[Pen/Pencil Review] Office Depot TUL Blue Black Retractable
Day Job is busy. My niece’s birthday is today. My birthday is Saturday – people are asking me what I want/want to, and I have no idea. ConDFW is this weekend. AND we’re redoing our living room – so CHAOS!!!! AND, BAD PEN WRITER, BAD… as I was starting to plan my Birthday Pilgrimage to Paradise Pen Company, I find they closed up all shops about a YEAR AGO and I had no idea. So what do I do? I buy more pens – both online and impulsively at a check out. And thank you, Office Depot for keeping the TUL line when you merged with Office Max. Today is yet another TUL retractable.
The TUL retractable pens are about 5.75″ long with the tip retracted and extended. The barrel is black plastic with a navy blue dimpled rubber grip. The clip is metal and sturdy with navy blue accent. The plunger is a solid black plunger. The name of the pen is a simple, navy blue accent. There’s not a ton of squish in the grip, but they’re pretty comfortable.
The difference in this is the blue-black ink. This is darker than the traditional blue that TUL is known for. It’s a quick drying ink that works well on most papers. The color is rich and smooth with a 0.7mm conical tip. I’ve enjoyed working with these pens off and on for a while now, for an everyday pen, they’re in the top five or ten for roller balls.
They were for sale at the cash register when I went in for something else. I had to get it for the SHINY. They had this one blue-black, but also a light blue and pink. There are probably other colors, but hey had me at the blue-black. These are good utility pens. Solid mechanisms with good ink for a decent price. These run about $2 individually.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – These are solid pens. The ink doesn’t skip or blob. The ink is dark and rich. It has a good feel.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s a utilitarian pen. Has a nod to ergonomics with the dimpled, rubber grip. It has a good length with decent balance.
3. Material – 1 It’s a solid plastic and metal retractable pen. The colors are awesome. Very shiny.
4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s solid. It’s utilitarian. It works. SHINY!
5. Price Point – 0.5 – These run between $1.50 – $2.00 a piece, which make them affordable, but I’m not sure how easy they are going to be to get any more other than online. Since TUL was an Office Max “house brand” I don’t know that Office Depot kept them on. Get them while you can, if you can. Or order them online.
4.5 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
