Disappointed With The Uni-Ball Jetstream

[torstar]

 

As far as I know Jetstream is hybrid ballpoint.

http://www.jetpens.com/blog/uni-jetstream-a-comprehensive-guide/pt/758

 

 

That sounds quite adequate to describe it. I said rollerball-type...

 

i'm a lefty and use the Jetstream sitting up or lying down all the time without an interruption to the flow, or a telltale blue/black inkstain on the side of my hand.

[chbla]

I've tested a blue 1.0 jetstream now - it's much better. This is interesting because penaddict.com writes to better stay away from the 1.0 version.

The 1.0 doesn't have these ink bubble issues.

 

I think I will try some other refills as well..

 

 

For the jetstream refills I might get a TI2 Techliner, it looks very nice and seems to be quite good.

[torstar]

Maybe they wanted to keep them all to themselves...

 

i always try to write with bold ball and roller and gel pens, cheap and expensive.

[torstar]

My personal motto is.... If I can't see the ink level on a gel or roller, I'm going to feel this was a ripoff....

[derevaun]

Maybe Jetstream ink is optimized for finer lines? I use them in in .5 and .38 and love them. Granted, I privilege smooth writing over consistent line (as long as it doesn't skip). And I write on whatever paper the situation requires. When I have something that need to be written, I really haven't found anything better. But maybe the bolder pens are more troublesome. Also I get most of mine from Jetpens or similar, rather than from office stores or Amazon.

 

Pentel Vicuna is available more often in .7 than the finer lines. You might give that a compare. Good luck!

[chbla]

I've compared the jetstream 0.7 and 1.0 now - I have to say the 1.0 is much better (although some reviews suggested the opposite).

The 0.7 feels scratchy and has those ink blobs. The 1.0 is very smooth.

 

I'll give the 0.5 a try as well

[Aquaria]

I've used Jetstreams from the .38 to the 1.0. The .38 and .5 tended to write more consistently for me, and they definitely lasted longer than the .7 or the 1.0 pens.

 

I've also seen a marked quality difference between what Amazon sells, and what Jetpens or Tokyo Pen Shop sells. The ones from the latter two are almost always better in quality and performance than those I get from Amazon.

 

Both Jetpens and Tokyo Pen Shop seem to source a good deal of their inventory directly from Japan, while Amazon gets theirs primarily through Uni's Sanford imprint here in the States. Maybe the Japanese versions are simply better than the ones made for the US market. Or maybe Amazon buys older stock, or buys in such quantities that it sits on the shelf longer, and that contributes to pens not performing up to par. Not sure which it is, but I do know that I get a better experience when I buy Jetstreams from the smaller sellers.

[chbla]

I noticed that the blue ink versions are much better than the black ones, that's quite interesting. The blue 1.0mm is currently my favourite.

[torstar]

I noticed that the blue ink versions are much better than the black ones, that's quite interesting. The blue 1.0mm is currently my favourite.

 

Yup, blue is all I've used for a long time.

 

Good to see you found it works out, I can't horde the whole cache for myself...

[Papermate]

You might also try the Pilot Metro ballpoint, now available here in the U.S. as part of the MR series. It comes with a standard black Pilot BRFN-10M refill which is pretty good by today's standards, but I replace mine with Pilot's better BRFN-30 with a fine point. I use blue ink for signatures, and this ink has just a hint of purple to it. It is a hybrid blend also. The MR ballpoint was formally sold in Japan as the "Cocoon" series. I've been using them without problems for about 3 years.