Which Pen is Better the Zebra Sarasa or the Papermate Gel Silkwriter?

The mechanism of gel pens is similar to that of the ballpoint, the difference is in the ink which gives the advantage of creating a bolder line.   I have put the Zebra Sarasa & Papermate Gel, both 0.7mm in a head to head, here are my findings.

Zebra

Available in a selection of 10 colours, I am putting the fuchsia to the test.  The pen has a smokey grey barrel & nib housing with a bright pink soft grip, end cap & clip.  The transparent barrel allows easy viewing of ink levels.  The Sarasa gel is retractable & although Zebra say it is not refillable, the nib housing can be unscrewed & I swapped with the Papermate, just to test & it worked, therefore I can’t see why it can’t be recycled.

So on to the performance,  I found this gel rollerball to be a smooth writer that was easy to use.  I’ve noticed that some of the complaints about gel pens refer to them smudging.  The ink in gel pens can take longer to dry, but I rubbed my fingers across the page on several occasions, not a dirty mark in sight.

Papermate

Claimed to contain specially developed ink that will write a super smooth as silk bright line, said to be quick drying & will never lose its brightness.  I did find the Papermate Gel Silkwriter pen performed well & the ink was a nice shade of blue.  As I don’t have the first idea how long I need to wait for “never” I can’t comment on the claim of staying power on the brightness front.

The pen itself has a blue transparent barrel that meets a rubberised grip which is a fraction wider than the barrel & also blue.  The nib housing, end cap & clip are a bright white with the exception of a retractable button also colour coded, in this case blue.  The transparent barrel allows you to keep a check on the ink level until the very last drop, & is refillable.

My conclusion was that both medium tip gel pens performed well, both laid down bold bright text.  As they are a similar price I can’t say there is much to choose between them.  If I had to pick a favourite I’d say the Zebra has the edge.  This would be on the comfort front for the grip, they also have a wider variety of foxy colours that include an unusual mahogany, lime green & orange.

Zebra Sarasa V Papermate Silkwriter

Tagged as: Papermate Gel, Pen Review, Zebra Sarasa