Freak369's Full Review: Zebra F 301 Retractable Ballpoint Pens, Black, Fin...
When it comes to writing tools, I will admit I have an ongoing obsession with them. I don’t know how many times I’ve embarrassed myself and my brood at the office supply store when I’d come across those day-glow orange “new item” signs in the pen aisle. I never really limit myself to one single pen or pencil and have a ton that I call “my favorite” so I guess you could call me fickle. One week I am all over the new Cross Ion line and the next the PaperMate Pogo is at the top of my list. The Zebra F-301 Retractable Ballpoint is one of the nicest pens I’ve come across in years and it’s on that I always carry with me. It has a great look to it without costing a fortune and the fact that it’s refillable is a true plus in my book. I was under the impression that these only came in black and when I scoured the early back to school sale displays that’s all I could come up with however thank to the great girls at Zebra I now know that I can get the F Series refills in blue if I so desire.
Zebra F-301 Retractable Ballpoint
Sporting a black and silver appearance, these pens are the true workhorse of the Zebra family. The small but effective semi rigid comfort grip allows you to write for extended periods of time with cramping or those nasty looking indentations you get in your fingers from some pens. The .7 mm tip of the pen allows you to have a nice solid line of ink with no spitting or skipping – that is rate from a ballpoint pen these days. I like the fact that the ink dries quickly and that I can use it for my rough sketches without ever having to worry about the thickness of the line changing. I use this on a variety of different papers – everything from standard copier paper to vellum – and I get great results all the time. The only time I ever ran into any trouble using this was when I tried it on wax paper – but that’s a pretty common thing with ballpoint and rollerball pens – the ink really has no place to go unless you really gouge the paper then you stand a real risk of ripping it in the process.
These pens come with a rich black ink and I usually get about a solid month of use out of them before they die. The refills can be picked up in black or blue but you will have to look far and wide to find the blue refills – just look for the F-301 Ultra pen to start with if blue is your color of choice. If you are someone that loses pens constantly, that might just be a thing of the past with this pen – the sturdy metal pocket clip will keep it safely and securely clipped inside backpacks, purses, briefcases and my favorite place – the sun visor. Unlike most other metal clips, these don’t bend or warp easily so if you are rough on your writing tools, this is definitely one to check out. The rubber comfort grip is a little harder than most pens that offer this perk, even so, it allows you to write for longer periods of time with less hand cramping. On top of all this, all Zebra products come with a warranty against defects in manufacturing – if at any time a Zebra pen or refill doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, return it to them with a brief explanation and they will send you a new one. My son had a problem with one of these – when he would go to click on it and start to write, it would retract on its own. He dug the cardboard sleeve out of the garbage, write them a note and sent it back to them and received a replacement about two weeks later. Pretty impressive customer service!
Refill Information
These can be refilled with the Zebra F-Refill that fits several of Zebra’s most popular pens [301 Ultra, F 402, Notus series etc]. You can find the two pack of refills in black and blue ink at most office supply stores for about $1.50. If you are ordering these online you really have to be careful that you are going to get the exact refill or else it won’t fir into the chamber correctly. I made this mistake when I ordered from an online store and ended up with a ton of refills that were about a quarter inch too long.
Things To Know
= This shouldn’t be confused with the F-301 Ultra, basically an enhanced version of the F-301 with different color options and available in blue or black ink. They cost about the same price as the F-301 and outside of the color options, I don’t really see much difference between the two models.
= When you are shopping for these make sure that you look for the Zebra name on the package, there are a lot of knock off products that look almost identical to the F-301 but when you crack them open you get crappy results in regard to ink flow and the casing is simply horrid and usually cracks within a few days of moderate use.
The Bottom Line
I’ve used these pens for a long time now and have nothing but great things to say about them. My two oldest sons are doing a lot more writing these days and these are one of the first pens that they will grab off the shelf and toss in the cart. For the price, about $1.50 - $2.00 per pen, these are a great bargain for those who write a lot or who are looking for a pen that constantly delivers a great, quick drying ink flow packaged inside one hell of an impressive looking casing. For more information about this pen and others in the Zebra family, visit their official product website at www.zebrapen.com. You’ll be able to check out the newest additions to their merchandise line, locate stores that carry Zebra products and take advantage of promotions they offer from time to time.
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