Pentel Slicci Gel Ink Pen - 0.4 mm - Purple Ink

I love this pen!! I'm an editor, so I write a lot, and this pen is always ready to go and always writes a fine, smooth line with no skips or blotches. I'm about to buy a few more!

Love this pen! The color is a nice true purple and the tip glides really smoothly over paper.

Honestly, I think I might be converting from Hi-Tec-C to Slicci!
The Hi-Tec-C pens have bad tips, seriously. And they can be kind of scratchy. However, Slicci (at least 0.4mm) feels more sturdy and it glides without scratchiness!
As for this color, it's very pretty and legible :D

5 stars for color selection, smooth skip-free writing, fast drying gel ink.
Take away one star for:
-----Their small size-they seem to be art/craft pens, not for note-taking, as the pen is uncomfortable to hold for long writing sessions.
-----Mislabeled "blue black" as "midnight blue," which is no big deal except I wanted to buy all the colors not inuded in this 15 pack, but ended up with TWO blue black pens. The pen in this 15 pack is labeled blue black on the actual pen. Jetpens also sells that same pen seperately as Midnight Blue, even though the label does say "blue black"...you can see it in the picture on Jetpens for the Midnight Blue pen. There is NO Slicci pen called "Midnight Blue" it is actually blue black. And it's a lovely color! I have two of them but I don't mind!
-----Slicci's 0.25mm is not even close to Hi-Tec-C's 0.25mm. In fact, Slicci's 0.25mm point falls somewhere between Hi-Tec-C's 0.3mm and 0.4mm. Judging by this comparison, I think Slicci's 0.25mm is probably a 0.35mm in reality. But the colors are also more vibrant and more pigmented than Hi-tec-C's ink colors, so maybe that's why it looks like a heavier line.
-----Expensive pens, same price as Hi-Tec-C pens but Sliccis are smaller. Does a smaller pen hold less ink? I don't know, but the logical assumption is probably "yes" because its smaller! And I love Jetpens but Sliccis cost more here than at most other stores....although Jetpens does have 20 different colors of Sliccis available individually AND in 5, 10, or 15 packs, while those other stores only have 10 colors and only in a 10 pack, never sold individually. Jetpens wins that one even though they charge a little more.

And that is why I gave 4 stars. I do recommend these Sliccis pens if you like to write small in many colors of ink...or if you have already collected ALL the Hi-Tec-C colors plus ALL of the Uniball Signo DX 0.28 and 0.38 colors....you might as well get these too, because Slicci's colors are very exciting and different. They will wake up your creative & imaginative abilities.

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. :)