The Pen Addict

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Lumio Review

I have had several readers asking me to review the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Lumio barrel, which is the newest addition to the Coleto line. It has been available for many months now - sorry for the delay in getting around to it!

Pen Addict reader Dan guest reviewed the Lumio for me back in February, but it was only a few weeks ago that I got my hands on one. This is considered the ‘business’ style Coleto due to its more professional barrel styling, and it is sharp looking. My silver barrel is very shiny, and has nice looking chrome accents. It is very comfortable to write with.

Exterior appearance aside, the innards of the Coleto are essentially the same as the standard four cartridge Coleto. The cartridges insert and function the same, and you also have the option of adding a mechanical pencil cartridge. The real question is does the upgraded barrel design warrant over a $12 difference in price between the two?

If you work in an office and don’t want to show off your pink Hello Kitty looking translucent barrel to your co-workers, then absolutely yes, go for the Lumio. Otherwise, you get the same functionality - plus a rubber grip - in the base level four cartridge Coleto barrel, which is my weapon of choice.

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Five Cartridge Barrel Review

First it was the two cartridge, then the three, then the four, and now the five cartridge Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto has arrived. What's next, an eleventeen cartridge Coleto? If there was, I would still probably buy it, because the Coleto line is probably the best bang for your buck gel ink multi pen on the market today.

I love the versatility of multi pens, and because of that, I have tried as many as I can get my hands on. Compared to its closest competitors - the Uni-Ball Style Fit and the Pentel Sliccies - the Coleto is the undisputed champ in my book. The barrel has a great feel and design, and the many ink colors are vibrant and write wonderfully. If there is any knock on it, it is that the ink cartridges run out too quickly, but that is the case with many gel ink multi pens.

I was actually a little hesitant to pick up the five cartridge model, worrying that it was going to be too wide of a body for me, but it is not bad at all. The two cartidge Coleto is obviously the skinniest of the bunch, while the three and four cartridge barrels are nearly identical in width. The five is only slightly wider than the three and four, but completely comfortable to write with. That said, the four cartridge barrel is my Coleto sweet spot. With the width of the three and an extra slot to boot, what's not to like (I promise I will get them all together for a family photo shoot soon).

Pliot has been doing a great job of late with all of the different Coleto bodies, and I am having a fun trying them all out.

Click here for the XL review.

Products used:

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 5 Color Multi Pen - Pen Body - Clear Black from JetPens

Writing Pad from Doane Paper

Review: Hi-Tec-C Coleto Lumio

Do a simple search around the site and you'll find few pens that write better than those in the Pilot Hi-Tec-C family.

For my writing style, I go with 0.4mm for quick writing and smoothness. Between the ink you can get in the single pens or the multi-pens, I greatly prefer the multi-pen inks. They don't seem to skip as much and there is no hesitation in initial ink flow.

With that in mind, I use the Hi-Tec-C Coleto quite a bit. While I love the feel of the Coleto, it's appearance has kept me from using it in the workplace. Something about a clear multi-pen is off-putting.

Fortunately, the Hi-Tec-C Coleto Lumio was recently released. It comes in four body colors – black, metallic blue, silver and pink. When I placed my order at JetPens, the black and silver were immediately sold out, so I went with blue.

The Coleto Lumio has a more professional look to it with a slick one-color plastic barrel. The pen is accented with a silver ring where the top screws in, a silver metal clip and silver plastic at the top.

There are a few notable differences between the Coleto and the Coleto Lumio. Most obviously, the Lumio supports four ink cartridges compared to three. So for stick-in-the-mud types who need to use black, blue and red, the fourth cartridge can be the wild card. Pilot also has a pencil component, but more on that later.

The biggest flaw with the Lumio is that it doesn't have a grip at the handle. The standard Coleto has a nice rubber grip while the Lumio is slick. For those with animated hands, such as myself, make sure to put the Lumio down if you're talking. The pen requires a solid grip as more than once it slid out of my hand.

At $15 for the body, the Lumio isn't exactly a cost-friendly pen. But if you're in search of a professional multi-pen, this is worth it.

As mentioned, Pilot offers a mechanical pencil component. It's 0.5mm in size. Unless you desperately need a pencil component, I'd avoid this one. It writes just fine, but aesthetically it's a drawback. Compared to the pen components, it sticks out quite far and downgrades the overall look of the Lumio.

When four ink cartridges are loaded in the pen, it's an attractive writing utensil. Just hold on tight for the ride.

(If anyone has photo-taking suggestions, let me know. I have a Canon G10, but can't seem to take a good close-up photo with it)

Top 5 Pens June 2010

I never seem to update this list frequently enough, but here is a quick snapshot of the five pens I have used the most over the last couple of months.  Any period of time longer than that becomes a blur, but at least this gives you an idea of what have been my go to pens recently.  Plus it makes me realize that no matter how much I use a pen, I may not have reviewed the exact model I am talking about, so I will work on that as well.

(Click on the photo for a larger view, and click here for the XL photo)

1. Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3mm Gel Grip Black

This is my everyday workhorse pen - as long as I have good paper to write on like Doane Paper or Rhodia.  This tip size doesn't perform as well on "normal" paper, but I always keep the good stuff handy like any addict would do.

2. Uni-Ball Jetstream 0.5mm Blue Basic Series

Where the Hi-Tec-C doesn't fufill my needs, the Uni-Ball Jetstream 0.5mm usually does.  Quick hit notes and a retractable tip are its specialty, and I love the 0.5mm width, which is admittedly not for everyone.

3. Zebra Sharbo X ST3

This pen really classes up the joint with its sleek barrel design and smooth functionality.  I have this white barrel model loaded up with blue black and mandarin orange 0.4mm gel ink cartridges, plus an 0.3mm pencil cartridge.

4. Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Four Cartridge barrel

I haven't done a proper review of this particular barrel, but it is my new favorite Coleto style.  I love all things Hi-Tec-C, and I use this multi color model when I am working on projects or notes that I need to annotate more than with basic black.

5. Uni-Ball Signo 207 Micro Black

This pen is back in my good graces after falling out a year or two ago.  I felt the micro tip wasn't a consistent enough writer (especially in blue), but I've given it another spin and I find myself using it a lot.

Updated Top 5 Pens List

It is time to make a few updates to my Top 5 Pens list that I keep on the sidebar.  The Zebra Sharbo X remains strong at the top, but an old standby - the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto - has come charging back into the number two spot.  I ordered two limited edition Coleto barrels off of eBay which renewed my interest in that pen, and I have been using them a ton recently.

The Sharpie Pen RT, formerly at #5, no longer makes the cut.  I have had a bunch of trouble with the tip of the pen drying out, which the original never did.  I think I was a little too quick to rank that one, but I did just pick up the Sharpie Pen Grip, and it looks like an improvement.  Taking the final spot is a pen that keeps growing on me, and I find myself reaching for all of the time - the Uni-Ball Jetstream Basic Series 0.5mm Blue.  I love how fine and clean this pen writes, and is a great value for the price.

The full list:

1. Zebra Sharbo X

2. Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto

3. Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.38mm

4. Pentel Slicci 0.3mm

5. Uni-Ball Jetstream 0.5mm