Limited Edition Hello Kitty Pilot Hi-Tec-C

I was browsing the What's New section at JetPens today and saw these cool Pilot Hello Kitty Cap Limited Edition Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pens for sale.  I'm not a Hello Kitty fan, but many people are, and these just look fantastic:

Here is the description from JetPens:

In this winning combination, Pilot has combined two of Japan's most popular items, Hello Kitty and the Hi-Tec-C. A collection of nine adorable figurines adorn this limited-edition collection. The figurines include images of the standard Hello Kitty, Charmmy Kitty, as well as her charming mouse friend. Each set includes a RANDOM set of figurines, so what you receive will not necessarily match the picture displayed. The figurines on the caps can also be removed, so when you are done with this Hi-Tec-C you can always transfer Hello Kitty to your new Hi-Tec-C for another round of joyful writing.

Review: Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.28mm Lime Green

Sorry gang - you are going to have to put up with me fawning over another one of my Uni-Ball Signo DX's.  Memo to Pentel and Uni-Ball:  I need to build my own multi-pens out of Slicci's and Signo DX's.  See Coleto, Pilot Hi-Tec-C for reference.  I use way too many colors every day to keep popping caps off of pens and putting them back on all the time.  Give me a two or three cartridge barrel, lots of colors, and I'll go to town, as will I bet most readers of this blog.

Thank you, drive thru.

Oh yeah - the Lime Green DX 0.28mm is smokin' hot!

Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Mandarin Orange 0.3mm

The shade of orange this Pilot Hi-Tec-C Mandarin Orange lays down is awesome!  It is a very strong and sharp color, which I am getting a lot of use out of.  And it looks like the 0.3mm Hi-Tec-C's are my sweet spot - the perfect combination of line thickness and performance.

I did this review on Doane Paper, as opposed to the Moleskine Reporter notebook paper, which most of my past reviews are done on.  The Doane Paper is much smoother, and I have more room to do a few different things with the reviews.  I need to work on the lighting in my photographs a bit, but otherwise, I like it a lot, and I am thinking about doing the majority of my reviews on Doane Paper going forward.  What do you other pen addicts think about the possible new format?

Link: We Love School Supplies: Pens and Pencils

Sorry gang, this one just couldn't wait until my weekend Ink Links post.  The gang at Stickers and Donuts did an awesome job reviewing new supplies for the upcoming school year.  The Pentel Slicci is included, as are the Pilot FriXion and the Uni-Ball Signo, but you haven't lived until you have seen the Nerf Dart Blaster Toy Pen and the Connect Four Game Toy Pen.  If had those back when I was in school, I would have never graduated!

It's a great article, so go check it out now:  We Love School Supplies: Pens and Pencils

Updated Favorite Pens List

It is about time for me to update the sidebar with my current favorite pens.  Nothing has changed in the top three spots, but I'm moving the Pilot G-3 0.38mm into the four spot, and the Sharpie Pen into the five.  They replace the Zebra Sarasa 0.4mm and the Uni-Ball Signo RT 0.38mm, respectively.

Here is how the current top five stands:

1. Pentel Slicci 0.3mm
2. Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.4mm
3. Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.38mm
4. Pilot G-3 0.38mm
5. Sharpie Pen

I'm not sure how long the Sharpie Pen will be there though - I think these new Copic Multiliners I received may knock it off the list pretty quickly.

Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3mm Pompadour

Do I ever get tired of Pilot Hi-Tec-C pens?  I haven't yet, and actually, the more I buy, the more I want.  There are certain days at work when I use no less than five different colors or sizes, and that is just for general note taking.  I am always on the hunt for the perfect color, and while I like this Pompadour shade of blue, it's not my favorite.  What I do like is how the 0.3mm tip writes.  This is my first standard barrel 0.3mm (meaning not in a Coleto barrel), and I'm already on the prowl for more.

Ink Links

-- Essential portable tools for a writer  (Kinetic Writer)

-- Oh Sharpie Pen, how I love thee  (The Blah, Blah, Blahg)

-- Five Best Note-Taking Tools  (Lifehacker)

-- The Usual Suspects - Biffybeans on fountain pens  (Spiritual Evolution of the Bean)

-- Faber-Castell TK-Fine Executive Mechanical Pencil Review  (Dave's Mechanical Pencils)

-- Pentel Hyper-G review  (Cheap Pen Review)

-- Uni-ball Signo Premier 207 0.7 review  (The Pen Collector)

-- Review:  Pilot Petit1 Fountain Pen  (Amateur Economist)

-- The Pilot G2 lineup  (A Sibilant Intake of Breath)

-- New JetPens samples  (kwc.org)

-- Don't forget to join my new Flickr group  (I am a Pen Addict)

Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.4mm Soda Blue

I am really starting to like the variety of colors and widths available in the Pilot Hi-Tec-C line, so I am trying to add in a few different ones everytime I place an order with JetPens.  This time around, I went with the 0.4mm Soda Blue color.  The ink is really sharp and rather neat looking, and of course writes very well as all of the Hi-Tec-C pens tend to do.  More new colors here I come!

Review: Pilot G-3 Gel 0.38mm Blue

The Pilot G-3 is one of my all-time favorites, and I need to update my rankings on the sidebar accordingly.  I really can't find anything negative to say about this pen.  The ink flow is great and it is really comfortable.  I can use it for any situation on any type of paper and the performance is excellent.  If you want to make the foray into sub-0.5mm gel pens, then this would be a great starting point.

Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.4mm Utzuzumi Grey

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen - 0.4 mm - Yawaragi Colors - Utsuzumi Grey. Now that is a mouthful! Since the name is so long, I am going to just let JetPens describe what it means:

Pilot Japan has five Yawaragi (literally translated as being softened color) colors in their extensive Hi-Tec-C line. These beautiful, fine gel pens write in pastel colors with the same smoothness at the rest of the line. Great for works that need a lighter color touch.

Yawaragi colors include: 1 Sakura (Cherry Blossom), 1 Benifuji (Fuji-sunset red), 1 Utsuzumi (light-black calligraphy ink), 1 Bengara, and 1 Kurikawa (Chestnut).

The color translates to paper very nicely, with this grey ink looking similar to pencil lead. The standard Hi-Tec-C excellence applies, so if you are looking for some new colors, give the Yawaragi Colors a try.

JetPens Order April 2008

I just had a small-ish order this time, mainly wanting to purchase the super-cool Kokuyo NeoCritz Transformer Pencil Case:

Pilot BeGreen Precise V5 Roller Ball Pen - 0.5 mm - Black
Kokuyo NeoCritz Transformer Pencil Case - Blue
Sakura Gelly Roll Regular Gel Ink Pen - Fine Point - Black
Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.3 mm - Black
Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.3 mm - Blue
Pilot Drawing Pen - Pigment Ink - 005 - Black Ink
Pilot G-3 Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Black




More on the Kokuyo NeoCritz Transformer Pencil Case from JetPens.com.....



.....and also from the Super Limited Edition Blog.

Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Putimo

This is a great on-the-go pen for fans of the Hi-Tec-C who need a little more compact version. The Putimo comes out to about half the size of the regular Hi-Tec-C, while keeping the same barrel width and style. The lone addition the this pen is a removable loop you can use to attach to various things, such as a lanyard or clip. The tip is the same design and writes just as well as the full size model.

Too Much Coleto Fun!!!

I really can't get enough of these pens.

Review: Pilot Choose 0.5mm Black

This is a pretty cool pen. The tip is just a standard 0.5mm gel ink rollerball, but it writes very well, is very comfortable, and is very nice looking for such a simple design. The barrel is perfectly round and smooth, similar to the old standby Bic Round Stic ballpoint pen. JetPens.com carries all 12 colors in both 0.5mm and 0.7mm widths.

Review: Pilot FriXion Erasable Gel Ink Pen

I was very anxious to try out the Pilot FriXion, not because I thought it was going to be an awesome pen, but that I haven't used an erasable pen of any kind since I was in high school. (and there will be no mention of how long ago that was!) This pen is interesting to say the least - let's look at the pros and cons:

Pros:
- Great feel and design. This pen is very cool looking, and one of the better balanced pens in my hand. It is the right size, right diameter, and has a nice rubber grip.
- Good ink flow. I hate a pen that I have to stop and start writing with, or that leaves inconsistent width lines. No trouble from from this pen.

Cons:
- Ink color. Right out of the gate I didn't like it. The blue is too pale, almost as if it was a watercolor type ink. I only bought the blue pen, so I can't speak to the other colors.
- Eraser location. Completely annoying. I shouldn't have to remove the cap from the pen to get to the eraser. The cap looks like it could fit the eraser perfectly, so I'm not sure why it wasn't put there.
- The eraser itself. The main gimmick of this pen is barely passable. Maybe useful as a novelty, but not good enough for any length of time. It took to much effort to not erase completely, even causing me to dent the paper, which you can see in the image above.

Overall, I was pretty disappointed in this pen. I'll get some use out of it for fun, but that is about it.

I noticed over the weekend that the Super Limited Edition Blog had almost the exact same experience.

Pen Pics

I just posted the pictures from my latest order on Flickr - here are a few samples......

Updated Favorite Pens Ranking

I updated my favorite pen rankings on the sidebar to reflect what I am using and enjoying the most these days. All of the entries are linked to the post where I review the pen. After repeated use of both the Uni-Ball Signo DX and the Zebra Sarasa Clip, I have jumped them both from off the list to into the top five. They replaced the Pilot G-2 0.38 and the Pilot Precise V5 RT.

I Heart JetPens

My latest order should be in sometime later this week. Here is what I am eagerly anticipating:

1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Putimo Gel Ink Pen - 0.4 mm - Black
1 x Pilot FriXion Erasable Gel Ink Pen - 0.5 mm - Blue
1 x Pilot Choose Gel Ink Pen - 0.5 mm - Black
1 x Pentel Sunburst Gel Ink Pen - 0.3 mm - Blue
1 x Uni-ball Signo Bit UM-201 Pen - 0.18 mm - Black
1 x Zebra Sarasa Clip Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 3 Color Multi Pen - Pen Body - Blue
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.3 mm - Aqua Blue
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.3 mm - Apple Green
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.3 mm - Baby Pink
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 3 Color Multi Pen - Pen Body - Clear
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.4 mm - Aqua Blue

I am anxious to try out Pilot FriXion Erasable Gel Ink Pen, as well as the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Putimo, although I imagine it is the same as the other 0.4mm Hi-Tec-C pens, only smaller. I am also reworking my Coleto barrels, switching out my 2-cartridge models for the 3-cartridge. I like the size and the rubber grip on the 3-cartridge version much better.

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Putimo

New at JetPens.com - how cool are these? I was just thinking about placing a new order, so I will be sure to pick some up.

Review: More Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto's

See all sizes of this photo on Flickr.

Sorry I have been so slack recently! I ordered some new two-cartridge Coleto's in my latest JetPens order, so I figured it was time for a peek. I really like how the Coleto ink cartridges write better that the regular Hi-Tec-C models. The only reason I can find is that the needle tip on the regular models is slightly longer than the Coleto models, and therefore has a little flex when I write. The Coleto cartridges don't seem to clog as much either. Oh well, maybe it's just me.