Uni Mitsubishi 9000 Pencil 3H Review

I would hesitate to call 2015 the year of the pencil for me personally, but dang if I'm not finding myself using them more and more. I have received several sampler packs from the Erasable crew, and of course JetPens keeps bringing in some of the top brands from Japan like this Uni Mitsubishi 9000.

The 9000 is a standard issue wood case pencil with a range of ten different lead grades. I branched out a bit for this review, choosing the 3H instead of a normal middle grade. I hadn't used a lead this hard yet so I was interested to see what it is all about.

My tendencies lead me to firmer, finer pens so my tastes in pencils should be about the same, right? It seems to be that way because this 3H is fantastic. The worry with harder lead grades is that the lines are much lighter, but with the 9000 I found it to be completely acceptable. In fact, it's right on the money. My lines were sharp, consistent, and easily dark enough to read.

When used side by side with more mid-range lead grades like HB it is clearly lighter, but not as much as I thought it would be. And when you add in the slick green paint job and the phrase "Made By Elaborate Process" stamped into the barrel, there is a lot to like about this pencil. The only hangup for some may be the lack of eraser, but this is my preferred style.

At some point I will put together a Top 5 wood case pencil list, and the 9000 will get consideration for the back end of the list. The Tombow Mono and Blackwing 602 are my go to pencils still but I am keeping this Uni on the radar.

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

Uni Pi:s And Zebra Mackee Double-Sided Marker Showdown

Markers make my handwriting look awesome. Maybe it's the larger, faster arm movements that are required to keep pace with a wide tipped, fast flowing pen, or maybe it's as simple as the design of the tip itself. Either way, pens like the Uni Pi:s and Zebra Mackee are fun to have around for when you need them.

When you actually need markers like this is the key. These aren't every day writers like the Sakura Pigma Micron. They are task specific, meaning you should know how you will be using these pens before getting started. Both the Uni Pi:s and Zebra Mackee are made to write on many surfaces, such as paper, fabric, glass, metal and more. The oil-based ink allows for this, and makes them water resistant as well.

What sets these two pens apart? Not much to be perfectly honest. They are very similar in design - so much so that I have to find the brand logo on the barrel to determine which one I am using. Each is double-sided, both with fine and extra-fine tips, with the tips on the Zebra being slightly firmer and finer. I doubt I could tell the difference in a blind test though.

The Zebra does have the lone differentiator in the pens with refillable ink cartridges. For a pen like this that is a big deal because you will burn through markers if you use them heavily. The cartridges are a long cylinder with wide openings on each end for good ink flow.

And the ink flow is huge, as you would expect with this type of pen. Any use of these pens on normal paper will result in bleed and feathering. Writing with them is fun, but they are most suited for heavy duty materials like posterboard, fabric, and plastic.

For $2 a pop, the Uni Pi:s and Zebra Mackee both come in a rainbow of colors and will make your inner artist squee with delight. Check them out the next time you have a project that calls for some color.

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

Uni Mitsubishi Pure Color-F Double-Sided Sign Pen - 0.8 mm + 0.4 mm - Orange Review

It is awards season, so the award for longest pen name of the year (so far) goes to the Uni Mitsubishi Pure Color-F Double-Sided Sign Pen - 0.8 mm + 0.4 mm - Orange!!!

Never one to turn down a new porous tip pen, I picked this one up from JetPens back in November. It wasn't the 0.8 mm side that intrigued me, but I was excited about the 0.4 mm option. In that area, the Pure Color did not disappoint.

Normally, porous tip pens are prone to breaking down in the tip area and dulling the line. Uni Mitsubishi markets this pen as having an extra-sturdy tip which should last longer than a normal porous tip pen. I haven't put this pen through rigorous testing yet, but early results are positive. The 0.4 mm tip lays down a crisp line with no bleed or show-through to the back of the page.

The 0.8 mm side is as wide as you would expect, and is unusable for me. Like I mentioned in the written review, I like the 0.4 mm side so much I would gladly pay double for just a single-tipped pen.

For $1.65 the Pure Color is a no-brainer to try and test out for yourself.