New to me, at least.

This post includes product sent to me for review.

I love pens. Pencils, markers, crayons, and other mark-making instruments, too, for that matter. I adore shopping for new pens and finding ones that are just right for my writing style, my grip–and if it comes in a cool purple ink I’m in heaven.

This summer I stubled upon the InkJoy pens and fell in love with their smooth flow and vibrant ink. But I can be fickle with my pen love, and what was once just right eventually goes a little off at some point, so when Zebra reached out and wanted to send me some of their pens (and pencils) to try, I absolutely said yes and waited with glee for them to arrive.

Inside the box were multi-colored gel pens, multi-colored fine tip pens, a pair of ball point pens, and some mechanical pencils that turned out to be retractable colored pencils. Consider me a happy girl!

The Sarasa line includes both gel pens and the fine points and, between the two, I prefer the fine point pens (similar to ultra-fine Sharpies if you need a frame of reference, but not a solvent ink).There’s certainly nothing wrong with the gel pens (the color variety is very good), but if I had to choose, I’d go for the versatile Fineliners, no question!

The gel pens write very smoothly, though I’ve notice they skip on Post-It notes after they’re about half used up (the InkJoy pens do this too, it must be a gel flow thing is all I can figure). I’ve gone through quite a number of them during the past couple of months at work, and also use them in my planner on a regular basis. Interestingly enough, the gel pens show a higher tendency towards showing through some papers than the Fineliners (another point in the Fineliner’s favor!)

I admit I haven’t used the ballpoint pen included in the review box. For one thing, I seldom use regular ball point pens any more since the effort to write with them (compared to gel pens or markers) makes my hand cramp (tendonitis). The F-301 they sent has a very slim barrel, making it even more problematic for me. But when I have used it for small stints I’ve had no issues with the pen, itself.

Finally, the mechanical pencils have colored leads and are–judging by the packaging–intended for younger users. The triangular barrel means they won’t roll away and they sport a slightly larger barrel than other mechanical pencils. The leads are thick and strong, great for little learners. I had fun with them, too, and would consider them a good travel option for quick sketching.

Thank you, Zebra, for reaching out and sharing your pens and pencils with me!

If you’d like to pick up some Zebra pens of your own, check with any of your larger retailer or head to their website to find a list of local, independent retailers in your area!