Review: Uni-Ball Jetstream 101

Two of my favorite fellow bloggers have covered the Uni-Ball Jetstream 101 already (Brian at Office Supply Geek and Chris from Pens'n'Paper as a guest post on this blog), so I figured it was about time to toss my hat into the ring and see what this latest entry into the Jetstream line has to offer. It is certainly as smooth as smooth can be, but where does it fit in the ever expanding Jetstream lineup?

Prior to starting this blog, I gave the original standard Jetstream - the one you can find in stores everywhere - a spin, and wasn't sure what all of the hype was about. The 1.0mm tip skipped too much, leaving a not so solid line on the page.  I swore them off for the longest time, but once I found that an 0.7mm version existed, and then subsequently the 0.5mm, I became hopelessly hooked for life. I still don't use the 1.0mm version very frequently (although it is Mrs. Pen Addict's current favorite pen), but from a writing perspective, the 101 does a superb job, and is much better than the original Jetstreams I tried way back in the day.

But why does this pen exist?  Aren't there enough types of Jetstreams already available? Well, new pens are always nice, but I think this one boils down to price. If you take a look at Staples.com, the 101's sell for $13.99 a dozen, while the standard capped go for $29.99, and the retractable for even more at $32.99. Which one do you think your office manager can justify more, and still get Bob and Jane their beloved Jetstreams?

Well played, Uni-Ball. Well played.

If you like the more generic barrel style (kind of a souped-up Bic Stic), this pen writes just as good as the rest. But since it only comes in the 1.0mm tip size right now, I think I'll stick with my favorite 0.5mm models.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Uni-Ball Signo Scents Bubblegum Pink

I have had a very busy and stressful start to 2011 at work, so how about a scented pink pen to brighten things up?  The Uni-Ball Signo Scents Bubblegum Pink isn't a pen I even remotely thought I would like, much less use regularly, but this is a really good pen, and it smells great to boot!

So what would posses me to purchase such a pen?  Insanity?  That's a fair response, and one I have certainly considered.  Nostalgia?  That's more like it.  Who doesn't remember the scented markers from middle school?  Licorice?  Ewww!  Seeing these pens on JetPens made me think about those times, so I figured let's see if the Scents live up to their name.  Plus, who can pass up colors such as Cherryade Red, Coconut Brown, and Orangey Orange?

As we have all come to expect now from a pen labelled "Signo", it writes great.  The thing that surprises me the most about the Bubblegum Pink is how solid the line is.  A lot of the craft style pens I have used (like the white gel ink Signo) have a bit of streaking or white space in their line.  You almost expect it, but this line is as solid as can be.  And the scent?  It is very noticeable - even more than I imagined it would be.  The only real negative I can see is that the drying time for the ink on the page is extreme, so lefties beware.  As I noted in the written review, the dry time lagged nearly a line behind.

Is there any real practical use for this pen for me personally?  Not really, but it was a fun, scent-filled trip down memory lane.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: J. Herbin Lie de Thé Fountain Pen Ink

This review is by Kalina Wilson, who can also be found at geminica.com.

Not long ago I started exploring brown pen options in the post Brown Pen Battle. Now I add for consideration a fountain pen option:  J. Herbin's Lie de Thé (Tea Brown) ink.

J. Herbin offers some gorgeous, brilliant, and intriguing colors, and Lie de Thé is no exception.  I found it to be a very pleasing brown tone that seems to dance between all its constituent colors so that sometimes I see more green or yellow in it and sometimes red.  The above strokes were made with a brush;  I've also loaded the ink into my Pilot Penmanship and Hero M86 Chinese Calligraphy Pen, shown here with a couple of comparison colors.

 
Of course, the J. Herbin inks are not waterproof, and therefore are not going to be ideal for all uses. Still, oh man, what a lovely color.  

My only other brown-ish ink right now is Noodler's Antietam, which is actually more of a red than a brown. It's an extremely beautiful color that I've tried to use as if it were brown but the red can easily overwhelm a drawing or clash with watercolors that get added later. This J. Herbin brown, on the other hand, is beautifully balanced.  It works great as a brown that can play nice with most other colors, adding rather than competing.  It doesn't demand the spotlight but it's willing to step up when needed. 

Here you can see that the color works gorgeously both for line and with added water. There is no watercolor used in this drawing - just the Lie de Thé and a waterbrush, along with a gray brush pen for the distant buildings (see my next review, up soon.)  

There are so many beautiful colors of ink to use, but a well-balanced brown gets special points for versatility.  This ink is gorgeous on buff paper and white, with water and without, with added colors or on its own. If you're looking for a water soluble brown ink to sketch with, that will work for a lot of subjects and a variety of styles, the Lie de Thé will not disappoint.