Posts filed under Uni-Ball

Uni Alpha Gel HD II Shaka Shaker Mechanical Pencil Review

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

The more stationery products I see and use, the more I'm convinced that there is really is a specific product for every tiny use case you can imagine. In some cases, you might want the convenience of a "shake to advance" lead system in a mechanical pencil combined with the luxurious grip of the Uni Alpha series. It seems like a completely random combination at first, but I'm also glad that it exists in case someone does need this specific combination of functionality. And even if you don't care much about the nifty shaking mechanism, it's still a great mechanical pencil that features the soft Alpha grip section.

The (take a big breath for this one) Uni Alpha Gel HD II Shaka Shaker Mechanical Pencil is the exact combination I described above. At first glance, it looks like a Uni Signo with the Alpha grip. We've reviewed these gel refill cousins before, and they're fantastic for people who want a soft and gel-like cushion on the pen grip. The pencil we have here is the same concept, but with a mechanical pencil component inside. On top of that, you can also advance the lead by gently shaking the pencil.

I've used pencils like this in the past, like the Tombow Mono Graph Shaker and Pilot Mogulair, and the concept of shaking the pencil to advance the lead is quite interesting. With this feature, you can advance your pencil lead with one hand and without moving your fingers from the grip section. I can see where this can be convenient, but it's also partly a marketing gimmick to set this pencil apart from the many, many other options. That being said, it's a really well done gimmick that works great in practice.

Similar to the Tombow, you can lock the advancement mechanism on the Shaka so that it doesn't accidentally extend (and break) lead while being jostled around in a pocket or bag. To do this, you have to rethink the top button of this pencil. The top button can certainly advance the lead if you press it down about 80% of the way. One press advances roughly 1 millimeter of lead, and you can also press and hold to push the lead back into the pencil when it's time to pack up. But, if you press the top button all the way down (it feels like pressing the nock of a normal ballpoint or gel pen), it clicks and stays in place. When the top button is down, it means the shaking mechanism is disabled and won't advance lead while the pencil is in transit. It took me a few minutes to figure out how this works, but once your brain gets over the confusing aspect of how the button being down seems like the opposite of a "ready to carry" position, you're all set.

It's entertaining to picture someone furiously shaking this pencil like a dried up bottle of Wite-Out or a fresh Polaroid, but that's not the kind of effort you need to exert with the Shaka pencil. All it takes is a small flick of the wrist to extend the lead by a millimeter or so. I can easily do this without moving my elbow or shoulder, and I really appreciate how easy it is to use in this regard. Let's be real: if it required the kind of effort that I mentioned above, you're not likely to use this pencil in public.

Along with the cushy grip and unique lead advancing system, you get the usual perks of almost every mechanical pencil ever made. There's a small eraser under the top button, and you can add more lead by removing the top button and the eraser to open the lead reservoir.

If you've never tried out one of the Uni Alpha Gel grip pens, you really owe it to yourself to try one some day. It's not for everyone, but you never know until you try one.

At less than $8, the Uni Alpha Gel HD II Shaka Shaker Mechanical Pencil (seriously, who came up with this name?) is an excellent value. If you try it out and don't like it, you're only out a few bucks, and maybe someone you know will love it instead. The pencil only comes in 0.5mm lead size, and you also only have two choices of color: the white featured here, and a classy Navy with chrome hardware. It's a fun pencil that I can definitely recommend if you want a unique mechanical pencil experience for a few bucks.

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

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Posted on January 29, 2020 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Uni-Ball, Mechanical Pencil, Pencil Reviews.

Uni-ball Signo 207 Premier Review

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

I'm no stranger to the Uni Signo 207 line. In fact, they were one of my gateway pens into my stationery awakening back in the day. Regarded as one of the most accessible "nice" pens available at every big box store today, it's probably been a gateway pen for many, many people. Given the smooth, crisp refills and high quality body, it's no wonder. As good as the standard 207 is, I had to give the Uni Signo 207 Premier a shot to see if the extra cushion could improve on an old classic.

Since the refill inside this Premier body is no surprise, I'll just say that it is exactly what you can expect from the regular 207 line. They all use the same refill, so you can easily swap it out for the size and color that works best for you. I don't have any spares at the moment, but I mostly prefer blue 0.5mm refills with this pen. The black 0.7mm works great, though. The ink is smooth and crisp and I have zero complaints about it.

The key difference between a regular 207 and the 207 Premier is the luxurious grip section. This thing is a delightful little pillow for your fingers. I've had so much fun playing with it and enjoying the plush texture. The additional cushion does also make the overall diameter of the pen a bit larger as well, so it feels a little more chunky than the standard 207. In my experience, it hasn't really made the writing experience any more or less comfortable. This mostly comes down to how I hold the pen. My grip is fairly low on any pen I use, so I end up gripping the space between the nose cone and the beginning of the grip. At that part, there just isn't much cushion because of the underlying mechanism that locks the grip section into the cone. You don't really get to fully experience the cushy grip unless you hold the pen a little higher. This is uncomfortable to me just because of old habits, but I envy the people who can naturally pick this pen up and write with the cushion in the appropriate place for their fingers. I imagine it feels great and relieves fatigue.

I'm willing to discount this critique on the 207 Premier because one size does not fit all when it comes to pen grips. I knew what to expect, and I wasn't disappointed or surprised when I finally held it in my hand. But, one area I do criticize the 207 Premier's grip is how it reacts to lint and dust. It LOVES it. Between playing with the grip, writing, and cleaning lint and dust off the grip, I'd say I've split my time equally three ways. It really is a magnet for picking up lint, and I haven't even slid this pen into a jeans pocket. I really don't want to for precisely this reason. This is not something I expected from looking at the pictures, and it does prevent me from using the pen like I normally would.

At just under $9, you could pick up a couple of 3-packs of the regular 207s. Unless you know that your writing grip would fit this grip section perfectly, and you know you'd love to write with the pillowy cushion under your fingers, I'd recommend you pass on this one. The bonus of the fancy grip and larger body don't elevate the value over the regular 207 lineup. Save a few bucks and enjoy the already-excellent Uni 207 instead!

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

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Posted on May 15, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Uni-Ball, Signo, 207, Pen Reviews.

Uni-ball Signo DX Pastel 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. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

I've often thought of gel pens in terms of nostalgia. They're the tools of my school days past. The Uni-ball Signo DX (also known as the UM-151) forces me to reassess that. Because these are also tools of my present and future. That's not nostalgia I'm feeling--it's a lifelong commitment. And with a pen this well built (that's also refillable), that's not much of an exaggeration.

Signos are well constructed pens. The plastic is durable, the clip is sturdy, and the conical metal tip is made to resist breaking. There's also a comfortable rubber grip. I love that these pens have a snap cap instead of a click. The interior of the cap has a wee hat for the point and I wonder if it plays a role in keeping the ink flowing so well. If it's not the inner lid, it's Uni-ball's secret ink recipe. Or both!

Of all the gel inks I've tried (that's a lot, folks), Signo is the best. Occasionally there's a slight skip, but only very rarely, and usually because I was moving too fast. I am particularly impressed with this pastel ink. A lot of pastel inks I've tried end up clumpy and clog the tip or get stuck high up in the cartridge and it stops flowing down to the tip.

This pigment-based ink flows as smooth as milk from the pen, but turns viscous once it hits the paper, so there's no feathering or bleeding. The lines stay crisp and clean. The ink is waterproof, fade-resistant, archival, and acid-free, and the opaque pastel colors work on white, black, or colorful papers. They'll even write on top of other media, so they're wonderful for art.

These pastel versions come with an 0.7 mm tip and cost $2.85 apiece or $21 for the set of all eight colors: blue, pink, orange, red, green, yellow, violet, and white. It's not too bad--especially considering you can refill them, though the pastel refills are a bit tricky to find. They're certainly worth the cost, either way.

These are great tools--as fun as they are useful. I'd say they bring out my inner child, but adult me likes them just as much.

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

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