Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Lumio Review

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Lumio


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.

Posted on August 29, 2011 and filed under Coleto, Hi-Tec-C, Pen Reviews, Pilot.

Pilot B2P Review

Pilot B2P 0.7mm Blue


Every now and then I come across a review that gets lost in the shuffle, and the Pilot B2P is the latest example. It looks like I bought this pen in January of this year, and did the written review and photo upload in early February. That is part of my normal review workflow, but then I forgot about it, and it was never posted to The Pen Addict. Time to correct that!


I recall some of my European friends getting their hands on this pen first, well before I came across them in my local Staples. From that point until now the B2P has spread like wildfire, and you can find them everywhere, including JetPens.


What makes this pen unique is Pilot’s claim that this is the first pen made from recycled plastic bottles. Not only is the body 89% recycled, but the entire look and feel is made to emulate a plastic water bottle, and they pulled it off well. It is a real eye catcher, and comfortable to hold.


The one non-unique part of the B2P is the refill. It is a standard Pilot G-2, which is good and bad. Bad in that fact that it is not a new writing experience - if you have used one G-2 you have used them all - but good in the fact that there are options. I am a fan of the 0.38mm G-2, so the standard 0.38mm G-2 refill pops right into the B2P barrel without issue.


Pilot has been making real strides in their recyclable pen lines, and the B2P is my favorite of the bunch.

Posted on August 26, 2011 and filed under B2P, Pen Reviews, Pilot.

Uni-Ball Signo 207 0.38mm Black Review

Uni-Ball Signo 207 0.38mm Black


This one caught me off guard, but it really shouldn’t have. I have known for ages that the Uni-Ball Signo RT 0.38mm refills fit in the 207 barrels. In fact, one of my favorite setups is the Signo 207 Premier barrel with the lavender black 0.38mm RT refill. So I was happy to see these show up at JetPens a few weeks ago.


My only real question about the pen was if this was just an RT refill plugged into the 207 barrel, but it isn’t. The 207 is widely known for having “Super Ink” technology which prevents check washing, and these new 0.38mm pens fall right in line.


If you have ever used an RT 0.38mm pen then you know exactly how the 207 version will write. Crisp, clean and dark gel ink lines, and pretty smooth all things considered. It isn’t as smooth as the Signo DX 0.38, but few pens in this category are.


If you have ever wanted the Uni-Ball 207 in something smaller than 0.5mm, now is your chance. Some of the colors are already sold out, but should be restocked soon.

Posted on August 19, 2011 and filed under 207, Pen Reviews, Signo, Uni-Ball.