Uni-ball R:E Erasable Gel Pen 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.)

The Uni-ball R:E Erasable Gel Pen seems to be aiming to create some competition for the Pilot FriXion with this new line of erasable gel pens. There are a lot of similarities between the two. Uni improves the body design in some ways, I think, but hasn't improved on the overall ink quality. The FriXion pens have been fairly popular, and fans of Uni-ball may like these as well--but I have a lot of issues with them.

The feel of the pens is great. It's a sturdy, good build and doesn't feel like it's too delicate or flimsy. It has a nice rubber grip, decent clip, and a satisfying click mechanism. The eraser is located under a clear plastic cap on the click button. Uni has devised a special system that prevents the pen from clicking when it's inverted, so you can erase without retracting the tip. I noticed it sometimes takes an extra shake to disengage the lock mechanism. It also means that if you're in the habit (like me) of flipping your pen to click it against your leg or the desk, you'll have to adjust. The clear plastic cap that covers the eraser also has a short life expectancy. Being tiny and clear, if it rolls away, it may be difficult to find.

The ink is where my real issues with the pen come in. It's very unsaturated, as all of the erasable gel inks I've tried are. The black is really grey, and all the colors have a muted look to them. Uni accounts for this by calling the color "Off-Black", but I think that's marketing speak for "as close to black as we can get it". The muted tones are pretty, if you're expecting muted tones. I don't dislike the colors--I even love the orange in this set--but I'd love to see some more vibrant tones in the line.

Like the FriXion pens, the ink is heat-reactive. It's the heat from the friction of the plastic eraser that causes it to disappear. The eraser never wears down and doesn't leave a messy residue or dust. It does an okay job at erasing. It doesn't leave totally clean paper, but it's close. However, after about ten seconds, some of the ink begins to reappear. The pink and red did this the most--after about ten minutes a large portion of the erased area had reappeared, even at room temperature.

Because the ink disappears at temperatures over 140 degrees, and reappears at temperatures under 14 degrees, it's not recommended for important documents, signatures, or addressing envelopes. With ink that might disappear at any time, I can't think what it might be good for except for magic tricks and espionage. Every time I try to write with an erasable gel pen, I end up putting it back because of this volatile trait. I can't help but think of it as unreliable ink.

It's totally fun, though. As an experiment, I wrote a test page, and then I held it over a warm toaster. The ink vanished in seconds--though when I held the paper at an angle to the light, I could still see the texture of it on the page. Then I stuck it in the freezer. All the ink returned in less than three minutes, though even more muted than it had been before. It's a cool trick, but I wouldn't want it happening to my class notes or journal pages. While you can always freeze your page if your ink disappears in a hot car, if you've erased your work and then written over the same area--and then your page gets cold--you may have trouble reading the text. It can't be un-reappeared.

If you love erasable gel pens, and you love the Pilot FriXion, you might want to give these a try. They're a great version of a product that a lot of people enjoy. But the unreliability of the ink is a deal-breaker for me. It might be because I live somewhere that spends a good portion of the year below 14 degrees, but it all sounds too risky. I'd only use them to write something fleeting and unimportant, but I don't need 8 colors for that. Would be swell if I had black, though.

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

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Posted on June 1, 2017 by Sarah Read and filed under Uni-Ball, Erasable, Gel, Pen Reviews.

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 259 - Another Thing in a Long Line of Things

We had a smorgasbord of topics today, including an interesting new product from Aurora, Lamy’s decision to remove EF nibs from the US market, what digital tools I use to write with, and the pens, ink, and paper we are using today.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Harry’s: Get $5 off any Harry’s Shave Set, including the Limited Edition Father’s Day Set.

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Podcast.

The Pen Guardian Pen Case Review

One of the first things that many new pen addicts pursue after they get a taste for fine pens is a way in which to carry those pens securely and in style. The pen case industry is large and varied, but that also means there's room for individual expression. Whether you prefer nylon, hand-sewn cotton, plastics, or high-quality leather, you can find something that fits your style and carry needs.

The Pen Guardian case falls into the leather case genre, but it isn't your average binder or wallet type of case. Aside from one model, the Pen Guardian holds two of your pens inside a luxurious leather inner and outer case. The marketing copy on their website does an excellent job explaining the case, so let's take a look:

All Pen Guardians are individually handcrafted with quality, calfskin leather and made 100% in the USA. Lightweight and beautiful, their unique design includes a two-part system that can be used together or separately. The dual inner well is stitched and glued to provide extra protection. It also features cutouts in the leather that protect your pen clips and provides a PH neutral environment to preserve the beauty of your pens for years to come.When used in the pocket, the lightweight, inner well holds pens in place to prevent damage and keep them upright to reduce the risk of a cap accidentally unscrewing and leaking. The inner well is held in place with the clips from your pens. It stays safe and secure even while bending over. The Pen Guardian's outer case provides an additional layer of protection for pens stored in your briefcase or purse.

In case you didn't catch it, this case is actually two separate pieces. One is an outer pocket with a snap closure flap, and the inside is a two-pen pocket protector style slip. It's a pretty cool system that gives you some unique options compared to other pen cases and carry systems. There are two use cases that I love this case for. One involves packing two pens in the interior slip and then attaching the pens to an inner compartment pocket in my bag. The pens stay put and are protected against any reasonable threats. Once I arrive at my destination, I can unzip the bag, grab a pen, and get to work. Since the other pen is holding the slip in place, I can easily pop my pen back into the slip when I'm done. The only instance where this doesn't work well is if you're using two pens at once, but those are rare times for me. And, even so, you can remove the entire slip and place it on the desk or table where you're working until you're ready to pack up and leave.

This use case is very similar to the heavily suggested use from the Pen Guardian creator: keep two pens in the breast pocket of your shirt or jacket. While that's great for some people, I've never enjoyed having pens in my shirt pocket, and that option is also fairly absent for women. While the design fills a niche purpose, it comes close to being too niche in this case. Luckily, there are endless other places to clip your pens, and you probably already know your favorite spots in any bag, purse, jacket, or other garment/accessory that you own. Nine times out of ten, The Pen Guardian will easily slide into that use case.

The other way I've enjoyed is keeping the inner case inside the outer case and throwing it in my bag for the day. I don't always remove the inner case when I want a pen, but that option is there. Otherwise, it does just fine operating as a more traditional case or binder for a couple of pens.

The leather in the model I have is a soft, pliable leather that is stitched and glued professionally. I don't have any doubts about this case breaking down prematurely. Like the website states, there aren't any chemicals that will react negatively with any of the materials that fountain pens tend to be manufactured from.

Overall, it's a fantastic case that has a couple of neat tricks up its sleeve, it looks great, and it solves a niche purpose.

But, there are a couple of minor "gotchas" that are worth pointing out.

In my testing, this case works really well for "standard sized" pens that have clips. Pens like Kaweco Sports, Kaweco Liliputs, Franklin Christoph pocket models, and other similar pens just disappear into the depths of the inner slip.
The Lamy Safari / AL Star clip works with this case, but it clips on to the case itself, which is against the design of the case. This isn't a major deal at all, but something to be aware of.
It works best if the two pens are within an inch of each other as far as their overall length. For example, a Pilot Custom 823 is a long pen, and should be paired with something similarly long. This won't make the case unusable by any means, but it will mean it can get lopsided sometimes.
The case works best if the end of the pen reaches the bottom of the case. Otherwise, you end up with the clip attaching to the case, which makes it tricky to clip to a pocket, bag, etc. For example, a TWSBI Mini definitely clips to the case below the provided slit. Again, the case is still usable, but there's that minor quirk.
The price is hard to swallow. There are a lot of factors that go into the price of any product, and this one feels a bit unbalanced in that regard if you shop leather goods often.

Ultimately, pens, notebooks, and cases are all highly subjective to the beholder. You know what you like, and you normally have a fairly good idea of whether you'll like something before you purchase it. If The Pen Guardian speaks to you and you can immediately think of how it will fit into your pen routines, it's a no-brainer. If you struggle with that same thought (or the price), though, it's probably not for you. To me, that's what's great about this market. There are enough choices and options to satisfy everyone, and if you don't like one product, you have so many more to choose from.

The Pen Guardian costs $129.99 (at the time of publishing this review) and is available in several colors, including some bright, non-traditional leather colors. And, if you need something that holds twice as many pens, they have you covered there as well with the The Pen Guardian Elite.

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

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