Posts filed under Uni-Ball

Uni-ball Signo Needle Gel Ink Pen Review

What do you do when the best gel ink pen gets an update? You buy a bunch of them of course! One of my all-time favorites, and my number one ranked gel ink pen for as long as I can remember, the Uni-ball Signo UM-151 0.38 mm is now available with a needle point.

Any time I am asked for a gel pen recommendation, especially in a micro-tip size, this pen is my answer. And it’s not really close. While I repeatedly profess my love for the Pilot Hi-Tec-C, and the Zebra Sarasa Clip is wonderful in its own right, the Signo UM-151 is a step above. If you prefer a needle point over a conical tip, then this is a pen you will want to try out.

Aesthetically, the needle tip model is nearly identical to the standard version. There are a few cosmetic differences, such as the addition of the racing stripe down the barrel, but otherwise, this is the same barrel, same grip, same cap, and same ink. And that’s good in my book. The only thing missing on this model is the DX marking, which I never knew why that existed in the first place or what it meant. It was easier calling it the DX though, as opposed the the UM-151, and now the UM-151ND.

Writing with this pen is a complete joy. The lines are fine and sharp, and the colors are rich and saturated. If you are a tiny writer like me, it’s practically perfect. I’ve never had a Signo UM-151 fail to work when I need it to, like the Pilot Hi-Tec-C. I’ve never had the ink run out quickly, like the Zebra Sarasa Clip. Uni-ball has set themselves apart with this pen.

And it is only marketed and sold in Japan.

Uni-ball clearly knows this pen is a success, so why isn’t it on store shelves around the world? Sure, we can all get them through importers like JetPens (thank goodness!), but I find it odd that this isn’t more widely available, at least in 0.38 mm and 0.5 mm sizes. The Signo 307 is the store shelf pen for Uni-ball, comes in many colors, and is amazing in its own right. I don’t see why the UM-151 isn’t out there more alongside it.

Speaking of colors, I grabbed my favorite five: Blue Black, Lime Green, Violet, Light Blue, and Orange. In the past, I would grab three of them to take notes at work so I could have tasks or similar details color-coordinated. These days, I’m a single color note taker, but like having the color options available. Blue Black is my go to, but I mix in the others frequent enough to get used. And there are 10 more colors to choose from, with possibly more to come.

Bottom line: This is the best gel ink pen on the market. It’s always an enjoyable experience whenever I pick one up, and I always make sure to have one - or more - within arms reach.

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

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Posted on June 26, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Uni-Ball, Signo, Gel, Pen Reviews.

Uni-ball R:E Erasable Gel 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.)

The Uni-ball R:E Erasable Gel Pen seems to be aiming to create some competition for the Pilot FriXion with this new line of erasable gel pens. There are a lot of similarities between the two. Uni improves the body design in some ways, I think, but hasn't improved on the overall ink quality. The FriXion pens have been fairly popular, and fans of Uni-ball may like these as well--but I have a lot of issues with them.

The feel of the pens is great. It's a sturdy, good build and doesn't feel like it's too delicate or flimsy. It has a nice rubber grip, decent clip, and a satisfying click mechanism. The eraser is located under a clear plastic cap on the click button. Uni has devised a special system that prevents the pen from clicking when it's inverted, so you can erase without retracting the tip. I noticed it sometimes takes an extra shake to disengage the lock mechanism. It also means that if you're in the habit (like me) of flipping your pen to click it against your leg or the desk, you'll have to adjust. The clear plastic cap that covers the eraser also has a short life expectancy. Being tiny and clear, if it rolls away, it may be difficult to find.

The ink is where my real issues with the pen come in. It's very unsaturated, as all of the erasable gel inks I've tried are. The black is really grey, and all the colors have a muted look to them. Uni accounts for this by calling the color "Off-Black", but I think that's marketing speak for "as close to black as we can get it". The muted tones are pretty, if you're expecting muted tones. I don't dislike the colors--I even love the orange in this set--but I'd love to see some more vibrant tones in the line.

Like the FriXion pens, the ink is heat-reactive. It's the heat from the friction of the plastic eraser that causes it to disappear. The eraser never wears down and doesn't leave a messy residue or dust. It does an okay job at erasing. It doesn't leave totally clean paper, but it's close. However, after about ten seconds, some of the ink begins to reappear. The pink and red did this the most--after about ten minutes a large portion of the erased area had reappeared, even at room temperature.

Because the ink disappears at temperatures over 140 degrees, and reappears at temperatures under 14 degrees, it's not recommended for important documents, signatures, or addressing envelopes. With ink that might disappear at any time, I can't think what it might be good for except for magic tricks and espionage. Every time I try to write with an erasable gel pen, I end up putting it back because of this volatile trait. I can't help but think of it as unreliable ink.

It's totally fun, though. As an experiment, I wrote a test page, and then I held it over a warm toaster. The ink vanished in seconds--though when I held the paper at an angle to the light, I could still see the texture of it on the page. Then I stuck it in the freezer. All the ink returned in less than three minutes, though even more muted than it had been before. It's a cool trick, but I wouldn't want it happening to my class notes or journal pages. While you can always freeze your page if your ink disappears in a hot car, if you've erased your work and then written over the same area--and then your page gets cold--you may have trouble reading the text. It can't be un-reappeared.

If you love erasable gel pens, and you love the Pilot FriXion, you might want to give these a try. They're a great version of a product that a lot of people enjoy. But the unreliability of the ink is a deal-breaker for me. It might be because I live somewhere that spends a good portion of the year below 14 degrees, but it all sounds too risky. I'd only use them to write something fleeting and unimportant, but I don't need 8 colors for that. Would be swell if I had black, though.

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

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Posted on June 1, 2017 by Sarah Read and filed under Uni-Ball, Erasable, Gel, Pen Reviews.

Fresh From Japan: Zebra Sarasa Dry and Uni-ball Air

My friend June Thomas teased us all about her pending tour of Japan in Episode 189 of The Pen Addict Podcast. She made it back safe and sound, and a little care package from her made its way into my mailbox last week.

Aside from the tissue and mask handouts (which are amazing!) I was anxious to try both of the pens. The Zebra Sarasa Dry I had only seen on the Zebra Japan site, and while I own the Uni-ball Air, the Micro tip size is a new one for me. Here are my first thoughts on both of these pens:

Zebra Sarasa Dry Gel 0.5 mm Blue

The first question I had about this pen wasn’t to see if the fast-drying gel ink worked, but how close this pen compares to an all time favorite: the Zebra Sarasa Clip. It does, but just a little. The clip is too bulky on the Dry Gel model for me, although the grip may be a bit better. They are close.

The more important aspect, of course, is the ink performance. It lives up to the marketing, drying almost immediately after going on the page. I ran my finger along the line when writing, as in this video, and there was no ink smear or ink transfer to my finger. Clean, and impressive.

Finally, how new is this ink technology from Zebra? I was thinking this Japanese model was newish, but as I dug around, Zebra USA has marketed the Sarasa Gel as Zebra Sarasa Rapid Dry Ink Gel for what looks like a year or two. I rarely visit office supply stores any more so I haven’t noticed this. Plus, this model of Sarasa is nowhere near as good as the Clip model.

So this begs the question: Has anyone used one of the Rapid Dry models, and does is work as well?

Uni-ball Air 0.5 mm Black

This oddity of a pen has been around in the US market for a while, but only in the 0.7 mm model. I bought a pack of those, and wasn’t sure what to make of it. More of a felt tip marker than rollerball, the Air leaves wide, wet lines. The 0.7 mm is fine, but I of course prefer the 0.5 mm model that June sent me. It’s still wide, but now it is closer to one of my favorite off the shelf pens in the Paper Mate Flair.

Since it is a liquid ink pen and due to the style of the tip, a lot of ink gets transferred to the page, causing some feathering and bleeding. I am a fast writer, and no matter how fast I go I can’t outrun a small amount of ink pooling at the end of my letters. That’s ok, as long as you understand what this pen is good for and if it suits your needs. Tiny writers need not apply.

Both of these pens are decent choices when used for a specific need or in the right circumstances. That makes them good, but not great. Thanks for sending me these to test out June!