When I’m looking for a great multi pen, I know any Uni-ball Jetstream setup is going to get the job done. One of their latest releases, the Uni Jetstream 4&1 Bamboo Multi Pen not only gets the job done with four ballpoint refills and an 0.5 mm pencil component, but looks amazing while doing it. I have one to give away this week, so read the rules below and enter away!
Posts filed under Uni
Uni Jetstream Edge 0.38 mm Ballpoint Pen 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!)
Sometimes I pick a pen based on looks (I'll admit it) and "odd" is definitely a look. The Uni Jetstream Edge looks odd. But I love Uni refills and I like Mint Green, so I had to try it. And it's a decent pen, though I think there are better houses for the exceptional Jetstream refill.
The metallic sheen on this pen deceives the eye, as the body is all plastic--only the grip section (and clip) are metal. The plastic is smooth and well made, but very light, so almost the entire weight of the pen is in the grip. This is apparently to give the pen a low center of gravity, which is intended for better control. I don't know all the science of the ergonomics behind that, but the imbalance it creates is something that takes a little getting used to. The pen also tapers so that the grip is the widest point, with a snorkel-like tube to protect the super-fine refill tip.
The body has a hexagonal shape, while the grip is round with some light etching along the length. I do find the grip a bit slick. I think the etching could have gone around the grip instead of along it, for better traction.
The clip has a wave pattern to it, and it looked like it might have a hinge, but it's a friction clip. It's fairly stiff, though the lip on it makes it easy to slide onto papers.
The top of the pen has a black plastic click mechanism to deploy the tip. It's a satisfying click, and the parts are all up in the top of the pen, so there are no flying springs or loose pieces when you change refills.
And the refill is where this pen shines. Because inside this slightly alien looking pen body is one of the best refills I've ever used, the Uni Jetstream .38 ballpoint.
This is the smoothest ballpoint ink I've ever used. It has the glide of a gel ink, but it is water-resistant, fade-resistant, and forgery-resistant, so it's perfect for taking your most important notes. Despite the absolute itty bittiness of the tip, there is no scratchiness or dragging feeling to this refill at all. It looks like you're writing with a sewing needle, but it writes like hot butter. I would use this refill every day.
But, I confess, I am not reaching for this pen every day--and when I am, it's because I need the refill, not because I want to write with the pen itself. It's not a bad pen at all, it's just odd, and that imbalance throws me off a bit. Beyond that, the $15 price feels a bit high, especially when you can get a 3-color Jetstream pen for $7.
I don't mind an odd pen (to be fair, I'm odd, myself), and I'd say that if you like the look of this pen, you're bound to be very happy with it. While I prefer other Uni pen models, my critiques of this pen are all very subjective, and you may find this one to be your personal favorite.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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Uni Kuru Toga Dive Mechanical Pencil Review
My review of the Uni Kuru Toga Dive has been a long time in the making. Why?
- I was hoping they would be more widely available by the time I posted this.
- After several months, I’m still not sure what to make of it.
Jacob, from Fudefan and the Tokyo Inklings Podcast, surprised me with the Dive earlier this year, as he happened to catch them at the right time during their very tiny launch window. While monitoring the launch online, it appears that several Japanese retailers received their store displays and inventory, put the pencils out for sale on February 16th, then POOF! They were all snapped up, and have yet to be available again.
Packaging origami.
What makes the Dive so special that there was a mad rush to buy them, and a continued 4-5x markup of them on the secondary market?
For starters, the Kuru Toga mechanism is one of the few technological advances we have seen in mechanical pencils in decades. Designed to rotate the lead as you write so you always have a sharp, consistent point on the graphite, it offers something no other mechanical pencil manufacturer can. And it works. This is no marketing gimmick, or mindless innovation.
With that under the hood, Uni turned it up to 11 with the rest of the design:
Adjustable length auto-advance lead mechanism? Check.
A cap, with a clip? Check.
A magnetic snap-cap, at that? Check.
No-knock writing when uncapping? Check.
Wait, what did I just say? When you uncap the pencil the graphite is “clicked” forward to your preset writing length based on your auto-advance setting. This means if you have a habit of holding the knock and pressing in the lead when done (to avoid breakage, for example,) when you uncap the pencil the lead resets back to the exposed position. Uncap, and write, no matter the status you left the Dive when previously using.
It’s difficult to explain, but it is due to how the cap, and cap magnet, are designed. You aren’t forcing a click every time you cap an uncap the pencil either. If you cap the pencil with the graphite exposed, it doesn’t come out any longer than where you left it previously. But, if the lead is retracted when storing (capping) the pencil, the next time you uncap it, the lead is ready to write without having to press the knock. In short, the Kuru Toga Dive can be used as a complete no-knock mechanical pencil.
There is a knock on the back of the pencil for you luddites out there, but like how the original Kuru Toga broke us from the habit of rotating the pencil in your hand, the Dive is asking you to never use a knock again.
That’s not the only thing the Dive is asking of you. It is also asking you to spend $50 on a plastic-barrel mechanical pencil. While the metallic blue finish on the Dive is beautiful, don’t let that confuse you into thinking there is aluminum underneath the admittedly cool exterior. The list of high-quality mechanical pencils you can buy for a fraction of that price is too long to list here, even Uni’s own upgraded Kuru Toga models.
But I get it. I get the price, and I get the ask. $50 seems right to me with the litany of design elements and engineering in a single package. And-don’t hate me for this-I think an aluminum barrel Dive in the $80-$100 range would be the sweet spot for what Uni has created here.
The Uni Kuru Toga Dive compared to the Rotring 600 (middle) and Pentel Sharp. Gargantuan.
One detail I haven’t discussed yet is how the Dive feels when writing. It’s good, but I’ll stop there. My biggest hangup is the grip diameter, where at 10.7 mm is much wider than other standard grip sections like the Rotring 600, which checks in at 8.1 mm. That’s not the only oversized part of the pencil-the entire thing is gigantic. Posting the cap, while designed to fit properly, turns the pencil into a plank. I only use it unposted. Due to its size, the Dive may be better suited for an 0.7 mm default lead size, if not 0.9 mm.
In the end, the Uni Kuru Toga Dive is another step up in mechanical pencil technology. I’m just not sure it is a step forward. There is no arguing that it got off to a hot start, in part due to great marketing by Uni, plus the scarcity effect. But is it sustainable? That’s the bigger question I have. I like it. It makes me smile. It’s also $50, and asks me to hold a baton while writing with a needle. I’m glad I have one, but I’ll pick up a more classically designed mechanical pencil-even another Kuru Toga-if I plan on doing real work with graphite in hand.
