Posts filed under Jetstream

Uni Jetstream 4&1 4-color .38 mm Ballpoint Multi Pen and .05 mm Pencil Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

I've stood firmly against multi-pens in the past. I had my reasons--they were too big to hold comfortably, all the moving parts seemed ill-fitted or would rattle when writing, pieces might break, there was never enough of some of the ink colors, refills were hard to source, and I generally preferred to just carry a variety of writing tools with me rather than mess with those inconveniences of the multi-pen. But those were the multi-pens of yore, and the more recent models I've tried have grown on me. And then when Uni starts putting Ghibli characters on them, well. Then they become must-haves.

The Uni Jetstream 4&1 Kiki's Delivery Service 4 Color 0.38 mm Ballpoint Multi Pen + 0.5 mm Pencil is by far the most multitudinous multi-pen I've tried. Black, red, blue, and green ink each have their own clicky tab, and then the clip, when pushed down, reveals a mechanical pencil. Underneath the finial cap hides an eraser. This is the writing tool equivalent of the Swiss army knife.

Despite its complexity, it is fairly well made, though it hasn't done away with all my multi-pen woes. The body is sturdy, and not as thick as one would think for all the refills it contains. The rubber grip does a lot to help the writing comfort level. And while the refills are small, they're filled with Uni's excellent ink--a ballpoint that feels and acts with the smoothness of a gel pen. Replacement refills (Uni XSR 80-38) are easily obtained at JetPens. The mechanical pencil works well also, though it's a little fiddly to depress the clip for more lead, and the eraser is miniscule. The clip feels like the weak point of the pen. It does rattle a bit, and its springiness (necessary for it's pencil-deploying function) detracts from its clip functionality. I do worry that it will get broken or jammed if I toss the pen in a backpack or pocket without some kind of case or padding--and having it in a case does defeat some of the always-readiness that is the main benefit to a multi-pen. But only time will tell on its durability, and so far all is well.

While it may be big and rattly, I've never felt so prepared for any writing situation. It has everything I need to carry for work, AND it has Gigi on it. I've used it more than I thought I would, and even contemplated a backup copy. It isn't inexpensive for a pen at $24.50, but it's not expensive for four pens and a pencil. Overall I'm very pleased with it.

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

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Posted on March 25, 2021 by Sarah Read and filed under Uni-Ball, Jetstream, Multi Pen, Pen Reviews.

Uni Jetstream Edge 0.28mm 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.)

The Uni Jetstream has been around long enough at this point to become a stationery staple and an all-around excellent recommendation for anyone in search of a good pen. How can you improve on something that's already so good? Well, one way to do this is by making it smaller. Another way is to provide exciting new pen bodies. In the Jetstream Edge, Uni have accomplished both of these things.

Let's look at the pen body of the new Edge first. If you've ever seen a Rotring, then this pen will likely look very familiar. It's not visually close enough to look like a blatant copy, but more of an homage to a timeless design. The drafting pencil aesthetic is definitely a good look for this pen, and you'll probably fooling into thinking it's made of metal before you pick it up. While the textured grip section is made of metal, the rest of the pen is a sleek plastic, which keeps the weight fairly low. Another added benefit of the metal grip section is that it keeps the center of gravity close to the tip of the pen, allowing you greater control when writing.

The clip is unique, with a bent metal wire that looks like a frail paper clip at first glance. In practice, this clip is incredibly strong and secure. There's nothing frail about it! The nock also produces a very pleasing feel and sound when extending and retracting the refill. The nose of the pen also borrows closely from the drafting pencil aesthetic, but also provides a good view at what you're writing since the cone tapers off dramatically from the grip. This same trick is used in the needle-tip of the refill, giving you more sight around what you're writing since the exposed part of the refill is so small. If you aren't looking carefully, you'll mistake this for a mechanical pencil when the refill is extended. They look very similar!

In the hand, this pen feels well-balanced and secure. The textured grip isn't knurled, but the grooves that reach from end to end on the grip provide a great feel and stability when writing. The overall lightness of the pen also complements the writing experience.

The real star of the show, however, is the refill that debuts alongside this pen body. This pen features a 0.28mm needle-tip refill that uses the Jetstream hybrid ink system. Uni have made a 0.38mm Jetstream refill for quite a while now, and people have been impressed by that as well.

As an aside, these ultra fine refills are probably something you already know you like. And, if you don't like them, then this one certainly won't be for you! That being said, you can swap out the refill for any size tip that works with the Jetstream multipen bodies.

While the 0.38mm refills produce an incredibly thin and crisp line, I guess someone wanted something even smaller. The 0.28mm refill produces a line that is so satisfyingly thin. It feels so precise and accurate due to the extreme crispness of the ink formula. There are no stray specks or light splotches of gray ink. These lines are crisp, and they are dark. It's incredibly satisfying.

Like most ultra-fine writing instruments, you can normally expect a somewhat scratchy writing experience since you're effectively writing with a hypodermic needle. Believe it or not, this is not the case with the Uni 0.28mm refill. It's surprisingly smooth when writing, which is a great testament to the Jetstream brand. Even at such small sizes, the ink formula is still incredibly smooth. It's an absolute joy to use.

If you're a fan of the 0.38mm, you'll love the 0.28mm. Like I mentioned before, this new SXR-203-28 refill is the same form factor as all the other Jetstream refills that work with the Jetstream multipens. This means you can easily install one of these refills in a multipen, or use a different size and color in this unique Jetstream body. At the moment, Uni only offers black, blue, and red in this size, but I'm sure they'll add more at some point if it becomes popular enough.

The Uni Jetstream Edge comes in four colors, from Black, Navy, White/Red, and Champagne/Gold. The pen is $15, which is a pretty good deal considering the excellent aesthetic and build quality of the pen, plus the inclusion of a fantastic refill. If you're at all interested in trying out one of the best 0.28mm pens I've ever used — let alone the best ballpoint pen of this size — you should definitely add this pen to your next order!

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

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Posted on April 29, 2020 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Uni-Ball, Jetstream, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Uni SXR-600 Jetstream Ballpoint Refill Review

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

It wasn't that many years ago that the Uni Jetstream ballpoint pen revolutionized the humble ballpoint pen, but that doesn't mean it can't strive to continue being exciting. There's always new pen bodies and cool new multi-pen designs that will further the line, but what about different refill shapes? That doesn't sound very exciting until you hear about the particular shape refill that Uni is experimenting with for their SXR-600 refills: Parker-style.

The Uni SXR-600 is very plain — it's a single refill that is available in only one color and only two tip sizes, black and 0.5mm or 0.7mm, respectively. I prefer availability of color and tip options over everything else, but I'm still excited about this particular black refill simply because of the refill shape. The Parker-style refill is fairly ubiquitous, and possibly one of the most common refill types you come across in ballpoint pens. Up until now, my favorite refill has been the Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 due to its smoothness and crisp, dark lines. But, if I could swap in a Jetstream refill of my preferred color and size, I certainly would. That's why the Uni SXR-600 is so exciting: the possibility.

The concept is very simple: if your pen accepts a normal Parker-style refill, the SXR-600 will fit. Aside from the fit, though, does this new form factor feature the same great writing experience as the normal lineup? Yes, it absolutely does. That was my concern before trying this refill out. There was a possibility that the new refill shape could require a different ink formula or something that might negatively affect the writing experience, but that isn't the case here. Whatever Uni did to make this work, I can't tell any difference between this refill and any other regular Uni Jetstream refill when writing.

I chose the smaller 0.5mm refill for my tests, and it features the same ultra-fine and crisp lines that I expect. In every way, it meets my expectations based on using other Uni Jetstream pens. If your concern is that this uniquely-shaped refill won't feel the same as your beloved Jetstream pens, you can go ahead and file that worry away for good.

Now, that doesn't mean it's all roses and good times. This refill is expensive. At $7.25, it's a good deal more expensive than my lovely Schmidt EasyFlow refills, which are five bucks a pop if you buy them individually. I'm not sure why the refill is so much more expensive. Sure, it uses a metal cartridge over plastic, but I can't see that driving the price up by multiple dollars. Still, this isn't completely out of the ordinary for Parker-style refills. Five to ten dollars is a fairly common price per refill in this category, so it's not so hard to swallow when put in that context. What is hard to swallow, however, is that normal Jetstream refills are less than a couple of bucks.

The other current problem with this product is the lack of color and size variety. I'd be willing to spend a lot more money on several of these refills if there were (any?) more color options. Offering only black and only two size options feels like a market experiment more than a full-fledged product launch. Maybe Uni is seeing how these do before they invest more in building out the line? Maybe the availability in Japan is much larger and it's just the US market that they're experimenting with? I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind this, but I hope they decide to ramp it up soon!

With all that in mind, you really can't go wrong with the Uni SXR-600 refills as long as you like black and either a 0.5mm or 0.7mm tip. These refills can quickly spruce up an old ballpoint pen you have laying around, providing that lovely hybrid ballpoint ink writing experience that we've all come to love so much because of Uni and the marvelous Jetstream.

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

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