Review: Sailor Gel Ink Pen in Black, Blue, & Red - 0.38mm

Overall Look	6
Writing Smoothness	9
Overall Value	9
Overall Rating	8

I've always had an affinity for paper goods, office supplies, and stationary but these Sailor Gel Ink pens were probably my first Japanese pens that I collected. It's been a while since I have used or seen these because I have since moved on to other pens. They've been buried beneath several other pens in a box that I keep in my room, but I'm glad I've found them again. 

Like many of my pens, I first found these Sailor Gel Ink pens from a Japanese dollar store. These are from Daiso Japan.

I really do like these pens, but they don't look as great as other pens that I currently buy.
The barrels are clear, plastic like most other gel ink pens but are shaped funny because the ends are thicker than the middle portion, which makes it difficult to keep too many of them in a small pencil case.
Part of the barrel and also the grip has deep ridges, which is not something seen on any pen that I've encountered recently.

Aside from the fact that they're oddly shaped, the Sailor Gel pens are very long. Here's my retractable  Sailor Gel in black next to a Zebra Sarasa Clip and Pilot G2.
You can also see the Sailor Gel's dumbell-like shape and ribbed sections.

These pens may look a bit funny, but they for sure make up for it with how nicely they write.

Compared to other 0.38mm gel ink pens that I own,  the line is a slightly thicker. But I actually like that about these pens.  The lines look a little bolder, which makes my hand writing look less small. haha. 

The ink flow is smooth, but does smear. 
And I've had minimal problems with the ink skipping or blotting while I write.

Considering that I bought these pens for $1.50 each, I don't have much to complain about. The ink flow is smooth enough and it writes well more often than not. It also comes in a few non standard colors, which I will review in a later post. One thing I do dislike about it's design is that the cap is easily snapped on the inside from pushing the pen too far. A few of my pen caps don't stay on the pen too well because the inner part is broken. 

I was looking for these online, but I couldn't find them, unfortunately.
The pen brand, Sailor, only makes fountain pens and has one line of multi-ballpoint pens.
I do have a black and blue ink, capped version still in package that I'll save for something special. :)

Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C in Black, Blue, & Red - 0.28mm

Overall Look	9
Writing Smoothness	8
Overall Value	6
Overall Rating	8

Finally opened these Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink pens last week after having letting them sit for a couple months still in their box.
I know that these are a favorite in the pen community but I'm still not totally sold on them.
Overall though, I am satisfied. One thing to note is that I've titled the post as 0.28mm even though the box says 0.3mm.
I tested the black in Hi-Tec-C next to my 0.28 Uni-ball Signo and my 0.38 Uni-ball Jetstream. As I expected, the line made by the Hi-Tec-C was more close to 0.28mm, so I just rounded up.


I bought the 10 color set of Hi-Tec-C gel ink pens a while back from a Maido Stationary Store.  They were on sale though and I ended up paying roughly the same price that Jetpens.com sells this same set, which is $32. The colors included in the set are: red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, blue, violet, pink, brown, and black. In this review, I will focus on black, blue, and red ink. Check back soon for the review of the non-standard colors.

The Hi-Tec-C pens are very simple in their look. Their clear plastic bodies showcases the ink inside. The tip of the cap and bottom of the barrels are colored the same as the ink. I really like the colored dots on the the pen cap next to the simple Hi-Tec-C logo -- its cute. 


There are a few drawbacks to this pen. 
The barrel is made of plastic, as is the grip. So, this pen is not ideal for long periods of writing, like essay exams or taking notes for a lecture heavy class. If this is a real problem for you, there are always those soft or rubber grips you can slip onto a pen or pencil. Or actually, there is a line of Hi-Tec-C pens that have a grip.  The downside to those are that they are only sold in black, blue, and red.
Another thing that irks me about Pilot's Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen, is the pen's tip.

The tip is incredibly small in comparison to other pens that I've used. My normal handwriting is cursive, so if I'm not putting enough pressure on the point while writing with the Hi-Tec-C there is a very faint, thin line connecting all my words. It's especially noticeable when I dot my i's and cross my t's. A little frustrating because it makes my very small handwriting look messy -- which it definitely is not! But the tips can be fragile, so I'm always afraid that putting too much pressure on the point might break it. 

These are also capped...I'm not a huge fan of capped pens.

As for the Hi-Tec-C's writing ability, I like it...mostly.

It took a couple lines of writing before the ink would flow smoothly. Even after that, the tips scratched against the paper still. The line it lays down is very fine and nice once the ink "gets started".   
A few reviews that I've seen mention that their Hi-Tec-C just stops working even though the barrel is full of ink. Though I have not yet encountered this problem, I hope that I never will. 

If you are thinking of getting yourself a Pilot Hi-Tec-C, I'd say go for it. 
Though they are one of the more expensive gel ink pens I own, at $3.00-4.00 per pen, the Pilot Hi-Tec-C is a very popular choice among pen enthusiasts.
They come in a variety of colors and in four different point sizes (0.25mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm, & 0.5mm); I'm sure one of them can end up as your favorite.