Pilot Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock Review

(This is a guest post by Brian Draghi. You can follow Brian on Twitter @Sketchscape)

I’m a big fan of everyday carry, or EDC for short. I find it interesting to see what people carry with them on a daily basis such as wallets, keys, notebooks and the all important types of pens that they write with. While there are many options - including the extremely popular Fisher Space Pen - one of my favorite everyday carry pens falls into the gel ink category.

The Pilot Hi-Tec-C pen has been a fan favorite for a long time and is even more popular especially due to the explosion of machined pen projects using these refills on Kickstarter. The dark line quality of the refill is superb and performs flawlessly time after time. The problem is that most Hi-Tec-C’s are not necessary portable to carry in your pocket. The Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock 04 solves this problem with a shorter and slimmer version that makes it ideal for anyone’s EDC.

The Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock has a total length of 4.75 inches and the width of the barrel is narrower than a regular Hi-Tec-C. It has a comfortable rubber grip that covers nearly half of the pen. The pen also contains a sturdy metal clip that secures very well to shirts and pants pockets. This compact design is also retractable unlike the regular versions of the Hi-Tec-C.

This is the one pen that’s always with me while out running errands, at work, or traveling. It’s perfect as an EDC pen because it’s quick to use to jot down notes on the go and is very portable. It writes a clean fine line that is great for small notebooks and journals. The Slim Knock’s size and lack of weight makes it ideal to carry because you don’t even feel it in your pocket. Just make sure you remember to take it out before it goes in the washer!

One of the main drawbacks of the regular Hi-Tec-C is the constant need to prime the pen to get the ink moving through the tip. The Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock doesn’t have that problem at all. Once you extend the refill, you get the same quality dark line every time you move the tip across the page. There is no need to scribble several times on the page to wait for the ink to hit the paper.

While the Slim Knock is a great pen, it isn’t without a few drawbacks. The short length of the pen may not appeal to some people who have larger hands. Second, the refill size of the Slim Knock is on the smaller side due to the length. This wouldn’t be the type of pen you would hand to a college student to use to take lengthy notes in class. It's not built for endurance writing - it’s made for taking short, quick notes.

Another minor downside is that the Slim Knock pen and its larger counterpart are the same exact price on Jetpens at $3.30 each. The Slim Knock refills make up for it by only costing $1.35 compared to $2.20 for the regular. That is, unless you like blue black. Unfortunately, in both versions, the blue black refills are not available to purchase separately. I’m not sure why, but it would be great if you didn’t have to buy an entire new pen just to get this color.

Minor issues aside, the Slim Knock is my ideal EDC pen that meets all my requirements and more. It’s always at my side ready to write the quick notes I need at a moments notice. If anyone is looking for an EDC pen that is retractable and writes a fine quality gel ink line then I would definitely recommend the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock.

Ink Links

-- Conway Stewart 388 Oblique (Goodwriterspens's Blog)

-- Restocking art supplies quick notes: Faber Castell Pitt Metallic pens, Tombow Mono Professional Drawing Pencils, Picadilly Sketchbook, and Bone Folder (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- Lamy Vista Fountain Pen (Informal Scribble)

-- Sailor Gentle Grenade (Inkdependence!)

-- Fabriano Art Journal with Ecoqua Paper (Ink of Me Fondly)

-- Kickstarter Baux (Box) Pen Aluminum Barrel for BIC Stics (The Clicky Post)

-- July Art Snacks Unboxing (Nattosoup)

-- The Parker 51, the Hero 616, and IP Grey Areas (Dannyboy Writes)

-- The Shelf Life Of Notes (Patrick Rhone)

-- Baoer 388 Fountain Pen (The Daily Acquisition)

-- Vintage Feature: The 1950s Sheaffer Snorkel Fountain Pen (Ed Jelley)

-- Montblanc Honoré de Balzac Ink (2013) (kmpn)

-- Tale of a Vandal Pen Collector: Edison Custom (Peaceable Writer)

-- Maki-e: A Story Waiting to be Written Review (Pen and Design)

-- Vintage Notes: Sheaffer Balance Junior (c. 1931) (Fountain Pen Quest)

-- Review: Stillman & Birn Zeta Series (and Winsor & Newton Watercolors) (Notebook Stories)

-- Midori MD Cotton, the 5th anniversary notebook (Leigh Reyes)

-- Conklin Endura (penfan.ru)

-- The Best Kickstarter Pens (Cool Material)

-- Namiki Falcon SF and SEF Flex Fountain Pen (Write to Me Often)

-- ...having a Vision (or not) (Ionsomnia)

-- A Trio Of Chinese Fountain Pens (An Inkophile's Blog)

-- A word or two on penmanship (East...West...Everywhere)

-- A Better Sticky Note (The Well-Appointed Desk)

-- Review of Staedtler Norica HB (Pencil Revolution)

-- Midori Traveler’s Notebook (Living with Liisa)

-- A glimpse at Paper Republic (these beautiful pens)

-- Platinum Izumo Tamenuri – Akatame (Silent Seeing)

-- German Platinum (Crónicas Estilográficas)

Sailor Jentle Apricot Orange Ink Review

I mentioned my disdain for red fountain pen inks recently, but orange and I have a great relationship. I may not use it as frequently as my beloved blue black inks, but orange will always have a place in my rotation when warranted.

Sailor Jentle Apricot Orange is a true, bright orange. On the white Rhodia DotPad page it really pops. While it may not have the variance in shading of Noodler's Apache Sunset, it has moderate shading in its own right, showing a range of orange with hints of yellow. It goes down light and a bit dry from the nib and dries into what is shown in the photos.

In the realm of alternate fountain pen inks Sailor Jentle Apricot ranks right near the top for me. What non-standard colors are your favorites? I'd love to check them out!