[Pen/Pencil Review] Pilot Juice Up 0.4mm Black Ink

This Christmas Jimmy picked me up a black ink pen sampler from JetPens. Many of the pens I’ve already reviewed, but this is one that I’ve only done in a different color. It’s the Pilot Juice Up 04 retractable gel ink pen in black ink

The Pilot Juice Up collection are retractable gel ink pens. This line comes in up to 22 colors – both in individual pens and in sets. The pastels come in six color sets, the darker colors come in 10 color sets. These come in 0.38mm and 0.4mm tips – which might not seem like much but can be pretty big difference.

The Juice pens are about 5.5″ long retracted and with point extended. The barrel is black with a ink matching rubberized grip and a color matched panel at the black plunger. This one is obviously black on black, giving it a sleek and professional look. That color-coded accent lets you see if the tip is retracted without looking at the tip. There barrel is as close to seamless as a refillable pen can be. It’s relatively comfortable and a good hand feel.

The tip is a new style Pilot calls “Synergy” which they say “combines the precision of a needle point with the durability of a conical point.” There’s a gasket like seal around the stainless-steel cone and the actual tip that does hold the ink steady. The fine, needle-like point feels solid.

The ink is rich and vibrant for such a thin line with a smooth roller that doesn’t skip or scratch. I enjoy writing with this. I’ve used it for a couple of solid days at work – adding things to a paper calendar and such. It’s a solid working pen – and if you’re doing paper edits, it’s a good fine line for getting edits in between lines. The ink is a water-based pigment ink that’s supposed to be waterproof (I’d likely call it resistant since little is “proof”) and fade-resistant.

This is a good, solid workhorse pen. They are also refillable in both point sizes.

The Numbers.

1. How does it work? – 1 – It’s a slightly fancier than basic, retractable gel in pen in a very fine point. The mechanism is smooth and the ink is rich.
2. Look and feel – 0.5 – It’s not bad for a nearly basic retractable pen. There’s a bit of cushion but it’s more for show than actual squish. It’s an attractive look though.
3. Material – 1 It’s a decent plastic, retractable pen. It’s not expensive, but not cheap. The advancement in the synergy tip. It’s more solid than the needle tip should be.
4. Overall Design – 1 – This barrel is fine. The clip is good. The mechanism is smooth. The colors are fun and give the pens some nice accents. The tip is what’s really nice.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – These run $3.60 individually on JetPens. Just under $27 for the 10 pack and just under $17 for the 6 pack of pastels. You can only get them by ordering online. They’re not available in US stores. So that makes them a bit more difficult to come by. But they are refillable with the Pilot LP2RF from between $1.50 and $2.25.

4 out of 5 bronze pencils.

Tags: black, gel ink, Juice Up, pen, Pencil, Pilot, review