[Pen/Pencil Review] Uni Jetstream 4 + 1 Multi-Function 0.7mm
My friends currently living in Korea came back to the States for the holidays, and brought back pens. One of them is the Uni Jetstream 4 & 1 Color 0.7mm Ballpoint Multi-Pen plus 0.5mm Pencil. This one is the lime green barrel with the black rubber grip.
This is rapidly becoming a favorite and a “go to†instrument. My previous 0.38mm multi lives in my purse. This one has been the one I grab at work since Christmas to add stuff to my calendar and take multi-color notes. Having the four color AND pencil option in one case is almost a necessity when you might need to change color or medium for whatever reason on the fly – various calendars or projects. This one turns out to be totally worthwhile – with a touch of a learning curve if this is your first one.
This one feels more like a ballpoint than the 0.38, but with the 0.7mm, it’s a fine point (in the US standard) and comfortable. The inks are water-resistant, vibrant, and flow well. There’s definitely no skipping and glop with this The clip is the advancer for the pencil. That’s not immediately intuitive, but brilliant to get all the function possible out of one instrument.
The green barrel is apparently only available in the 0.7mm inks – different sizes have different barrel colors, there could be some crossover. The matching cap at the top covers the white, refillable eraser that’s a touch crumbly but otherwise good. The grip is a black rubber for a bit of comfort. There’s a rounded metal band between grip and body that smooths out any ridges. It’s a plastic body with metal accents and push plungers for the activators. It’s just over 5.75†long, which makes it a comfortable length.
The barrel is obviously wider than a normal barrel to house the reservoirs, but not so wide as to be uncomfortable. It’s got to be to handle all the reservoirs. This pen is refillable with the Uni SXR-80-30 refill. If this is too wide a point for you – they also come in several options narrower, I love the 0.38 mm and I totally want to try the 0.5mm. The instrument is refilled by twisting open the barrel and pulling out the reservoir and replacing either ink or lead.
It’s not cheap at the outset, but being refillable and an instrument that could see lots of use? It’s worth the outlay. These are only available online – Tokyo Pen Shop has the widest variety of sizes and barrel colors. JetPens is a little more limited in what they offer.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – It works surprisingly well for a regular sized point. The plungers may take a bit of getting used to, especially since the lead mechanism is the clip. You can leave lead advanced while having the point retracted. The lead and ink flow smoothly. The clip is secure.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – For a multi-function, it’s actually comfortable. The diameter is comfortable. There’s very little ridge between grip and barrel to be uncomfortable because of the decorative band. It’s long enough to fit comfortably in the hand. I’m actually surprised by this.
3. Material – 1 – It is plastic and base metal…however with the nice inserts, and sturdy feel, it’s decent. The transparent plastic of the barrel lets you see ink levels. Some might think it’s expensive for plastic and base metal, but it’s environmentally conscious and FIVE good quality writing instruments in one.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – I am going to knock a half point off here just for the pencil refill. It’s not intuitive. I kept looking for the pencil refill to be through the cap, but it’s not. I had to find out how to do it by looking at another review and trying that and figuring it out. And I had to teach someone how to use it.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s not cheap, but it is SUPER useful. I used it a ton last week when I needed a pencil, and this is what I had. It’s refillable. The ink makes it worth the price. But it’s only available online and at JetPens, it starts at $10.50 on Tokyo Pen Shop they’re $16.50 with refills running $1.55. But for something you might use A LOT? It’s probably worth the investment. This one is one I’m keeping handy – like always in my purse or with a notebook.
That’s 4 of 5 bronze pencils.
