Friday 23 May 2014

Zebra Airfit 2+S Ballpoint Multi function pen

Zebra Airfit 2+S

I'm a sucker for gadgets and cute and quirky little contraptions, and this Zebra Airfit 2+S is no exception.
It's cute, it's cool, and it's multi functional. A pen that can multi task is always worth a look in my view.

The S in the name had me stumped. I knew it was something to do with the pencil but I couldn't think what. I just couldn't let it go so I contacted Zebra to ask and they very kindly replied and let me know that it stands for sharp. I'm sure you will all sleep better tonight knowing that. I certainly did.

The barrel is mostly made of plastic, with a rubber air cushioned grip, a few small metal parts in clip and the bullet shaped metal part at the end of the pen which captured the image of my nosey son brilliantly.

spot the nosey child interrupting my photography session

Unlike many multifunctional pens which have a slider for each colour, this pen uses a rotating clip. Just rotate the clip so that it points to the colour you need and away you go. To make it pocket safe, have the clip pointed in between the markers and the pen tips will be tucked safely inside. I found myself spending far too much time turning the clip to watch the colours pop in and out, very much like people walking through a revolving door.

Airfit cushioned grip

The air cushion grip felt a little strange to begin with. It's squashiness beneath my fingers while I was writing wasn't what I was used to but it wasn't long before I began to actually like the cushioned feel. I realised that the little bit of extra comfort compensated for the fact that the barrel is wider and heavier than a typical ballpoint. It absorbed some of the extra pressure that I find myself applying to keep a comfortable and steady hold.  Bulky pens are usually a great excuse for me to have a good whining session about how uncomfortable and clumsy they can feel but the cushion grip distracted me and my whine was forgotten before it even began.





The S in the name means sharp

By now you may know that fine point pens are always my first choice where point size is concerned. This Zebra Airfit 2+S contains a fine 0.7 black and red refill and a 0.5 pencil and although they are ballpoints which are not usually my first choice, this pen felt good both to hold and on contact with paper. The fine points make my handwriting appear clearer and much more readable.

This pen is so much fun to use

This pen glides across the paper with total ease. It hasn't left me one unsightly blob, it doesn't smudge and every single time I use this pen it writes first time, with no messing about. Ballpoints are known for their occasional false starts so I was over the moon when this pen proved that there are some good ballpoints out there.
I must admit the ink flow isn't 100% consistent. When I looked really closely at my writing sample I noticed that the pen does seem a little skippy. I was so happy with how it felt to write with, it's smoothness, it's comfort, it's fine lines, that I was quite cross at having to come crashing back down to earth and admit that this pen isn't perfect. I consoled myself with the fact that the skipping isn't immediately noticeable, unless you're looking for it.
replaceable eraser

The Airfit 2+S has a replaceable eraser hidden neatly away under a clicker button at the top of the pen. When the pencil is in use, pressing the clicker will expose more lead, just like a mechanical pencil. The clicker button is for pencil purposes only, it has no effect on the pens.

Spring clip could have been a little tighter

The spring clip works like a clothes peg. Pressing it in opens it up which makes it super easy to use. The clip is great for thicker items, like a thick notebook cover or a stack of paper but when I clipped it to my pocket I was able to slide it off far too easily for me to be able to trust it completely.

The pen is refillable. It has no problems carrying 4 lead refills and takes Zebra SK 07 ballpoint refills.

So the pen may not be perfect but for a multi pen it's probably the best one I've used so far. It's a smooth writer, it's convenient, its stylish and it just feels good. It's a pen that now lives in my handbag or my pocket when I'm at work so I can use it for all of my daily scribbles. I just hope the clip doesn't let me down as this is a pen I'd feel sad about losing.


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