[Pen/Pencil Review] Uni-Ball Air Rollerball Multi-Pack
Last week I had to pick some notebooks up from Staples (they were on serious sale for Back-To-School), and I was sent unattended. Always a danger, because hello, PENS ON SALE! Not only were these on sale, they said “NEW!” Yeah, I had to buy a package of Uni-Ball Air – in the Black, Blue, Red package.
The Uni-Ball Air promises the ability to write at any angle with a bold line – while being a 0.7mm rollerball. I’ve actually had to look at these again. I played with these all day today and before I left for ArmadilloCon – and I would’ve sworn they were conical fiber tips. It was taking another look at the packaging that made me do a double check. And sure enough… they kinda had me fooled.
The ink is – as they claim – bold. The ink is rich and dark with minimal smearing if you hit it right after writing. For a 0.7mm, the line is thicker than I would expect with a more “brushed” kind of look and soft point feel that I associate with fiber tips. The ball rolls smoothly with little or no skipping or scratching. Seriously, I was afraid of the tips mushing or feathering – that’s how much I thought the packaging was wrong, but it’s not, because I did a test to write with the side of the cone. Nothing happened. The conical tip is color coordinated with the pen and LOOKS like a fiber tip without being one.
These pens are a standard stick pen length at 5.5″ long capped and 6.5″ long with the cap posted. The barrel is a little thicker than standard but comfortable holding a huge ink reservoir that looks like you should be able to refill them. The reservoir is pressurized somehow – because I did do the upside down and against a wall writing test. They work at the odd angles. Uni-Ball calls this ink “Super Ink” and is supposed to protect against fading, water, and fraud…so I just ran a wet finger across a scratch piece of paper I wrote on. Nothing happened to the notes I made on the pen.
This is a pretty nifty design – there’s attention to detail on the barrel. The body has a textured pattern for a sophisticated detail. The tip and grip are molded plastic with a gray plastic detail. The barrels match the ink colors. The grip is a solid molded piece with no ridges until you get to the locking part for the cap. The cap is semi-transparent with a molded plastic clip – which would be the weak link with heavy use.
Now to the numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 This pen works well. The ink flows well and is pretty dark and rich. It lives up to the hype of writing at all angles.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s plastic. Well done plastic but completely plastic. There are some ridges for the cap lock that can dig in.
3. Material – 1 It’s all plastic but for the most part the detailing and design are pretty nifty. The clip will be the first thing to fail.
4. Overall Design – 1 – Okay, I like it since it managed to surprise me. The ink and design are well done. I see this as a solid, every day pen.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – These aren’t going to be cheap. These were on sale at Staples (and are still registering) at $7 for a 3 pack – that’s kind of expensive for a plastic stick pen, but it works as advertised, and if it’s refillable, it could be a solid long term pen. They normally run $9.99 – which is still expensive for this kind of pen.
I give it a 4 out of 5 bronze pencils.
