Uni Jetstream 4&1 4-color .38 mm Ballpoint Multi Pen and .05 mm Pencil Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

I've stood firmly against multi-pens in the past. I had my reasons--they were too big to hold comfortably, all the moving parts seemed ill-fitted or would rattle when writing, pieces might break, there was never enough of some of the ink colors, refills were hard to source, and I generally preferred to just carry a variety of writing tools with me rather than mess with those inconveniences of the multi-pen. But those were the multi-pens of yore, and the more recent models I've tried have grown on me. And then when Uni starts putting Ghibli characters on them, well. Then they become must-haves.

The Uni Jetstream 4&1 Kiki's Delivery Service 4 Color 0.38 mm Ballpoint Multi Pen + 0.5 mm Pencil is by far the most multitudinous multi-pen I've tried. Black, red, blue, and green ink each have their own clicky tab, and then the clip, when pushed down, reveals a mechanical pencil. Underneath the finial cap hides an eraser. This is the writing tool equivalent of the Swiss army knife.

Despite its complexity, it is fairly well made, though it hasn't done away with all my multi-pen woes. The body is sturdy, and not as thick as one would think for all the refills it contains. The rubber grip does a lot to help the writing comfort level. And while the refills are small, they're filled with Uni's excellent ink--a ballpoint that feels and acts with the smoothness of a gel pen. Replacement refills (Uni XSR 80-38) are easily obtained at JetPens. The mechanical pencil works well also, though it's a little fiddly to depress the clip for more lead, and the eraser is miniscule. The clip feels like the weak point of the pen. It does rattle a bit, and its springiness (necessary for it's pencil-deploying function) detracts from its clip functionality. I do worry that it will get broken or jammed if I toss the pen in a backpack or pocket without some kind of case or padding--and having it in a case does defeat some of the always-readiness that is the main benefit to a multi-pen. But only time will tell on its durability, and so far all is well.

While it may be big and rattly, I've never felt so prepared for any writing situation. It has everything I need to carry for work, AND it has Gigi on it. I've used it more than I thought I would, and even contemplated a backup copy. It isn't inexpensive for a pen at $24.50, but it's not expensive for four pens and a pencil. Overall I'm very pleased with it.

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

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Sailor Pro Gear Cocktail Series Après Ski: A 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.)

The Sailor Pro Gear Cocktail Series has been all the rage the past few months, ever since Sailor reissued all the pens as a set and individually. I already owned the Tequila Sunrise (reviewed here), and I managed to resist the urge to buy any of the reissued pens even though I desperately wanted the Blue Lagoon and Après Ski. That is, I managed to resist, until all the Blue Lagoons were gone and I found what I thought might be the last Après Ski on the planet at CultPens. I succumbed even though it was only available in a fine nib (not my preference with Sailor nibs).

The pen arrived in the usual Sailor box, and since all the boxes look the same, I didn't include photos here. If you happened to purchase the entire set, you got a spiffy acrylic display case with your insta-collection.

Après Ski means "after skiing," and the name apparently refers to a variety of cocktails one can enjoy after you sweep into the bar from the slopes. The color of this pen suggests some sort of mint-based cocktail. The clear finials might symbolize either the ice in the cocktail or the crystal snow from the peaks.

Let me clarify that I did not buy this pen because of any love for skiing. No. My one skiing experience on the slopes in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on New Year's Day over twenty-five years ago was a complete and utter disaster. Imagine a brand-new skier who rocked the bunny slopes only to be taken on the ski lift to the very top of the mountain. Imagine this brand-new skier having her first all-out panic attack on the ski lift (fear of heights), tumbling face first off the ski lift, and being dragged out of the way of other skiers. Then envision said skier snow plowing (in tears and terror) down the mountain whilst snow boarders swish madly past, blowing scornful snow in her face. See how she eventually plops down beside a tree and covers her head whilst her husband yells at her to keep going? Somehow I made it down that mountain, but I've never skied again.

I bought the Après Ski purely for its delicious, creamy soft green color. It reminds me of spring (not snow) and tender shoots of grass and new leaves.

The pen has a translucent cap with gold trims. The top finial is clear with a red and gold anchor logo that really pops against the more subtle colors of the pen.

The body of the pen is also translucent, but not as much as the cap. It may be that the plastic of the barrel is simply thicker than the cap or, perhaps, it was purposefully made more opaque. The bottom finial is clear.

The Sailor Pro Gear is a small pen. It is 5 inches/128mm capped, 4.6 inches/116mm uncapped, and 5.9 inches/150mm posted. The grip is 11mm, and the barrel at its widest is 13mm. It weighs 25 grams inked and posted and 16.62 grams inked without the cap.

In my opinion, the weakest and worst feature of Sailor pens is the converter. I. Hate. Sailor. Converters. Not only do they hold a dinky amount of ink, but this particular converter unscrews itself when I try to fill it with ink. It's a compete mess and extremely frustrating.

"@##*& it, Sailor! Why can't you engineer a decent converter???”

The nib is a two-tone 21k gold fine. I think Sailor nibs are absolutely gorgeous, and this one is no exception. The tines are perfectly aligned, and, with a wet and dark ink, they produce a smooth, visible line.

A fine Sailor nib writes like an extra fine, and it has that famous Sailor feedback. Although I don't mind the feedback, the fine nib does not do my handwriting any favors.

If I write in teeny, tiny caps, like Brad, this nib is perfect! But that's not my usual style.

For longer periods of writing, the fine nib allows me to fit lots of words on the page, but my hand fatigues more quickly than with broader nibs. I think the finer nib causes me to write in a more cramped fashion.

This is a great nib for detail work. I planned to do a whole page of the tiny woven pattern. I gave up after filling half the page. But, hey, it looks pretty cool!

Most of the Sailor Pro Gear Cocktail Series pens are sold out by now. You can find a few of the less popular colors, but Après Ski is almost impossible to locate (except on eBay and for ridiculous prices). I somewhat regret not buying the Blue Lagoon as well (or instead of) the Après Ski. But over the past couple of years, I've managed to buy way too many Sailors, most of them Pro Gears.

See what I mean? And that's why I call myself a pen addict.

(I purchased the Sailor Pro Gear Après Ski with my own funds from CultPens.)

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Tibaldi Perfecta Fountain Pen Review

I’ve been watching the relaunch of the Tibaldi brand closely over the past serval months, and finally decided to pick one up for review. My intent was to grab the Bononia model, with its Leonardo-esque material design and barrel shape, but a different model caught my eye on the way to adding to cart.

The Tibaldi Perfecta is a throwback to the early-to-mid 1900’s safety pen model, a pen shape and design that I have always loved. Now, the modern Perfecta does not have all of the interior features that those classic pens had - this is a cartridge/converter filling pen after all - but on the outside, this is a nice throwback.

Tibaldi kept that classic style with the Rich Black model, featuring a full black barrel and cap, but it was the Tortoise Beige model that got me with its black and tan mosaic cap making all the difference.

When the pen arrived and it was time to ink up, I knew there was only one color I was filling it with: Black. A classic color for a classically designed pen. I even ordered a new bottle to mark the occasion. A perfect match.

It only took a minute or two of writing to feel at home with the Perfecta. The stainless steel EF nib, marked with the Tibaldi logo, worked perfectly out of the box. The lines were clean, and the ink flowed well. The upgrade to an ebonite feed likely helped in that area.

With all of my fawning words so far, you’d think this would be a no-brainer recommendation, right? Wrong. As much as I am enjoying it, there is a lot to consider when checking off the pros and cons for the Perfecta.

First off, the barrel design. Specifically, the grip section. It keeping with its classic safety pen aesthetic, the cap threads on the barrel hit smack in the middle of where most people would grip the pen. It looks great in pictures, but at the expense of functionality. I can grip below the threads, I can grip above the threads, and I can even grip on the threads (they aren’t that sharp,) but the fact I can’t grip the pen consistently in one spot is a bit frustrating. Picking it up blindly from the desk always requires an adjustment to get into the proper writing grip.

Secondly, I really don’t like the clip. It’s a poor design that stands out on an otherwise well—designed pen. It’s strong and sturdy enough, but it doesn’t look right. Maybe it they finished it in the same glossy style as the rest of the barrel instead of the satin/matte finish they used? I don’t know. It looks cheap.

And that leads me to last issue: It’s not cheap. At $187 this pen has all of the competition in the world, and it beats very few of them in that range.

That’s the dilemma I am having with the Tibaldi Perfecta. Despite is flaws, I enjoy using it. Despite how much I enjoy using it, I would never recommend it over the Leonardo Momento Zero or Furore, Montegrappa Elmo or Fortuna, and a whole litany of other pens in the $150-$200 price range.

If that’s the game you are going to play, you better bring your A-game. The Tibaldi Perfecta is a B. That’s a great grade in a vacuum, but the fountain pen market is a competition, and I think it falls one grade short from the best.

(I purchased this pen at 10% off from PenChalet.)

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!