GPW #4: Zebra Jimnie Gel Rollerball

Here's (a super late) GPW #4: Zebra Jimnie Gel Rollerball medium black.

GPW has been out for too long, and today, it's back with another non-Pilot pen: a Zebra. This pen, together with a blue Foray gel pen, was given to me as payments for fixing someone's computer a while back. :) When I got this pen, I thought it's just another gel pen. Together with the Foray gel, I placed it in my plastic box of gel pens, ballpoints, and mechanical pencils. But while I was sorting through that box looking for a pen for GPW, I was brought to face the Jimnie again, for which I am thankful for.

Here's a writing sample of the Zebra Jimnie (The XL view is here):

As I wrote to test the Zebra Jimnie pen, I was suprised at its smoothness and the wonderful consistent medium line it lays on paper. The ink also dried up fast, and though I didn't do a water-resistant test, I am fairly satisfied at the amount of drying time it required. The ink did not feather or bled on the Cattleya paper I am using for pen and ink reviews, and this made me very happy. :) The pen's plastic barrel, section and cap do not bother me at all. In fact, the rubber grip installed is very helpful as the pen stays on my grip comfortably as I write.

But among other things, the Zebra Jimnie's black ink is its winning mark. I realized through the Jimnie's ink that the degree of darkness of black ink (for gel pens or fountain pens) is equally important. Black is not enough, if it is not dark enough. Period. The darkness of the Zebra Jimnie's ink is what I really like, and I hope I could find an ink as black as it is for my fountain pens, too. *Winks.*

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GPW #3: Uni-Ball Signo Gelstick

Here’s GPW#3: Uni-Ball Signo Gelstick 0.7 in Blue and Black

After missing GPW for two weeks, it’s back today with Uni-Ball pens.

I got the Signo Gelstick pens from Office Warehouse, the store that also sells Schneider pens and Eagle notebooks. After buying them, I put them in my plastic pen case together with a lot of other pens and left them there, without even trying any of them.

Weekends ago (yes, it has been that long), while I was looking for pens for GPW, I was settled to get a non-Pilot pen. I thought it was time to try the Signo Gelsticks, so I took the two pens out of the box. As soon I tried to write using the black pen, I regretted not having used it earlier. Oh, why didn’t I?

Both pen are mediums (0.7), but wrote smoothly, evenly, and did not skip. The frosted, semi-transluscent plastic barrel is easy to hold while I write, even without the rubber grip I have so gotten used to in my other pens. And because these pens impressed me, I searched for reviews and comments about them and learned these facts:

• The ink used is water-based, acid-free pigment gel ink.
• It is fade and water-resistant, thus lasts long and resists fading due to exposure to light.
• Helps prevent check washing.
• The stainless steel tips with tungsten carbide balls have twin-ball action to prevent ink leaks.
  

The Uni-Ball Signo Gelstick stainless steel tips with the 0.7mm tungsten-carbide balls.

I understand I haven't done a water resistance tests in my previous GPW entries, but because of the fade and water-resistant claims on the Signo Gelsticks, I decided to do one. I ripped off a page from my Eagle notebook and wrote on it. I then placed the page under the tap's running water, and it was simply amazing to see that indeed the ink on these pens remained visibly clear. It did not run, feather, or bleed. Cool.

The Uni-Ball Signo Gelstick now belongs to my top 10 gel pens. It is a simple pen that is highly ideal for everyday use whether at work or in school, and it uses the same ink that Uni-Ball uses in their pricier pens. Great. I'm sure to get more of these pens later, in the same ink colors and hopefully the other available colors: red, green, light blue/turquoise, violet, fluorescent pink, and fluorescent orange.

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GPW #2: Pilot Coletos

Here's Gel Pen(s) of the Week (GPW) #2: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coletos.

Alas, here's my foray into the world of multi-pens. :)

Long after its release, I've seen photos and read reviews of the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto from many pen blogs and websites. During that time, I was seriously into populating my meager fountain pen collection, that I did not pay too much attention into this new multi-pen from Pilot. I wasn't (and still am) too fond of multi-pens, and this was another reason why the Coleto wasn't am instant hit with me.

Then the time came when there was a huge discussion about Pilot 78G pens at FPN-P. That discussion convinced me to get my first Pilot fountain pen, the 78G. Oh, wait, this is about the Coletos, right? But it was the 78G pens that brought me to the Coletos through Cosmos Bazaar in Binondo. The colorful packaging of Pilot Coleto refills caught my eye that time, but the 78Gs held my attention, and I bought three of them: teal, green, and black - all medium-nibbed. Perhaps it wasn't in the stars yet for Coletos to come home with me.

And then another trip to the city brought me near Binondo. I didn't let the chance pass by that time, and off I went to Cosmos Bazaar to get my Coletos.

At Cosmos Bazaar, the Coleto refills are available in the usual black, blue, and red in all tip sizes: 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5mm. The other refill colors, green, turquoise, purple, orange, and pink, and available only in 0.3 and 0.4mm tips. I bought black in 0.5 and 0.4, and blue and red in 0.5mm. Then I bought all remaining refill colors in 0.4mm tip sizes. I also got three of the three-color pens: clear, blue, and gray.

Coleto refills: 2 blacks, blue, turquoise, green, purple, orange, pink, and red. There are two colors missing in my collection: blue-black and brown. But I don't have them only because Cosmos doesn't have them.

Above is a simple writing sample of the Coletos on my Moleskine. These pens use gel ink, and they write very smoothly and does not skip. I do not worry about bleed and smudges on my notebook pages, because the ink dries fast. They are easy to hold, and my hand is not so tired after writing for some time.

It's also a joy that the Coleto comes in 2, 3, and 4 color sizes. This multi-pen is an excellent choice for people such as I am who loves writing in different colors. And it's also important that the pen barrels can be bought empty, because refilling them with my choice of color is very easy. I can mix different colors in one barrel, or have different tip sizes of a single color. Fun!

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GPW #1: Pilot G2s

Here's Gel Pen(s) of the Week (GPW) #1: My set of 0.7 Pilot G-2s.

This it it. This is where GPW starts. I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I will do a GPW project. GPW, or gel pen(s) of the week is a project I thought of while cleaning out my pen boxes. I realized that even if I want to, I cannot fully shift to full fountain pen use due to the following reasons: (a) I got a lot of non-FP pens; (b) i need a GP or a ballpoint to fill out forms, or sign documents; and (c) finding FP-friendly notebooks and paper in this corner of the planet is just way too difficult. But really, the main reason for the GPW project is that I have too many (and still hoarding) GPs and I want to use them.

And so here's GPW #1, and for this week, my featured pens are my Pilot G2 0.7mm retractables.

I met (or bought) Pilot G2s at the same time I got my first Moleskine. Before my Mollie, I've read excellent reviews about these pens from various websites and blogs, and the most interesting articles and posts (even photos) finally convinced me to get these pens for my Molie. To test them, I bought a 0.5mm black and red to use on my new notebook, and true enough, it's an amazing experience to write with these pens. Later on, I got the 0.7mm G2s as I am more fond of thick, wide, dark lines.

Now, a lot has been said about these pens, and as a G2 user, I agree to all the rave about them. These GPs are very smooth and reliable writers, and their ink is very friendly to Moleskine notebooks. I did not experience any skipping or thinning lines ever since I used them not only on the Moleskine, but also on different papers. The rubber grip on the section is just perfect for my discriminating fingers, and the durable plastic clip is excellent to just clip them anywhere-on my bag's tag, my jean's back pocket, etc. Lastly, I am not a person who loves to post their pens. I hate posting my pens, and the fact that the Pilot G2 uses the retractable system makes it a home-run winner!

Through time, I set aside my G2s as I got fascinated with, and of course, used fountain pens. But I also realized it's difficult to move to full FP use. And so I got back to using the G2s. I even found a better use for them in my GTD (getting things done) kit. It helps that I got these GPs in other colors aside from the black/blue/red inks available here. A friend who went to the United States brought me a three-pack of G2s in turquoise, purple, and pink. Now I got six colors out of the 15 available ink colors that Pilot made for G2s.

Here is my GTD kit, opened. The left flap has pen slots, but only for four pens, so the other two pens are clipped to the paper slots on the other flap. This kit, as I call it, is like a wallet, but with more compartments. I got it from NBS for my FPs, but the garterized pen holders are too tight, that I got scared my FPs will be damaged later on. And like the G2 rediscovery, I found a better use for it. *Wink.*

Both the left and right flaps of this pen holder have big slots which can accommodate other stuff, mostly the multi-colored index cards I use for my GTD system.

The back pocket is also roomy enough for bits of paper, and here I got stamps and tea tags.

So here is my GPW #1. I'll dig into my box again and let's see what I'll come up with next Monday. For now, I'm happy with my G2s.

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My Weekend Hoard of (Gel) Pens and A Pencil

I took a much needed respite from blogging recently as I focused on more pressing matters, such as work and health. As I finish those important tasks, I’m happy to be back. With pens.

This is my growing stash of gel pens. For a bigger photo, click here.

The three-day weekend last weekend has brought me to what else, NBS. I went there to get some (more) notebooks (again), but this time of the month is not a good time to visit NBS, or any bookstore/school supply store as people flock to these places to hoard school supplies and similar items. June is the month when classes start here in the Philippines.

I couldn’t get my way through the crowd near the notebooks, so I went to check their pens. Hm. I was instantly attracted to the Pilot Acroballs because they are available in non-black/blue/red colors such as green, pink, and turquoise. But my attraction turned to disappointment when I realized that Acroballs are ballpoints and not gel pens. Oh, well. Moving down the display, I finally gave in to the Coleto when I saw the three-color blue barreled multi-pen. I got the 0.5mm refills of black, blue, and red, the only refills available at NBS.

Since I was at the Pilot section of the pen displays, I saw the yummy H32 mechanical pencils and tried out the transparent red H325. The transparent H32 is available in different barrel colors: clear, red, blue, yellow, green, and gray/black. I got this pencil for its looks, but it proved to be an excellent writing tool. Mine has a 0.5mm tip, but I’d like to get the 0.3mm and the 0.9mm next time.

New pens: a transparent red Pilot H325 mechanical pencil, blue 3-ink refill Pilot Coleto, Zebra Jimnie Gel Rollerball, Foray, and two Uni-Ball Signo Gelsticks. For a bigger and clearer photo, click here.

Lingering on the pen section of NBS is very dangerous. LOL. Because not long after I decided to buy the Pilot H325, the Uni-Ball pens caught my attention. I got several Uni-Ball gel pens in my stash already, but I liked the way the 0.7mm Uni-Ball Signo Gelsticks wrote when I tried them so I got both black and blue, the only colors where the pens are available. They write smoothly and don’t skip, and I’ve used them on the postcards I’m sending out today. No smears, smudges, or skipping lines. Great pens, really.

The other two pens in the tray, a Zebra Jimnie Gel Rollberball in medium black and the blue 0.6mm Foray are gifts to me by my aunt because I kinda fixed her computers last Saturday. Great service fees. *Wink.*

Here's the writing samples of all the gel pens, sans the pencil. For a bigger and clearer photo, click here.

With the growing number of pens on my box, I'm thinking of using one or two pens a week, to rotate using them, together with my fountain pens. I may call it GPW Project, or gel pen(s) of the week project. Cool idea, eh?

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A Little Help with Organization

Saw these plastic organizers at a store recently. I bought several of them but it was only last night that I put them into use.

For my pens...

... and for my inks...

I didn't know I have so many pens!

My inks look like this inside the box. That syringe is what I use to transfer inks into cartridges.

The yellow box has the Camel 'Scarlet Red' ink from India. Below, and clockwise: Parker Blue-Black, Parker Black, Schneider blue and black short cartridges, Waterman South Sea Blue, and Cross Blue.

Here the Camel and Parker boxes are seen clearly.

The left end of the box reveals my Private Reserve inks: Copper Burst and Avocado.

Next to the Private Reserve box are smaller boxes of ink cartridges: Waterman Florida Blue, and Parker Quink Ruby, part of Parker's jewel tone inks.

It's such an excellent way to organize stuff! My pens are in a fresh new home, and my inks are well-organized. I got a separate box for black inks which I hope to build later on. I won't put my fountain pens in these boxes, though, but now I can easily organize my pens, pencils, markers, even my small notebooks, pads, and post-its. *Wink.*

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My Mid-Week Loot

I was in the City the whole day yesterday for a project meeting with a client at his posh building at Paseo de Magallanes. I got time to spare after the meeting and so I went to Alabang in search of the stuff that make me happy: pens, toys, books. And so here they are, my mid-week loot. Sinful, I know, especially to my shrinking budget and a headache to my savings allotment, but never mind. I haven't rewarded myself like this in a long while... *Grin.*

First, here are my Tomica toys. The first one is Tomy #68, an Isuzu Snorkel Firetruck scaled at 1/110, and the second is Tomy #51, a Toyota Crown Comfort Taxi scaled at 1/63. Why it's called a Comfort Taxi, I don't know. (Don't ask me. He-he-he.)


Next, I bought my own trio set of Pilot FriXion Ball gel pens. They're amazing! Pilot pens are just amazing! I also bought refills for my .7 G2s.

And then... I finally found the Rotring fountain pen I've been wanting to get. Yee-ha! It's a Rotring Newton 600 with an 18k gold B nib. Whoa. I'm now enjoying the pen as much as I enjoyed using the Core, my first Rotring FP.

My Wednesday in the City is a very productive day. Successful with my meeting, successful in getting the stuff I want--as a reward to my hardwork (and heartaches) the past several months.

Oh, and I also got my B a Nicholas Sparks paperback, A Bend in the Road. Sort of a belated quid pro quo for the Murakami she got me. Right, B?

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Pens Galore!

I've always loved pens, and I've always wanted pens. Lots of. Through time, I've accumulated so much but held on to the really special ones. Below are the pens on my stash:

Mon Ami Gel Pets

Non-Pilot Gel Pens

Pilot Gel Pens

The lot.

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