First of all, thank you very much to my best friend Sheena for getting me this set! 🥹💕

I'm not going to lie, I'm a Pen + Gear virgin. I haven't heard about it, let alone use it, until I was scouting for my pasalubongs from Sheena (I was given a budget! 🥹). I saw them from the Walmart website and just wanted to have them because they looked so lovely. I wondered then how it was when used on paper. 

And today, kid, we'll do just that. Let's begin. ♥︎

LAYOUT 

Pen + Gear is a trademark of Walmart, so we're filing it under "American brands," but the products are made in China. They offer school and office supplies from paper, notebooks, markers, pens, pencils, binders and paper shredders. 

One of the amazing products is the Felt Tip Pens (Ultra Fine). These are felt tip pens dressed in colored plastic bodies that match the corresponding colors, stamped with white minimalistic details (brand and variant only, nothing else), snap-on plastic cap with a metal clip for a very polished finish. 

These are the three claims of Pen+Gear for their felt tip pens (or plumas de punta de fieltro). These will also be considered in reviewing them: 

1. quick drying
2. bright, vibrant colors
3. no-bleeding

I got the pack of 10, but these can come in packs of 12s and 24s. They didn't specify the colors on the package, and I can't find any details anywhere on the internet, so I'll just name the color how I see it. For the pack of 10, the colors are as follows: 

yellow, light green, blue, orange, light blue, violet, red, black, green, pink

QUICK NOTES 

* 10/8/2022 conversion

SWATCHES 

from top to bottom: pink, red, orange, yellow, light green, green, light blue, blue, violet, black

PEN-TO-PAPER TEST 

THIN PAPER. I am using my Basic Steno Notebook to represent thin paper as it has 70 GSM. I also tried creating little doodles for the test just to see better how the pens work aside from the usual curvy line. 

Findings

1. There's an almost-bleeding, which was surprising since the paper is thin and does not generally hold up heavier inks. So for that, props to the pens. 
2. There is very little feathering, but they were only seen on the darker colors (blue, violet, black)  
3. Ghosting is obviously there. 

THICK PAPER. For thick paper, I used my Owl Philippines A5 Notebook, which I used as my journal this year. This one is 100gsm and is made with white pages. 

Findings

1. I love how the ghosting is not that visible, even for the darker colors.  
2. X

CREAM PAPER. Some of us prefer cream papers because they're gentler to the eyes after long writing/journaling sessions. I wanted to see how friendly these are on cream or ivory paper. For this one, I'm using the Victoria's Journals Bullet Journal A6, being it the creamiest ivory paper I have. 

Findings

1. It might not show on the photo because I've doctored the photo so the yellow ink is seen. However, in real life, my very obvious observation is, yellow definitely ghosted on me. It just managed to blend itself to the page. 😂 
2. The colors show up nicely. Aside from the yellow, the other colors are solid are not muted by the cream paper they're written on. 

THE YELLOW LEGAL PAD TEST 

pros 

1. Beautiful, vibrant colors. The colors are definitely rich and vivid, and I have nothing bad to say. In defense of the controversial yellow, it does perform as how yellow is⏤bright. 
2. Sleek design. There are pens that look rather juvenile (oh how I hate that word lol), but these ones are so pretty I wouldn't be embarrassed to bring it around with me as someone in my late 20s. :) 
3. No bleed indeed. To be honest, I was praying for the pens when I was swatching it on my 70GSM paper because that usually reveals bleeds the most, but I'm happy it didn't, even on my stop and starts. 
4. Truly ultra fine tip. I like finer tips because I have a small handwriting. This one did not disappoint. It's really fine; in fact, it's evident by how each stroke is seen and not clumped together as how thicker tips would. 
5. Smudge-free. True advertisement is always appreciated in this space. The pens are smudge free, which means that these are perfect for left-handers!  
6. Quick-drying. Another check on their claims. These pens are quick-drying, making them smudge-free and very easy to work with. 

cons

1. Accessibility. I've tried checking if these are available elsewhere, but unfortunately, I couldn't. So it's safe to assume that these are only found in Walmart stores, which is also appropriate since this is a Walmart trademark. 
2. Only sold in sets. In the Philippines, we're used to buying our stuff in singles. This one, however, are only sold in sets. So I'm afraid you can't buy just one pen if a color in your arsenal runs out or gets broken. 
3. The color yellow. I still have to list this here for honesty and fairness. In my opinion, the yellow isn't the color you can use as a header, though it would be great for highlighting and coloring. 
4. Slippery body (50-50). This one is fifty-fifty because the slippery feel of the body gives it a very expensive touch to the pens; however, if you get sweaty hands like me, they might not be the most ideal tools to use in the occasion. 

VERDICT 

ink flow

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price 

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design

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grip/comfort

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smudge

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accessibility 

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final rating: 4.5

RECOMMENDATION 

Despite the shortcomings, I am happily crushing on these pens. It's fun to use on days when I just want to give a page a pop of color. I will surely use these on my planner, journal, and pretty much everywhere I write on. 

These are truly something someone should experience, so I'm giving a pen or two to my mom, who's also a big stationery lover herself, so she gets to experience them and maybe buy some for me on her next US trip. 🤞🏻

Okay, adios! Next Tuesday again, kid. ♡

⚘ jls