Gel Pens

[Mech-for-i]

5 hours ago, AceNinja said:

May I ask, what's the different between Uniball Signo 307 and Uniball One?  I'm not talking about the pen body, i'm asking about the refill that they use, the ink.  I've been looking into these because I'm searching for a nice refill to slightly mod it to fit in my Retro51.

 

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They update the ink for all the ONE series , they yield blacker black , and they claim better various property ..

[The Elevator]

On 2/27/2023 at 1:15 AM, AceNinja said:

different between Uniball Signo 307 and Uniball One

I have all the pens described above, and can confirm that the UMR-05S is the same form factor as the rest of the Uni UMR-8# series. 

 

As for differences, The 307 Uses cellulose nanofibers to improve flow, so even smaller point sizes like 0.5 or 0.38 seem inkier than their sister 207s or Signo RT1s. 

 

My personal favourite in the Uniball Signo lineup is either the UMR-85N or the UMR-85E. With the exception of plastic-coated papers, the 85E has a faster drying time and seems to write more smoothly, but the 85N comes in my favourite teal-shaded blue-black color. I have not yet actually opened and written with my Uni-ball One yet, so I cannot say whether it is any better.

 

I will note that Mitsubishi/Uni did not advertise their water-proof-fade-proof-fraud-proof Super Ink on the Uniball One upon its first launch in 2020. (If I recall correctly). HOWEVER, They currently advertise that all their pens feature inks with these characteristics. The Uniball One ink is specifically formulated to sit on top of paper, in order to increase color density and prevent the paper form diluting it. Compare that to the 207 series, which is specifically formulated to permanently bind with the top layer of paper, in order to maintain superior water-resistance and fraud-resistance. My intuition tells me that the Uniball One ink will not be AS water resistant as the 207, but should still be excellent compared to dye-based inks like the EnerGel and a non-archival versions of the Pilot G2. (Did you know—Pilot only advertises archival ink for Black and Blue)

[AceNinja]

On 3/1/2023 at 12:25 AM, The Elevator said:

I have all the pens described above, and can confirm that the UMR-05S is the same form factor as the rest of the Uni UMR-8# series. 

@The Elevator thanks for the detailed explanation and confirmation that UMR-05S is in the same form factor as the rest of UMR-8x series.  Now its time to get some of those refills to play around.

[The Elevator]

@AceNinja You’re welcome, and best wishes.  Let me know what the Uniball One feels like to write with.

[mr T.]

In my opinion gel pens and refills are in general a waste of money and create lot's of unneccesary disposable waste. Gel refills/pens don't last very long compared to oil based refills/pens and are also damaged easily. Using gel refill/pen on cheap office paper of paper with (dried) correction fluid often means a clogged tungsten ball and no more writing with the pen or refill (and another piece of disposable waste). Did in the past use Parker Quink gel refills and  Pilot gel pens that all had these issues. Ballpoints like the Bic Cristal or Bic M10 with oil based ink are cheaper, less wastefull and more reliable.

[InkHead]

I have to say the uniball 207 Plus + is probably my favorite gel pen out of the few I've tried. They use the same ink as the 307, but are branded differently because the 307's didn't catch on in the US like they did in Japan if I'm not mistaken. Very smooth and consistent writers they are. I love my energel but the line isn't always consistent in width, and my only experience with Zebra is a Sarasa Dry X20 that has had some issues with skipping. I used G2's all through high school and have a definite soft spot for them, though I admit they aren't the best when it comes to smooth writing and quick drying ink.