Posts filed under Jetstream

uniball Jetstream Prime 3 Color Lite Touch Ballpoint Multi Pen Review

I’ve been sleeping on the uniball Jetstream Prime for too long. Time to correct that.

I bought this pen (full name: uniball Jetstream Prime 3 Color Lite Touch Ballpoint Multi Pen) all the way back in February at the California Pen Show. So long ago, I can’t remember exactly who I made the purchase from. All I remember was being surprised to see it there.

The Jetstream Lite Touch had been launched to great fanfare in 2024, and my experience with it has been great. I reviewed the single pen and the 4+1 multi pen at the time, and have mostly stuck with the single version since. My uniball multi pen time has been mostly spent with the 4+1 Karimoku edition (also seen in the linked review, and in this one,) but the Prime has a lot going for it that has me intrigued.

For starters, the barrel is slim in diameter for a multi pen. So slim, that on first glance it seems like an upgraded barrel for a single refill pen. And it is a metal barrel, too. Aluminum, but not too light and airy, like some of the 4+1 uniball aluminum barrels. The compact nature means the insides are packed, so it has a solid and balanced feel in the hand. The matte finish on my Burnt Orange model is smooth, but it hasn’t been slippery so far.

The deployment mechanism for the Jetstream Prime is a twist, as opposed to a knock. The look is much cleaner for a multi pen, and for the premium Prime barrel it’s a good fit. The Black 0.5 mm refill is in the center, with a quick twist clockwise to engage Red, or counter-clockwise to engage Blue. You will have to jump over Black in the middle every time if you want to go from Red to Blue, or vice versa. The refill retracts in the zones to each side of the Black refill. The clip does line up with whichever refill you select.

uniball Jetstream comparison — *Top to bottom: Single refill Jetstream Lite Touch, Jetstream Prime, Jetstream 4+1 Karimoku edition.*

From a writing perspective, you can’t do much better than the uniball Jetstream Lite Touch - at least if you are amenable to using a ballpoint pen. That’s a curse word in many pen circles, but I’m a fan, and will not stand for any ballpoint pen slander! The Jetstream is not your parent’s ballpoint pen, and the Lite Touch is so good, you might not even realize it is one. The best thing I can tell you to do is try it and see for yourself. Maybe not the Prime from the jump, but the single barrel is a good starting point at $3.

The Prime carries an extra digit on its price tag, checking in at $31. Looking at the label on my box, I paid $37 for mine, but that was before the pen became more widely available from importers. $31 seems completely fair for an upgraded barrel like this, although Burnt Orange seems to no longer be available. The four current colors are nice, with the Ivy Green looking especially great.

Only one question remains for me with the Jetstream Prime Lite Touch, and that is how it fits into my rotation going forward. It’s going to take the place of the Karimoku model for now, and given the fact the Prime uses the Lite Touch refills and the Karimoku doesn’t, it might find a permanent home on my desk. At least until the Uni Jetstream Slim Multi Pen 0.38 mm gets the Lite Touch upgrade and they will have to battle it out for supremacy.

Maybe I just swap the refills now.

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on September 29, 2025 by Brad Dowdy and filed under uniball, Jetstream, Pen Reviews.

uniball Jetstream Lite Touch Ballpoint Pen Review

*Top to bottom: uniball Jetstream Lite Touch 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, two 0.5 mm 4+1 multi pens.*

There’s no point in burying the lede: the uniball Jetstream Lite Touch is better than the standard Jetstream in every line width and ink color I have tested so far.

uniball considers the Lite Touch a separate product from all existing Jetstream models. They did this recently with the uniball One as it compares to their other gel ink offerings, like the Signo lineup (which, in itself, has many different ink formulations.) With the Lite Touch, not only has the ink formulation changed, uniball added some design elements - and marketing - into the barrel.

The Jetstream is already the best ballpoint pen on the market, so how did uniball make it better? They focused on smoothness and lower friction while writing on the page, and I’d say they succeeded in comparison to existing models, if only slightly. The biggest change I see is that the ink is richer and darker compared to the standard Jetstream. I was already a big Jetstream fan, but the way the Lite Touch ink looks and performs puts it a clear step ahead.

There is a bit of “Keeping up with the Joneses,” in the Lite Touch release, as the quiet barrel of the Zebra bLen has become a hit on the store shelves. uniball redesigned the barrel interior and knock to limit vibration when writing, which can be an annoyance. An annoyance which I never had with any previous Jetstream model, but the market has dictated with the bLen and Pentel Calme that tip rattle is out, and quiet writing is in. What took them all so long?

*Standard version 4+1 on top. Ignore the refill length difference between the two - the orange one has a specialty grip.*

I had several models of the uniball Jetstream Lite Touch sent to me by a friend in Japan: 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm single barrel pens, and 0.5 mm 4+1 multi pen. When I began testing them alongside Jetstream pens I already owned, I could instantly tell a difference: the ink is darker.

The Lite Touch refill (top,) is marked SXR-L, assumedly for “Lite Touch.” SXR-L-7 for 0.7 mm, versus SXR-7 for the standard 0.7 mm. The refill shape is the same so you can swap the Lite Touch refill into your favorite Jetstream barrel.

The ink color differences may be difficult to pick up in pictures, but I can tell them apart easily in person.

*Lite Touch is on the top, and maybe you can see a slightly darker line compared to the bottom.*

The Black 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm Lite Touch inks are fantastic. And the Blue ink from the multi pen is the standout among all of the colors, with a richness that puts it as the single best Blue ballpoint ink on the market. I cannot wait until I can get it in an 0.5 mm single barrel.

*These are the Lite Touch 0.5 mm multi pen refills, with the LT ink sample listed first for each color. It’s difficult to tell looking at the image, but in person I can tell them apart.*

The only ink that performed poorly was the Green ink. This is expected, as it is always the worst performing of the 4+1 colors. If they dropped it from the lineup completely, it wouldn’t be missed. Red can be hit or miss, and the Lite Touch color is a hit. It’s nice enough to use in rotation with Black and Blue, instead of every once in a while.

*Same with the 0.5 mm Blue ink comparison.*

What does the future hold for the Jetstream Lite Touch? If we use the uniball One as a roadmap, different barrel types - hopefully still of the quiet variety - are likely in store. It wasn’t until the One F that I became a fan of that ink formulation, and I still prefer most of the Signo gel inks over the One.

With the Lite Touch, I don’t think that’s going to be the case at all. I think it is superior in every way to the existing Jetstream, and I wonder if it won’t completely take over in the next few years. The plan, for now, is to have both Jetstream lineups available. Superfans - like myself - will be relegated to paying a premium price for a premium product. In this case, it is well deserved.

Remember the Jetstream? Those were good times.

Availability of the uniball Jetstream Lite Touch is still mostly limited to Japan, for now. Wider release is expected in 2025, and, of course, there are many importers and second-hand markets where you can currently find these pens.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on June 3, 2024 by Brad Dowdy and filed under uniball, Jetstream, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Uni Jetstream 4&1 Metal Multi Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

This multi pen from Uni might not have the most catchy name, but it's still a fantastic pen. The Uni Jetstream 4&1 Metal 4-color 0.5mm ballpoint multi pen and 0.5mm pencil is a sleek package that packs 5 different writing implements. Unlike other Jetstream multi pens, this one also features a knurled metal grip section.

The Uni Jetstream 4&1 Metal in the dark green colorway is a favorite of mine. I've always loved multi pens, and I'm a fan of the Jetstream ink formulation and their line of quirky and utilitarian multi pens. This latest variant to cross my desk is unique enough to grab my attention, but also incredibly useful due to the different writing options nestled inside.

Like many other Jetstream multi pens, this one relies on individual sliding latch mechanisms to select and retract the refill you want to use. There are four slides around the top of the pen body, and they have small color indicators at the top to let you know which color is which. The 0.5mm mechanical pencil option pulls double duty with the pen clip. Pushing the clip down the body extends the pencil refill, and pushing further down on the clip also advances the lead. It's a great system that works well and also keeps the pen sleek. To retract any of the extended refills, just push down on another tab.

Many of the Jetstream multi pens I already have use a soft, grippy rubber-like material on the grip section. It's firm, comfortable, and provides lots of tactile grip when writing. This pen is different in that it has a knurled metal grip section, and it's much better (for me, anyway) than the rubber material version.

That's right — this Jetstream is a mixture of metal and plastic parts. The grip section, nose cone, eraser cap, and clip are all made of metal. The body and refill slides are plastic, but the finishes on all these materials match each other so well that it's difficult to tell that only part of the pen is metal.

It's easy to see a difference in the color between the grip section and the plastic body, but the color difference is complementary instead of being distracting or making the pen look/feel cheaper than it is. I understand why the entire pen isn't made of metal — this is still a fairly cheap multi pen, and using metal for everything would have increased the price and weight. But, I'm glad that the colors work so well together and aren't distracting. It's a bummer for me when you can obviously tell that one part of a pen is one material while the rest is something cheaper. That's not the case here!

Hidden under the top of the pen is a tiny eraser that can be deployed in emergency situations. Unlike most mechanical pencils with a tiny eraser, this isn't where you refill the pencil lead. The little eraser is replaceable, but there's no hole to the lead reservoir underneath it. To replace the lead, you unscrew the grip section from body, pull out the pencil refill, and insert the fresh pencil lead into the refill. Since these refill are so small, it doesn't hold many pieces of lead, but that's an acceptable trade-off for all the additional refill options it packs.

The eraser cap is a small piece that I worry will be easy to lose. Thankfully, Uni made this piece fit really snug on the top of the pen. It takes a good deal of precise effort to remove it when you want to use the eraser. It won't come off by accident, and I'm glad for it.

Writing with this pen is a great experience. Like all multi pens that pack more than three refills into the package, it's a wide diameter body. It won't fit everyone's hands or grip style, so I count myself lucky to be in the percentage that lends itself to this pen's size.

The knurled metal grip provides plenty of tactility and control when writing. For my grip style, it's really comfortable. I have medium-sized hands and a fairly standard tripod grip style. Another benefit of the metal grip versus the rubber-like material is that this one doesn't collect lint and dust!

At $27, this is one of the more premium Jetstream models, though you can spend even more if you want. There's an all-metal Jetstream Prime that costs $45, and that's the price I'd expect for an all-metal multi pen (at a minimum). Other brands offer premium level multi pens that cost more, and I think they are fairly popular. I really wish Uni would offer one or two premium models as well. The Jetstream Prime is a different body style. What I really want is a pen like the Jetstream 4&1 or 3&1 body, but with an all aluminum build. I'd gladly pay extra for this.

The included refills (besides the 0.5mm pencil module) are all 0.5mm in black, blue, green, and red. This pen uses the Uni SXR-80 refill, which are available in lots of tip sizes and colors, but are not compatible with D1 style refills.

I haven't found a perfect multi pen to date, but the Jetstream 4&1 Metal is definitely in my favorites list and one that I can easily recommend to anyone that's looking for a great ballpoint multi pen. If the dark green version doesn't suit your fancy, there's also silver, gunmetal gray, and pink gold.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!