Zebra V-301

[DeaconKC]

Well, I read all the reviews here and feeling slightly masochistic, decided to try one out as I am writing some stuff on another forum for beginners in the FP lifestyle. So I went into Walgreen's this morning and when I got home, read the directions and followed them as written, just like a new person would. Does the term FAIL mean anything to Zebra? A new user would not know to squeeze the cartridge, so I just tried to shake it and got NO results. This would totally turn off a new user. Okay, now to try the simplest way to help it, just put a couple of drops of water on the end, figured I would see what it actually would take to make it work. That's all it took and it started immediately and gave a very nice line. Now that it is going, it has a good feeling nib [actually GREAT for a $5 pen] feels good posted or unposted in my XXL hand and the cap is very secure for pocket carry. Now that it is working, this is a very neat little pen and should be a useful addition to the herd.

Edited January 22, 2012 by DeaconKC

[lovemy51]

I purchased the Zebra V300 before reading all the reviews. Yes, at about $4 it seemed like it was worth it. I have many Zebra ball points and gels and they preform well. After trying everything to clean and prime this pen, it still would not write. I think someone here mentioned using a Platinum converter on the pen and it worked well. Of course, at $4 for the pen and $9 for the converter it doesn't seem to make sense. Well, for $13 I now have a very nice pen that WRITES! Thanks for all the info on this board. I am just beginning to collect and use fountain pens. I am inclined to purchase and restore Parker 51's. I have 2 now that need repair.

 

mine is still working fine regardless of angle, how long it's been sitting around and or whatever position (nib up, laying flat, etc).

[chifeuse]

My son, who's also an avid FP user, has a Faber-Castell E-motion that he does'nt use too much, and two (2!) Zebra 301 that he likes very much... Go figure. I tried it, and, indeed, the Zebra does a decent job. Maybe he got lucky. I don't know. By the way, the 301 was the only FP on sale at his college school supplies shop.

Edited January 25, 2012 by chifeuse

[zoniguana]

I have to add a follow on note on mine. Perhaps I have been extraordinarily lucky, but, as I approach the end of the first cartridge, here is what I am finding:

1- I have had no ink skips.

2- I have had no hard starts - even after leaving it uncapped for more than 1/2 hour.

3- The ink has dried quickly.

4- The ink looks moderately washed out, certainly not a dark saturated black like, say, Noodler's Heart of Darkness, but, it is not an unreasonable shade for day-to-day writing.

5- It is a very stiff nib; next to no line variation, but, it is consistent.

 

All in all, I'd consider it a decent "starter pen", especially if the new person has a heavy hand to begin with. More so if they luck out and get one like I have gotten, versus what other folks seem to have experienced.

 

It will be interesting to refill the cartridge with another ink and see how it behaves.

[dkirchge]

I was at Walgreens this morning and picked one of these pens up on a whim because I was so excited to see a fountain pen on sale for $3.99.

 

I brought it home, popped in one of the cartridges, and started writing. It took a couple of scribbles to start the flow, but beyond that it's written like a champ. I've scribbled a dozen or so pages so far and it's doing just fine. The nib seems to be a bit more sensitive to writing angle than some of my other pens. It doesn't feel scratchy at all and lays down a nice line. I've read that it's a medium point but it feels similar to my fine point Pilot Petit 1.

 

Verdict: for $3.99, it's a pretty good deal. I'll probably pick up another for my desk at work.

Edited February 11, 2012 by dkirchge

[zoniguana]

I've finally emptied one of the cartridges, and refilled it with some Diamine Evergreen. Flows just fine, though it does seem a bit washed out - not sure if that is the ink, the pen, or if I just still had some water in the nib after cleaning, but, so far, it has continued on just fine & dandy...

[mjrbb7]

Thank you for the review! I was curious about these. I think I will probably stear clear. For the money, I'll get a Varsity if I need something lesser then a Lamy or my arsinal of other pens.

[Black Rose]

I have two of these. One works OK and the other one is useless.

 

While reading the updates to this thread, I pulled both pens out and tested them.

The one that has been laying flat on my desk for more than 6 months did not work well at all.

The other one, which sat nib up in a cup for the same period of time, worked the first time.

 

Overall, I am still disappointed. As a fan and owner of the 301, 401, and 701 ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils, I expected a better product from Zebra, even if it is a low cost FP.

[zoniguana]

Well, it would seem I need to revise my opinion after a little more time with the nicer ink in this pen. Starting back up after sitting idle for some time (and that time can be 2 minutes, or it can be a day, capped, or uncapped) has been erratic at best with the nicer ink. The only thing I can think of is that the ink flow being fairly anemic, the nicer ink gels in the channels of the nib, making the pen a harder start. Sometimes tapping it nib down gets it flowing; sometimes not. Sometimes capping it and shaking it like a thermometer gets it flowing; sometimes not. In short, with a decent ink, this pen seems to be a poor performer. I've switched back to the other cartridge that came with it, and will see how that behaves. If it returns to being reasonably reliable after that, then I'll know I need to stick with Zebra's cartridges and not try anything nicer...

[Sailor Kenshin]

Interesting, thanks!

 

'Nicer' is a relative term. The ink viscosity in the Z-cart may be specifically designed for the pen's rate of flow.

 

I am almost done with the original cart (blue) in my Z-pen, and wasn't going to refill it at once. But I might try it as an experiment, using a well-behaved ink like Waterman's FL Blue, or Skrip Blue.

[zoniguana]

Interesting, thanks!

 

'Nicer' is a relative term. The ink viscosity in the Z-cart may be specifically designed for the pen's rate of flow.

 

Good point; I was using Diamine Evergreen in there. It came out very very dry, compared to when I put it into my Rotring (and very green, compared to the near-black that comes out of the Rotring).

[imahawki]

I didn't read the whole thread, so apologies up front. I own one of these. I found it at Walgreens of all places. I think this pen is garbage. I would never let anyone else use it because it would completely turn them off fountain pens forever. The nib is not terrible but the pen feels cheap overall, and the cap, as has been noted, is worthless for posting, it spins around like mad. I give this pen a 2/10 (not a 1 because it does actually write).

[Sailor Kenshin]

Lol... a lot of people are mad at this pen.

[Blade Runner]

I'm a Zebra bp fan, but this fp sounds awful. I'm surprised that a Japanese brand would accept this and goes to prove that even the Japanese can fail miserably.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Again---I must have gotten the only working model in the whole batch. Yes, the cap sits loose posted, the section's a little slippery, but it was four dollars. Mine writes well.

[zoniguana]

I don't think you got the only working model; I got the other one! But, I do see it needing a little bit more finicky feeding than my other pens, and it does seem a little more sensitive to what angle it is held than my other pens. So long as I am holding it at an angle it likes, and using the ink that it likes, it writes well enough, but, it is far from my nicer pens (but then, so is the price tag!)

[Ad_Astra]

Interestingly, I also ended up with a model that works fairly well. Would I buy it again? Eh, maybe not, given the QC issues I'm reading about here, but still.

 

A decent enough pen for the price, although if I had a low budget, I'd rather try a bunch of Chinese/Indian FPs instead.

[buffalowings]

It's one bad pen... I bought on while I was in a Walgreens in Puerto Rico, hard time getting it started, once started, maintaining a consistent flow was nearly impossible. I emailed Zebra and they sent me two more pens, unfortunately they too had the same issues.

[Fuzzyman]

I just tried one of these. While it writes well enough (time will tell, I guess), the way the cap flops aound when posted is MADDENING.

[Sailor Kenshin]

At least it's a short cap, lol.

 

I don't get this. Maybe it's a color issue? I'm almost done with the ink in the original cart, which was blue. But the pen writes in a consistent, medium-wet, fine-ish line, first time, every time.