I have come to the conclusion that I have been a bit of a stick in the mud when writing letters & cards. I was about to send seasons greetings to the neighbours, happened to have a red Uni-Ball Jetstream SXN-210 close by & decided to change the habit of a lifetime. A retractable rollerball with a 1.0mm tungsten carbide ball it is hard wearing & writes a smooth 0.45mm line. These pens are available in 8 different colours, including violet, orange & green.
Performance
This was a very smooth writer, it moved across the page with so much ease I didn’t want to stop. If I hadn’t known otherwise I may have thought I was using a ballpoint as the ink was dry before it reached the paper, maybe that’s due to the super ink, whatever the reason it would certainly be on my hit list if I were left-handed as it’s sure to be smudge & smear resistant. It has the added benefit of being waterproof & fade resistant. I’ve mentioned before my preference for a medium nib, I usually go for a 0.7, although this is 1.0 the text didn’t look as bulky as I had imagined somehow it managed a fine bold look, if that makes sense!
Appearance
First impressions were that this pen was tough, that it could stand up to the most heavy handed users around. I imagined it taking pride of place on desks in those makeshift portakabin offices on building & construction sites.
The black rubberised barrel has a soft grip area which meets a bright silver coloured nib housing. A section around the retractable button is colour coded to the ink, there is also a small coloured circle that sits neatly on the push button itself, this also identifies the colour.
Conclusion
A practical pen that makes writing effortless. The Uni-Ball Jetstream is not the cheapest on the market but neither is it expensive for what I consider to be the type of pen that could stand the test of time & see you through thick & thin. Oh I forgot to mention it’s also refillable.
