Uni-Ball Multi 5 Multi Pen + Pencil Review

When choosing pens, sometimes superficiality rules the day, and in the case of the Uni-Ball Multi 5, I just had to have the Capri Blue body color, no matter how the pen performs. I haven't seen to many barrels in this shade of blue, and as well as Uni-Ball designs pens, I thought they did a great job with the overall package.

Fortunately from a writing perspective, this pen holds up pretty well. This is no Jetstream ink, but Uni-Balls standard ballpoint ink is pretty nice in its own right. The 0.7mm ink cartridges write neat and cleanly, although they are prone to a small bit of streaking. The black and blue inks are great (I really like how my lettering came out on the page), the red ink is decent, but the green ink is a lost cause. It is far too light for me. The pencil is just that, but at least if you like that option in your multi pens, the Multi 5 comes with an on board eraser, which sometimes isn't present in pens like this.

The overall package won me over, and while this pen isn't going to top any of my personal lists, it gets the job done nicely. The Uni Multi 5 can be found at JetPens for $7.50 in Black, White, Navy, Rose Red, and Capri Blue body colors.

Click here for the XL review.

Ink Links

-- Papermate Biodegradable Ballpoint Pen (A Penchant for Paper)

-- Overview of Zebra Mechanical Pencils (Another Pen and Pencil Blog)

-- Noodler's piston filler fountain pen review (Peninkcillin)

-- Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 5 Color Multi Pen – Pen Body – Clear Black with ERASER (& other stuff) (No Pen Intended)

-- Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle-Point Gel Ink Pen – 0.35 mm – Black (No Pen Intended)

-- Review: Uni-ball Jetstream Color Ink Series, Ballpoint 0.5mm (Notebook loves Pen)

-- Franklin-Christoph M27 Fountain Pen (Pocket Blonde)

-- Getting past new sketchbook anxiety (Geminica)

-- Staples Arc Notebook System and Levenger Circa Comparison (Office Supply Geek)

-- Graphite Bash - vintage leads arrival and doodling with favorite leadholders and Rotring 500 mechanical pencil (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- Piccadilly Graph Notebooks From Borders (Does This Pen Write?)

-- Rotring Rapid Pro Mechanical Pencil Review (Dave's Mechanical Pencils)

Staples DuraPoint Review

My Big Staples Haul was an unmitigated success, and included in that big batch of pens and paper was a new (to me anyway) Staples brand pen called the DuraPoint. I'm certain that the popularity of the Sharpie Pen led Staples to bring this store brand to the shelf, so how does it stack up with the category leader? Not too well at all.

The first thing I noticed about the DuraPoint is that as soon as I took of the cap I could smell the ink of the pen. I made a quick double check of the package thinking that this might be a permanent ink pen that I just bought, but it is not. It just happens to smell like one. Getting past that and putting the line down on the page, it actually does a decent job. The line is a little bit wide for my tastes, and that brings me to my second issue. The tip of the DuraPoint is too soft. If you have used the Sharpie Pen for any length of time, you know what a study, firm tip feels like. The DuraPoint has more give to it, and I actually felt it breaking down at a fast rate. While the initial cost might be cheap, the overall value probably isn't there due to the short time these pens will last.

Like I mentioned in the written review, this isn't a bad pen to have around the house to pick up for a quick note or two, but I don't see any long term viability with the DuraPoint.

Click here for the XL review.