Posts filed under Multi Pen

Ohto Blooom 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.)

I've always had an affinity for multi pens, which has led me to quite the collection of both low cost and more premium multi pens from various manufacturers. From what I've seen, there are two main ways for selecting the different refills inside multi pens: individual slide buttons and rotation systems. With the former, simply press down the slide with the color/component you want to use. To retract, just half-press a different slide. With the latter, you rotate the grip section to cycle through the different refill components. But, one of my favorite and most magical types of multi pens is the kind that rely on gravity to make a refill selection.

These are much more rare, but I think they're the coolest. The Ohto Blooom is one of these, and it's available at a really good price. If you're unfamiliar with this type of multi pen, the basic premise is that you hold the pen parallel to the floor (or horizontally) and make sure the refill you want is positioned at the lowest part of the pen. To help you with this, the manufacturers print the color/component names on the opposite side of the pen barrel. So, if I'm looking at the pen and the "RED" label is on top, the red refill will come out when I press the nock.

The other cool thing about this style of multi pen is that they almost always use a separate button to retract the refill. In the case of the Blooom, there's a small black button on the top of the clip that makes a satisfying click/clunk when the refill springs back into the pen body.

It takes a little getting used to, but once you understand how to select the different refills inside the pen, it's such a fun and magical experience every time. I have no idea what's actually inside the pen that allows this all to work, but I imagine it's some kind of round gate that only allows one refill to pass through when the nock is pressed — the one closer to the earth's core!

Once the novelty of the selector mechanism has worn off (that's an over-statement, as it never completely wears off), you notice how sleek and slim this pen is. It's similar to size and diameter as a normal single refill gel pen, which is quite a feat. Most multi pens have a fairly large diameter in order to accommodate all the refill choices. The body is made entirely of metal, and the color options are vibrant and unique. I went with the Denim Blue option, and I'm really happy with the color. I'm not a huge fan of super-dark interpretations of navy, and this color features a lot of cobalt and dark green tones that add a lot of visual interest to the pen. Given the complexity of the color, it also shifts and changes a bit in different light.

There's minimal branding on the pen — only the name is printed on the middle of the body section, and there aren't any other markings or symbols on the pen besides the refill color/component indicators. The clip is very stiff and strong. It can be quite a challenge to fit it over anything thicker than a nylon pocket sleeve, shirt sleeve, or thin jacket pocket. Fitting it over a jeans pocket is quite snug, but it can be done.

The grip section has a subtle but effective milled texture. The grooves are shallow but provide just enough feedback to give great control of the pen when writing.

What really surprised me about this pen is the refills. It ships with 0.7mm black and red ballpoint ink refills and a 0.5mm mechanical pencil component. I was expecting tepid results from the ballpoint refills, but it didn't stop me from purchasing the pen because the D1 refill size means you can customize this pen from a large assortment of D1 gel refills. But, I was shocked when I started writing with the included ink refills. I was convinced I was writing with a gel refill and double-checked the JetPens product page at least twice to make sure there weren't different varieties of the pen that shipped with gel refills instead. These ballpoint refills are smooth and crisp. They're on the same level as Jetstream or Acroball ink. I've been really impressed by these. They're also really well-priced compared to other D1 refills. At just $2, they're a great deal. You can imagine (and will probably experience the same) my dismay when I realized that Ohto only offers the two refills that are shipped in this pen: 0.7mm black and red. Why, Ohto?! These are great refills that deserve more variety, and I don't understand why they haven't expanded this excellent little product. Maybe it's part of their plan — I certainly hope so.

The 0.5mm mechanical pencil component works exactly as you'd expect. There's also a tiny little eraser hidden under the nock cap.

Now, let's get to maybe my favorite part of this pen: the price. Gravity-operated multi pens are generally on the more premium end of the price spectrum, but the Ohto Blooom is only $28, and that includes the refills. This is an exceptional deal, and makes this pen a great treat or gift. It serves dual purposes as a writing instrument and a fidget toy!

You can pick up your own Ohto Blooom in Denim Blue as seen here, or you can choose from Ice White, Fade Red, and Iron Gray.

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

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Posted on August 5, 2020 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Ohto, Multi Pen, Pen Reviews.

Lamy ST Tri Multi Pen Review

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

There's been a lot of multi pens cross my desk over the past several years, but I'm still so fascinated by the utilitarian function of this pen genre. It's also fun to see how different manufacturers tackle different design and usability problems to make their offerings competitive. Most of all, these multi pens mostly drum up a healthy dose of nostalgia.

At the end of the day, these things all cost money and essentially do the same thing. Choosing the right one (since "all of them" isn't usually an acceptable response) can be difficult, but you can easily narrow down the options by knowing what you like. Personally, I really like the click tab method of selecting a color over the rotating selector. One of the coolest method is the gravity selector, which means that you select different refills by rotating the pen in your hand until the correct color is pointing up, then click the nock to extend that refill. Another major factor to consider is price. Multi pens can range quite a bit in price, and the new pen we're looking at today definitely falls into the higher range. The Lamy ST Tri multi pen is a stainless body that features two ballpoint refills and one 0.5mm mechanical pencil component. The model featured here ships with a black ballpoint and an orange fluorescent refill (meant for highlighting), but the orange refill in my unit was nonoperational from the get-go.

If you've ever shopped for multi pens before, you've probably come across the Zebra Sharbo X line, which is one of the more expensive options out there. The price relates directly to the materials and quality of the build, which is spot on with the Sharbo X. But the Lamy ST multi pen is here to possibly shake that up.

The Lamy ST is a well-built multi pen that's made out of stainless steel. Available in a couple of different colors and finishes, the ST is a premium pen with two refill slots and a mechanical pencil component. Similar to the Sharbo, you select different refills by twisting the grip section. The Lamy requires a firm pressure, but there's a satisfying chunk whenever the refill is extended completely to let you know it's ready to write. As you'd expect, the button on the top of the pen allows you to extend and retract the lead in the pencil component. A nice touch here is that the button is disabled when you don't have the mechanical pencil extended. Also, there's a tiny eraser hidden under the button cap in case you need to erase tiny mistakes.

The ring that separates the grip section from the main body of the pen has three color indicators to let you know which way to turn to use a specific color. I don't like that Lamy took this approach since I might decide to use purple and green refills instead of the black and orange that is included with the pen. I much prefer a generic label or no label at all versus permanent colors. With a pen that costs more than $50, it's a little disappointing to see that this choice persisted through the design and evaluation phases at Lamy headquarters.

The grip section is really comfortable as long as your hands aren't sweating. The smooth stainless steel grip can get a little shifty at times. There's a small grip pattern etched into the grip, but it's not pronounced enough to offer any additional grip over the bare metal. If the etching was just a bit deeper or wider, it would be perfect.

Like most multi pens, the ST is fairly long. This extra length adds stability and favorable balance when writing, but I wish Lamy made the choice to shorten the pen just a tad. This is a personal preference of mine — I would prefer the pen be more stow-able instead of longer for writing comfort. The steel body is begging to be used as a daily carry that can stand up to the test of time.

At the top of the pen, there's also a clip. Before now, I've never met a Lamy clip that I didn't like. The clip on this ST is weak and moves around quite a bit. The ring that holds the clip in place has a small 0.5mm gap that allows the clip to move back and forth in its slot. This doesn't drive me crazy, but it definitely annoys me due to the price point. The clip does its job as long as the pen doesn't get turned upside down.

Writing with the ST is comfortable, but let's talk about the included refills that Lamy packs in this pen. They're not good. The black medium tip refill is smooth, but it requires too much pressure to write. Plus, the ink isn't bold or crisp. The line is a murky dark gray that seems to second-guess itself at every turn. The orange highlight is a cool idea, but I really don't know if it holds up against the marketing since my unit refuses to write. I was looking forward to trying it out to see how transparent it is and how effective it is at calling out things on the page. Oh well — maybe next time. The mechanical pencil works flawlessly.

The factor refills aren't great, but don't despair yet! These are standard D1 refills, so you can swap them out for a plethora of different colors and tip sizes. Buying a few extra refills to customize your multi pen is something I recommend very heartily, but it's disappointing that Lamy chose mediocre refills as the standard on this pricey multi pen. On the flip-side, the Zebra Sharbo X line don't come with any refills out of the box, so it's a nice gesture.

Apart from the stainless steel model featured in this review, you also have a choice of a matte black steel finish or a brushed stainless steel finish. The brushed finish costs a few dollars extra, but it's entirely worth it for the reason that you get a classic Lamy clip instead of the lackluster clip found on the stainless steel versions. Aside from the clip, the brushed finish just looks incredible. Again, this comes down to personal preference, but I think there's a clear winner here in terms of aesthetics.

It may sound like I'm being hard on the Lamy ST, and you're right. It's a decent multi pen that performs well. A few nags aside, it's a great option for a daily multi pen that you carry everywhere. It will certainly stand the test of time, and the fact that it uses standard D1 refills means you'll be able to customize it and easily buy replacement refills when you run out of ink. The bottom line is that this pen doesn't feel like a $70 item. If it were closer to $40, I would recommend it quickly. At $70, I feel like you get a lot more value out of the Zebra Sharbo X line, or even the top end of the Pilot/Uni/Zebra/Pentel/Sakura lines.

If you take one look at the Lamy ST and know that it fits a certain niche in your pen collection, then go for it. It's built well and will be a great pen. If you're interested in finding a premium multi pen made of metal, start elsewhere. You'll save a few bucks that you can spend on extra refill colors and tip sizes!

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

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Posted on October 23, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Lamy, Multi Pen, Pen Reviews.

Pilot Frixion Ball 3 Multi-Pen Studio Ghibli Edition Review

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

I'm no stranger to the Pilot Frixion pens, but I hadn't tried the multi-pen version of this refill until just recently. While not much different from the regular Acroball multi-pen platform, the Frixion does feature a small friction eraser on the top of the pen. As an added bonus, there's also a unique version of the Ball 3 multi-pen based on the Kiki's Delivery Service film from Studio Ghibli. The pen features a small drawing that shows JiJi, KiKi's familiar. If you've never seen the movie, I highly recommend you check it out. While the original is Japanese, Disney released a re-dubbed version in English in the late 90s.

I have two different versions of the Ball 3 multi-pen, but the only difference aside from the unique Kiki's version on the black pen is the refill tip sizes. The Kiki's version only comes in the 0.5mm size, while the silver pen featured here has 0.38mm refills. Obviously, you can customize these with whatever size refills you want in the future, but this is how they came from the manufacturer. If you love the Kiki's pen but want a smaller or larger refill (or even other colors), you can easily swap them out later.

Now, I've used plenty of Frixion pens in the past, but let's do a quick refresher in case you're new to this unique offering from Pilot. The Frixion is an "erasable" pen that uses the heat caused by friction to erase the special ink. The cool thing is that you can actually cause the ink to reappear if you place the paper in the freezer for a while. This is a great solution for using a pen in applications where you might need to erase, but where you also don't want to use pencil. I don't have any particular need in my use cases, but it's still a really cool trick. Obviously, if you leave your notebook in the sun or throw it in the microwave for a bit, the ink will also disappear since it's activated by heat. Just know that the ink is definitely non-permanent and act accordingly.

Starting with the 0.38mm variant, I'm continually surprised how smooth these hybrid ballpoint inks are. The line is incredibly thin — closer to a 0.25mm line once it's on the page, but it's still incredibly crisp. Despite the thinness of the line, Pilot still managed to make the writing experience really smooth. It does feel a bit like you're writing with a nail, but it still feels smooth if you remember to only apply light pressure on the paper. This isn't a specific thing regarding the Frixion refills, but more of a general rule with micro-tipped pens. In all, it's incredibly smooth considering the size. The colors are vibrant and pop off the page.

Moving on to the 0.5mm, the lines are a little bit larger (similar to a 0.4mm gel pen line) but just as crisp. Given the extra surface area on the tip, it's also quite smoother when writing. To me, 0.5mm is the sweet spot when it comes to the hybrid ballpoint refills. 0.7mm is also great if you want the extra line width, but both are incredibly smooth and fun to use. Again, the colors match up perfectly with the other size refills and feature bold, fun colors.

The bodies on both pens are nearly identical once you factor out the custom Kiki's artwork, but the Kiki's pen does have a larger ridge between the soft grip section and the nose cone of the pen. I'm not sure if this is intentional as part of the custom version for the Kiki's film or if this is just a manufacturing variation, but it's hardly noticeable when using the pen.

The grip section is a nice width and is soft to the touch. There's no "squish" or give on the grip, but the soft feel is very comfortable and easy to control. The plastic bodies are sturdy and feel like they'll survive a pretty rough jumble in a bag. Like the Pilot Acroball, you select ink colors with small push tabs on the top of the pen that are equidistant from each other and the clip. To retract a refill, simply press on a different color tab halfway until the active refills pops back in.

The clip is also similar to the Acroball multi-pen in that it's spring loaded and incredibly sturdy. I really like this clip system, which is also very similar to the Zebra Sarasa Clip, because I can clip these pens anywhere (upside down, for instance) and they just stay put. Multi-pens are intended to be incredibly versatile and utilitarian, and the clip just adds to that usefulness.

In all, the Frixion is just another variant of the excellent Acroball line from Pilot, but with an extra erasable trick up its sleeve. With plenty of color options and tip sizes available, you can customize your multi-pen to suite your every writing need without breaking the bank.

The Kiki's Delivery Service only comes in one color and only with 0.5mm refills installed, but you have so many other options if you go with the standard lineup. The standard 0.38mm version featured in this review is about 10 bucks less than the Kiki's version, and that is likely due to the additional licensing required to use the Kiki's artwork. If you're a fan of the film or book, then it's an excellent choice! If not, the standard Frixion multi-pens are stellar.

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

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