Uni Jetstream Slim Multi Pen 0.38 mm Review

Multi pens have long been one of my favorite categories of pens. When I learned that not only do gel ink pens come in micro-tip sizes, but I can get a single barrel with multiple colors of micro-tip goodness? My pen world view was complete.

As quickly as I fell in love with multi pens, I feel like they were solved pretty early on in my journey as well. The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto was, and is, still my favorite. The Uni Style Fit came along a few years later and is equally as lovely with as many, or more, refill options. For premium barrel multi pen options there is the Zebra Sharbo X and the Lamy 2000 4 Color Ballpoint. And while new colors and styles and options of these pens have been released over the past few years, nothing has moved the needle for me.

Uni Jetstream Slim Multi Pen 0.38 mm doesn’t move the needle either - sorry to burst your bubble - but what this pen did was remind me how great multi pens can be. And this is a great one.

The minute I grabbed this pen out of the package I was impressed. The barrel looks and feels great, with a comfortable rubber grip and light herringbone pattern in the upper barrel. The knock mechanisms add to the design with their angular buttons, and the silver clip adds to the clean look. And it is Mint Green!

Looks only take you so far with writing instruments. How does it write? The 0.38 mm Jetstream refills are what sent me head over heels with this pen. The line is sharp and fine, and somehow, incredibly smooth. It’s one of those things that shouldn’t happen, and I don’t understand. A tip this fine with ballpoint(-ish) ink should feel like writing with a shard of broken glass. It’s wonderfully smooth, which makes me want to have this pen handy all of the time.

There are other Jetstream multi pen options on the market. Uni-ball even offers options in the Style Fit lineup to use a combination of gel and Jetstream refills in the same barrel. But none of them nail the writing experience for me better than this one.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Uni Jetstream Stylus Ballpoint Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Over the years, I've come to really enjoy the Jetstream line of hybrid ballpoint pens. The ink is extremely smooth, the colors are vibrant, and the lines are crisp. When I received a Jetstream with a touchscreen stylus attached to the top, I was intrigued. In my experience, a stylus on a pen is a gimmick. I don't mind it if the stylus stays out of the way, but if it hinders my ability to use the pen in any way, I'll never use it again. Thankfully, the stylus on the Jetstream stays out of the way until you need to use it.

Since this pen uses the same refills found in the Jetstream multi-pens, you can expect the same level of performance and quality. A black 0.7mm refill is included with the pen, but there are a variety of sizes and colors available to guarantee you have a great writing experience.

The bright blue exterior of the model I have is a really great color. There's a slight hint of green in the color under certain light, giving it a hidden depth that you wouldn't expect for a pen in this price range. The cap, clip, and nozzle are all black plastic and are fairly well-made. The nozzle has an excessive number of threads, which means it can take about 10 full turns to unscrew or screw on the tip after replacing the refill. It's not a deal-breaker, but just odd. Another potential problem is the weakness of the clip. It doesn't offer a strong grip when clipping it to things. Luckily, the pen is light and doesn't need a massive amount of grip to stay put. The clip also serves as the mechanism that extends the refill for writing. There's a small notch/button on the opposite side of the barrel to retract the refill. It works, but it's not the best system for a retractable pen because it feels clunky. Still, it works dependably.

On top of the pen where the nock usually sits, there's a black stylus dome. You'll probably recognize this little piece as the same type of stylus tip used on a number of cheap styli. It gets the job done, but it's incredibly squishy and imprecise. For signing an iPad at a coffee shop, it's perfect, but I can't imagine it would be great for technical drawings, coloring books, or other forms of art that iPads and other devices are capable of today. At the end of the day, it's a functional stylus that is convenient in a pinch, but it also stays out of the way when you're not using it. If you intend to use the stylus a lot, you can even pick up a pack of replacements. The sleeve around the stylus unscrews, allowing you to pull the old tip off and replace it with a new one.

All things considered, this pen is exactly what it says it is. It's a known quantity (the Jetstream refill) with a stylus stuck on the end. It's also available in a handful of colors, like the blue featured here, black, silver, and pink gold. At the $6 price point, it's not a bad deal considering the inclusion of a touchscreen stylus. If you like the Jetstream and also need to use a stylus from time to time, this is a perfect match.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Uni-ball Jetstream Premier Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

I'm a huge fan of the Jetstream line of pens from Uniball. It's the first ballpoint pen I tried that featured the new hybrid ink that feels so smooth and rich and lays down a consistent line—something ballpoints of the past just couldn't do. The Jetstream line has expanded, and there's plenty of various offerings now, such as different tip sizes, different bodies, and multi-refill bodies. I've always wanted to put a Jetstream refill into a nice pen body, but never have found a good fit. When I noticed the Jetstream Premier on JetPens, I jumped at it.

This is another pen that Brad took a look at back in 2008. I don't think it really spoke to him, and I agree with some of his observations. But, then again, I also think it's a pretty great pen. I think of it like this: if you want a wider bodied Jetstream with a soft touch clicker, this is a great pen. Also, if you're a fan of the Jetstream line already, you can't go wrong. The pen ships with a 1.0mm refill, but you can swap that out with whatever size you prefer.

There aren't many "premium" Jetstream models available. There's the Jetstream Alpha Gel Grip series, which is a few dollars more than the Premier. Like the name says, it has a soft, gel-like grip that gives way when squeezed. Personally, I've never been a fan of soft gel grips on pens, so I never pulled the trigger on this one. The other nice feature of the pen is that the body is metal. Sadly, the Premier is just plastic. Given the price difference, I'm not really sure why the Premier is not also metal. It's a little disappointing.

The Premier on its own is a great pen. The grip is soft to the touch, but still firm. The click mechanism is unique—there's a certain amount of smooth friction involved when you operate it. Unlike most mechanisms that give a very pronounced feedback, this one is soft and almost unnoticeable. For me, I don't really care either way. I can see how this would really bother some people, or do the complete opposite. Either way, it does the job.

The clip is strong, but has a cheap look to it. It would look more pleasing if the clip was more integrated into the click mechanism or the body of the pen. As it is, it looks like someone super glued it onto the pen. It's my least favorite feature of the pen.

I went for the black model, and if I did it again I'd go the other way. I think the silver model would look much better in person. The black model has a small red section in the body under the clip. It gives the pen a cheap, gimmicky feel.

Now, after those harsh words, I still enjoy using the pen. For one, I love the way it feels in my hand when writing. It's a very comfortable grip and it also uses those fantastic Jetstream refills. Win-win situation.

The tip of the pen screws off of the body, and it's made of plastic. I really wish it was made of metal instead of a plastic that is painted to look like metal. It would improve the look of the pen quite a bit.

Overall, I don't know if I can recommend this pen unless you want to collect all of the different Jetstream offerings. It's a good pen, but I can't justify the cost. At just under $12, I don't think it's any better than the Jetstream Rubber Body Series, which is just over $4.

Ideally, I'd like to find a metal body that accepts the Jetstream refill. Until then, I'll use the Premier and enjoy it for what it is: a pen that feels good in the hand.