Review: Uni-Ball Jetstream 101

Two of my favorite fellow bloggers have covered the Uni-Ball Jetstream 101 already (Brian at Office Supply Geek and Chris from Pens'n'Paper as a guest post on this blog), so I figured it was about time to toss my hat into the ring and see what this latest entry into the Jetstream line has to offer. It is certainly as smooth as smooth can be, but where does it fit in the ever expanding Jetstream lineup?

Prior to starting this blog, I gave the original standard Jetstream - the one you can find in stores everywhere - a spin, and wasn't sure what all of the hype was about. The 1.0mm tip skipped too much, leaving a not so solid line on the page.  I swore them off for the longest time, but once I found that an 0.7mm version existed, and then subsequently the 0.5mm, I became hopelessly hooked for life. I still don't use the 1.0mm version very frequently (although it is Mrs. Pen Addict's current favorite pen), but from a writing perspective, the 101 does a superb job, and is much better than the original Jetstreams I tried way back in the day.

But why does this pen exist?  Aren't there enough types of Jetstreams already available? Well, new pens are always nice, but I think this one boils down to price. If you take a look at Staples.com, the 101's sell for $13.99 a dozen, while the standard capped go for $29.99, and the retractable for even more at $32.99. Which one do you think your office manager can justify more, and still get Bob and Jane their beloved Jetstreams?

Well played, Uni-Ball. Well played.

If you like the more generic barrel style (kind of a souped-up Bic Stic), this pen writes just as good as the rest. But since it only comes in the 1.0mm tip size right now, I think I'll stick with my favorite 0.5mm models.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Uni-Ball Signo Scents Bubblegum Pink

I have had a very busy and stressful start to 2011 at work, so how about a scented pink pen to brighten things up?  The Uni-Ball Signo Scents Bubblegum Pink isn't a pen I even remotely thought I would like, much less use regularly, but this is a really good pen, and it smells great to boot!

So what would posses me to purchase such a pen?  Insanity?  That's a fair response, and one I have certainly considered.  Nostalgia?  That's more like it.  Who doesn't remember the scented markers from middle school?  Licorice?  Ewww!  Seeing these pens on JetPens made me think about those times, so I figured let's see if the Scents live up to their name.  Plus, who can pass up colors such as Cherryade Red, Coconut Brown, and Orangey Orange?

As we have all come to expect now from a pen labelled "Signo", it writes great.  The thing that surprises me the most about the Bubblegum Pink is how solid the line is.  A lot of the craft style pens I have used (like the white gel ink Signo) have a bit of streaking or white space in their line.  You almost expect it, but this line is as solid as can be.  And the scent?  It is very noticeable - even more than I imagined it would be.  The only real negative I can see is that the drying time for the ink on the page is extreme, so lefties beware.  As I noted in the written review, the dry time lagged nearly a line behind.

Is there any real practical use for this pen for me personally?  Not really, but it was a fun, scent-filled trip down memory lane.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Uni-Ball Signo 207 Micro Needle Tip

vaporware - Anything (usually software, but can be anything) that is promoted and marketed without ever actually being produced.  (via Urban Dictionary)

I had only heard of this pen once previously.  A Pen Addict reader mentioned some time after my Uni-Ball Signo 207 0.7mm Needle Tip review last year that they had a Micro Needle Tip, and thus my search began.  It wasn't listed on the Uni-Ball site, but the 0.7mm version which some stores carry wasn't either.  I got no response via Tweet to Uni-Ball, but I imagine that can get lost in the shuffle.  Every time I made it to an office supply store, I'd flip through all of the Signo 207 packages just to see if a Micro Needle snuck in there.

At least I can admit I have a problem.  That is the first step, right?

At this point, I'm thinking this pen is vaporware, but a couple of months back, a reader generously offered to send me some Muji Gel pen refills.  Included in the package - much to my surprise - were two of the Micro Needle Tip 207s, one in blue, one in black.  That was about as excited as I have been to get new pens in a long time.

I put them to good use right away, especially the black one.  The blue one, which is the one I chose to review above, isn't as great.  One issue I always had with the original, conical Micro tip 207 is the blue did not write as well as the black, and I am finding that is the case with the needle tip.  The blue ink writes drier and thinner, making it a little more scratchy as it moves across the page.  I am all in on the black ink model though - it is a great writing pen.

Has anyone else been able to find these exact pens on the store shelf?  They are available on Amazon.com (I found out that is where mine came from), but I have never seen or heard of them in a store.  I'd be interested to know.

Click here for the XL review.

(*NOTE: I have added an affiliate link to Amazon.  I have never really done that before, so 1. I wanted to make everyone aware, and 2. I want to know everyones opinions on affiliate links and if they are an issue for you.)