Zebra G-750 First Looka long-awaited pen arrives on US shores
The long-awaited Zebra G-750 rugged gel pen is finally available for order in the USA, after understandable delays from a planned summer 2020 launch. I watched the web page eagerly and snapped a few up as soon as I could. They arrived this weekend.
Its weight by my scale is 29 grams. The length, retracted, is about 14 centimeters. Extended, the balance point is just about midway up the barrel, a centimeter or so aft of the top of the knurled grip.
I haven’t spent much time with it yet, but can note three standout characteristics.
First, there’s a shiny red ferrule cap with a silver kanji character I can’t read at the top of the pen, on the click plunger. You can see it on Zebra’s website if you flick through the photos. I don’t mind it. Others may.
Second, there’s a free floating, thin metal ring reading “GEL • MED • GEL • MED” between the top of the knurled grip and the top portion of the pen. It falls off when the pen is disassembled. The gray type on this ring stands out a lot against the otherwise pure-black appearance. Frankly, I wish they’d left it black, or left no shelf for a ring at all. On the flip side, this might hint a plan to offer more variations. Perhaps a ballpoint or different line widths. Here’s hoping for a 0.7 pencil.
Finally, the shape of the pen near the tip is somewhat unusual, and almost perfectly smooth. It’s also unusually long, even compared to the popular F-701 ballpoint. If you prefer to hold your pens right near the tip, this may not be a good option for you, especially given the back weight. They knurled the grip, and that’s definitely where they intend your fingers.
Speaking of the F-701, overall, fans should be pleased by the construction, if not necessarily the styling, of the G-750. It’s a thinner pen, and feels like it. It’s also longer, though I’m not sure why. The top of the refill leaves about two centimeters of room in the top of the barrel. That said, there are no tricks to be played finagling refills to get a 0.7mm gel pen. It just works. Refills shouldn’t be a problem.
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