Uni EMOTT Color Mechanical Pencil Review

I’ll admit to being skeptical when I requested the new Uni EMOTT Color Mechanical Pencils to review from JetPens. As a product reviewer, the entire Uni EMOTT series is intriguing, so from that perspective I was interested. From a personal perspective, though, I’m generally disappointed with color mechanical pencil leads. They tend to be soft, breakable, and light on the page - all features that I don’t want in a color pencil lead.

So, how did the Uni EMOTT Color Mechanical Pencils fare in my testing? Let’s explore!

Before anything else, these pencils need to have good writing performance. That goes for any writing instrument in general, but for color mechanical pencil leads, it is especially important. Remember, These aren’t wide core, wooden barrel, colored pencils, which are a completely different category and feel of pencil.

These thin leads, 0.9 mm in the case of the EMOTT, better be strong, have good color depth even on light colors, and have to give pencil-like feedback on the page. Uni EMOTT leads succeed on all accounts. Impressively, I might add.

Let’s take the lightest color in my set, the No. 2 Tropical four-pack, which is Light Green. In my testing, it is clearly readable on a white-background paper. That means enough of the lead is transferring to the page, while also not being brittle. The color surprised me, as did the feel. It’s almost like a traditional pencil lead!

The other three colors are equally as nice and readable. I assumed the Fuchsia would be the darkest, but I am even more impressed with Orange and Light Pink being so nice and rich.

While the most important part of this pencil is great, the rest of the Uni EMOTT is only average.

Average may be too kind of a word to use for the erasability of the EMOTT lead. Even with heavy erasing, the color is still visible on the page. I had no expectations this would be a good feature, and, unfortunately, that was accurate. That said, color pencil leads usually don't erase at all, so maybe this performance is a plus?

The EMOTT barrels themselves are ok. They are long and slender, and are square in shape to prevent rolling. The cone tip retracts into the barrel when the lead is retraced completely, but I don’t see the need for that. There is no lead pipe that needs protecting, like with some traditional mechanical pencils.

Each barrel has a matching color section right below the cap area to designate the lead color. This helps visually when these pencils are stored in the provided stand, which also has space for the extra lead that ships with the set. The No. 2 Tropical is one of the three sets currently available, with No. 1 Refresh and No. 3 Nostalgic giving you a dozen total color options.

Price-wise, I think the EMOTT sets are reasonable. Each set ships with four pencils barrels, four sticks of each color lead (two in each pencil, two in the lead holder,) plus a stand to hold them all. That puts them at a little less than $3.50 per pencil as a set, with an 8-pack of lead (2 of each color in a set) priced separately at $2.95.

The final question I have is usage, as in, how do I see these being used? Individually, they are perfect for notations and highlights. They are good enough for longer-format writing as well. A set of four provides nice complimentary colors for planning and journaling, while a collection of all 12 may be overkill.

The real winner of the Uni EMOTT Color Mechanical Pencil lineup may be in the individual lead refills themselves. Do you have an 0.9 mm mechanical pencil handy? These would be the perfect choice for a single standout color to your writing. I think that is the route I’m going to take. Now, I have the difficult decision of which color goes first!

(The answer is Orange. It is always Orange.)

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

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Uni Alpha Gel Switch Mechanical Pencil Review

The Uni Alpha Gel Switch Mechanical Pencil asks one of my favorite reviewer questions: Why? In this specific scenario, the “why” is why would you want both a standard pencil mechanism and a Kuru Toga pencil mechanism in the same barrel, with a toggle to switch between the two?

The short answer to the question is “I have no freaking clue!” But let’s explore the Alpha Gel Switch a little deeper, shall we?

First off, this is a fantastic looking mechanical pencil. I’d expect nothing less from Uni. The Alpha Gel is a classic in its own right, taking Uni’s traditional writing experience and adding one of the softest, most cushioned, writing grips on the market. That type of feel isn’t for everyone as it does add to the diameter of the grip, even accounting for the added squishiness. It is a popular and well-loved feature across several of their product lines.

Set in the Kuru Toga position.

Set in the Hold position.

The Kuru Toga is even more loved and more respected, as it changed mechanical pencil technology when it launched. For those unfamiliar, the Kuru Toga uses a mechanism inside the barrel to slightly rotate the lead every time you pick it up from the page. This allows your pencil tip to wear evenly and write consistent-width lines. My review from 12 (!) years ago shows a test where I didn’t rotate the pencil in my hand for an entire page to see if the technology actually worked. Spoiler alert: It did.

And it continues to do so to this day. I think it has made writing with mechanical pencils better, and sent the competition scrambling for something new they could compete with.

That said, you may not need what Uni is selling you in the Kuru Toga. From a note-taking and writing perspective, it’s great. But what if you are an artist or designer and need different line widths, edges, and shading density? Then the Kuru Toga isn’t going to fit your needs as well as a traditional mechanical pencil.

Notes on my writing sample: I used the Alpha Gel Switch with four different grip types. From top to bottom: Kuru Toga setting with fixed grip, Hold setting with fixed grip, Kuru Toga setting rotating the pencil in my hand, Hold setting rotating the pencil in my hand. As you might guess, if I work the graphite into an angle using the Hold setting and then switch to the Kuru Toga setting, it will take a couple of lines to normalize the shape of the lead again. This begs the overarching question of this entire product - why?

What if you could have both? The lead rotation of the Kuru Toga and the fixed writing of a traditional pencil are both available in the Uni Alpha Gel Switch. The issue I’m having is that I haven’t discovered the use case for that combination yet.

For starters, if the Alpha Gel grip is the big selling point, you can already buy it in a standard Kuru Toga model, as well as a standard mechanical pencil model. If you need the lead rotation of the Kuru Toga without the Alpha Gel grip there are dozens of options out there, too. What is the use case for both systems in one pencil? The student artist is all I can think of, and that is even a stretch. To me, it feels like this:

Despite the fact I cannot figure out the perfect use case for why this pencil exists, I do know one thing about me and what I look for in products: I’d buy the Uni Alpha Gel Switch again 10 out of 10 times. I just don’t know what I am going to use it for.

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

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Uni Limex Ballpoint Pen Review, feat. R.E.M.’s “Sitting Still”

The Uni Boxy 100 is a pen I’ve long admired. It is a classic office supply pen, most likely found on desks and in cabinets across Japan for the last 40 years.

And it’s great. I’d say it is right where it belongs - in the office - but that would be underselling it. Is it the Uni-ball Jetstream? No. Is it better than 9 out of 10 ballpoint pens I’ve used, and worth residing on my desk? Absolutely.

If you are still interested after reading those few words above, then you may find the Uni Limex to be a fun pen to add to your arsenal.

What is Limex? A nearly inexhaustible raw material, often used as a paper or plastic replacement. Now, my stance on stone paper is well known, but this is a different rock altogether. And I dig it.

There is no difference in the Limex barrel shape, design, or functionality over the Boxy, but there is a slight weight difference - 7 grams for the original, 9 grams for the Limex. Still, it is a rather lightweight pen, making it good for nearly any use.

The color of the barrel is great, too, taking on the off-white appearance of its namesake material. I keep inspecting the barrel to see if I see any small, darker bits in the material, and there are none. It’s very clean.

Like the Boxy, the Limex ships with an 0.7 mm standard black ballpoint refill, and I enjoy using it. The lines are clean and sharp, and while there is some slight scratchiness from time to time, it’s remarkably smooth for an 0.7 mm that feels like an 0.5 mm.

As much as I enjoy this pen, there is a kicker. One of the most popular kickers of all, in fact: Price! It’s $3.50, versus the $1.75 of the Boxy. In my original Boxy review, I thought the price was high, and that was from the perspective of buying them as an office pen by the dozen. So of course I think the price is high for the Limex, but it’s different in my mind. This is a singular pen purchase. It’s unique, it’s cool, it has a story, and I’m not trying to stock the entire office with it.

In short, it’s fun. And that’s what I enjoy most about stationery.

If you have some spare time after this short review, fire up your music player of choice and give “Sitting Still” by R.E.M. a listen. I got on an old school R.E.M. kick last week, with the album Murmur in heavy rotation. Days later, and countless internet searches later, “Sitting Still” is still stuck in my head.

Why? It is literal nonsense, while being an absolute banger.

I wanted to use the lyrics for the written part of this review, and if you know anything about this song, then you know that is asking the impossible. That’s what makes it so great. Enjoy!

(I purchased this pen at regular price from Yoseka Stationery)

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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!