Gel pen news from Japan: Sarasa Clip and Uni-ball Signo

I've been so focused on writing my last few Field Notes posts that I've neglected to keep up with the gel pen happenings in Japan. Here are a couple news items I found interesting lately. Links are in Japanese but surely, pictures are worth thousand words? 😊

サラサ総選挙 結果発表！ | SRS46カラフル総選挙 (Results of Colorful “Election” SRS46)

There was a poll earlier this year (in Japan) where people voted for their favorite Sarasa Clip color, and these are the results, from a total of 5,276 votes. I’m surprised Blue Black/Dark Blue came in 1st, beating Black, and that quite a few of the pastel colors are in the top 20. Red Black (the bottom pen pictured at the top of this post), came in at a respectable 8th, while my favorite, Brown Gray, placed 18th. Poor Copper. It came in 46th, the last place. Side note: I feel like their use of the word 総選挙 or “general election” is supposed to be a joke or a play on words. Maybe somebody more fluent in Japanese / in tune with the culture and current events could help me what got lost in my translation.
 

Uni-ball Signo 0.38mm in 12 new colors

Not to be outdone by Sarasa’s 46 colors, Uni-ball is adding more colors to its Signo line-up (UM-151). (Signo is pronounced SEE-gu-no, dammit.) Gotta love the healthy competition in the Japanese gel pen market, right? I’ve been hoping for more nuanced gel colors, so this is exciting news. The new colors are: Apple Green, Blue Green, Prussian Blue, Purple, Lilac, Light Pink, Yellow, Beige, Khaki, Brown, Gray, and Dark Gray. I don't know when they’ll cross the ocean, but I am most excited to try Khaki, Blue Green, and Dark Gray soon. Release date in Japan is June 16th. Any of these colors catch your eye?

Zebra Sarasa Clip in Brown Gray

When Zebra added 5 new “vintage” colors to their popular line of Sarasa Clip gel pens last month, I was most excited about the color Brown Gray and immediately bought it when Tokyo Pen Shop started carrying it. Of course, being a fan of brown inks, I had to compare this new color with my other gray-ish brown gel pens, and do a quick follow-up to the previous Kurikawa vs. Coffee Brown post. This will be another color comparison post (and not a thorough review of the Zebra Sarasa Clip pen as a whole), where I will compare these 3 gel pens:

• Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5 mm in Brown Gray (currently only available in 0.5 mm)
• Pilot Juice 0.38 mm in Coffee Brown
• Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.4 mm in Kurikawa (Chestnut brown)

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What do you think? To my eyes, Sarasa Clip’s Brown Gray looks ever so slightly lighter and more muted than the other two. Less “red” undertone, if you will. I’d say Coffee Brown has the warmest undertone, and that Brown Gray is “grayer” than Kurikawa but with a hint of a little more yellow. Again, on a casual glance, you might not see the difference, but when you put larger shaded areas side by side, you will be able to see the nuances of each color.

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From left: Coffee Brown, Kurikawa, and Brown Gray.

I don’t usually like the “standard” brown colors found in many gel pen lines, so a soft brown like this Brown Gray has been a welcome addition to my pen cup. I really love the color, and I hope they never discontinue it. Good thing it’s different enough from Kurikawa and Coffee Brown, too!

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Related Links

In case you’re wondering, the Sarasa Clip in vintage colors is identical to the Sarasa Clip in “regular” colors, except that the barrel is opaque and the label on the clip has changed slightly and is printed in gold. It’s a solid, dependable writer that I’ve been using for years now, and this particular color “Brown Gray” seems no different in terms of ink flow and performance. For reviews of the pen itself, here are some links:

• Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5mm Review — The Finer Point
• Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5mm Review — The Pen Addict (by Jeff Abbott)
• Pen Review: Zebra Sarasa Clip — The Gentleman Stationer
• Review: Zebra Sarasa Clip, Gel Ink, 0.5mm | Pens and Junk

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