Review: Hi-Tec-C Coleto Lumio

Do a simple search around the site and you'll find few pens that write better than those in the Pilot Hi-Tec-C family.

For my writing style, I go with 0.4mm for quick writing and smoothness. Between the ink you can get in the single pens or the multi-pens, I greatly prefer the multi-pen inks. They don't seem to skip as much and there is no hesitation in initial ink flow.

With that in mind, I use the Hi-Tec-C Coleto quite a bit. While I love the feel of the Coleto, it's appearance has kept me from using it in the workplace. Something about a clear multi-pen is off-putting.

Fortunately, the Hi-Tec-C Coleto Lumio was recently released. It comes in four body colors – black, metallic blue, silver and pink. When I placed my order at JetPens, the black and silver were immediately sold out, so I went with blue.

The Coleto Lumio has a more professional look to it with a slick one-color plastic barrel. The pen is accented with a silver ring where the top screws in, a silver metal clip and silver plastic at the top.

There are a few notable differences between the Coleto and the Coleto Lumio. Most obviously, the Lumio supports four ink cartridges compared to three. So for stick-in-the-mud types who need to use black, blue and red, the fourth cartridge can be the wild card. Pilot also has a pencil component, but more on that later.

The biggest flaw with the Lumio is that it doesn't have a grip at the handle. The standard Coleto has a nice rubber grip while the Lumio is slick. For those with animated hands, such as myself, make sure to put the Lumio down if you're talking. The pen requires a solid grip as more than once it slid out of my hand.

At $15 for the body, the Lumio isn't exactly a cost-friendly pen. But if you're in search of a professional multi-pen, this is worth it.

As mentioned, Pilot offers a mechanical pencil component. It's 0.5mm in size. Unless you desperately need a pencil component, I'd avoid this one. It writes just fine, but aesthetically it's a drawback. Compared to the pen components, it sticks out quite far and downgrades the overall look of the Lumio.

When four ink cartridges are loaded in the pen, it's an attractive writing utensil. Just hold on tight for the ride.

(If anyone has photo-taking suggestions, let me know. I have a Canon G10, but can't seem to take a good close-up photo with it)

Review: Post-it flag pen

(Note: Please welcome aboard Dan, who joins Amy and Kalina as a regular contributor to The Pen Addict.)

It's easy to be suckered into a seemingly flashy pen near the register at big box stores. You can play with them. You've probably never had that pen before. They're cheap.

I fell for the trap, picking up the blue Post-it flag pen for $1.50.

Aesthetically, this shiny white pen is nice from a distance. It's thick near the plunger narrowing down toward the tip. There are 50 disposable blue flags at the top. Do I need the flags for anything? Maybe not. But do I have a pen that dispenses a tape and paper product? Nope.

So the non-functional components of this pen grabbed me.

The writing quality of this pen is about what you'd expect out of a standard ballpoint pen. The line it produces on the paper is like an old lumbering Cadillac – it's slow and thick but can be a workhorse. But be honest here, when is the last time you used a full cartridge on a ballpoint pen?

Handling the pen really isn't an enjoyable experience, and why I haven't gotten a lot of use out of it. It feels awkward with either the clip pushing into your hand or the flags flicking against your skin. The college-ruled flags are a unique touch, but as I'm not a student or someone flagging papers that need signed, they've gone unused.

If you can get past things strangely rubbing against you as you write, the grip is decent. It has little give, and but is still soft. It has seven ridges with the space between them widening as they go up the grip. Over the past week of use, the grip has developed a slight tackiness to it.

The other big negative about the Post-it flag pen is its weight. I prefer some heft in a pen and this one is pretty light. With the whole thing consisting of plastic (other than the tip), that's expected. Still, thicker plastic would have made for a better writing experience.

As I mentioned, this may not be a pen for me since I don't have a use for the flags. Speaking of me, and since this is my introductory post, here is a little bit about your's truly:

My main usage of pens comes at work. I'm a member of the mainstream media (boo, hiss!) and used to write in shorthand a lot. Because of that, I like a pen that writes quickly and doesn't require a lot of effort to hold.

I write a good bit of notes at work, but now my main area of pen use comes while watching college football. In my spare time, I run a website centered around the NFL Draft. It's an extremely nerdy venture that involves evaluating players and how they'll translate to the NFL. Because of that, I fill up notebook after notebook with notes on players. Weird, I know. I also journal some when time allows it. My current notebook is the Cambridge City business notebook.

The main pen I've been using lately is the Acroball 3 multi-pen. The pen I picked up the most in 2010 was probably the Sharbo X ST3. I used it a lot not just because it's a good pen, but I wanted to justify owning such an expensive writing utensil.

I'm always in search of the perfect spiral notebook. I've never really used fountain pens. My pens can typically be found in my desk, pants pocket or a bag I insist is a European handbag.

Everyone I know thinks my growing pen addiction is odd. But that's what attracted me to the Pen Addict. Every post here is a learning experience. I'm happy to be writing here, and hope you're happy to read it.

(Apologies for a lack of a writing example. Apparently my camera is not so hot on close-ups)