[Pen/Pencil Review] Pilot G2 Neon Fine Point
I definitely go in cycles with pens – whether it’s fountain, gel, ball point or even pencil. I even shift through brands – Zebra to Pentel to Pilot and beyond. Right now I’m in a Pilot G2 phase again. I’m also into colors. The brighter the better. There are many times I stick with classic blue or black. But these days I want pink and purple and shiny – yes, it’s probably because life’s been so dark lately with the pandemic and such. I jumped at the Pilot G2 Neon collection.
These pens are classic G2s with a clear casing with the retractable mechanism, clip, and the grip matching the color of the ink. It runs just short of 5.75″. The rubber grip is pretty comfortable for an inexpensive, every day pen. One of the things I like about it is the clear barrel that allows you to see how much ink you have left. This is a classic pen in a definitely NOT classic colors. It’s the most common “fine†point, which for Pilot is 0.7mm – which for neon is plenty fine. This set came with a classic black – which I was amused to see being used in the 2007.
These pens are different. Neon is tricky. Some of it is good on white paper some on black – so I also bought black paper. I’ve done writing samples of the inks on black and white sticky notes. With the black paper, the ink doesn’t show up well until after it dries. The neon green, pink, and orange work all right on white paper – the green is really light. The neon yellow – that needs darker paper. The conical tips are smooth and lay down a solid line. The feel is good. The ink dries quickly.
These are available at some box stores – I found these at Target for about $7. They’re $12 at Michaels and Amazon? The heck? If you need some blindingly bright color in your life – try these.
To the numbers:
1. How does it work? – 0.5 The ink is fine and bright for neon. It only comes in 0.7mm but that works for this. The retraction mechanism is solid. Some ink doesn’t show up on dark paper, others no on light.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s fairly basic retractable pen with a decent drip that hasn’t changed much over time, but it still gives a comfortable feel for long-term use.
3. Material – 1 – It’s rubberized and translucent plastic pen. It’s solid for what it is.
4. Overall Design – 1 – These are a standard. They’ve not changed much over time, which is good. It’s never been broken, so there’s nothing really to fix. The pen is colorful, comfortable, and solid.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – I got them at Target for under $10, but they seem more expensive elsewhere. So iffy on the price point
4.0 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
