Zebra Pen 29411 F-701 Ballpoint Stainless Steel Retractable Pen, Fine Point, 0.8mm, Black Ink, 1-Count

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ballpoint refill that is good on lots of surfaces, but is also compatible with the Fisher Space Pen PR pressurized refill. It’s always been a bestseller, because of the pigmented ink and how the tip doesn’t block the view of the letters. I also use the Fisher space pen refills which require the removal of the plastic guide cone in the tip.

We would also recommend this pen to someone who wants a more environmentally-friendly alternative to plastic disposable pens. It might be too thick to easily to slip into a checkbook or notebook rings and it might feel too large for someone who’s used to thinner pens or tapered tips like the Parker. Ballpoint pens may not have the very rich ink pigments of rollerballs or the old-school feel of fountain pens. If you're motivated enough, you can swap out that black piece for the stainless counterpart used in the F-402, but I haven't tried that modification yet.

The X-701 is considerably wider then the F line, it has an ink-pressure mechanism, and it has a non-reflective matte black paint job that gives it a tactical look and feel. We even like it more than extra fine tech pens, which are delicate and can start skipping if you drop them. An major differentiate between the two is the 7 Series uses and all-steel design while the 3 Series uses a number of prominent plastic parts, like the grip. Working outdoors in the Midwest all year long I am very hard on my pens, but this combo has worked superlatively for me for years now. The grip has a pleasant knurling effect that makes it extremely easy to hold on to, but without being uncomfortable or stabby like more aggressive knurling patterns.

Another bonus is that it comes in a coated and slightly textured black finish - a perfect match for stealthy EDCs. This includes a lanyard clip at the top of the pen, so it can be hung around your neck or from a backpack, making it considerably harder to lose. In summary, the X-701, in many ways, feels like a step backward from the F-701, not a more extreme version (as the “X” in the name would suggest). Chris Brown · July 11, 2019 I use the F-701 exclusively, particularly the newer ones that are all steel now. While I own some more expensive, flashier pens, the F-701 is in my opinion, one of the best pens ever made.

Rugged and sturdy, this stainless steel ballpoint pen can take a beating and is designed for the serious communicator looking to embody their personal style in their writing instrument. The F-701 has a special place in my heart because I used them in college for the majority of my classes. Initially it was shipped with a plastic ring around the knock which is what spawned the popular F-701 hack. Rugged and sturdy, this pen can take a beating and is designed for the serious communicator looking to embody their personal style in their writing instrument.

I routinely carry 2 for the durability as an EDC backup as well as its designed use for taking notes and writing reports. Post-release the pen was criticized for its use of plastic components — the grip section in particular which not only is made of plastic but has a plastic-y feel to it that F-701 fans disliked. When you see a Zebra F-701 in the wild, you instantly recognize the stainless steel barrel and knurled grip section.

It is very easy to differentiate between the old and new F-701s: the old versions with the plastic ring around the knock uses black plastic while the new ones use silver metal. The refill was almost interchangeable with that of the original F-701 but with the change of some internal components the fit of the internals changed slightly as well. The best pen is the one with you, but if it's the one you accidentally walked out of the doctor’s office with, you might want to up your game. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform.

The stepped tip of the pen is designed to stay out of the way while you’re writing so you can get a clear view of what’s going onto the page. Zebra was slated to release the gel ink G-750 in the summer of 2020, but its launch seems to have been delayed.So, pen aficionados would use the F-701 refill with the Zebra F-401 hardware—a hack that was so popular that the manufacturer combined the two in their new design.