I may need to double check the archives, but I don't think I have reviewed many mini multi pens other than the Zebra Smartline, so welcome to the occupation Tombow Reporter 4 Compact multi pen!One of this pens main selling points is that the push buttons for the ink cartridges have different grooves, so not only can you tell the cartridges apart by color, but also by feel (see the image on the product page at JetPens for a better idea). This is a great idea in theory, but in practice it falls a bit short. For some reason, Tombow decided that the cartridge that rests against your hand - the red one - should have the two pointy triangles sticking right into your skin. Annoying to say the least, especially when one of the smoother cartridges could be in its place. (Brain fart - maybe I can move the cartridges around - I'll have to check later today).
Outside of that little issue, I feel that I get a good writing performance out of two of the ink cartridges (blue and red) while the other two (black and green) come out lighter on the page than I like. This is a quality pen though, as the construction is nice and solid, plus the binder clip is spring loaded so it can attach to larger items, and also sports a hole for attaching to a lanyard. But in the end, the little things will keep this from being a pen that I use very often.
Click here for the XL review.
Product links:
-- Tombow Reporter 4 Compact Multi Pen - Clear Blue Body from JetPens
-- Idea Journal from Doane Paper
