Although gel pens are fairly recent as a product of the ’80s, they have become very popular. I usually expect them to make a bold & vibrant statement due to the viscosity of the ink.
The Zebra Z-Grip Max Gel Pen is retractable with a 0.7mm tip. They are available in 5 colours, for this review I’m using violet. The plastic barrel matches the ink, it is joined to a nice chunky rubberised grip with a shiny chrome coloured ring. The pocket clip & nib housing has the same metal finish.
The Z Grip Max Gel has check safe ink that Zebra claim gives an easy glide performance, it’s of archival quality & acid-free. When it came to my writing experience I was initially disappointed. Having previously used a Z grip Flight & Z grip Max pens, although both ballpoints they provided a smooth easy write straight from the off.
The Zebra Z Grip max is so named due to its large ink capacity allowing it to write for a lot longer than most other ballpoint pens.
As I started my first paragraph with the gel version it proved to be far from consistent, it skipped leaving gaps in almost every word, much to my annoyance. Feeling it should be given a fair crack I persisted & lo & behold this Max Gel rose to the challenge. As the written sample shows, no skipping is evident.
I found this pen very comfortable to use, my preference for chunky barrels & grips could have swayed it a little, but add to that the positive rattle-free click when the tip is retracted & the vibrant colour of the ink I’ll certainly be keeping this zebra close to hand.
