Pilot Frixion Clicker Erasable rollerball

Pilot Frixion

Check out my Pilot Frixion pen - thanks to the Pilot Facebook competition and lady luck who was on my side that day. It looks pretty smart in my opinion. The pen houses red ink so it's only right that the body of the pen should be red too, a bold colour and design which shouts out 'Yo, Frixion in da house!'.
The pattern is a swirly, tribal type pattern but also not dissimilar to a bit of cool graffiti which makes this pen perfect for school kids and students who like their pens to have a bit of edge and personality, just like them.

The pen is made mainly of plastic with a smooth rubber grip and a clear plastic clip which being clear doesn't intrude on the design at all.

The main attraction is it's ability to erase ink. The eraser is located at the end of the pen and is still confusing me as I keep trying to press it thinking it's my clicky button. It's not my clicky button, the clip is but because it's clear I keep forgetting it's there. I'll catch on eventually.

Frixion eraser

I will admit, I wouldn't usually go for an erasable pen. Mainly because I remember back in the day erasable pens had a habit of erasing the paper along with the ink and I never really bothered to find out if any progress had been made.

The pen uses friction generated heat to make the ink disappear like magic. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how well it erases. I did need to rub the ink quite fast and hard to create the friction but it definitely does as it claims and erases. I'd say it works just as well as I would expect a pencil eraser to work only I had the benefit of no rubber shavings. The funny thing is, although there are no left over rubber shavings I still wipe the area with the side of my hand as if I'm wiping them away. Again, I'll catch on eventually.

After erasing I could still very faintly see the words but I would have expected the same with a pencil to some degree so I was impressed. Once I'd written over the erased area I wouldn't have noticed any difference unless I was actively looking for it. Larger areas of colour were a little more difficult to erase convincingly but for normal text I can't really ask for anything more.

Another magical feature of the pens erasability is that if you pop your writing in the freezer for a little while your erased words will reappear. In my freezer test the writing did indeed reappear, even if it was a little faint and bitty but it came back. Not that I can see myself ever needing to freeze my work back into existence but the option is there all the same. Maybe you like to think of yourself as a top secret agent and the only way to get an important private message to someone is via erased Pilot Frixion. Then the freezer thing makes complete sense.

There are some interesting facts about the Frixion ink over here if you want to read more. I found it quite interesting that if you leave your notebook in the heat for a while, for example outside in the sun, you may find that your writing disappears. However it should reappear after popping in the freezer so maybe I ought to clear some freezer space as I may end up finding my notebooks in the freezer more often than I first thought. I suppose these small inconveniences are the price I have to pay for a decent erasable pen. I'll probably sit in the shade with this one.

Pilot Frixion grip

The smooth rubber grip feels nice beneath my fingers and does its job well. The pen stays put when I'm writing which I've learnt very quickly is not something to take for granted. The Frixion is light and evenly balanced which means I can use it for long periods of time before getting tired hands. The grip (yes I'm moaning about grip positioning again) would be more pleasing if it were a little closer to the tip.

how I hold a pen

I say this so often that I wanted to show you how I like to hold a pen so you can understand what the heck it is that bothers me so much. If you look at the tips of my fingers they hang over the edge of the grip. I get this alot. I've been holding pens this way all my life and I know I have complete control of the pen when I hold it in this way. When I'm having to adjust my positioning to suit the grip it takes me a little while to regain control and the quality of my handwriting suffers. I know it's me and I should probably adapt to each individual pen rather than whine about it each time but the stubborn side of me overpowers my reasonable side. Luckily the grip is smooth and soft so it is still comfortable to hold even when I've got my stubborn face on.

Pilot Frixion ink sample

The ink appears quite watery and wet at first but dries fast enough for me not to have to worry about smudges. The pen has its occasional skippy moment, usually when I'm writing in a hurry so slow and steady wins the race where the Pilot Frixion is concerned.
It feels great on paper. There's no dragging or scratching. It's just easy going, a smooth ride.
The 0.7mm tip gives a nice line width, likely to please most people including me. I get clear lettering no matter what the size of my handwriting and I haven't had any feathering at all so I can be fairly confident when using the Frixion on unfamiliar paper out of the house that it is unlikely cause me any embarrassment.

Pilot Frixion refill

The Pilot Frixion is refillable and available in a variety of bright and snazzy colours including my favourite - Green. I wouldn't mind giving all the colours a road test and my notebooks and doodles always look so much friendlier with a bit of colour thrown in amongst the black and blue.
The refill in this pen doesn't make it easy to see how much ink is left as it's made from red plastic so I have to hold it up to the light so I can see where the ink line is.

Grrr

To refill this pen, unscrew the body just below the grip and the refill will pop out easily. When screwing the pen back together do it with care, as my pen has ended up with a crack down the side of it and only needs screwing a tiny amount before it clicks out and comes undone again. It's one of those things, I'm not sure how it came to be cracked, I only noticed after the crack had appeared. I've noticed the tighter I screw the pen together the wider the crack becomes. It annoys me as I try so hard to take care of my beloved pens but sometimes it's just not enough.

Overall I'm pleased with my Pilot Frixion. I wish it was a little more hardy as of my pet hates is a refillable pen that is easily broken and can't even outlast the life of one refill.  Putting the annoying crack aside, it's a fun pen that can often be found on my sons desk thanks to its cool design and it's fun factor. I won't be taking this pen to work as I want to avoid having to keep tabs on who's desk it is currently being 'borrowed' at and the avoid any pranksters erasing my days work. It's a pen that is capable of creating quite a bit of entertainment for imaginative children, teenagers and adults no matter what age and I will definitely be seeking out the green for my collection.

If the Pilot Frixion were a classmate it would be the class clown and everybody liked the class clown whether they were prepared to admit it or not.

Pilot V5 Hi-Tecpoint Liquid Ink Rollerball

Pilot V5 Hi-Tecpoint Rollerball

The Pilot V5 Hi-Tecpoint is a plastic pen with a metal clip. The appearance of the pen isn't exactly oozing with wow factor but maybe Pilot thought they would let the pen speak for itself and allow the beauty from within to shine through? Lets see..

Extra fine 0.5mm Needlepoint tip

The V5 weighs very little which helps me out quite a bit with the grip area being so smooth. It means I can hold it comfortably without slipping. I don't need to grip too hard to keep it balanced and I feel like I'm in complete control. The clear plastic on the grip area means I can easily keep track of my ink usage.

I was expecting the needle point tip to feel quite delicate and to maybe feel a bit of flex whilst writing but I was completely wrong. It is firmly in place and feels surprisingly robust. I'm quite confident this needlepoint will stand the test of time.

V5 writing sample

The V5 is an extra fine 0.5mm tip and I really love how the thinner lines look. A thinner tip makes my writing look so much neater. The lines are clean and sharp. The ink flow is impressive. There are no false starts, no skipping, although on more absorbent paper I did experience some fuzziness but it's a common issue with rollerballs. When writing normally the ink drys almost immediately. With heavier use such as in the image above it can take a few seconds before it is completely dry. The heavier marks on the sample above did bleed through the page and left a few marks on the opposite page too.
 
My first impression when thinking about the smoothness of the pen on paper was that it was a little scratchy. It wasn't as effortless as I would have liked. I think with it being an extra fine needlepoint it's bound to feel a little sharp. Having said this, after a few days of getting to know the V5 I found myself subconsciously adapting my grip and the pressure I was applying and found my writing experience improved massively. Paper plays a part too, the smoother the paper the smoother the pen feels to write with. It was just a case of getting used to a different type of tip and now I can honestly say a fine needlepoint is my favourite so far.

Don't be frightened to leave your mark Pilot

The metal clip has Pilot etched into it but it's barely noticeable unless you hold it up to the light, and even then I had to get the angle right to see it clearly. The lid itself is extremely secure and posts well. The lid may even be a little too secure. You'll know it's on properly because it will click. To take it off requires some force. Just hold it away from your face when you pull to avoid giving yourself a thick lip when the lid is eventually pulled free. Maybe I'm just weak. I don't know. The best way to get the lid off easily is to pull it quickly, a bit like ripping off a plaster.
A secure lid, even if it is annoyingly too secure (could just be me) is a good thing. If I lose this pen it definitely won't be because the lid was loose. The clip is quite flexible and clips firmly onto even just one sheet of paper.

Not refillable

Unfortunately this version of the Pilot V5 Hi-Tecpoint is not refillable. However a refillable version is available - the Pilot V5 Cartridge system which uses a cartridge like a fountain pen. Had I known this at the time of purchase I would have definitely waited and sought out the refillable option.
The V5 is also available in red, blue, green, violet, pink and turquoise which I'd love to try at some point, especially the green.

So maybe it wasn't love at first sight but it's no nonsense appearance has grown on me. This is a pen I can rely on to make my writing look as presentable as it will ever be. It's a pen I can rely on to not lose its head lid when times get rough and it's a pen that will provide me with a consistent flow of ink until the bitter end.