Pentel Slicci Gel Ink Pen - 0.25 mm - Black Ink

Oh Slicci. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Or at least write a little review blurb.

Seriously, this is the best pen I've ever written with. I am a pen junkie (like I suspect many of you are). I love my Hi-Tec-Cs, I love my Sakura Microns, I love my Staedtlers...but the .25mm Slicci is a dream come true. Right now I have 8 colors, and I have 10 more on the way. I'm writing this review for the black pen because a) it was the first Slicci I bought and b) I use it most.

Things I love about the .25mm Slicci:

1. Super-fine tip that is also sturdy.
2. Ink flows very well, rarely skips.
3. So many colors!
4. My tiny hands love the thin barrel.
5. Very lightweight; easy to use for extended periods of time
6. With the superfine tip and gel ink, lines drawn/written are VERY precise. I've drawn incredibly intricate things with the Slicci that I never would've been able to with my other pens.
7. All this for only 3 bucks.

In the interest of fairness, I'll say the following:

The purple Slicci disappointed me a little bit. It's a fuchsia-ish shade, and I like rich royal purples. Also, something about purple gel inks, for some reason they never flow quite as well as other colors. Just my bad luck? Maybe. I mean, the purple Slicci is still a wonderful pen, but it could use some tweaking.
Caveat to my number 4 above: Yes, I love the thin barrel, but I recognize that it isn't for everyone. I have an...unconventional...way of holding pens that is most conducive to thin barrels. Those of you who find it too thin, perhaps a rubber grip thingy would help?
Yes, I've had a couple Sliccis (even black ones) die on me. Chances are some of them actually ran out of ink, knowing how much I use them. For the ones that still had ink, if I set it aside for a few days, it'd usually start up again. Some of them might just have had screwy tips. Clearly my few uncooperative pens haven't dampened my love for the Slicci in general!

I realize I've basically written a dissertation here, so I'll sum it up in two words: EXCELLENT PEN. :)

I was SO happy to find this pen -- I'm a huge fan of fine-point pens, and have never found a ballpoint or gel pen fine enough until the Slicci. BUT -- after I used the pen for about a week, it quit writing. There is still lots of ink and when I take it apart, the ink is still very liquid, but it won't go through the nib of the pen, and there is no way to fix it. Never had this happen with any other ball-point or gel pen-- I'm very disappointed & feel like I wasted my $.

I loved the Slicci pen my brother had, so I decided to get one. I was quite disappointed when my Slicci pen after a little over 5 minutes of sketching and writing with it, the ink line looked like the pen is almost dried out. Why! I wonder if this is a random problem... since there are reviews praising the Slicci pen and my brother's Slicci pen worked fine. Then again there are also reviews stating the same problem as mine. I suppose it's a common risk you take with thin lined pens... sigh. I kinda wish it worked well since it takes about $5 just to ship the pen T_T;

Just what I'd expect from a Slicci-Sharp clean lines while delivering a smooth experience for the point size. First couple sentences I wrote with it, I had to do some scribbling, but ever since, it's preformed flawlessly. The skipping is barely noticeable and I'm pretty picky. I have yet to find this crisp sharp line from another pen, and I may never. This puts an end to all of my problems-its pretty much everything I need. The only concern I have is that I've heard these die out. This pen writes so well though that I am going to have to overlook it. The skinny barrel is another thing that people complain about, but after a week of use, it feels normal to me. As far as coming out of a package and having amazing results, this is a five out of five. I would definitely try this out if you like a sharp, clean, and consistent line. This pen is definitely my pen of choice.

The line is suitably fine but I find the pens dry out very quickly and I have never been able to use one up before it clogs on me.