Zebra Pen F-701 Stainless Steel Retractable Ballpoint Pen

The Zebra F-701 has earned its reputation for a reason. This is a very solid everyday carry pen with an all-metal stainless steel body that feels substantially more durable than typical disposable office pens.The size and weight hit a nice middle ground: heavy enough to feel sturdy and premium, but not so heavy that it becomes tiring during longer writing sessions. The click mechanism also feels firm and reliable.Writing performance has been very good overall. The 0.8mm point stays controlled and readable while still flowing smoothly enough for daily notes, forms, and general writing. Drying time on paper has also been reasonable, including on cheaper paper stock where some pens tend to smear more easily.For reference, my video/writing sample was done on cheap dollar-store paper specifically to show more realistic everyday performance rather than premium notebook paper. Even there, the pen stayed clean and usable without major feathering or bleed issues.Ink consumption also seems fairly controlled compared to wetter pens, so refills should last a reasonable amount of time under normal daily use, i have had mine about 18 months of intermittent use and no fill issues yet. That balance between smoothness and controlled ink flow makes it practical as a true everyday carry pen instead of something overly specialized.Overall, this feels like a durable long-term utility pen — simple, dependable, and sturdy enough to throw in a bag, pocket, or desk kit without much concern.

These pens are so amazing. They are sort of heavy so they are easy to hold, they are fine point and don’t smudge at all. They have never leaked and I’ve been using them for years. They last a long time but refills are also affordable. The size is great because they are the perfect diameter

I love these pens. Very nice, sturdy, all metal. They last a long time, if you can keep people from stealing them. They write very nicely, dry quickly, and feel very nice in your hand.

Used them for a couple months. These are excellent. Write well, great size for a larger hand, and refills are available. Much bettter than the F-301 that I have using for a few years. Writes better and fits hand perfect.

First off, the pen feels solid. It should I suppose, it's fairly thick steel. If I'm ever really hard up for an ice pick, I hope to have this pen in my pocket. It's got a nice weight to it, and it feels great in your hand. If you hold a pen like you are supposed to, the grip (knurled metal) is fantastic. If you hold a pen like I do (way down right on the tip) then this pen still feels pretty nice, but you lose some of the advantage of the grip.Looks are certainly in the eye of the beholder, but I think this pen looks very nice. There are no markings on brushed steel at all, the only indication of brand and model being a faint stamp on the pocket clip. It's classy.I have used many many pens, and I know all about how annoying it is when you have to "wipe" off the sides of the tip on a ball point to avoid it leaving tiny blobs of ink on the page which you will inevitably smear later with the side of your hand. I have also had many a pen that skipped so badly I needed to go back over half of my notes to "connect the dots". I'm not sure what zebra does to their ink cartridges, but they are doing something right. This pen writes very smoothly, and I have heard the same about the refills. If there is a fault, sometimes after not using it for awhile, it will take a millimeter to start, but that's rare.I'm not sure what else to say really, it is after all only a pen. A pen that I love. I seriously think I will never use another pen. These are cheap enough to be quite cost effective, and sturdy enough that even if they weren't cheap, I'd consider them a good investment. Buy one, try it out. I just ordered two more so I'll have one for school, and one to replace the one my wife says she's taking.

Do you want to make this into a "REAL PEN" ? Do you ? . . . then read on . . .Hyperbole ? You bet . . . but I am so frustrated with the vendor I am attempting to buy a bold enough refill from that I took the matter by the horns, and time by the forelock.They went with the cheapest shipping possible AND made the classic fatal rookie error of using the USPS. That means they ship my package all over the USA back and forth to take artificially long and make all concerned wish they had used the next shipping rate up. I have received many orders AFTER I placed that one including my pen.OKThe problem is this nice pen comes with a fine/"medium" ink point which is not too bad but for some reason on the whacky (cheep) printer paper we use at work for the forms it turns out writing scratchy and like a very fine point. Too wimpy for those of us who like to "live LARGE".So . . . out of pure frustration I took the pen that I have that actually writes well and smooth on this clown paper, aBIC Velocity Bold Ball Pen, 1.6mm, Black, 12ct (VLGB11-Blk) . . . and removed the cartridge (nose cone unscrews) and got it to fit in the Zebra pen by trimming some off the end of the ink cartridge.You need to leave it a little longer than the Zebra which is fatter than the one from the Velocity.I just started cutting off 1/8" bits until it fit just in case a bit longer than the Zebra cartridge was better (and because I feared runing into the area of the tube that had ink in it. I didn't cut it so short ink came out. Wheeeyuou !The Velocity pens are great and you may want to just write with them. Super cheep and write super smooth and all. It's just that I am into this knurled pen thing right now and prefer it to the fatter rubber grip on the Velocity. Also the rubber grip has the slightest triangulation to it which makes me stop and reposition my fingers so they fit right and that bugs me. I would rather have the rubber part just round though when I look at it it is round with this three area pattern but it doesn't feel round and so it goes.In addition, as recommended by others here, I bought the cheeper F401 to take apart to get the metal clip/top but have not been able to get it apart yet. I have not really focused on that yet because the black plastic end and clicker with it feels and works just fine. Time will tell. For now though , and on the paper I am forced to write on at work the original Zebra refill and the larger 1.0mm one that I ordered with it (still waiting on the Zebra Gel larger one) feels dry and scratchy. On real paper, even basic old envelopes sent to me by junk mail, the Zebra is pretty nice and the line is wide enough.These Velocity ball points ARE what they say they are . . . very smooth and free wheeling.Time will tell if I regret cutting the end offandtime will tell if I ever get my gel refills in the bold point from the land of the lost. Hey . . . Dr. Rick Marshall . . . have you seen my refill package ? Er . . . no thanks . . . I'll pass on the Dinosaur camouflage but you go right ahead. Say hi to grumpy : )

It’s the strongest most durable pen out there. I’ve used them for years but this one is the best. It’s weight and construction are excellent.

Excellent quality; truly all stainless steel construction. I could replace the refill with a space pen bold refill without any modifications. A great value and now writes smoothly in any situation.

Excelente producto, durable y confiable.Buen precio por el paquete y una marca en la que siempre puedes confiar.

Buen producto, resistente y con opción de comprar respuestos

Well constructed pen. Writes well and I like the all metal design

Este bolígrafo no solo tiene una apariencia muy lograda siendo todo acero, sino que es increiblemente funcional y cómodo de usar con un buen peso y agarre. Sin duda el Mejor bolígrafo en este rango de precio. (Aclaración es ballpoint)

Super, value for money