(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
The Uni Jetstream has been around long enough at this point to become a stationery staple and an all-around excellent recommendation for anyone in search of a good pen. How can you improve on something that's already so good? Well, one way to do this is by making it smaller. Another way is to provide exciting new pen bodies. In the Jetstream Edge, Uni have accomplished both of these things.
Let's look at the pen body of the new Edge first. If you've ever seen a Rotring, then this pen will likely look very familiar. It's not visually close enough to look like a blatant copy, but more of an homage to a timeless design. The drafting pencil aesthetic is definitely a good look for this pen, and you'll probably fooling into thinking it's made of metal before you pick it up. While the textured grip section is made of metal, the rest of the pen is a sleek plastic, which keeps the weight fairly low. Another added benefit of the metal grip section is that it keeps the center of gravity close to the tip of the pen, allowing you greater control when writing.
The clip is unique, with a bent metal wire that looks like a frail paper clip at first glance. In practice, this clip is incredibly strong and secure. There's nothing frail about it! The nock also produces a very pleasing feel and sound when extending and retracting the refill. The nose of the pen also borrows closely from the drafting pencil aesthetic, but also provides a good view at what you're writing since the cone tapers off dramatically from the grip. This same trick is used in the needle-tip of the refill, giving you more sight around what you're writing since the exposed part of the refill is so small. If you aren't looking carefully, you'll mistake this for a mechanical pencil when the refill is extended. They look very similar!
In the hand, this pen feels well-balanced and secure. The textured grip isn't knurled, but the grooves that reach from end to end on the grip provide a great feel and stability when writing. The overall lightness of the pen also complements the writing experience.
The real star of the show, however, is the refill that debuts alongside this pen body. This pen features a 0.28mm needle-tip refill that uses the Jetstream hybrid ink system. Uni have made a 0.38mm Jetstream refill for quite a while now, and people have been impressed by that as well.
As an aside, these ultra fine refills are probably something you already know you like. And, if you don't like them, then this one certainly won't be for you! That being said, you can swap out the refill for any size tip that works with the Jetstream multipen bodies.
While the 0.38mm refills produce an incredibly thin and crisp line, I guess someone wanted something even smaller. The 0.28mm refill produces a line that is so satisfyingly thin. It feels so precise and accurate due to the extreme crispness of the ink formula. There are no stray specks or light splotches of gray ink. These lines are crisp, and they are dark. It's incredibly satisfying.
Like most ultra-fine writing instruments, you can normally expect a somewhat scratchy writing experience since you're effectively writing with a hypodermic needle. Believe it or not, this is not the case with the Uni 0.28mm refill. It's surprisingly smooth when writing, which is a great testament to the Jetstream brand. Even at such small sizes, the ink formula is still incredibly smooth. It's an absolute joy to use.
If you're a fan of the 0.38mm, you'll love the 0.28mm. Like I mentioned before, this new SXR-203-28 refill is the same form factor as all the other Jetstream refills that work with the Jetstream multipens. This means you can easily install one of these refills in a multipen, or use a different size and color in this unique Jetstream body. At the moment, Uni only offers black, blue, and red in this size, but I'm sure they'll add more at some point if it becomes popular enough.
The Uni Jetstream Edge comes in four colors, from Black, Navy, White/Red, and Champagne/Gold. The pen is $15, which is a pretty good deal considering the excellent aesthetic and build quality of the pen, plus the inclusion of a fantastic refill. If you're at all interested in trying out one of the best 0.28mm pens I've ever used — let alone the best ballpoint pen of this size — you should definitely add this pen to your next order!
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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