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.

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.

One of my major “pandemic projects” has been to bring the content on this website up to date: deleting years-old announcements and “deals” posts containing outdated links, advertisements and sponsor posts from companies no longer in existence, and other material that’s basically clutter and makes it more difficult to find truly useful content. In the process, I’ve come across many reviews that I hadn’t read in several years, including this piece from nearly five years ago in which I discuss my appreciation for the Pilot G2, and even call it my personal favorite gel pen. It’s time to revisit to see whether this opinion still holds true.

Short Answer: I Still Like the Pilot G2 Overall

For the most part, my original review holds up. While I’ve never been on board with the G2’s moniker as the “World’s Best Pen” or “World’s Most Popular Pen” or whatever, I also don’t believe that it deserves the shade thrown its way. For a pen that most people can find in their corner grocery store, the G2 is quite good and, in my mind, serves the same role as the Bic Cristal: a classic pen that’s almost universally available with a refill that provides a consistently decent writing experience whenever you need to just get some work done. For that reason, I continue to keep a handful of Pilot G2s in my desk. While the standard plastic G2 body has zero character and isn’t particularly comfortable, for a small amount of money you can upgrade to the G2 Limited, which offers a better grip and balance for less than $10. I still own two.

The G2 does an excellent job of preventing evaporation from the cartridge, presumably due to the plastic cap and whatever material Pilot uses to seal off the ink. The refill on the right is from a Signo 307, which shows significant evaporation. Both… — The G2 does an excellent job of preventing evaporation from the cartridge, presumably due to the plastic cap and whatever material Pilot uses to seal off the ink. The refill on the right is from a Signo 307, which shows significant evaporation. Both of these pens were left sitting for 2-3 years.

The G2 Vs. Everything Else

The biggest downside to the G2, at least as sold, is the design. Companies such as Uni and Pentel have the clear edge in terms of ergonomics. I simply don’t find the standard G2 grip that comfortable, and the standard pen body feels insubstantial. That said, what really interests me is the refill. The G2 continues to impress with its combination of availability, durability, and consistency. Is it a “great” writing experience? No. Will the G2 consistently offer a “good” writing experience, even in a pen that’s spent a couple of years unused in a desk? Based on my track record with this pen, the answer to that question is yes. With one or two exceptions, all of the G2s that I pulled out of my various stationery drawers wrote immediately, without any dryness or skipping, and when I checked the refills for evaporation I found that the G2s had much more ink remaining than its competitors, including the popular Pentel Energel and Uni Signo 307, the latter of which experienced significant evaporation after a couple of years. (Evaporation can cause gel ink to become sticky and blob and smear easily, which makes for a very unpleasant writing experience.)

Finally, I did notice some discrepancies in performance between the various G2 tip sizes. Curiously, all of the “problematic” pens (i.e., skipping and dryness) contained blue .5mm refills. The .7mm and .38mm G2 refills performed flawlessly across the range of available colors. I’m not going to draw any firm conclusions from this, as it’s not a representative sample and YMMV, but I did make that observation. The .38mm tip size has become my current favorite.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The G2 remains my favorite inexpensive “office supply” gel pen. The combination of low cost, generally reliable performance, and the refill’s compatibility with a wide rage of different custom pens make it a quality option to have in your stationery cabinet. While the limited color options can be a considerable downside, the Pilot “Juice” range features the same refill format, though the pen itself is a bit more slender and less comfortable to use (in my opinion).

As I mentioned above, you can purchase a Pilot G2 anywhere. If you’re looking for the .38mm version, or one of the non-standard colors such as orange, burgundy, or blue-black, you may need to search around online, though I have occasionally seen them at big box office supply stores. G2 refills also ship standard in many custom machined pens, including Tactile Turn and Sunderland Machine Works. If you enjoy the G2 refill but can’t stand the default plastic housing, consider upgrading to Pilot’s G2 Limited or a third-party custom pen.

Disclaimer: The Pilot G2 products featured in this post were purchased with my own funds, for my own personal use. This post does not contain affiliate links. If you wish to support The Gentleman Stationer, please consider supporting us on Patreon or via The Curated Shop. Many thanks!