| Pen Type | Gel pen |
| Point Size(s) | Fine (0.5mm), Medium (0.7mm), Bold (1.0mm) |
| Water-resistant | No |
| Ink Color | 10 – Black, Blue, Navy, Red, Cobalt, Mahogany, Forest (dark green), Lime (light green), Orange, Fuchsia |
| Capped/Retractable | Retractable |
| Clip | Yes |
| Approx Price | $1.50 for 1 pen. $10-15 for 10 color pack |
Zebra Sarasa Gel Retractable is a retractable gel pen that comes in 3 point. I have tested bold in the store and use medium point at home/office. I have not seen fine point in any stores so far.
The pen grip and clip color matches that of its ink. The main barrel is clear, so you can easily see the ink left. The dark color pens look like any other old pen – nothing distinct. The light color pens (lime, orange, fuchsia) look “fun” – which could be good or bad depending on your place of work. The red pen is just plain ugly.
The grip of the pen is very good. The rubber-like material gives it just enough grip. The shape of the grip is parallel to the barrel (no curves) which is a good, natural shape for my hand. The grip is slightly larger than the barrel, and is a very good size. (A larger grip would feel awkward to the hand).
The weight of the pen feels good. The balance of the pen is also good. (I’ll get a tiny scale one of these days to get an objective read of the weight. With a good grip, the weight and balance usually “feels” right anyway.)
The medium point that I use produces pretty consistent lines. The ink flow for medium point is good. The particular ink they use is rather “sticky”. 
(Think of ketchup instead of liquid.) What I’m saying is that nearly-overlapping lines “stick” together making corners “darker” which could make it look inconsistent.
I have never had a pen leak or pre-mature dry out thus far. It is water-based, so it’s not water resistant (as claimed and in my own test). The company also claims the pen is acid-free (which I will have to take at their word as I have no clue how to test that) and of archival quality.
Mahogany is a pretty unique pen color that I haven’t seen in other brands (which makes it a welcoming addition). Forest ink is too dark. It’s difficult to distinguish it from Black ink. (The whole point of using different colors to distinguish the different markings by them.)
Great grip and consistent ink flow makes this a good pen. Add being retractable to that and you have a great pen for moving environments (such as the subway). Color variety is probably one of the best I’ve seen.
| Nib/Ink flow | 4/5 (good ink flow, ink is stickier than I like) |
| Design/Looks | 3/5 (decent-to-cute looking depending on color) |
| Grip/Balance/Weight | 4/5 (pretty good grip and balance) |
| Construction | 5/5 (well made, should stand up to some wear and tear) |
http://www.zebrapen.com/gel-sarasa.html
9 comments
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May 17, 2008 at 10:49 am
Pilot G2 Retractable Gel Ink Rolling Ball Pen « Pen Quest
[...] on the clip just looks cheesy. I just can’t picture using it. At the time, I was using “Zebra Sarasa Gel Retractable” and “Uniball Signo 207” which are both more elegant looking to [...]
July 22, 2008 at 12:55 am
Sita
I love this pen… but yeah.. the red color doesn’t really stand out the crowd.
July 22, 2008 at 1:28 am
Zebra Sarasa ™ Gel Retractable Pen « Our Little Secret Garden
[...] that won’t tire you while writing. A little bit expensive, though, but still… worth it.here is a good review about the pen. and also here’s the official website of Zebra [...]
March 17, 2009 at 9:22 am
Roger
The Sarasas are nice pens. I’ve never seen the 0.5 in stores — there are a couple of sites online that carry them (notably jetpens).
The Orange color makes an excellent underliner if you don’t like highlighters.
June 24, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Ted Gottlieb
I enjoy your website for I too am a penaholic. I’d be interested in your review of my personal favorite — the retractable Pentel Energel, preferably the 0.7 mm needle tip version, rather than the metal tip, which is a conventional tip and writes a bit more broadly. It comes in black, blue, red, purple and I believe additional colors.
In addition, you may wish to review the Zebra Jimnie rollerball. It takes the same refill as the Sarasa, but just feels great in my hand.
Thanks for your attention.
July 21, 2009 at 12:02 am
Ricky
This is a damn good pen, it flows like no other gel pen I’ve ever used. I love it.
September 2, 2009 at 10:22 pm
carlosjosebsantos
Uniball Signo Ink is Water based too. What makes ink water resistant is the pigment not the solvent.
And the Sarasa is water proof.
January 28, 2010 at 6:10 am
Brenda McFarland
I would like to buy this item now. How do I do that? Thank you, Brenda McFarland
June 8, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Carly
Very right! I am a student, and one pack of these pens has lasted me a full year, despite losing the navy, orange, cobalt, and fuschia ink pens. I have absolutely fallen in love with the mahogany color, and I wish this would be offered in other pen styles. One thing I have to say about the grip is that it can become sticky. I don’t know how it does it, but it does. After being thrown in my backpack with many pencils, pencil shavings and lead will stick to my pen. I also feel like this pen doesn’t give me as much control as I would look for normally in a pen, making my already atrocious handwriting almost illegible. All in all, a workable pen, but not near as great as other styles I’ve “borrowed” from my roomates.