Posts filed under Uni

Uni Boxy 100 Ballpoint Pen Review

The Uni Boxy 100 Ballpoint is a pen I expect fills office supply cabinets and student desks all across Japan. While it’s not quite the exquisite writing experience of it’s very successful sibling - the Jetstream - it fills the basic ballpoint needs of Uni-ball’s product lineup.

Assumedly, the Boxy gets its name from the rectangular shape of the barrel. Surprisingly enough, I find this shape to be comfortable for my grip and writing style. Not everyone will have the same experience, especially if you grip is outside of the traditional tripod realm. It is very light and the corners are rounded, so you still may be able to work with it.

The two longer sides of the rectangular barrel have grip ridges, but they don’t really come into play for me unless I want to hold the pen like I’m playing the game Operation and going in for the Funny Bone. Electrocution is super hilarious!

This is a retractable pen, but with two separate stages. You click down to engage the tip, then press the orange button on the side to retract it. Is there a practical benefit to this? I guess the tip is locked in more, but I’m not sure that is an issue people were looking for a solution to. It looks cool and is fun to play with. That’s as good as I could come up with.

I’m glad the standard tip size of this pen is 0.7 mm, which I think is the sweet spot for ballpoint pens. This one leaves a nice, clean black line. There was little to no extra ink buildup around the tip, which is a problem many basic ballpoints have. This one is a good writer, although I do wish the line was a shade of two darker. The Jetstream solves that problem.

For $1.75, I admit that it is a little expensive for an entry level ballpoint. I imagine in Japan, and before the import fees and taxes hit, that this is the equivalent of a 50 cent pen. A dollar at most. It’s a nice, useful, fun pen of good quality, but not necessarily a must have. It’s the type of pen I keep hanging around in a desk drawer for quick notes and scribbles.

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

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Posted on February 5, 2018 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Uni, Boxy, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Uni Jetstream Stylus Ballpoint Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Over the years, I've come to really enjoy the Jetstream line of hybrid ballpoint pens. The ink is extremely smooth, the colors are vibrant, and the lines are crisp. When I received a Jetstream with a touchscreen stylus attached to the top, I was intrigued. In my experience, a stylus on a pen is a gimmick. I don't mind it if the stylus stays out of the way, but if it hinders my ability to use the pen in any way, I'll never use it again. Thankfully, the stylus on the Jetstream stays out of the way until you need to use it.

Since this pen uses the same refills found in the Jetstream multi-pens, you can expect the same level of performance and quality. A black 0.7mm refill is included with the pen, but there are a variety of sizes and colors available to guarantee you have a great writing experience.

The bright blue exterior of the model I have is a really great color. There's a slight hint of green in the color under certain light, giving it a hidden depth that you wouldn't expect for a pen in this price range. The cap, clip, and nozzle are all black plastic and are fairly well-made. The nozzle has an excessive number of threads, which means it can take about 10 full turns to unscrew or screw on the tip after replacing the refill. It's not a deal-breaker, but just odd. Another potential problem is the weakness of the clip. It doesn't offer a strong grip when clipping it to things. Luckily, the pen is light and doesn't need a massive amount of grip to stay put. The clip also serves as the mechanism that extends the refill for writing. There's a small notch/button on the opposite side of the barrel to retract the refill. It works, but it's not the best system for a retractable pen because it feels clunky. Still, it works dependably.

On top of the pen where the nock usually sits, there's a black stylus dome. You'll probably recognize this little piece as the same type of stylus tip used on a number of cheap styli. It gets the job done, but it's incredibly squishy and imprecise. For signing an iPad at a coffee shop, it's perfect, but I can't imagine it would be great for technical drawings, coloring books, or other forms of art that iPads and other devices are capable of today. At the end of the day, it's a functional stylus that is convenient in a pinch, but it also stays out of the way when you're not using it. If you intend to use the stylus a lot, you can even pick up a pack of replacements. The sleeve around the stylus unscrews, allowing you to pull the old tip off and replace it with a new one.

All things considered, this pen is exactly what it says it is. It's a known quantity (the Jetstream refill) with a stylus stuck on the end. It's also available in a handful of colors, like the blue featured here, black, silver, and pink gold. At the $6 price point, it's not a bad deal considering the inclusion of a touchscreen stylus. If you like the Jetstream and also need to use a stylus from time to time, this is a perfect match.

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

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Posted on January 31, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Uni, Jetstream, Pen Reviews.

Uni Pericia Colored 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.)

I tend to think of my colored pencils as tools, not luxury items--but the Uni Pericia Colored Pencils are definitely both. Their sophistication stretches far beyond my artistic ability. I think they might be too nice for coloring books, though I can hardly believe I'm saying that. These are intended for artists and I think any artist would be delighted to have them.

The pencils only come in sets--they aren't available as open stock. And the colors offered aren't as extensive as other brands. This is a bit of a bummer, but they blend and layer so smoothly that it almost doesn't matter. The oil-based pigmented wax core can even be used with turpentine like oil paints for even more mixability. The sets come in either 12, 24, or 36 colors priced at $40.50, $74.50, and $108.00, respectively. So they aren't cheap. But the versatility of the core explains that price, I think. These aren't ordinary pencils.

The soft core goes down opaque with barely any pressure, and fades, blends, and layers like butter. It even has excellent coverage on black paper and performs better than any other product I've used on dark paper--even ones designed specifically for the purpose. The colors are lightfast and deeply saturated.

With such a soft core, I'd be a bit worried about breakage, but I haven't experienced any so far. The core is thick and sturdy, and the case is designed to prevent any trauma. The case appears pretty ostentatious at first--I thought it was a bit much--but it serves several useful purposes. The pencils snap into place and are held firmly, so they don't get knocked around. And the cover folds back and props up the tray for handy access while working. The front then folds closed and secures with a tongue-and-loop closure. It is faux leather, but is a pretty decent imitation.

The pencils themselves are designed well. The body is a good diameter--slender enough to be within a standard range for sharpeners and cases, but thick enough to prevent hand fatigue. The colors are clearly written in embossed white paint on the dark brown bodies, and the ends of the pencils are coated in the core color, for easy identification. The cores themselves are so well pigmented that the colors are easily identified from that alone.

Other than wishing I had more colors (and the skills to put them properly to use), there was nothing about using these that I didn't fully enjoy. Go make some awesome art with these, or send them to your favorite artist and watch art happen.

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

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