Pilot FriXion Clicker 0.7 (Multiple Colors)
Today I have the privilege of sharing my thoughts about the Pilot FriXion Clicker. This review pertains to a 7-pen multipack of erasable gel roller pens.
A sincere thank you to Pilot for donating these pens. Pilot was the first company to agree to support #PensPlease. In my opinion they use Twitter better than most companies, and much better than their immediate competition (I'm looking at you Zebra, Pentel, and Uniball).
In spite of some complications I shipping, I am still impressed by Pilot as a company and grateful for the pens!
Avid readers of my pen reviews will recall that I reviewed a 0.5 needle-point FriXion pen several days ago. I already have some experience with the FriXion concept and really like it.
When I got my first look at this multipack a part of me thought they might be versatile enough to become my "go-to" for all sorts of things.
After closer examination, I actually prefer the needle-point model even though it has a cap to wrestle with. These are still good pens, though, and I cannot seem to overstate how fantastic it is to be able to erase ink.
A sincere thank you to Pilot for donating these pens. Pilot was the first company to agree to support #PensPlease. In my opinion they use Twitter better than most companies, and much better than their immediate competition (I'm looking at you Zebra, Pentel, and Uniball).
In spite of some complications I shipping, I am still impressed by Pilot as a company and grateful for the pens!
Avid readers of my pen reviews will recall that I reviewed a 0.5 needle-point FriXion pen several days ago. I already have some experience with the FriXion concept and really like it.
When I got my first look at this multipack a part of me thought they might be versatile enough to become my "go-to" for all sorts of things.
After closer examination, I actually prefer the needle-point model even though it has a cap to wrestle with. These are still good pens, though, and I cannot seem to overstate how fantastic it is to be able to erase ink.
The clicker model of the FriXion scores points in color coordination. Both the grip and the eraser tip match the color of the ink. On the other Frixion I reviewed, the "eraser" was white. I like the matching tip better.
The grips for these pens match the needle point counterpart in that they are designed to be thin. Whereas the needle point model strangely worked and had a nice "grippy-ness" to it (technical term, trust me) they don't work as nicely on these pens. The grips simply don't have much to offer in aiding your grip. They look all right, but I'm not certain they make the pen any more comfortable than if I was holding a plain, plastic barrel.
I thought I would like the larger barrel, but this did not prove to be true. In spite of the skinny size of the needle point model, that pen was very comfortable to grip and use. It was a better writing experience than what I got from these.
The grips for these pens match the needle point counterpart in that they are designed to be thin. Whereas the needle point model strangely worked and had a nice "grippy-ness" to it (technical term, trust me) they don't work as nicely on these pens. The grips simply don't have much to offer in aiding your grip. They look all right, but I'm not certain they make the pen any more comfortable than if I was holding a plain, plastic barrel.
I thought I would like the larger barrel, but this did not prove to be true. In spite of the skinny size of the needle point model, that pen was very comfortable to grip and use. It was a better writing experience than what I got from these.
Since this was a seven-pack, I was also profoundly disappointed that Pilot squandered a golden opportunity to provide a literal rainbow of colors. Roy G Biv (I really hope I don't have to explain that acronym) would have been pleased!
Instead, there is a noticeable absence of Orange and Yellow. Pink and Blue made the cut, but have never made a real rainbow.
The clip of this pen, something that could have been a huge advantage, turned out to be one of its weaknesses. The function is fine and only takes a few seconds to figure out. Your instinct will be to push the top of the pen, but that's the eraser and it is stationary.
Instead, you push the clip down to expose the tip. When you are ready to retract you push the clip down again (sounds counterproductive, but it works) and then release. It becomes second nature very quickly, but the first time might throw you. I'm glad I saved you 3-10 seconds of your life by explaining it in advance.
When I write with these pens the clip rattles. A lot. To me, this is the ink-pen equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.
I don't know what Pilot could possibly do to improve it; there has to be some rattle room for a clicker pen like this to work. I'm simply letting you know that if you don't like rattling pens these are not for you.
So there you have it. If you can handle some rattling and don't need much by way of a grip then you'll probably love these pens. If those things irk you, take a look at FriXion's needle-point model.
As for the fate of these pens: just because they rattle a little doesn't mean I won't use them. I will be employing some of them to make and take notes while reading books.
Obligatory Disclaimer: Pilot donated these ink pens to the #PensPlease campaign. This means I received these ink pens free of charge.
Instead, there is a noticeable absence of Orange and Yellow. Pink and Blue made the cut, but have never made a real rainbow.
The clip of this pen, something that could have been a huge advantage, turned out to be one of its weaknesses. The function is fine and only takes a few seconds to figure out. Your instinct will be to push the top of the pen, but that's the eraser and it is stationary.
Instead, you push the clip down to expose the tip. When you are ready to retract you push the clip down again (sounds counterproductive, but it works) and then release. It becomes second nature very quickly, but the first time might throw you. I'm glad I saved you 3-10 seconds of your life by explaining it in advance.
When I write with these pens the clip rattles. A lot. To me, this is the ink-pen equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.
I don't know what Pilot could possibly do to improve it; there has to be some rattle room for a clicker pen like this to work. I'm simply letting you know that if you don't like rattling pens these are not for you.
So there you have it. If you can handle some rattling and don't need much by way of a grip then you'll probably love these pens. If those things irk you, take a look at FriXion's needle-point model.
As for the fate of these pens: just because they rattle a little doesn't mean I won't use them. I will be employing some of them to make and take notes while reading books.
Obligatory Disclaimer: Pilot donated these ink pens to the #PensPlease campaign. This means I received these ink pens free of charge.