Pen Review — Zebra Sarasa Mark On Gel Pen

The Zebra Sarasa Mark On’s main feature is that the ink is specially-formulated so that it doesn’t smudge when the marker is used with a highlighter. I tested this feature and it really works. There was no smudging at all with any of the highlighters I tried it with. 

But there are other excellent things about the Sarasa Mark On beside this feature, most of all how smoothly it writes and how satisfyingly dark the ink is. 

The Mark On is a pleasure to write with. There’s a well-oiled feel to the way the nib slides on the surface of the paper. I don’t feel any of the scratchiness that you can sometimes get when a metal nib comes in contact with the paper. 

Another feature that reinforces the feeling of smoothness is how fast the ink comes out. I noticed the fast ink flow right away and was impressed, so I decided to take this pen through its paces. I wrote as quickly as I could possibly manage and was pleased to see that the ink came out as fast as I wrote. There was no skipping. I tried writing very slowly, to see whether the fast ink flow would result in blobbing. It didn’t. 

The flow isn’t the only impressive thing about the ink. The intensity of its colour is also excellent. One of the pleasurable things about writing with gel pens is that the ink comes out glossy. The colour saturation can be disappointing in comparison once the ink dries on the page. But this ink retained its depth of blackness and its solidity and sharpness of line when it dried.

My attempt to write as fast as possible also gave me the opportunity to test the grip. A comfortable grip is very important for a pen that’s specifically designed with note-taking in mind. This one works very well. The rubber absorbed the intensity of my gripping. I experienced no pen fatigue during my writing session.

There are a number of appealing things about this pen in addition to its non-smudge feature when used in combination with highlighters. The smoothness of its ink flow and the darkness and clarity of the line make it a truly excellent pen.

*The Zebra Saras Mark On comes in a 0.4 and 0.5 mm tip. I tested the 0.5.