New Pens Are In

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Reviews coming soon....

Review: Pilot Precise V5 RT 0.5 Click

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The traditional Pilot Precise V5 pens are some of the best around, and the relatively new click models are just as nice in my book. If I am doing any type of lengthy writing, this is one of the first pens I grab.

Review: Uni-Ball Jetstream 0.7mm

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I'm not a ballpoint pen kind of guy, but this is a decent, comfortable pen to write with. It feels very sturdy, and the line width is just right. My wife will probably get more use out of this one than me, but it is a good all-around pen.

More good stuff on the way

I just finished up a new order from JetPens.com. Here is what will be hitting my mailbox in the next week or so:

Zebra Techno Line Ballpoint Pen - 0.4 mm - Light Blue Body
Pentel Slicci Gel Pen - 0.3 mm - Black Ink
Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen - 0.4 mm - Black
Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue
Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen - 0.25 mm - Black
Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen - 0.25 mm - Blue
Uni-ball Signo DX UM-151 Gel Pen - 0.28 mm - Blue
Uni-ball Signo DX UM-151 Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue
Zebra Sarasa Clip Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Black

Review: Pentel Slicci 0.3mm Blue

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Since I have raved so much about my black Slicci, I figured I would post the blue one for comparisons sake. This one writes equally as well, and I use both of them constantly.

One quick note - any blurring you see in the photos isn't the ink, but rather my poor photography. I'm working on that!

Review: Bic Z4 Porous Tip 1.0mm

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This is one of my favorite pens I use on a day to day basis. They were hard to come by at first, but I ended up finding them at a regular large office supply chain, but not all of them seem to carry this particular model. It has been very durable, with no noticeable breakdown of the tip through regular to above average use.

Zebra Sarasa Multi-Pen

Now this is cool - Blue, Red, and Black gel ink cartridges, PLUS 0.5mm lead pencil all in one multi-pen? I will defintely have to check this out. JetPens.com offers three different body colors for sale: Black, Blue and White. At $9.00 a pop they aren't exactly cheap, but they do look very interesting.

Review: Pilot G-2 0.38mm

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I had been using the Uni-Ball Signo RT Gel 0.38mm almost exclusively prior to ordering this pen, but I think I like the G-2 better. It sometimes takes the Uni-Ball a second to get going, but the G-2 is always ready when the pen hits the paper.

Zebra Techno Ballpoint

The Zebra Techno ballpoint pen has arrived at JetPens.com, and looks pretty nice. I am not a big ballpoint fan, preferring gel or felt tip pens instead, but I plan on picking a few of these up in my next order. The only size available is the 0.4mm in black ink, but four different barrel colors are available: Grey, Light Blue, Light Pink, and Purple. JetPens compares the line width to the Pilot Hi-Tec-C .25mm pen, so it will be interesting to see this one in action.

Review: Pilot Bravo

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As hard as this pen was to track down, I was hoping for a little better performance. The line is too wide and not very crisp. The pen tip also seems to be breaking down rather quickly. I was hoping to use it for a bit of note taking, and maybe a little sketching, but I don't think I will be using it for either anytime soon.

New Pen Case

I just bought a new pair of Oakley wire frame prescription glasses last week, and they came with an added bonus. As I realized a day or two after purchase, the mini-case/cleaning cloth is a perfect pen case for my backpack. Check it out below:


Yes, I am a complete dork.

Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto

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After reading so much about the Pilot Hi-Tec-C pens from various sources, I just had to go out and try one myself. Instead of one though, I went with three, in the form of the Hi-Tec-C Coleto. I never thought I would like using a multi-cartridge pen, but this Coleto is really great. I will be using this pen a bunch, and will probably try out different tip sizes, ink colors, and models of the Coleto barrel.

Review: Pentel Slicci 0.3mm

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I think I just found my new favorite pen. Smooth and steady from the very first use, the Pentel Slicci is the most consistent micro tip pen I have used in recent memory. The lines are sharp, and I have yet to experience any skipping or clogging. It is going to take a lot for me to replace this pen as my main day-to-day writing instrument.

Pilot Bravo pen in Fortune Magazine

How I Work: Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO

Take good notes: I always carry a Moleskine single-lined five-by-seven-inch notebook. I replace it when it gets full -- about every six months. I have a half-dozen or so now. They're on a shelf in my office in Palo Alto. I'll use any pen, but I prefer my Pilot Bravo black one. It's good for writing, sketching, and drawing. I go through the finished ones and highlight the big ideas so they don't get lost.

I caught this article a few weeks back in Fortune Magazine, where Tim Brown professed his love for his Moleskine and black Pilot Bravo pen. The photos from the article are not online, but the magazine itself had an open shot of his Moleskine and a few notes, and the ink on the page looked great.

I had never seen or used a Pilot Bravo before, and they were surprisingly hard to find. I ordered a few from BestPensOnline.com (quick and easy btw), but shortly after putting them to use, I realized these were not the pens for me. For some reason I had it in my head that these were a porous tip pen, when in fact they are a standard felt tip marker, and a rather wide one at that. The pen in and of itself is fine, but I do not really have a use for something with that wide of a line. The tip also seemed to break down rather quickly as well, as my lines were much wider after I had only used the pen for a couple of pages of notes. I have yet to use it in a Moleskine - really don't see it being useful to me there - but I will post a sample of it very soon.

Coming Soon

I just received my first order from JetPens.com (wow, that was fast shipping!), so look for reviews on all of the pens listed below in the near future.

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2 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock Gel Ink Pen - 0.3 mm - Black
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock Gel Ink Pen - 0.3 mm - Blue
2 x Pentel Slicci Gel Pen - 0.3 mm - Black Ink
1 x Pentel Slicci Gel Pen - 0.3 mm - Blue Ink
1 x Pilot G-2 Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Black
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 3 Color Multi Pen - Pen Body - Black
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.4 mm - Black
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.4 mm - Blue
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.4 mm - Pink

Review: Uni-ball Signo bit 0.38

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I wasn't crazy about this pen as soon as I opened the package, but it is growing on me. It sometimes takes a second to get the ink flowing, but stays pretty consistent once it does, outside of a few clogs and clumps. I have only used it for a short period or time, so its durability is to be determined.

Samples

A few notes on the samples I will be uploading:

- I am currently using the Moleskine Lined Pocket Reporter Notebook (3 1/2" x 5 1/2") for the samples, so keep that in perspective when looking at the size of the writing.
- All photos are uploaded to flickr, and I will provide a link to each page so all sizes of the image can be viewed.
- I don't plan on writing any stock text unless requested. It will just be whatever I come up with on the fly, mistakes and all.
- There will probably be tweaks as I go along to ensure I'm giving the best representation of the ink on paper.
- I am open to suggestions on what pens/paper/text to be reviewed, so please just leave a comment on what you would like to see.

Pen samples/reviews are not the only things that will be posted here. There will be plenty of other content as I go forward, so stay tuned.

Welcome to The Pen Addict!

If you have stumbled across this page, then you have a problem. A problem like mine. A problem you don't share publicly with many others. But in the blogosphere, we are all friends, and we can talk about our issues, and share with other like-minded individuals. And that is why I am starting this blog.

My name is Noisy, and I am an addict.