[Pen/Pencil Review] The Sakura Sumo Grip II 0.5mm in Black Ink
In the same Asel Art Supply shopping trip in which I bought the Pentel Hybrid Technica, I also picked up a matching set of Sumo Grip II – gel pen and pencil – by Sakura. They’re the teal blue set in 0.5mm points. I’m focusing only on the pen this week. I’ll talk about the pencil next week. They deserve their individual numbers.
As much as I like (and maybe even love) my 0.3mm gel pens, this past week in my temp job, I’ve found myself gravitating to the Sumo Grip II retractable gel pen. The Sumo Grip II pen is 5.75 inches long both retracted and point out. It’s neither too wide nor too narrow, and there’s enough cushion in the ergonomic grip to be comfortable without being in the way. It also has an oversized pocket clip that lets you hang the pen securely to almost anything – it actually reminds me more of a clothes pin than a binder clip (as the website calls it).
There are a couple of reasons I’ve been picking this pen up at work. One, the grip is–indeed–comfortable. I’ve used it for a lot of notes throughout the day with little writer’s cramp and normal fatigue. The other big reason is that the ink really is quite smooth. Though the line is fine, the ink is dark. It’s easy to read, there are no skips, blobs, or smudges…well, none that I’ve encountered. I haven’t sat down and done the smear test, but I’ve not seen any in my endeavors thus far. Being as I bought it in an art store, I believe the website when it says the ink is acid-free, light-fast, and water/chemical resistant–suitable for any need. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a good writing sample picture…
The Sumo Grip II comes in, I think, three colors–blue, orange, and black–but as far as I know only in black ink. I have found refills online, it wasn’t something I searched out in the art supply store. But I might now–because I might want to get one or two more. They only run about $2 a piece, so they’re in the same price range as the Pilots and the Pentels, which is a good thing.
Now to the numbers:
1. How does it work? – 01 This pen works well. The ink flows well and it’s comfortable. It’s a smooth line with good color with no skips or blobs.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – The pen is comfortable for long use. It’s long enough and wide enough to balance well in the hand, which is tough for retractables, they tend to be short.
3. Material – 0.5 This is an inexpensive gel pen that has the ability to be refilled. It’s a good workhorse pen.
4. Overall Design – 1 -Again, a good work horse pen. It’s solidly built, but has some interesting accents, like the blue bits and the clip.
5. Price Point – 1 – This pen is going to be found online or probably at your local art supply store –I got mine at Asel Art Supply. I’ve seen them run about $2–give or take 30¢, which being refillable makes it a pretty good economic value.
I give it a 4.5 out of 5 bronze pencils.
