Platinum Double 3 Action Transparent Body Multi Pen + Pencil Review

I am a sucker for transparent barrels, and this Platinum Double 3 Action multi pen is just fantastic looking. The entire line is new at JetPens, and comes in Aqua, Crystal, Gloss Rouge, Lavender Purple, and the Fresh Leaf body that I picked up. Platinum does a very nice job with the look and feel of their pens, and this one is no different.

While looks are important, it is the writing performance that keeps you coming back to the pen on a daily basis. This model comes with both black and red 0.7mm ballpoint ink cartridges, and I have to say, these are the smoothest traditional ballpoint pens that I have used recently. It takes little to no effort to pull the pen across the page, leaving a nice, consistent line. Both ink colors are dark enough too, which is sometimes an issue with ballpoint pens.

The pencil is your average 0.7mm mechanical pencil, so it writes just fine. What I do like about the added pencil is that the eraser is under a screw cap and is decently wide - both things not always found on +1 multi pens. So its got that going for it, which is nice.

While I personally will still use my gel ink multi pens more than this one, the Platinum Double 3 Action does a lot of things well and will certainly find its way into many ballpoint multi pen fans hands.

Click here for the XL review.

Ohto Needle-Point Slim Line 0.3mm Ballpoint Review

I was really excited to give this new Ohto Needle-Point Slim Line 0.3mm ballpoint pen a twirl as soon as I saw it show up in JetPens new product feed (they have been on quite a roll lately fyi). First off, it is an Ohto, whose pen designs I really enjoy, and secondly, it is an 0.3mm ballpoint. Not 0.4mm like the Zebra Techno Line, and not 0.5mm like the Uni-Ball Jetstream, but 0.3mm. Easily the finest tipped ballpoint I have used.

My expectations of this pen were so high that I wanted it to be perfect, and like many of us find from time to time, things have a hard time living up to perfection. I'll say right offhand that this is a really cool pen and one I will keep using, but there are a few little things that get to me. The largest culprit is the ink line. What I found as I was writing was that if I kept a reasonably vertical pen barrel angle I wouldn't have many problems, but if I had a lower angle there would be a fair amount of skipping. I think that is a function of just how fine this pen is and that there isn't much room for error.

Additionaly, the pen barrel is to thin for any long term writing stints. Again, I think this is due to how fine the tip is. If you had a thin barrel and a wider tip, you could write in a more flowing style without as much stress. I felt like I was gripping pretty firmly to get the pen to do what I wanted it to do. The overall feel in the hand was fantastic though. The barrel is made completely out of metal, and I love how the knock is a conical shape as opposed to the more standard vertical walled design.

At $7.50, it isn't cheap to not completely love, but it has so many good things going for it I am going to keep it well within arms reach.

Click here for the XL review.

Uni-Ball Multi 5 Multi Pen + Pencil Review

When choosing pens, sometimes superficiality rules the day, and in the case of the Uni-Ball Multi 5, I just had to have the Capri Blue body color, no matter how the pen performs. I haven't seen to many barrels in this shade of blue, and as well as Uni-Ball designs pens, I thought they did a great job with the overall package.

Fortunately from a writing perspective, this pen holds up pretty well. This is no Jetstream ink, but Uni-Balls standard ballpoint ink is pretty nice in its own right. The 0.7mm ink cartridges write neat and cleanly, although they are prone to a small bit of streaking. The black and blue inks are great (I really like how my lettering came out on the page), the red ink is decent, but the green ink is a lost cause. It is far too light for me. The pencil is just that, but at least if you like that option in your multi pens, the Multi 5 comes with an on board eraser, which sometimes isn't present in pens like this.

The overall package won me over, and while this pen isn't going to top any of my personal lists, it gets the job done nicely. The Uni Multi 5 can be found at JetPens for $7.50 in Black, White, Navy, Rose Red, and Capri Blue body colors.

Click here for the XL review.