Pen Review — Pentel EnerGel Clena Gel Pen

It was love at first sight with this pen. The pastel colour stripes at the top of the cream-coloured barrel were the first thing that caught my eye.

The way that the clip follows the elegant curvature of the top of the barrel really spoke to my aesthetic too. I love anything 1950s and 1960s-inspired, and there is a slight retro-futuristic vibe to the aesthetics of the Clena. 

Because I was so delighted by this pen’s appearance, I wanted it to work really well. And it does.

I like the 0.4 mm tip, even though I usually prefer an even thicker line. (There is also a 0.3 option, which I haven’t tried yet.) The line comes out smooth and clean. The dye-based ink, which as a mixture of gel ink and roller-ball ink, flows easily and keeps up well with the speed of my handwriting. The movement of my hand doesn’t feel stilted when I write with this pen.

I also really like the darkness and clarity of the line. The ink is an excellent dark black and looks really sharp. It hasn't had any blobbing. And the ink dries really quickly too. The specs tell me that it’s smear-resistant, and this really seems to be the case. I’m a bit of a messy writer, and sometimes I smudge my writing, but it hasn’t happened at all with the Clena. 

The Clena is comfortable to hold. I really like the rubber grip. It has enough cushioning in it to absorb the tightness of my gripping, and is grippy enough to stop my fingers from sliding. 

The barrel is thicker than most gel pens. The diameter is 11.1 mm at its thickest point, which is a bit thicker than many other gel pens. I really like the chunkiness for aesthetic reasons — it allows for a roundedness that fits the retro design aesthetic. But it makes the Clena feel a bit unwieldy in my hand. I’m sure that I’ll be able to get used to it, though.

Once I'm used to the way it feels in my hand, I think the Clena could become one of my favourite pens. It's gorgeous to look at and a pleasure to write with.