Zebra Zeb-Roller 2000 Liquid Ink Rollerball Pen

The Zebra Zeb-Roller 2000 liquid ink rollerball pen is a writer's dream -- it's comfortable to hold, it glides easily across the page, and the ink is smooth and dark. It's a great pen for people with repetitive strain injury who do a lot of writing by hand.

The drawbacks? The liquid ink smears easily and isn't refillable, and the pen can develop leaks, especially on airplanes. Also, the ink runs out quickly; by the time it starts to fade, there's only enough left for a few pages at most. Carrying a spare pen is a must.

Ink Colors and Performance of the Zebra Zeb-Roller 2000 liquid ink rollerball pen

The Zeb-Roller 2000 is available in 0.5 mm (fine point, with a silver barrel) and 0.7 mm (medium point, with a gold barrel) widths. The medium width writes more smoothly, but is more likely to smudge and can be harder to read for someone who tends to make their letters small or who is trying to cram a lot of words into a small space. The fine point feels a little scratchy by comparison, but produces clearer text.

Unfortunately, the Zeb-Roller 2000 comes in only three ink colors: black, blue, and red. The black is delightfully dark, without even a hint of gray. The blue is a medium shade; a good compromise that should work for people who like dark blue and people who like light blue ink. The red seems a little washed out.

The downside to the smooth liquid rollerball ink is the Zeb-Roller 2000's propensity to smudge and even leak. If you habitually drag a hand across the page while you write -- or if you hold a notebook in one hand and write in the other -- you will get ink on your hand. If you spill liquid on the page, the ink will run.

I've had many problems with the Zeb-Roller 2000 leaking on airplanes; it seems to have trouble with the pressure changes. Once a pen starts leaking, it doesn't stop, and I have to keep an eye on the tip of the pen to blot up extra ink before it hits the page.

Comfort of the Zebra Zeb-Roller 2000 liquid ink rollerball pen

The Zeb-Roller 2000 is a very comfortable pen for people with repetitive strain injury who find most pens painful to use. The liquid, dark ink means that little pressure is needed to get a dark line, and the pen moves across the paper without a lot of force. That reduces the stress on the hand and arm muscles.

The barrel is thicker than that of most pens; almost half an inch in diameter. The wider barrel reduces hand cramps.

The rubber grip is slightly softer to hold than the typical hard plastic barrel and also keeps the pen from slipping in the hand.

The Zeb-Roller 2000 has a solid weight to it. It's not heavy, but noticeable. It's nicely balanced, even with the cap on the non-writing end of the pen.

The Zebra Zeb-Roller 2000 is hard to find in stores, and at more than $15 per dozen, it's pricey. But it's worth the hunt and the cost for a pen that's so comfortable to use.