Pentel Hybrid Gel Grip Silver/Gold

Pentel Hybrid Gel Grip

I picked these pens up for £1.99 last week at B&M. They have recently expanded their stationery line and at the fantastic prices they offer I thought it would be rude not to test out the products. The trouble is I work there so I often find myself in the stationery isle after my shift to see whats new.
I was drawn to the colours of these pens, thinking along the lines of crafting, cards, wedding invitations and scrap booking etc.
The pens are made of plastic with a rubber grip. They have a see through barrel allowing you to see how much ink is left and plastic lids with Hybrid Gel Grip printed on them.

Grips need to be closer to the tip

The very first thing I noticed when I started using these pens was the positioning of the grip. I felt like they needed to be maybe 5mm closer to the tip. I like to hold pens quite close the the tip to gain better control. I found I was having to place my fingers half on and half off the grip which wasn't making it the most comfortable pen to hold so I immediately took a dislike to them.

It wasn't long before I began to think that maybe I was a little quick to judge. The pens write very smoothly. They were gliding across the page effortlessly. There was no scratching and absolutely zero skipping. Most pens I use skip a little but often its so little that I overlook it as it's possibly just the way I write. I always write as if I'm in a hurry. But these Pentel Hybrids felt fantastic on paper. And after writing for a while, I realised I'd forgotten all about the uncomfortable grip and was actually enjoying the pens. They have a 0.8mm medium tip which gives me lovely clean lines and there is no blobbing.

Poor lighting doesn't show the colours at their best

The colours are light enough not to bleed through the paper and dark enough for me to see them without straining my eyes as some light metallic shades can sometimes.
The ink isn't particularly quick drying so that's something to watch out for if using them for crafty activities or cards intended for others. I deliberately ran my finger across the ink after writing a sentence and found that each time, it would smudge the last two or three words.

Refillable

The pens are refillable but trying to find somewhere that sells the refills has proved to be difficult. But at the price I paid I'd probably just buy a new set rather than faff about. The pens are available in a range of different metallic colours which I intend to seek out at some point.

The Pentel Hybrid uses 'Fadeproof and waterproof ink' which is quite important if you intend to use the pens for card making and so on. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I find that sometimes if I display a card on the window sill for a few days, when I take them down the ink has almost disappeared. I may test this on the Hybrids and give feedback on the result at a later date.

Despite my first impression of the pens, I've grown to really like them. Once I was able to adjust to the grips I was won over. These pens are excellent for crafty people or anyone who loves to see fun, sparkly colours in their notebooks.