Zebra bLen 3C 3 Color Ballpoint Multi Pen Review

The Zebra bLen has been a great addition to the stationery aisle over the last couple of years, and for good reason. The original ballpoint pen is a smooth writer, and the follow-up gel pen is an excellent competitor to the Pilot G2, Pentel EnerGel, and Sharpie S-Gel. On top of that, it brought updated barrel technology to the shelf with the introduction of a “vibration-free” writing experience.

As the product roadmap dictates, the next pen Zebra released as part of the bLen lineup should be a multi pen, and they did exactly that with the bLen 3C 3 Color Ballpoint Multi Pen.

I consider myself a big multi pen fan, and have used and reviewed dozens over the years. I’ll say right up front with the bLen 3C that I don’t like this pen.

Notice I didn’t say that this is a bad pen. I think it is good, not great, and maybe it will be a fit for your writing arsenal. But there are too many small things that add up in the cons column for me, and when you are going up against stiff competition in this category, that’s not going to be good enough.

Let’s look at some of the pros before I get into what makes the bLen 3C not for me.

For starters, the blue ink refill is excellent. I chose the 0.5 mm Grey barrel model, and while I do think that Uni-ball Jetstream ink is superior in every way, I like Zebra’s emulsion ink. In comparing those two inks directly, the bLen ink is a less clean writer, and has a bit of spidering between characters on occasion. Both of these things can be expected with fine ballpoint tips like this, but when you experience the clean lines of the Jetstream, even a little oddness is noticeable.

Secondly, I like the look of the pen. I mean, any pen that is inspired by the B1-series battle droid is a winner in my book. I could do without the plastic tip extension in front of the nose cone that gives it a sucker fish look (I’ll let you look that one up,) but overall its a good barrel, and has a great grip.

Thirdly, the price is fantastic. At $6 a pen, with 4 barrel color choices and two tip sizes (0.5 mm and 0.7 mm,) it is priced as good - or better - than any brand name entry level multi pen.

This sounds like a rave review - so what gives? The knock layout is a non-starter for me.

I didn’t notice the layout when I ordered the pen, but it was instantly noticeable when I began using it. Most 3 cartridge multi pens are designed with one of two layouts: The front click (often the using the clip itself,) is usually the Black ink cartridge in a 3 ink pen (or the pencil component in a 2+1,) or the clip is fixed and the Black cartridge is the first to the right of the clip when looking from the front of the pen.

In the case of the bLen 3C, not only is the Black refill in the center-back of the barrel, but its knock is a big, clunky, “what is this thing,” knock. Yes, they are attempting to visually match the bLen single cartridge design, but in doing so, made something odd and confusing looking. In addition to that, the Red ink is in what should be the primary slot for the pen (right-handed bias,) with the Blue ink around the other side. Could I swap the Red and Blue positions if so desired? On the inside, sure. The plungers? I’m not so sure without some surgery, which is not warranted even on a $6 pen I don’t believe. And none of that changes the weird knock in the back.

Why am I the way that I am, dear readers?

If the refills were brilliant (notice the Black and Red refills didn’t make the pros list above - they are much drier than the Blue,) I would get used to the weird knock style and layout. And the barrel is nice to hold and use. But I can’t get there when I have other great options available to me an arms reach away.

I love what Zebra has done with the bLen lineup since launch, and if you are a fan, and not as stuck as me on the knock design, I think you will like this pen. And again, for $6, it is a great deal. I’m going to stick with my single cartridge bLens for now, and see if they come up with something new to tempt me in the multi pen lineup in the near future.

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

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Pentel Calme 2 Color 0.5 mm Multi Pen and Pencil Review

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

If the eight-year-old version of me knew how many different types of great multi-pens would exist in the near future, I'm not sure I would have believed you. At the time, the only multi-pen I was aware of was the standard Bic 4-Color. It was great when it was the only one in my realm of awareness, but today is a totally different story. There are almost too many multi-pens to choose from, and so many of them are really good. The latest multi-pen to find its way to my desk is the Pentel Calme.

The Calme comes in a few different versions and colors, but this one is a black body that includes a black and red 0.5mm ballpoint cartridge, as well as a 0.5mm mechanical pencil component. Until using this pen, I hadn't tried Pentel's hybrid ballpoint ink formula, which they call Vicuña. Similar to Jetstreams and Acroballs, the ink is smooth, consistent, and creates sharp lines when writing.

When it comes to multi-pens on the cheaper end of the spectrum, it's been my experience that they are typically a bit chunky and have a larger diameter barrel. With the Calme, it's actually a good deal smaller in diameter than its direct competitors, like the Jetstream or Acroball 3-component options in the same price range. I don't mind the larger diameter, but I'm sure this can be a downside for some people. The Calme's diameter is closer to a normal pen that you'll find on the office supply shelf. This smaller diameter gives the pen a familiar feel in the hand and makes it easier to handle.

Along with the smaller diameter, the long grip section is made of a soft, textured material that feels great. The texture is easy to feel and provides loads of grip, and the slightly cushioned feel is really comfortable. I doubt this material will stand up to a lot of abuse, but it should do fine for normal use and conditions.

Extending and retracting the refills uses the same mechanism as other multi-pens in this price range. There are a couple of color-coded tabs at the top of the barrel for extending the ballpoint refills, and the clip doubles as the mechanical pencil control. Simply depress one of the inactive tabs to retract the current refill into the pen. The extending/retracting feel on this pen is solid, and I haven't had any issues using it.

As an added bonus (or detriment), this pen does not include a tiny eraser, so you'll need to remember to pack a real eraser if that's something you might need. In my experience, the tiny erasers are pretty useless and only serve to frustrate me, so I won't miss it on this pen!

At $6.75, the Pentel Calme is a great deal and a worthy competitor to the Uni Jetstream, Pilot Acroball, and the like. You can get a 3-color ballpoint version for a little cheaper if you don't want or need the mechanical pencil component. Depending on the barrel color and component options, you can choose from 0.5mm or 0.7mm refills that are included with the pen. And of course, there are gobs of replacement refills that will fit this pen, so your choices are vast in terms of outfitting this pen with the perfect combo of inks.

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

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Uni Jetstream 4&1 Metal Multi Pen Review

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

This multi pen from Uni might not have the most catchy name, but it's still a fantastic pen. The Uni Jetstream 4&1 Metal 4-color 0.5mm ballpoint multi pen and 0.5mm pencil is a sleek package that packs 5 different writing implements. Unlike other Jetstream multi pens, this one also features a knurled metal grip section.

The Uni Jetstream 4&1 Metal in the dark green colorway is a favorite of mine. I've always loved multi pens, and I'm a fan of the Jetstream ink formulation and their line of quirky and utilitarian multi pens. This latest variant to cross my desk is unique enough to grab my attention, but also incredibly useful due to the different writing options nestled inside.

Like many other Jetstream multi pens, this one relies on individual sliding latch mechanisms to select and retract the refill you want to use. There are four slides around the top of the pen body, and they have small color indicators at the top to let you know which color is which. The 0.5mm mechanical pencil option pulls double duty with the pen clip. Pushing the clip down the body extends the pencil refill, and pushing further down on the clip also advances the lead. It's a great system that works well and also keeps the pen sleek. To retract any of the extended refills, just push down on another tab.

Many of the Jetstream multi pens I already have use a soft, grippy rubber-like material on the grip section. It's firm, comfortable, and provides lots of tactile grip when writing. This pen is different in that it has a knurled metal grip section, and it's much better (for me, anyway) than the rubber material version.

That's right — this Jetstream is a mixture of metal and plastic parts. The grip section, nose cone, eraser cap, and clip are all made of metal. The body and refill slides are plastic, but the finishes on all these materials match each other so well that it's difficult to tell that only part of the pen is metal.

It's easy to see a difference in the color between the grip section and the plastic body, but the color difference is complementary instead of being distracting or making the pen look/feel cheaper than it is. I understand why the entire pen isn't made of metal — this is still a fairly cheap multi pen, and using metal for everything would have increased the price and weight. But, I'm glad that the colors work so well together and aren't distracting. It's a bummer for me when you can obviously tell that one part of a pen is one material while the rest is something cheaper. That's not the case here!

Hidden under the top of the pen is a tiny eraser that can be deployed in emergency situations. Unlike most mechanical pencils with a tiny eraser, this isn't where you refill the pencil lead. The little eraser is replaceable, but there's no hole to the lead reservoir underneath it. To replace the lead, you unscrew the grip section from body, pull out the pencil refill, and insert the fresh pencil lead into the refill. Since these refill are so small, it doesn't hold many pieces of lead, but that's an acceptable trade-off for all the additional refill options it packs.

The eraser cap is a small piece that I worry will be easy to lose. Thankfully, Uni made this piece fit really snug on the top of the pen. It takes a good deal of precise effort to remove it when you want to use the eraser. It won't come off by accident, and I'm glad for it.

Writing with this pen is a great experience. Like all multi pens that pack more than three refills into the package, it's a wide diameter body. It won't fit everyone's hands or grip style, so I count myself lucky to be in the percentage that lends itself to this pen's size.

The knurled metal grip provides plenty of tactility and control when writing. For my grip style, it's really comfortable. I have medium-sized hands and a fairly standard tripod grip style. Another benefit of the metal grip versus the rubber-like material is that this one doesn't collect lint and dust!

At $27, this is one of the more premium Jetstream models, though you can spend even more if you want. There's an all-metal Jetstream Prime that costs $45, and that's the price I'd expect for an all-metal multi pen (at a minimum). Other brands offer premium level multi pens that cost more, and I think they are fairly popular. I really wish Uni would offer one or two premium models as well. The Jetstream Prime is a different body style. What I really want is a pen like the Jetstream 4&1 or 3&1 body, but with an all aluminum build. I'd gladly pay extra for this.

The included refills (besides the 0.5mm pencil module) are all 0.5mm in black, blue, green, and red. This pen uses the Uni SXR-80 refill, which are available in lots of tip sizes and colors, but are not compatible with D1 style refills.

I haven't found a perfect multi pen to date, but the Jetstream 4&1 Metal is definitely in my favorites list and one that I can easily recommend to anyone that's looking for a great ballpoint multi pen. If the dark green version doesn't suit your fancy, there's also silver, gunmetal gray, and pink gold.

(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.

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