this will not be a pen I will use ongoing. It makes the experience poor and my handwriting suffers because of it.

I've also included a picture of my glob smears to clean off the tip from writing only one page... it felt like I had to clean off the tip of the pen after only a few lines just to continue writing with it.

The build of the pen also seems like a hodge podge of parts with varying ranges of color, material, and build quality. The barrel is steel, but has kind of a yellowy hue to it, and in contrast to the chromed clip (feels cheap), knock, and tip, it just looks thrown together. There is the Z-Mulsion "droplet" symbol on both the clip and stamped on the back; I think this a little too much branding. I really am not digging this pen, am I? : )

I did some comparisons with a few other hybrids I had laying around: the Uni-Ball Jetstream in 0.7mm and the Pilot Acroball also in a 0.7mm. Out of the three, I'm going to have to crown the Jetstream as my favorite hybrid so far.

Based on my experience, I would not recommend this pen to someone, nor will I likely use one again. With such good competition out there for a great hybrid pen, Zebra kind of dropped the ball on this one in my opinion.

Pilot Down Force - Pen Review

June 26, 2013

Pilot has jumped on the bandwagon of the pressurized writing experience in hopes, I'm sure, of competing with a few of the better known favorites, the Fisher Space Pen, or the Tombow Airpress, to name a couple. Their offering is called the Down Force; sounds pretty intense, right? Like a storm or something.

There is one thing I really like about this pen, and that is the plastic knurled grip section. It is more of a subtle knurling and is rather appealing. I even liked the choice to put the three grip rings in the knurling; nice touch. I would love to see this exact knurling grip pattern on a metal pen. The barrel of the Down Force is pretty wide, sort of like the Dr. Grip, but not uncomfortable.

At Staples, you can only get it in black with a grey/smoky clip, but on JetPens, they offer it in some pretty wild colors like orange, green, or yellow. I think the black suits it fine, but again, wish they offered a metal barrel version. I have a thing for metal pens.

Now, there is one thing that I absolutely abhor about this pen: the clip. Oh my is this thing an ugly monstrosity. A bit dramatic?... Well, I just really don't like it at all. In my opinion they took a superb barrel design and attached this thing to it. It is a smokey clear color against a cool matte black plastic that just doesn't work well. I wish they'd have made a sleeker clip like Dr. Grip FullBlack (will review one like this soon).

The clip is functional though as it serves as the means of retracting the tip and knock as to not allow you to clip an open pen to your shirt/overalls/pants. In all honesty, I feel this feature on any pen is kind of silly; I get that the pen manufacturer is "trying to do us a favor" from not allowing us to mess up our shirt, but I feel that most people can handle the responsibility of pushing in the knock to retract the pen. Although, they do make pocket protectors still.

I think Pilot did a pretty good job with the ink, although I haven't tested it in the crazy upside down positions, or on a wet surface. It puts down a fine line that I'd even wager to be better and cleaner than the Fisher Space pen in the fine width. I prefer the medium Fisher, but the Pilot is neat and precise while writing. I'll have to look and see if they make a blue ink...

The synopsis:

Pros: knurling, ink flow/line width

Cons: the really ugly clip

Worth $7? Meh. If you wanted a "cheap", but nice, knurled pressurized pen, buy a Zebra F-701 which is compatible with the Fisher refill and is only about $7.

Karas Kustoms Retrakt Prototypes - Pen Review

June 24, 2013

Living close to Karas Kustoms (Mesa, AZ) is such a pleasure. I enjoy getting to stop by the shop to talk to Bill, Dan, and the guys about how business is going, what projects they have happening (outside of pens too), and just generally shooting the breeze.

A little backstory on my Karas history, I actually missed the Render K Kickstarter campaign, but found it about a month after it was done. It wasn't until I looked a little closer at the location did I realize they were a local company that I could walk in and buy from. The soonest chance I could (when they were available), I stopped by the shop and bought my first Render K personally from Dan Bishop; I've been back so many times since that I hope I haven't overstayed my welcome! In retrospect, I'm glad I missed the Kickstarter campaign in a way because it gave me the opportunity to get to know these guys better.

When Dan was on the Pen Addict Podcast back in March of this year, he discussed some of the concerns/struggles of manufacturing a true "clicky" style pen, so it sounded kind of up in the air of whether one would be a reality to add to the Karas Kollection.

I was lucky enough to see some of the "Top Secret" plans for the Retrakt a few months ago (maybe even before it had a name) and then a working prototype (that Bill now carries around with him) and I was instantly hooked and excited that they had worked out a solution to the click problem. My exact words were, "you guys nailed it".

The Retrakt really is a fantastic pen; functional, durable, good looking, and is a great follow-up, not so much to The Bolt, but more the Render K. I say this not out of disrespect for The Bolt, because I love it, but the styling and feel is linked more to their first pen which has helped shape the "pen-o-spere" in so many ways. Bill and his lead designer, Dan Bishop (his blog, Design Concussion), have created some amazing products for us to enjoy over the last few years and I'm so excited they've brought this new pen to light because it's going to be awesome.

There are three versions of the Retrakt: an anodized aluminum (aluminium...), raw brass, and a new material, raw copper. All three versions are striking, and I want to thank Bill for giving me the chance to use and review all three over the last several weeks. The aluminum, being the lightest, would likely be the most comfortable as an everyday carry for a lot of people, but honestly the brass, although heavy, feels really good in your hand. The extra weight in this instance doesn't bother me a bit and I've found myself carrying the brass more than anything during my time with the pens.

The copper is heavier than the brass, but is simply a stunning pen. Although it will tarnish beautifully over time, fresh out of the package this thing surprises you with how nice it is. Like a new penny you can write with. It takes a certain buyer to have this pen as an everyday use due to the weight, but I could see this pen being super popular as a gift for someone that wants to give something striking.

When I said they nailed it, they really did. I love the design features of the knurling at the top (nod to Render K) and in keeping the same strong steel clip we know and love. The Retrakt fits right into the family of pens that Bill, Dan, and the crew have made that have won us over so well. As a pen person, it is hard not to have an example of each because of how cool they are.

The Retrakt pens come sized to accept the popular G2 refill or Parker style refills with a spring swap and black spacer for the knock section. I've done a lot of experimenting with G2 "style" refills to find which one feels best for me. Some of these are the Uni-Ball Signo 207, Uni-Ball Impact, Pentel Energel, and TUL gel refills.

I've settled on the Energel as my choice, but it does take some slight modification to the refill (as it is a smidge longer than the G2) by cutting about an 1/8 of an inch off the end and putting one of the plastic "butts" (pardon...) in the tube from another refill. Now, I'm not suggesting that you need to start buying gobs of refills to hack apart because the G2 is great, but just know that there are some options to play with if it is your thing.

The knock is really cool and I'm actually glad that it can be taken off of the pen. It adds to the industrial feel, like a machine, that you can unscrew, look at, and then put back together. I just enjoy the mechanical side of the pen as much as the visual aesthetic. The knock isn't overly loud, but is actually quite smooth. It surprised me how much I like it.

Please check out the Kickstarter campaign on this one for sure. If you're a repeat customer of Karas, you know you'll be getting the same great quality they've delivered before. If you're new, take my word for it...

Thanks again Bill and Dan for letting me review and enjoy these pens!