128: liquid sharpie

i wish i could remember where and when i bought this pen, i'm fairly sure it was back in college and that would suggest that i would have gotten it at walgreens or rite aid.

as near as i can figure this pen has been discontinued, or perhaps, rather that i evolved into the current stained brush tipped sharpie pen line.

i was unable to find anything about these pens after a quick check around the internet, that it would be discontinued, well, that doesn't surprise me, it seems that they always discontinue the best pens.

go figure.

this particular sharpie seems like it was a missing link between the traditional sharpie and the newer models that use ink that is bleed free and brush tip liquid ink pens that work really well for painting on all sorts of different materials.

the liquid sharpie has a solid body, a window to the ink reservoir, a slightly stubby version of the fine point tip, and smells more like rubbing alcohol than the chemically smell we all love about our sharpies.

the ink doesn't bleed the same way the standard pens do and it seems to go on smoother, giving the lines a nice velvety look.

if you have a chance to buy one of these pens, do so... buy two actually and send one to me, i'll send you a drawing in return.


pricing: n/a

website: n/a

what they say: n/a

pen 91: pentel hybrid technica

one of the reasons that i started this project was that i have amassed quite a collection of pens over the years, and in many cases have rediscovered pens that i had forgotten that i really liked... and then there are pens that i never knew existed and, because i need content  for this blog, have bought and in some cases, fell in love with. the pentel hybrid technica is one such pen.

i found this pen at a local craft store a few weeks ago, i was looking for a sketch pad and stumbled across a bin with both the .6 and .4 models, curious i bought one of the latter and although i was a little surprised at the cost - around $4 - i made my purchase while the clerk told me that they were good pens and worth  the price. i walked to my car thinking to myself 'it better be.'

it was.

so i went back a week later and bought the .6 model and had to face the "i told you so" smirk that was plastered on the clerks face. i swallowed my pride and gladly paid another $4.

since then i have done some research and found that there is a four pack, a collection of all four models that are available and found, on amazon, that they can be as inexpensive as $4-$8 for the set, in some cases shipping is free, or is it is part of a larger order sometimes waived. i believe that you can also purchase these pens on the company website.

one of the things that i have trouble understanding is how these pen websites have so little information in general on the pens they sell. i mean, i do one of these reviews a day and manage to get at least a few paragraphs from using these pens, perhaps they should consider hiring me on... seriously, hire me.

so the pentel hybrid technica is a ballpoint pen that uses a hybrid ink that is a mix of gel and traditional ink, the pen dries quickly, but not fast enough that it wont smear if you aren't careful, these pens are consistent, no skipping or stuttering, the glide is is medium and the pen does have some decent bite to it. the ink has a poor range in value, from full saturation down to nothing but since they are so small make for good shading if you're hatching or crosshatching, i wouldn't use this pen to fill large areas however... it would take way too long. these pen are also good for writing and are precise enough to be solid detail pens, and the ink is good for going over pencil lines.

i don't think that i can overstate how much i like these pens, i highly recommend that you buy one if you see one, again, if you try it and don't like it, contact me and i will send you an original sketch with the pen in exchange for the pen itself. i really stand behind this pen 100%.

website:
www.pentel.com

what they say:

• Archival roller system with smooth, pigmented ink delivered through the long-lasting ball delivery system
• Acid-free, archival safe ink is ideal for sketching, drawing, manga art and so much more
• The tungsten carbide roller tip guarantees a consistent line from the first to last drop of ink
• Pigmented ink is light-fast, bleed-proof, water-resistant and fade-resistant
• Available in four line sizes: 0.3mm (extra-fine), 0.4mm (fine), 0.5mm (medium), and 0.6mm (bold).

pen 69: pentel energel nv liquid gel pen

today i am taking a look at the pentel energel nv liquid gel pen which i will be referring to as the energel for the duration of this review. i have bought two of these pens now, the first one, disappeared and i went to staples to buy another. these pens are, as of the time i'm writing this post, set up next to the checkout counter in a display, and sold for a dollar a pen... all good, right? surely the other pen would show up sooner or later... so on the drive home i was stuck in traffic and the a/c in my car makes going up hills difficult so i sweated two diet dr.peppers and three red bulls worth of moisture in my body and everything was soaked pretty bad by the time i got home. so i showered changed and threw my clothes in the washing machine. i had to run a few errands to run so i left them happily washing in the laundry room. when i returned i discovered that my sister had taken my clothes and threw them in the dryer. this would would been a nice and normal thing to do but there's a lot backstory and context that i don't want to bore you with. she threw my clothes into the dryer and ran the cycle... i got home and found my clothes in the dryer and... and an empty energel pen. now i probably would havenoticed the pen when making the transfer from washer to dryer, i have in the past, anyway it wasn't caught and when i took them out of the washer -bam- riuned. the stupid part is that it was in the same pair of shorts that i had been wearing when bought the replacement... cargo shorts, right big side pockets that i dont really use ecept this one time... what i can tell you that i learned from this is to make sure you triple check your pockets, don't let someone you don't trust near your laundry and that time spent in the dryer completely drains this gel/liquid pen, creating an annoying pseudo-tie-dye load of clothes, see above. website: www.pentel.com Product Details: High performance ink technology combines the best qualities of liquid and gel ink for a super-smooth writing experience Liquid gel ink dries so fast even left-handed writers love it - no smears, no smudges, no globs Maximum comfort and control with the latex-free grip Sleek and slim barrel design makes it easy to hold 0.7mm metal tip writes BOLD lines Available Ink Colors: Black, Red andBlue Refill: N/A so lets talk about the product details, as far as the ink being advanced technology, meh, it doesn't seem all that different than any other pen, it does dry fast, however, and that makes for fewer smudge marks which is always a good thing. the energel's glide is smooth, very smooth, but it still maintains some bite, the ink doesn't seep to skip or stutter, the ink does not build up around the tip so unwanted ink deposits are not an issue with this pen, oh - and the ink has very little bleed, it doesn't soak through the paper and that is nice.  the lines made by this pen are bold, crisp, and clear. the ink has very little value range and i would classify it as an äll or nothing"pen. it does have a comfort grip, that is latex free, so i guess if you have an allergy to latex this might be a good match for you, the grip itself isn't really all that comfortable, or uncomfortable, and while they call this pen sleek, it doesn't seem to be any thinner than an average pen. this pen is make of mostly recycled plastic, but does not have refill capacity, they say that the tips come in different sizes, although i've only seen them in .07 and 1.0mm and from what i have managed to see, are available in black blue and red. so, the energel is a pen that i would say is better suited to writing, it does work as a drawing pen, but there are different pens out there that would work a bit better. if you see one, and it's a dollar go ahead and get one, it is good for inking and filling in moderate black space. just remember to check your pockets careful before you wash them... you will more likely than not have to replace or add those clothes to painting wear.

pen 65: pilot acroball

 as illustrated, above i have used two of the subtypes - the colors and the pure white, from what i can gather, the colors are available in a variety of colors (eight) including classics like black, blue and red.  a medium tip size, in this case, 1.0 mm.  the pure white comes in several different accent colors on the otherwise white body, and as far as i can tell, only comes in a fine point size, 0.7 mm.

both of theses pens have what is called hybrid ink which is a mixture of classic ballpoint ink and gel ink,  reading the package on the back you would think that this would herald the dawning of the golden age of clicky pens as hybrid ink claims to have all the strengths of both without any of the drawbacks.

well, lets test this.

so the ink doesn't really dry all that quickly, it will smear, that can be a good or bad thing depending on what your goal is, as far as water resistance, they are pretty dead on, and i noticed that water, if gently applied, can clean the smudge if caught early on, a little bit like watercolor paint.

the bodies themselves are average, the rubber grip no more or less comfortable than other pen in the same price range, the ink is all or nothing, it does make bold lines, but i does skip and stutter, especially if you haven't warmed it up with a few scribbles, the glide on the color is smoother than the pure white, but that probably has more to do with the point size than anything else.

these pens are úpper mid range pens,

they come in packs of one to five, and from what i've seen, seem to go for around $4-$12 depending on the quantity.

i'm not planning on buying any more of these pens, they aren't bad, but i'd rather put that money towards a pen i love.