EDC Upgrade Part 3: Zebra F-701 Review

I've never carried a pen on the regular. When I did, I had cheap BIC or the occasional Pilot G2. At the time, I was working night stock at a grocery store and used my pens fairly regularly. Now, I work in IT and most of the writing I do is digital (email, IMs, Powershell, blogs, etc.). However, I still have to sign for things. I receive packages at work and sometimes the delivery guy doesn't have a pen for me to use. I've been to meetings with important people from around my university campus where I need to sign in and I look unprepared by having to ask to borrow a pen to sign in. I'll go on job interviews (and at my level, I take notes) and I believe that using a nice pen could be the detail that sets me apart from other candidates. The reasons may not be great but they were enough for me to start carrying a nicer-than-a-disposable pen (but not a super NICE pen).

Lifehacker recently did one of their articles asking their readers what their favorite pen was. The top was the Pilot G2. I've used these a lot and they are nice but I never loved the gel ink. It didn't dry quickly, which meant that it tends to smear. Also, while cheap pens have a lot more resistance when writing (I.E., it takes a lot more effort to move the ball that distributes the ink) the G2 has seemingly no resistance. It was too easy to distribute the ink which, for me, made my handwriting look even worse than it usually does (my penmanship hasn't changed significantly since Kindergarten IMO).

In the article, the second favorite was the Zebra F/G-301. I've seen these before and always thought they were a handsome pen due to the primarily stainless steel construction. I'd never used one before though. After looking on Amazon at the F-301 and F-402, I found the F-701, which features a knurled grip instead of the black rubber grip on the other F/G-series pens. It looked very industrial and as though it was built last century. All good things. I loved it. Add to cart.

The construction is all stainless steel aside from the clicker on the top, I believe. It's also got a plastic sleeve in the steel barrel for the clicker and the plunger. Zebra claims it features a silent clicker but it's not. It is however, much quieter than most retractable pens I've used. The plunger motion feels solid and fluid. The knurled grip makes it easy to write with (it's not too rough or too smooth). The ink dries quickly and the ball-point moves smoother than a cheap pen but offers better resistance than a gel pen like the G2.

As far as nice pens go, this thing is cheap. Less than $10 for a 2-pack. In a world of disposable pens, it stands out like a new Mercedes Benz in a sea of old Kias and Daihatsus. It's like a nice pair of headphones; They aren't a need but the differences that set them apart make the experience of using them totally worth it.

If you're looking for a sharp-looking pen, I highly recommend the Zebra F-701.