Uni Style Fit 3 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.)

Just when I thought my curiosity with multi pens was at an end, I find another "need" to fill with a new pen. I've reviewed several multi pens in the past, and they're all pretty similar. Really, it comes down to personal preference. If you have a certain brand of pen or refill that you love, you can probably find it in a multi pen.

Personally, I really love Uni gel pens. I love the UM-151 and UM-138 for how well they write — they're both extremely smooth and dependable. But, they only write in one color unless you carry around several at a time. If only there was a solution for this specific problem...

My work has recently changed so that I'm working for two main clients, and I need to be able to track my time and so forth separately. There are many, many incredible tools online that can handle this modest task, but I'm already in the habit of tracking my day with pen and paper. Hence, the need for a pen that can write in at least two colors (for the two clients), and offer a smooth feel and tiny writing tip.

Enter the Uni Style Fit. This is a multi pen made by Uni, the same maker of the previously mentioned UM-151 and UM-138. In this case, the Uni Style Fit comes in a variety of colors, refill capacities, and materials. You can check out the entire selection at JetPens, but I settled on the Uni Style Fit 3 for my purposes. One color for Client A, another for Client B, and a third for non-work stuff.

Now, I know I own about 6 other multi-pens that fit the requirements for my "need," but I wanted to try the Uni version to see if the refills match up with their other gel pens. Luckily, they certainly do.

Aesthetics

On the outside, the Uni Style Fit doesn't look like much. I went with a silver version, which looks like any other cheap gel pen at first, but then you notice the weird top with three buttons and the clear barrel. The three refills are clearly visible through the barrel, and that's a dead giveaway.

The pen is extremely light, just like most other cheap multi-pens. It doesn't feel fantastic, but that's OK for my purposes. Uni offers other, more expensive models that probably feel better in the hand, but I didn't opt for those in my experiment.

Another thing that annoys me about every multi pen I've tried is the sound of the knock devices. They sound cheap an annoying, and I can never get past it. When I'm writing with the pen, it's fine, but once it's time to open or retract, I cringe a little at the sound.

I typically shy away from multi pens that hold more than 3 cartridges because I'm not a fan of the barrel size required to hold that many refills.

Overall, the pen doesn't feel fantastic, but it's also less than $4 for the body, so you shouldn't expect much.

Writing

I was very pleasantly surprised when I started writing with the pen — the refills I got are smooth and reliable, even at the 0.38mm size.

Each refill is sold separately, so you have the choice of size and color for your pen from the beginning. They don't ship with a boring black or blue cartridge that you have to store somewhere, which I find very appealing. Cartridges are less than $2 a piece, and there are many, many colors to choose from.

Installing the cartridges is a simple task, and once they snap in place, you're ready to write.

For the past year or so, I've been using a Leuchtturm 1917 notebook to track my work and time spent on projects. At the end of the week, this data gets added into a timesheet, which in turn gets me paid. But, once you add in a second timesheet requirement, things get complicated in a hurry.

To keep better track of what tasks go to what timesheet, I chose a bright blue and lime green refill. These contrast so well that I am delighted by how much easier my weekly timesheet task is. The third refill is a bright orange, and I use this for non-work notes or appointments.

The blue and green refills are fantastic — they're smooth, bold, and reliable. I can't tell a difference between these refills and the ones in a UM-151, although I'm sure some can.

The orange refill is a bit more rough, but only slightly so. I've had this problem before with light colored gel refills, and I'm assuming it has something to do with the ink properties for lighter colored inks. It still writes perfectly well, just not as smooth as the other two. Also, it could just be a fluke cartridge. I didn't buy two orange refills to test.

Wrapping up

At the end of my work day, I can look at a page of multi-colored notes that makes it simple to see where my time was spent through the day. I love this solution, and I'm very happy that I can use my favorite gel pens to do it. So far, the Uni Style Fit is my favorite multi pen. I wish they had some more attractive high end offerings (like Zebra), but that's not the case for now. At least they write like a dream, and pen aesthetics don't affect that.

If you like Uni gel pens, this is the multi pen for you.

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

Sailor Specialty Nibs Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Ever since I discovered the Sailor Specialty Nibs page at Classic Fountain Pens, I spent hours looking at each nib and its characteristics, fascinated by the different shapes and styles. The prices always threw me for a loop, though, so I just looked and coveted.

I finally found a pretty good price on a Sailor Pro Gear with a Cross Point nib on Engeika. It took several weeks to arrive, but the wait was worth it.

I loved the lush broad lines it made–so glorious with sheening and shading inks. But I couldn't write with the nib upside down. You're supposed to be able to write fine lines with it, but mine just cuts into the paper.

I discovered why, after taking macro shots of the nib: the tines are misaligned. This doesn't affect the broad strokes, but it definitely makes the nib unusable for fine lines. I'm going to have to send the nib in for work.

In the meantime, a person on Fountain Pen Geeks offered a Sailor 1911 with a Cross Concord nib for a steal. I knew the Concord, with its beak-like nib, could write fine on one side and do the luscious lines on the other, so I bought the pen.

So, now I have two Sailor Specialty Nibs.

The two nibs are similar in what they can do: write fine strokes with the nib in one position and broad strokes in the other. The Cross Point nib in the normal position writes broad strokes.

Cross Point Nib

The Cross Concord is the opposite. Personally, I prefer the Cross Concord because I can pick it up and immediately use it like a normal fountain pen. If I want the broad strokes I turn it upside down. With the Cross Point, you have to hold the pen with the nib upside down if you want to write fine strokes.

Cross Concord Nib

Because my Cross Point's tines are misaligned, I can't compare the two pens' fine strokes. But I can compare the broad ones. They are similar in width (if not exactly the same). You can vary the width of the line of both nibs depending on the angle you hold the pen. If you wish, you can even mimic brush strokes with the nibs.

The Sailor Specialty Nibs are clearly designed for Japanese calligraphy, not western writing. But, I've found they work great for writing Hebrew. I'm no calligrapher, but I love the nice thick lines I can make for Hebrew lettering.

Yes, there are Hebrew/Arabic nib grinds for this purpose, but they aren't all that versatile if you write primarily in cursive. With the Sailor nibs, I can write Hebrew letters with the broad side and turn the nib over and write cursive English.

These nibs are also great for drawing. I'm no artist, but I could see how people who like to sketch with ink would love these pens. You can paint with the broad side and sketch details with the fine.

The nibs themselves are works of art. The double-layer nibs, the scroll work, the beautiful 21K gold, all combine to make for an exquisite nib. You can get the specialty nibs with an extra bar on top that increases the ink flow, but I think it ruins the aesthetic of the nib. So far, I've had no need for increased ink flow.

The one negative about these nibs is that they are limited to Sailor pens. It's not that I have anything against Sailors, it's just that their converters are tiny. They just don't hold much ink (0.5ml). Even the Sailor Realo (a piston fill pen) doesn't hold much more (0.9ml). When you're doing broad, juicy strokes, you can blow through a small converter of ink very quickly.

Another limitation of Sailor pens is the lack of choices in pen color. Finding a Sailor with a specialty nib in any color other than black is difficult, and you have to be willing to pay a premium. If you want one of the fancier Sailors with a specialty nib expect to pay close to $1,000.

I purchased my boring black Pro Gear from Engeika for $390. The Sailor 1911 with a Cross Concord would normally be $535, but I got it for around $300 as well.

Pros

• These specialty nibs really are special. No other manufacturer makes anything like them.
• They are extremely versatile. You can write fine and broad and in between and use them for sketching.
• These nibs are great for certain types of calligraphy and even for Hebrew (which I know is very important to most people).
• Sailor specialty nibs make great ink testers because they show off the ink in both fine and super broad strokes.

Cons

• The nibs are only available on Sailor pens which have small ink capacity.
• Sailor pens with specialty nibs are quite expensive.
• You don't have much choice in colors unless you're willing to pay almost $1,000.
• Sailor recently suspended orders on these nibs so quantities are currently limited.

Accessories for Planning and Travel

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Over the last several months, I've accumulated numerous accessories that I use for planning and travel. Some I use every day, others occasionally, but all of them are quite useful.

Washi Tape

I love washi tape. It can be used for so many things–marking cables, attaching photos, decorating items. Mark's Maste Washi Tape and collection boxes are wonderful. The box holds the tape and has a serrated edge so you can easily cut the tape without having to use scissors. $14.40 for a set of 8 tapes. $13.75 for the collection box in either black or ivory.

I like to use washi tape to mark special occasions in my Hobonichi planner, such as an upcoming trip to France with my daughter. The camera washi tape is $3.35 on JetPens.

Sticky Notes and Stickers

I can't get enough of these. I found the Paris sticky notes ($5.75) before Christmas and put them in my daughter's stocking and kept a set for myself.

I also use tiny stickers in my planner to mark special dates like birthdays, holidays, etc. The Kurochiku puffy cat stickers are $5.50, Pine Book Kraft Stickers are $2.65, and Midori Film Sticky Notes Birds are $6.75 on Jet Pens.

Adventure Log

Word Notebooks come in many different designs. But I wanted the Adventure Log to record our trip to France. I used some washi tape and my Paris sticky notes to decorate the outside of my notebook. $9.99 on JetPens.

RayMay Swingcut Scissors

I love this set of titanium-coated scissors which are small enough to carry in the pocket of your planner or in a purse/backpack. They are sharp and comfortable to use. $15.50 on JetPens.

Sun-Star Stickyle Pen-Style Stapler

I never seem to have a stapler when I need one, so this portable stapler is terrific. Although it's called a "pen-style" stapler, it's much thicker than a pen. Still, it fits well in a medium-sized purse, and will definitely work in a backpack. At one end is a compartment for extra staples.

The other end is the stapler itself. Simply lift the hinged top, push the button forward (this moves a plate underneath the staple so it will bend when you press down), put your paper in and press.

The staples are small, so you obviously can't use this for large documents or really thick paper. But for a few sheets, ticket stubs, and other small things it works well. $9.90 on JetPens.

Kutsuwa Stad Double Template

This foldable stencil is great to slip into a pocket of your planner. You can use it to make boxes, circles, letters and other designs in your planner. $2.50 on JetPens.

Sketchy Notebook Master Collection Templates and Sketchbook

Sketchy Notebook Templates originated on Kickstarter, but you can order a master pack (6 templates and one notebook for $35) here. The master collection includes lined style, grid style, storyboard, perspective grid, iPhone app mockup and website mockup templates. These templates make using unlined paper fun and simple.

The Sketchy Notebook contains 240 blank, tearable pages with 80 gsm acid-free paper. There's an elastic band to keep the notebook closed when not in use. Plus, the expandable envelope in the back contains two cardboard ruler bookmarks. The paper is creamy and fountain-pen friendly (juicy nibs don't bleed through, but there's definitely show through). I can use this notebook for fountain pen testing, ink swabs, and occasional sketches. I may even bring it to France and pretend I'm an artist.

ArtBird Crossbody Sling

The ArtBird Crossbody Sling $24.95 will be perfect for my trip to France. I'm planning to use my iPhone as my primary camera, so I bought Moment Lenses and a Moment Case for it. My iPhone, all three Moment lenses, and my Adventure Log will all fit easily into this bag.

(JetPens provided these products at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)