Pen Review: The Juice Up, the Juice Plus, and Pilot's "Synergy Tip"

I first discovered Pilot’s “Synergy Tip” gel pens a few years ago, when I picked up a pack of “Synergy Clicker” Frixion pens. This innovative tip format immediately improved my writing experience with the Frixion pens, reminding me of the smooth-writing liquid ink “V” rollerball series that I’ve always loved, with the added precision of the Hi-Tec-C gel ink. Of course, given the limitations of erasable Frixion ink, the pens weren’t quite as smooth or dark as I would’ve liked, so I kept looking. I soon discovered that Pilot also uses the Synergy Tip in their excellent “Juice” gel pen range, available in the U.S. as Japanese imports (including now from T.G.S.!). The two main options are the “Juice+” and the “Juice Up” lines, both of which use the same cartridge, with the primary differences being color range and barrel design.

The Pilot Juice+ / Juice Plus features a matte white barrel that’s lighter-weight than the heftier Juice Up.

Why I Like the Pilot “Synergy Tip” Gel Pens (Juice+ and Juice Up)

• You get most of the precision of the Hi-Tec-C with the smoother writing experience of a conical metal tip like the G2 or the Signo DX. The difference is especially noticeable when writing at a lower angle, which is where the Hi-Tec-C can sometimes give me trouble. In my experience the Juice pens are much less prone to clogging and premature drying out than the Hi-Tec-C, which is the primary downside to Pilot’s classic needle-tip gel pen.

• The Synergy Tip lays down a clean line, with none of the “blobbing” you can sometimes see in a standard Pilot G2 or standard Zebra Sarasa (not the “Sarasa Clip” series). The gel ink used in the Juice pens contains pigment that renders it “water-resistant”, per Pilot, so while it probably won’t survive a thorough soaking, it’s at least waterproof enough to withstand a splash from a spilled drink, and to allow you to highlight over the ink without smearing.

• I love the bolder Juice colors and expanded range. Right now, I think my favorites are the “Glossy” series of five dark colors that you can find within the Juice Up line.

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As you can see, the Juice Up highlights really well, with minimal smearing. The highlighter used here is the excellent Pilot Kire-Na.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

If you’re looking for a needle-ish tip gel pen that writes reliably and comes in a broad range of colors, I highly recommend both the Juice Up and Juice Plus (Juice+) line. We currently stock the .4mm and .5mm Juice Up pens, as well as the .4mm Juice Plus, in our own shop, and will be looking to add more as we grow. I did want to add a note on refill compatibility - you often see the Pilot Juice refills being advertised as “G2” compatible, meaning that they will fit pens that accept the Pilot G2 cartridge. While that may be true for the standard (conical-tip) Juice pens or older versions, the current Synergy refills appear to use a cartridge that is slightly shorter. For example, I was able to use a Glossy Red Juice Plus refill in a Sunderland MK1 (which accepts a standard G2) but I had to wrap a bit of washi tape around the end of the Synergy refill to add length. Otherwise the refill works perfectly with zero tip wiggle or other annoyances.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us and try these and other pens in person at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee.

All 15 Colors of the Pilot Juice Up!

Pen Review: Is the Uni Zento Gel Pen Worth the Hype?

One of the most-discussed releases of the past year has been the Uni Zento gel pen, which has captured the attention of the stationery communities in both Japan and the U.S. In particular, the “Zento Signature” - which features a cap as opposed to your typical retractable mechanism - prompted rushes reminiscent of the Uni Kuru Toga Dive mechanical pencil. While I’ve yet to get my hands on one of these “upscale” models for an extended test drive, I’ve had the opportunity to write with both the standard Zento and the slightly upgraded “Zento Flow” (both retractables) for a couple of weeks now. While I’m not sure I would pay more than standard retail for any version of this pen, the Zento is an excellent gel pen and so far I prefer it over the Uni One and any of the basic Uni Signo “office” inks.

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The Uni Zento Flow Gel Pen in the Jade Colorway, in-hand. I also went with a Canary Yellow standard Zento.

So What’s the Story Behind the Zento?

Uni’s gel pen lineup can be confusing - the company has released multiple iterations of your standard black/blue/red gel pen and left them all on the market simultaneously, the only difference supposedly being different inks that to most people will seem quite similar. The Zento is advertised as formulated for “stress free” writing, which apparently refers to a combination of smoothness and cushion. The Zento is indeed quite comfortable to write with - the pen feels very smooth with little to no scratch, and the ink glides on the page and dries instantaneously. The ink is also advertised as formulated to reduce feathering and bleedthrough, and I can confirm there is none. Now was this actually so much of an issue with Uni’s other pens that it warranted an entirely new product line? I’m not sure, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Zento is good.

Ink Comparison: Zento Black Ink (top) has a more matte look, vs. the glossy black Uni One (bottom). To draw a comparison to fountain pen inks, I’d compare the Zento ink to something like Platinum Carbon Black or Sailor Kiwa-Guro, while the Uni One ink is more of a glossy black like Aurora.

How Does the Uni Zento Compare to the Uni One?

As I noted, in addition to the Zento, Uni released the Uni One a few years ago, which was supposed to be another “specialty” ink that’s a step above your standard office gel pen. I’ve found the Uni One and the Zento to offer somewhat different writing experiences, so I can confirm the distinction is real. The One contains an ink formulated to be extremely dark (standard black) and/or vivid (other colors), with a glossier finish. So if you prefer a darker, wet look to your gel ink, you might prefer the Uni One, especially if you’re using the pen for drawing or doing layout work in a bullet journal or planner. The Zento seems better suited to pure writing, as it lays down a remarkably smooth line and, in my opinion, has the more comfortable barrel.

Update: You can now view the Uni Zento companion video review on our YouTube Channel!

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The array of barrel colors available for the Uni Zento standard. There are some great colors available.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Uni makes a great gel pen, and I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed the Zento as I don’t typically do much writing with gel ink beyond quick notes and annotations. I strongly prefer the barrel on the Zento over the One and pretty much any other standard gel pen - it’s got a nice balance, the perfect diameter for my hand, and on the standard model, a soft texture that’s comfortable over longer sessions. I will also say that the clips on both the Uni Zento and the Uni One are excellent - the wire design is highly functional - with the slight edge to the Zento as it feels a bit tighter on both the standard model and the Flow. That said, if you prefer the barrel on the One but want to try Zento ink, the Zento refills fit the Uni One, and vice-versa.

We currently have a large selection of the standard Uni Zento gel pens available in our shop, as well as a smaller selection of the Zento Flow, with the upgraded barrels. Zentos are priced at $3 and $11, respectively, with extra refills available for $1.75. You can get a nice pen at a reasonable price, or pick up a refill that will fit one of your existing Uni pen bodies.

Come see these pens in person! Visit our shop, currently open Thursday and Friday 1-6pm, and Saturdays 10-6pm. Check this page to keep up to date on our current hours, which may change depending on travel schedules during pen show season.

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You can tell the difference between the clip on a Zento (top and bottom) because it has the round holder, whereas the holder on the One is rectangular.

Uni-Ball One or Zebra Sarasa Grand: A High-End Gel Pen Showdown?

If there's a category of stationery that I've somewhat neglected in my writing over the years, it's the gel pen. Why? Not because I dislike them as a writing instrument; rather, it's because I haven't noticed much innovation from major manufacturers since the late 2010s, with most of the attention in the community paid to third-party machined pen bodies designed to work with the standard refills from the "big pen" companies. Nothing released by Pilot, Uni, Zebra, etc. themselves has caught my eye, until recently.

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The best of both worlds? Gel pens sit somewhere between a ballpoint and rollerball in terms of smoothness, but what sets them apart as a category are the nearly unlimited color possibilities. Shown here are few of Zebra’s “Vintage” ink colors. Three different options for sepia/brown-toned ink?

What Makes a Good Gel Pen?

Gel ink's core selling points are (1) smoothness; (2) paper versatility; and (3) vibrancy. In other words, you get the cleaner lines and feather-resistance of a ballpoint without the messy bleedthrough and smearing common with rollerballs, with the added ability to source refills in pretty much any color you can think of. Personally, I rarely use rollerballs anymore, and while the low-viscosity ballpoint remains my non-fountain pen workhorse of choice, I'll never turn down a good gel pen provided that it flows well and dries quickly.

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The Uni-ball One is a perfect length and diameter. It’s hard to find a gel pen I can comfortably use for longer writing sessions but this one checks most of my boxes.

Uni-ball One "F" Series: My Favorite of Uni's Current Gel Options

Despite the amount of attention Uni receives in the pen and stationery blogosphere, I've mainly used Pilot gel pens over the years, probably more out of habit than anything else because I've never had a Uni pen body that clicked with me. (Pun intended.) That's changed with the Uni-ball One Series F. I actually first tried these pens when my wife and daughter picked up a couple of them at Kinokuniya because they liked the look of the "Earth Texture" series. As it turns out, these are really good pens!

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A close up of the material from the “Earth Texture” pens. I love the mottled look.

The Uni-ball One serves as the vehicle for a "new" gel ink formulation that Uni released a few years ago, which they say contains a proprietary pigmented ink that uses larger particles of pigment to increase the darkness and/or vibrancy of the ink. The initial release had a few hiccups, with reports of skipping and other refill issues. Apparently Uni tweaked the ink formulation and recent manufacturing runs (including all the pens I personally have used) write much better. Personally, I can't tell much of a difference between the Uni-ball One and most other Uni gel ink pens, other than, yes, possibly darker blacks and brighter colors to some degree. What I really like about these pens is the pen body itself.

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A close-up of the clip on the Uni-ball One Series F. I’ve found this clip design to be functional, though I don’t personally use clips all that much anymore.

Uni has foregone a rubberized "cushion" grip in favor of a larger-diameter plastic barrel that I find very comfortable to hold. While there is some texture to the barrel, it's not over-pronounced but enough to keep the pen from slipping in your hand. The "F" series also adds a metal tip which gives the pen better balance than your typical plastic gel pen body, and all versions of the One feature a springy industrial-style clip. Best of all? Because there's no sticky rubber grip, the pen doesn't collect dust and gunk in your desk/bag/pen case like many inexpensive gel pens.

Zebra Sarasa Grand Vintage: A "Professional" Option

Even though the Uni-ball One is a "nice" looking pen, it still has that "inexpensive plastic gel pen look" because, well, it's a relatively inexpensive plastic gel pen and you can't pretend it's something that it's not. As I alluded to above, a source of frustration over the years has been the seeming lack of "professional" first-party gel pen options that feature the same broad range of color options as the less expensive pens. Enter something like the Zebra Sarasa Grand Vintage.

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When you start releasing pens in colors like “Brown-Grey”, you have my attention.

The Zebra Sarasa is a somewhat odd product line, spanning everything from extremely inexpensive office-supply gel pens to the higher-quality "Sarasa Clip" series to even higher-end pens like the Sarasa Grand and Sarasa Grand "Vintage" lines. The Sarasa Grand has a much different feel than something like the Uni-ball One or even the standard Zebra Sarasa - it's a slimmer pen with a metal (aluminum) barrel and a much more substantial feel in the hand. I've seen it described as "sleek," "slender," and "streamlined" - all of these hold true. Zebra recently redesiged this particular model, substituting aluminum for brass and reducing the length of the metal barrel component to make the pen lighter and better balanced. (You can see a comparison photo in yesterday's announcement post.) The barrel has a slightly matte/brushed texture to it, for added grip.

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The full line of colors that we carry. .3mm options in the group on the left, .5mm options on the right. No I can’t name them all.

I've long admired the Sarasa Grand Vintage series from afar, but one thing that I couldn't tell from online advertisements (until I saw them in person and confirmed), was whether the color designation referred to the pen barrel or the ink or both. Turns out it's both! Not only do you have some wild vintage-style barrel colors - mostly muted shades of grey and black-infused tones - but the inks match, and you can purchase all of them in stand-alone refills in either .3mm or .5mm tip sizes. Currently, my favorites have been "Sepia Black," "Red Black" (of course), Blue-Black, and "Camel Yellow." The Sarasa JF refill dries quickly without smearing or smudging and I understand, anecdotally, that it may fit other Japanese gel pen barrels including the Uni-ball One, though I've also heard that they randomly won't fit perfectly from time-to-time and may require modification. YMMV and attempt any mods at your own risk.

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“Camel Yellow”: a gorgeous orange-gold with a matching ink tone.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

So which of these two "high-end" gel pens do I prefer? Honestly, for the complete overall writing experience, probably the Sarasa Grand Vintage. It's a more premium pen, and feels like it. I've been using one of the older models in my personal testing, and while I'm not sure that the redesign would justify replacing a pen you're already happy with, I can absolutely feel a difference with respect to the balance in the 2024 model. Plus, these colors just speak to me. For a lighter weight plastic pen, the Uni-ball One is a solid option that will likely replace the various Signo DX and Signo RT pens that I have in rotation simply because the barrel is that much more comfortable for me to use.

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Both pens have very precise tips, with a .38mm/.3mm size available.

We've carried certain select versions of the Uni-ball One F in our shop for a while, and as I mentioned yesterday, we now stock the Zebra Sarasa Grand Vintage (new 2024 versions). Both of these are relatively inexpensive upgrades for those who want something a bit more “professional” than your standard clear plastic office supply closet gel pen. The Uni-ball One F series pens are priced at just under $5, while the Sarasa Grand Vintage is at $20. Refills for both pens are also available in our shop.

Update: Many of you have asked about our exclusive Sunderland mk1 collaboration, and whether it will be making a return. The answer is yes! I've spoken with Brad at Sunderland and things are underway. Look for an update on a third run later this summer! I'm glad this pen resonated with so many of you and I look forward to its return.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. We greatly appreciate your support.

New Arrivals: Zebra Sarasa Grand "Vintage" Series Gel Pens (2024 Upgraded Versions)

While the standard Zebra Sarasa gel pen has always seemed a touch too wet for me, I have enjoyed the more specialty Zebra releases, including the Sarasa Clip and other pens that can be imported from Japan. Even then, I was still surprised when I picked up a pen from the Zebra Sarasa Grand “Vintage” series to test early this year and it turned out to be one of the best gel pens that I’ve used in years. I actually enjoyed it so much so that we imported the entire line!

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Zebra’s “Vintage” line contains some insanely good colors, like “Red Black” and “Sepia Black”. Some, but not all, are available in the .3mm tip size as well as your standard (for Japan) .5mm.

We now offer the Sarasa Grand “Vintage” gel pens in both .3mm and .5mm tip sizes, as well as the full range of refills. The Sarasa Grand is Zebra’s “upgraded” Sarasa barrel, similar to Uni’s Jetstream Prime and Pilot’s G2 Limited. Note that the colors refer both to the barrel color and the ink color (i.e., a blue-black pen will have blue-black ink), though you can of course mix and match by purchasing extra refills. Happy Shopping!

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The pens we carry are the new (revised) version of the Sarasa Grand (shown at right). Zebra shortened the metal portion of the barrel slightly to give the pen better balance, and the tip extends further from the opening. I personally think the new barrel is a touch more textured. It can be somewhat hard to find a “professional” looking gel pen, and the brushed aluminum barrels on these pens still look understated even in some of the brighter colors.

New Arrivals: Jetstream 4&1 Multi Pens and Uni-ball One Special Editions!

As a self-proclaimed multi pen connoisseur, it was only a matter of time before I really began building out our own multi pen offerings here in the shop. One of my personal favorites is the Uni Mitsubishi Jetstream “4&1” pen, which features a textured (yet still smooth) bamboo grip section, four different Jetstream .5mm refills, and a .5mm mechanical pencil option. The Uni-ball “One” gel pen showcases Uni’s latest gel pen technology - a new smooth, dark ink formulation in both .38mm and .5mm tip sizes.

Uni-ball One Gel Pens are available in both .38mm and .5mm tip sizes. Refills in the stock pens are black, but extra refills in blue, blue-black, red, and orange are also available for purchase separately.

We currently have interesting versions of both the Jetstream 4&1 multi pen and the Uni-ball One gel pen available in the shop. In addition to the “Bamboo” series of the multi pens, we have Uni-ball One pens in both solid muted colors as well as the “Earth Texture” series. Multi Pens start at $25 and Uni-ball One Pens at $4.50. Refills are also available for both.

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The “Earth Texture” barrels are gorgeous. I’ve not seen anything else quite like this in the gel pen world!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.