Does Size Make A Difference?

While browsing through a local Office Depot the other day I happened to see some Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pens. My eye fell upon the words on one of the packages: "Superfine Nib". Well that's all it took (for me to ask my lovely wife if I could spend the $2.00 asking price). Even before I got home I had the pen out of it's blister pack and was trying it out. It looked "Superfine" in the car but once I arrive home I immediately began to compare it to my other technical and non-technical porous point pens. That's when I discovered that "Superfine" wasn't as fine as I'd thought.

I was curious as to the actual line width of the pen so I hauled out all my other technical pens along with a few other porous point pens and started to do write with them all in an effort to determine the actual line width of the Faber Castell PITT. I was able to find out that it laid down a line similar to the Alvin TechLiner #03, The Sakura Pigma Micron #03, and the Pilot DR #03. The problem is the Alvin claims it makes a 0.3mm line, the Sakura claims it makes a 0.35mm line and the Pilot claims no line width at all. So which is it? Or am I splitting hairs? No matter. I drug out my trusty dial calipers and did some measuring.

I measured the diameter of the plastic coated fibrous tip in an effort to see what the relationship between shaft diameter and line width was. My results were surprising to say the least. It seems that in the world of porous point pens size is relative!

I measured 17 different pens and the
results are posted below. The pens tested were the Sakura Pigma Micron (SPM), the Pilot DR Drawing Pen (PDR), the Mitsubishi unipin Fine Line (MUP), the Kuretake Zig Millennium (KZM), the Alvin TechLiner Technical Drawing Pen (ATL), the Faber Castell PITT Artist Pen (FCP), the Saford Sharpie Pen (SSP), the Pilot V Razor (PVR) and the Sanford Liquid Expresso (SLE). Other abbreviations used, Line Width (LW), Tip Diameter (TD), Not Given (NG), Superfine (SF), Fine (F) and Extra Fine, (EF).


SPM #005, LW = 0.20mm, TD = 0.33mm. PDR #005, LW = NG, TD = 0.33mm. MUP #005, LW = NG, TD = 0.43mm. SPM #01, LW = 0.25mm, TD = 0.57mm. PDR #01, LW = NG, TD = 0.48mm. KZM #01, LW = NG, TD = 0.53mm. ATL #01, LW = 0.1mm, TD = 0.53mm. SPM #02, LW = 0.30mm, TD = 0.71mm. PDR #02, LW = NG, TD = 0.61mm. ATL #02, LW = 0.20mm, TD = 0.64mm. SPM #03, LW = 0.35mm, TD = 0.79mm. PDR #03, LW = NG, TD = 0.79mm. ATL #03, LW = 0.30mm, TD = 0.79mm. FCP SF, LW = NG, TD = 0.76mm. SSP F, LW = NG, TD = 0.79mm. PVR EF, LW = NG, TD = 0.76mm. SLE EF, LW = NG, TD = 0.76mm.

It appears that there is not much of a correlation between tip diameter and the size of the line the tip makes except that in general the greater the tip diameter the wider the line. With the notable exceptions of the #03 technical pens and the two Extra Fine non-technical pens none of the groups with the same reported size have the same tip diameter. The unipin, which has the finest line of the #005 pens has the largest diameter tip! In the #01 and #02 pens the Microns seem to have the largest diameter tip but lay down a line at least as equal in width as the others, if not finer.

As for the non-technical pens the Razor and the Expresso seem to make the same width line, while the Sharpie makes a slightly finer line. Yet the Sharpie has the larger diameter tip. There just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the size of the tip and the width of the line, at least in general. But tip width is only part of the story. It's the shape of the end of the tip that has a lot to do with the line width.

Two pens the same designated size can be and often are of different tip diameters yet they lay down the same width line, as we've seen. The reason for this is that the nose of the smaller diameter tip is blunter than the larger diameter tip, yet they booth have the same size opening in the plastic sheath that allows them to have the same line width. The advantage one design has over the other is debatable. One could argue that the larger diameter tip affords the tip greater strength yet the shaper nose is more easily crushed while the nose of the smaller diameter tip may be more crush resistant the smaller diameter tip is weaker over all. But in the long run, does it really matter? It might, as seen under the eye loupe some of the tips were considerably shorter than the others. This also has a factor in the over all strength of the tips.

So, does it really matter to you, the end user, if the tip on your porous point pen is larger in diameter than another of the same size? Or shorter? As long as they lay down the same width line then it shouldn't. But without a greater standardization of size designations I am afraid that we will be faced with slight variations in line width among the same size designation of pens for some time to come.

How To Refill A Pilot Takoizu Green Petit1 Fountain Pen With Pelikan 4001 Brillant Black Ink From An Old Bottle

(This is a lighthearted look at something every Penaholic who has ever owned a cartridge fountain pen has done)

For this project you will need the following: One donated Pilot Takoizu Green Petit1 mini fountain pen (Ah, where would we be without the kindness of others?); An old bottle of Pelikan Brilliant Black ink; An eye dropper; A pair of long noise tweezers; A sink (free of cats who drink from the sink) with running water; One facial tissue; One paper towel.

The procedure: Open the pen by unscrewing the back of the pen and removing the ink cartridge. If it's not empty then move to the sink and empty the ink out of the tube using gravity and water pressure. Turn the cartridge so that the mouth is facing down and allow the swirling water in the bottom of the sink to pull the ink from the cartridge. See the pretty green water? Squeeze the cartridge to siphon up more water. Turn the cartridge up and allow the water stream to force out more ink. Keep at it until all the ink is gone. Bye bye green ink! Once the cartridge is free of the green ink use the tweezers to remove the little green disk of plastic from the cartridge. Now you can shake any excess water from the tube and set it a side.

Next clean out all the green ink from the nib and the feed tube by running water through it and blowing the water and ink out the nib end. Your lungs supply the air, your lips go on the back of the feed tube and you blow. Repeat the process until all that comes out is clear water, or you pass out. Then blow out the water. You can also shake the nib and feed tube to help rid it of water. But no matter how hard you blow or shake, there will still be water in the feed tube. Dry the exterior of both the nib and feed tube as well as the now empty cartridge. Use the paper towel.

Dry the interior of the cartridge by rolling up one corner of the paper towel to form a long skinny spike. Stuff the spike into the cartridge. See how the paper towel absorbs the water? Remove the spike. Roll a second spike from a different corner of the paper towel. Dry the space between the outside of the feed tube and the inside of the connector. Use the spike. See how the paper towel absorbs the water? Once the nib and feed tube and the cartridge are dry it's time to refill the cartridge with fresh ink from the old bottle of Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black ink.

To refill the refill open the ink bottle and using the eye dropper siphon up some ink from the ink bottle. Very carefully poke the end of the eye dropper into the mouth of the cartridge. Don't poke it in too far! You need an air space so the air can escape the cartridge as the ink goes in. If you fail to do this you'll end up with ink spurting from the end of the cartridge! What a mess that would be! Don't fill the cartridge beyond the point where the cartridge widens out! If you do you'll be sorry! The wide part of the cartridge is the part that fits onto the feed tube. If you get any ink in the mouth of the cartridge remove it with a paper towel spike.

Now you are ready to attach the newly filled, with fresh ink from an old bottle of ink, cartridge to the feed tube. Hold the feed tube so that the nib is up, towards the ceiling. Take the refilled refill cartridge, holding it vertically, so the ink doesn't spill and make a mess, and shove it, gently, up the connector until it completely covers the feed tube. Now, holding the partially assembled pen over the sink, gently squeeze the ink cartridge to force the ink into the pen. Let gravity assist you by turning the nib down toward the sink. Once you see ink start to flow into the nib proper, stop squeezing! Now you'll notice that only bubbles of ink remain in the cartridge. It needs to filed again. Remove the ink cartridge and set the nib aside for the moment. Taking the eye dropper, siphon up more ink and holding the cartridge over the sink, use the eye dropper to force out any air pockets before refilling the cartridge for a second time. Once refilled replace it back onto the feed tube. There may be some watery ink between the cartridge and inner wall of the connector. If there is, yep, use the spike. If there are no more unused spikes on your paper towel, then get another one. Once the cartridge is seated and the pen dried, replace the tail piece and post the cap. You are now ready to write.

To get the ink flowing through the nib I like to draw circles, or rather one long continuous spiral, until the ink is flowing properly. You may choose the design that you like best. At first the ink will be watery, maybe even black/green. Keep moving the nib until you see solid black. When you do you can do some writing or drawing or cap the pen and move onto something else with the knowledge that you have accomplished, with minimal mess, a feat dear to every Penaholic's heart! You can now use the tissue to wipe the tears of joy from your face!

Many thanks to Nosferatuia for her generosity in giving me the Petit1 (Please visit her blog, Abysmal Musings), and to JetPens.com for the use of the photo.

The Super Glue Solution

My most recent purchase from JetPens included 4 Pilot DR Drawing Pens. These are "felt tip" technical pens. Actually the tip is a fibrous material (felt was used in the past and is still used in some pens, hence the name "felt tip") encased in a plastic sheath. The "felt" gives the tip it's porosity while the plastic gives it strength and stability. The result is a relatively strong, porous tip that is very free flowing and which can be made very fine. These pens are made with a 5mm long shaft, similar to the lead sleeve on a drafting pencil, which supports the tip and allows the pen to ride up against the edge of drafting tools such as triangles. But while the main purpose of these fine pens is mechanical drawing they are quite often used as writing pens for the same reasons that they are used for drafting. I like them not only for their excellent drawing qualities but also because the tips, when compared to other pens such as rollerballs, are not as strong thus I am forced to use a lighter hand when writing.

The 4 pens that I purchased were the 4 finest tips available, the #005 (0.20mm), #01 (0.25mm), #02 (0.30mm) and #03 (0.35mm). Any larger and I can use gel pens or rollerballs. Of the 4 I like the #005 the best as it is the finest. However when the DR's arrived and I began to use them I noticed two things about the #005 pen. It wrote a bit wider than it should and it made a scratchy crackling sound when used. Both of these are signs of a tip with a cracked or split plastic sheath. This spells death to a "felt tip" pen. When notified JetPens was kind enough to ship me another one, free of charge without requiring the return of the defective pen. So now I had a good set of pens and one defective one. What to do with the defective one? Well most people would just toss it, but not a true penaholic! I didn't toss it, so what does that tell you about me?

Ever thinking I quickly came up with the idea of using super glue to fix the defective tip. This is not as crazy an idea as it may sound. Because of the way super glues work and harden they are best applied in a very thin coat, unlike other types of glues. The idea was to over apply the super glue then remove most of it allowing the tiny bit remaining to seal the crack in the plastic sheath. Because super glue hardens almost instantly when exposed to water it is ideal for this kind of repair. It was the technique that was to be the key to the solution.

Besides the super glue I needed some tools: a strong light source, a toothpick as an applicator and a 10 power eye loupe that attaches to the temple of my glasses so that my hands were free. Fortunately for me I have all those things. The procedure was as follows: I used the eye loupe to magnify the pen tip and the light from a small lamp to illuminate the tip. Using just a tiny drop of super glue on the end of a toothpick I applied it to the entire circumference of the tip in the general location of where the metal shaft intersects the tip and along the sides of the tip itself but not on the very end of the tip (see illustration). Waiting only a second or two I quickly removed the super glue with a tissue and then waited another second or two before I began to rub the sides of the tip against a sheet of paper in order to remove any excess super glue that might prevent the tip from writing at an angle.

Well my first attempt at the fix was only partially successful in that the line width seemed to have improved a bit. But the crackling was still there. That's when I noticed that the super glue was thicker than normal. The tube of super glue was too old and had partially set. Using a new tube of super glue I repeated the process. The glue flowed much better this time. And this time I had complete success! Not only was the line width as thin as it should be but the crackling was gone! I had saved a $2.50 pen with less than $0.02 worth of materials! Now that would bring a smile to any penaholics face.

Many thanks to JetPens for the replacement pen and for the use of the photo.

Sakura Pigma Micron vs Pilot DR Drawing Pen

Recently I was able to purchase a few technical pens. Namely four Sakura Pigma Micros and four Pilot DR Drawing Pens. The Microns I obtained locally but the DRs I bought from JetPens, though JetPens also sells the Microns. I purchased only the smallest 4 nibs available: #005 (0.20mm), #01 (0.25mm), #02 (0.30mm) and #03 (0.35mm). I have no use or desire for the larger sizes.

Both pens are of the plastic covered pourous material type, commenly called "felt tiped" pens. Both have a long metel tips that measure approximately 5mm long. The long tips are so the pens can ride up next to drafting instruments such as sliding squares and triangles as the primary use for these pens is mechanical drawing and drafting. However I, and many others, use them mainly for writing, drawing with them is secondary. I rather like technical pens for writing for they are generally smoother writing than any rollerball/gel pens. The porour tips are a bit more fragile than the metal ball of a of a gel pen or a rollerball but as long as they are treated right they should last the life of the pen.

For this test I used what has now become my standard pen test. I write a short line with it, in order to get the "feel" of the pen. I then draw a short line, later to be used for the water test, then I lightly hold the pen to the paper for 10 seconds for the bleed test. The water test consists of me placing a single drop of water from an eye dropper on each line. I do not smear the ink, I simply allow the water to soak into the paper to see if the ink will run, or "feather". After the paper had dried I scanned it and posted the results here.

The results pretty much speak for themselves. The lines produced by each pen of the same point size are relatively the same width. The second #03 pen test for line width was because the Sakura seemed to have been wider than the Pilot so I wanted to be sure. The subsequent test proved the widths to be the same. The water test showed that the ink from both pens is waterproof, which is to be expected since both inks are pigmented. There was no feathering or running of the ink iwith either pen. They are also light fast and at least the Pigma Micron is acid-free. The bleed test showed that all the pens bled through to the second page with only the #03 DR bleeding through to the third page but you had to look carefully in order to see the mark. The DRs were scratchier, in every point size, than the Microns, especially the #005 point size. The ink from both appears to be dark, not watery. The DRs are just slightly longer than the Microns and weigh about the same but I like the feel of the Microns better than the DRs.

Both pens are available from JetPens.com, the Microns for $2.00 each and the DRs for $2.50 each. As far as I am concerned my money is on the Sakura Pigma Microns.

Many thanks to JetPens for the use of the pen photos.

Two Of A Kind?

When I first saw the Alvin Draft/Matic DM03 I wondered just how like the Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic 5633 it was. Well I was quite surprised to discover that the 2, while looking similar, were entirely two different beasts altogether.

In appearance they differ only slightly: the Koh-I-Noor has a hexagonal body while the Alvin has a round body; the Alvin has a ring between the grip and the body while the Koh-I-Noor does not; the end of the grip/beginning of the end cap and lead sleeve also differ slightly between the two; and the knurling on the grip and lead grade indicator is courser on the Alvin. But aesthetically they are definitely in the same family, if not siblings then kissin' cousins. But internally they are completely different! To see just how different please read my reviews of each pencil at Associated Content. Each is listed in the side bar just below the Alltop badge.


The Koh-I-Noor 5633


While the internal differences were striking the 2 pencils wrote very much alike as they were very close in length, girth and weight. I can't say which one that I like best. It's like having to choose between your two best girlfriends. A very difficult task to say the least. So pretty much the 2 cousins were alone in their close-but-no-cigar designs, snuggled within my pencil case for a while. I saw other pencils that seemed similar to the Koh-I-Noor, the Rotring 500 and 600 among them which is as it should be as they are owned and made by the same parent company. The Kokuyo TZ-PSP 503 is similar but lacks a lead grade indicator. I saw only one that looked like the Alvin, the Berol Rapid Design which has the lead grade indicator between the grip and the body. So I was pretty much satisfied that I had a representative of each design, but longed for the Rotrings (maybe one day). Then I saw the Ohto Promate PM-703.

A discontinued design of unknown (to me) era it looked very much to me like the Alvin, only in black and rubberized. I figured that it was a similar design on the outside with a different interior mechanism. I had learned form my experience with the K0h-I-Noor and Alvin that looks can be deceiving. Well as things would have it I was able to scrape up enough from my meager profits from my Associated Content publications to be able to purchase a copy of the Ohto. It arrived today, all the way from Japan via Russia! (the vendor who had it is in the Russian Republic). Well I wasted no time comparing it to the Alvin... lo and behold it's the Alvin's twin!

If the Koh-I-Noor is the Alvin's kissin' cousin then the Ohto is it's sibling! The differences in appearances are minor indeed. Aside from the color and the fact that the Ohto has a rubberized barrel the major differences in appearances are the fact that the knurling on the Avlin is courser than that on the Ohto and the way that the grips taper to the the lead sleeve. If one did not know that the two were of different makes one could hardly be faulted for thinking that one was just a slightly different model of the other. Both are really great looking pencils (except for the yellow color of the Alvin's barrel) and the stats on them both are almost exactly the same! The differences are minor and not worth mentioning and could be attributed to differences in tolerances if in fact they were of the same manufacturer. They even weight the same! But that's not where the family resemblance stops! Not by a long shot!

As much as the Alvin and the Koh-I-Noor differ on the inside the Alvin and the Ohto are the same. Almost exactly the same. Again the internal differences are so minor that once again they could just be considered different revisions of the same pencil. They are so alike that the parts from each are completely interchangeable with one another! If you were to strip the 2 pencils down to the 3 major components/sub assemblies and mix them all up, hand them to someone who has never seen the pencils before and ask them to reassemble them they would have no trouble assembling 2 complete working pencils despite the fact that both would likely contain parts from each other. Because the mechanisms are so similar they even project lead at the same rate. It takes only 2 clicks to produce enough lead to write with.

Someone else may feel slighted at having bought 2 almost identical pencils, but not me, and not any true pencilholic. It's the slight differences amongst all the sameness between the "twins" that make having them so interesting. As a collector/user and true pencilholic I think it's great finding two pencils from two different Japanese manufacturers that are so much alike! It makes me wonder, did one company clone the other's design (as if that's never happened)? Are the 2 companies owned by the same parent company? Did one designer sell the same design to both companies? Just what is the story behind these 2 pencils? I guess as time allows I'll just have to search the Net and find some answers.

And BTW, did I fail to mention that I really like the design of the "twins"? Well, I do... ;-)

Mitsubishi uni SHIFT 0.3mm Drafting Pencil

When I first saw a picture of the Mitsubishi uni SHIFT 0.3mm drafting pencil I was intrigued. I wanted to know just how it worked and just how it compared to the adjustable length sleeve of the Ohto Promecha’s. So when JetPens finally got some in I just had to have one. So I saved my nickels and dimes and along with a gift certificate that I won I was able to get one recently from JetPens. When it arrived I was amazed at just how the pencil works. Normally one of the first things that I do with a new pencil is to break it down into as many components as possible. It’s just a quirk of mine, one that’s going to get me into trouble one day. Well when I got hold of the uni SHIFT I set off breaking it down. All was going fine until I accidentally broke it down beyond what an end user can normally do. That is to say that while the parts can come apart they are not parts that an end user would normally take apart unless he/she were repairing/replacing parts! Oops! That could have been the end of a very good pencil but fortunately for me the mistake was easily revisable. So, for that very reason I’m not going to inform you just how far I disassembled the pencil and just tell you how far you should disassemble the pencil if the need arises.

To do normal maintenance on the pencil, that is clearing a lead jam, it is necessary to remove the end cap and the lead sleeve. The end cap screws into the grip sleeve and is spring loaded. The spring is secured to the end cap so it won’t fall out and get lost. The lead sleeve is stainless steel and white plastic. It unscrews from the clutch assembly, which is brass and white plastic. Once the end cap is removed it is necessary to push the interior mechanism down so the lead sleeve can be removed. Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly. Other than removing the push button to access the eraser this is as much disassembly of the pencil that the average end user should undertake. Any further disassembly may cause the pencil to become inoperative.

The SHIFT series comes in the 5 now standard sizes: 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm and 0.9mm. The 0.4mm size is popular in Japan so of course a Japanese manufacturer would produce a pencil in this size. But since not all drafting pencils are made in this size I have yet to obtain one. I’ll stick to the 0.3mm size, thank you. And that’s just the size that I bought. The pencil comes in silver with a colored accent, light blue being the accent color for the 0.3mm pencil (not the ISO standard yellow, thank you Mitsubishi). The colors for the rest of the set are green (0.4mm), blue (0.5mm), orange (0.7mm) and red (0.9mm). The 0.5mm pencil also comes in 3 additional body colors, black, red and white, all with smoke as an accent color. The pencils also come with a removable instructions sticker showing just how to hide and expose the lead sleeve.

Some technical details: The SHIFT is 143mm long, making it of average length. The grip diameter is 10mm with the body being only slightly smaller in diameter at 9.2mm. The pencil is in the medium-heavyweight range weighing in at 17 grams, which puts it up there along with the Alvin Draft/Matic and the Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic. But being a medium-heavyweight isn’t a bad thing because the pencil is bottom heavy, always a good thing in a heavier weight pencil. The balancing point (of the pencil in writing mode) is approximately 86mm form the end of the push button, just above the nicely knurled grip. It takes 2 clicks of the push button to produce ample lead to write with, any more and there is an increased risk of lead breakage. So that’s it for numbers, on to other aspects of the pencil.

In appearance the uni SHIFT is an attractive pencil, especially in silver, with its straight, almost futuristic lines! Only the grip area brakes up the sleekness of the body, which only adds to the pencils good looks and appeal. When in writing mode the only accent color is a light blue plastic ring/nut just above the pocket clip, which by the way is not removable under normal circumstances. When in hide mode the short light blue plastic inner connecting pipe that bridges the gap between body and grip can also be seen. The grip is very nicely knurled in a fine diamond pattern and affords the writer a very good surface to hold onto. Below the grip is the end cap, which steps down twice before reaching the lead sleeve, when present. The push button is the full-sleeve mushroom type that is the same diameter as the body. There is no lead grade indicator, but I consider lead grade indicators a nice functional aesthetic feature but not a necessary one. Strangely there is a counter bored hole in the top of the push button! What purpose this serves other than aesthetics is a mystery. On the side of the pencil in dark gray print are the words “uni SHIFT 0.3”. In raised letters is the word “JAPAN” on the opposite side of the pencil at the top of the body. The metal parts, the grip, end cap, pocket clip, push button neck and lead sleeve are either chromed metal or stainless steel. The lead reservoir is cavernous enough to hold about 2 dozen leads but like the Kuru Toga there is a bottleneck to lead insertion: a tiny opening under the eraser instead of the gaping mouth of most drafting pencils. This makes putting lead into the pencil a little slow.

The full name of the pencil is the uni-ball Shift Pipe Lock Mechanical Pencil for Drafting. Now that’s a mouthful! But it is sort of descriptive. It describes, in a way, the mechanism by which the lead sleeve (pipe) is hidden. Now I am only aware of 2 other ways a modern drafting pencil hides a lead sleeve. One is where the lead sleeve itself is movable. This is usually housed in the end cap and slides within the end cap. The jaws of the clutch push the lead sleeve out and when they retract the lead sleeve stays in place, held in place by friction. The sleeve has to be retracted, hidden, by hand. Because the lead sleeve is not fixed and stable it can move causing lead breakage. The other is where the lead sleeve is fixed to the inner tube, surrounding the clutch mechanism. The grip is then twisted, moving up or down, exposing or hiding the lead sleeve. Since the lead sleeve is “fixed” in relation the clutch mechanism the lead sleeve is much more stable and much less likely to cause problems. I much prefer this type of sleeve hiding to the sliding sleeve method.

Now comes along Mitsubishi, the company that brought us the uni Kuru Toga Auto-Rotating Lead mechanical pencils. Now they have a new twist on the idea (pun intended) of the hidden lead sleeve. Instead of moving the lead sleeve or the grip they designed the SHIFT to move the upper body, and the inner workings of the pencil, up and down, retracting and exposing the lead sleeve. The body locks in either position so the pencil doesn’t accidentally shift (pun intended) during use. The pencil comes in the hidden mode (my term, not theirs). The body is locked in the up position. To expose the lead sleeve the body is twisted slightly to the left, unlocking it, pushed down to where it meats the grip, then twisted to the left again, locking the body together with the grip. The pencil is now in writing mode (again, my term, not theirs). To hide the sleeve once again simply reverse the procedure. The pencil locks into place with an audible click. There are 2 springs in the pencil, one in the body and one in the end cap that push against the inner workings of the pencil and force the body up when hiding the lead sleeve. All in all a clever design and a stable one as well.

The fine knurling on the grip is well done and presents the user with a nice grip surface. Being bottom heavy the pencil sits nicely in the hand and it writes almost effortlessly. It feels good in the hand, being sturdy and substantial. It really is a pleasure to write with. This is in part due to the secure locking mechanism that keeps the pencil together, giving it a good solid feel. Under the push button is a black eraser, good for only the slightest of mistakes, such as periods, commas, quotes, etc. But Mitsubishi has left out the clean out rod, a trend that I feel is a mistake, so if you get a lead jam, you’re on your own.

Bottom line: The Mitsubishi uni SHIFT pencil has a lot to offer the professional and non-professional alike. It’s a good solid pencil that’s been cleverly designed and constructed so it won’t poke a hole in your chest when you keep it in your breast pocket. Available from JetPens.com. Get one today!

Thanks to JetPens for the use of the photo.

Pilot Hello Kitty Cap Limited Edition Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen, 0.3mm

When JetPens sent out a call for reviewers to do a review of the new Pilot Hello Kitty Cap Limited Edition Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen I answered the call. Little did I know what I was getting myself in for. I pride myself on knowing a little something about the products that I write about and while I do know a little about the Pilot Hi-Tec-C line of gel pens I must admit my ignorance about the Hello Kitty phenomenon. So I did a little research on the web and to my amazement I found just about everything under the sun came as a Hello Kitty product, even Fender guitars! It started in 1974 with a vinyl coin purse and has spawned in to an industry making billions of dollars a year. And I thought it was a recent phenomenon, silly me. I guess that's what happens when you don't get out much!

To die in the cat fur Hello Kitty fans introductions are not necessary. You already know more about Hello Kitty than I could possibly learn and you're only 8 years old! While there are an abundance of things out there for the younger generation there are also as many it seems for the slightly older Hello Kitty fans. One of those products is an adorable set of 9 differently colored Pilot Hi-Tec-C gel pens. These well known and liked gel pens are being offered in a limited edition series featuring Hello Kitty, Charming Kitty and their adorable little mouse friend. The charms come cleverly attached to the cap of the pen, riding in the groove of the pocket clip. The accent colors of the charms are the same as the colors of ink in the pens, which are offered in both the 0.3mm and 0.4mm sizes.

Now usually such charms are permanently attached to the pen in some way so that when the pen is empty, unless it's refillable like the Hi-Tec-C's, you are left with a cute, but, almost useless item. But with the Hello Kitty Hi-Tec-C's not only are they refillable but the charm is removable and transferable to any other Hi-Tec-C stick pen! So once you have enjoyed your Hello Kitty Hi-Tec-C to the last letter not only can you buy a refill and continue to enjoy the Hello Kitty Hi-Tec-C experience but you can transfer the charm to another Hi-Tec-C gel pen. And if it happens to be one of the same point size and color you don't even have to remove the charm, just use the existing cap on the new pen. Now how clever is that?

The pen that I received for this review was the 0.3mm in Aqua Blue. The charm attached to the pen is the character Charming Mouse with an aqua blue bow tie! How cute! Being the curious type it wasn't long before I had the charm detached from the pen and attached to my 0.3mm Black Hi-Tec-C. Removable and attachment is easy but does require a little effort. I suggest removing the cap from the pen then while firmly holding the cap in one hand and the charm in the other pull straight back in one continuous motion. To attach the charm do just the opposite. The clip of the charm is plastic so don't be rough with it during removal and attachment. It just wouldn't do to break such a cute charm!

Of the 4 sizes of nibs the Hi-Tec_C pens come in my favorite size to write with is the 0.3mm. This is because it is less scratchy than the 0.25mm yet still produces a very fine line. And if it's anything I like in a pen or pencil it's fine lines. The thin needle like sleeve of the Hi-Tec_C's have been criticized by some as being too fragile and easily broken. I have yet to break the tip on a Hi-Tec-C, even the 0.25mm. Sure, anything can be broken if you apply enough pressure to it. So in general heavy handed writers should never use any king of needle point pen as they all will bend and break under abuse. But I rather like the needle point of the Hi-Tec-C's much for the same reason I like the lead sleeve on drafting pencils: It allows a clear sight picture of what's being written and it works well in drawing templates.

As I mentioned earlier the 0.3mm is less scratchy feeling than the 0.25mm pen. The 0.3mm is surprisingly smooth for such a fine tipped pen, smoother than some a bit larger in size. For this is one reason I like writing with the 0.3mm version of the Hi-Tec-C, it's smooth and makes a fine line! This is a hard combanation to come by in a thin line pen. So hat's off to Pilot Pen of Japan for coming up with it.

According to a write up at JetPens the ink in the "Hi-Tec-C pens contain a gel based ink that is insoluble with most pigments when dry (so they won't bleed)". I'm not sure if this means that the ink is a pigmented in but it sounds like it. I do know that the ink did not smear or bleed when moistened nor did it bleed through to the next sheet of paper when I held the point to the paper for 10 seconds. These are very desirable qualities in a pen and Pilot has hit the nail on the head with this ink formula.

The Hello kitty Cap limited Edition Hi-Tec-C is offered in a 9-color pack in either 0.3mm or 0.4mm point sizes at JetPens for $30.00. The colors include Black, Green, Pink, Aqua Blue, Orange, Clear Blue, Baby Pink, Apricot Orange, and Red. Mine is in Aqua Blue, which is a very, very beautiful lightish blue color. It happens to have been the very color I had ask for! Hurray for Lily!

The Hi-Tec-C is a short pen so in order to give it good balance putting the cap on the back end while writing is a must. Besides, if you don't you won't get a chance to look at the adorable Hello Kitty charm! The grip area is ribbed which makes for a good grip surface and doesn't get dirty like some rubber grips do. I find it easy to grip and fun to write with. So, if you are a died in the cat fur Hello Kitty fan and want a nice functional collectible then go to JetPens.com and buy a set of the Pilot Hello Kitty Cap Limited Edition Hi-Tec-C gel pens today! Better hurry before they're all gone!

Many thanks to JetPens.com for the Hello Kitty pen for consideration in this review and for the use of the photos.










Edit 02/04/2009: I called the charm on the Hi-Tec-C "Charming Mouse" because that was who I was told was the name of the character. I have since been informed that the real name of the character is "Sugar, The Hamster". This tells you the shallowness of my knowledge about the long standing Hello Kitty phenomenon. If I offend any Hello Kitty fans, I humbly apologize. If I made you laugh, all the better. Just remember, I'm an old geezer!