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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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