Juicy! The Pilot Juice Pen Review

Previously, I purchased two colors of the Pilot Juice in 0.5 — originally the only tip size it was available in but now its possible to get the Juice pens in my preferred 0.38 size.

With the option of 24 gel colors in a retractable pen with a comfortable silicone grip and a spring-loaded clip to handle any notebook, I had to try more of these pens. I get practically giddy when I see colors like “dark red”, “coral red” and “coffee brown”.

In my writing samples, I was able to compare the feel of the 0.38 tip size to my previously acquired 0.5. The 0.5 is definitely silkier on the page than the pointier 0.38 and when used interchangeably, you might notice the difference. When just using the 0.38 though, its still an excellent fine line gel pen.

I purchased only ten colors, just to see how I liked them but I have a feeling I might have to acquire a complete set. Of the ten I purchased, I have a duplicate of the Leaf Green — one in the 0.38 and one in the wider 0.5 and the color is slightly different looking. The wider 0.5 width lays down more ink making the color appear a little darker and is much more usable than the 0.38. The Sky Blue was just about the same color as the lines on most lined paper making it a little too light for everyday use unless you use dot grid or blank paper. The Gray is also a bit lighter than I anticipated but I do like the cool grey color. The pen labelled “Green” is more of a blue-green which I quite like once I got past my expectation that it would be Kelly Green. The Grape was a bit pinkier purple than I had hoped. The Dark Red, Blue Black, Coffee Brown and Turquoise Green were all big winners with me. The colors were all rich and complex and pleasing to see on the page.

The Pilot Juice 0.38 is available in 24 colors and the 0.5 offer the same 24 colors plus 6 pastel colors that perform best on dark paper stocks. Each pen is $1.65.

There is a lot of similarity between the design of the Pilot Juice and the Zebra Sarasa Clip pens ($2.20 each). I even purchased them in essentially the same colors. They both have large, spring-loaded clips to attach easily to notebooks or binders and both have a silicone grip area. The grey colors are slightly different between the two models: the Sarasa is more of a warm grey and the Pilot is more of a cool grey. As for the two shades of lime green, the Pilot Juice Apple Green is so light its unusable whereas the Sarasa green is one of my go-to green gel pens. Luckily, the Leaf Green color is more useful — a true green with a little less saturation than most.

I don’t think I’ll abandon the Zebra Sarasa Clip pens for the Pilot Juice but I do like that the colors are a little different. I may pick and choose between the two lines for my favorite hues. The Pilot Juice are a little less expensive per pen so if you have not tried either brand, the Juice are definitely the better bargain.

(This pen was tested on the Miquelrius medium flexible 300 grid paper book purchased from B+N.)