Review: Uni-ball Vision Exact 0.7mm Fine Blue

This is a review of the Uni-ball Vision Exact Fine pen in blue.

Features (from Uni-ball)
    Needle point for precise writing
    Comfortable grip
    uni Super Ink™ specially formulated to prevent check fraud

Comes in a range of colours: blue, purple, orange, red, green, blue, purple, pink, and black.
Point sizes: 0.7mm (fine) and 0.5mm (micro)

During another one of my bored-with-my-life-pen-hunting-trips at the Paper Place, I found a pen I had never tried before (hard to believe, right?). In fact, I’d never even seen it before. I popped the cap off to try it out and fell in love instantly. That’s right folks. Right there in public, in the store, I fell inappropriately in love with this pen, so it went home with me that afternoon.

The body is aesthetically appealing. From cap to end, it’s divided into sections of pattern or solid colour that’s quite complementary to one another. The cap is rather small and is a more solid, intense version of the color of the blue ink. The tip of the cap has clear plastic with a hole in the middle. The end is a matching color to the cap.

Some may object to the small size of the cap but I think it’s quite cute and snaps on comfortably. When the cap is on the back of the pen, it doesn’t change the weight much when writing because it’s so small but it’s just the right amount to lean some weight on the back. Great for pen spinning.

The clip is a generic metal clip but it bends easily and can hold on to quite a bit of papers. The grip is rubberized and surrounds the ink feed inside. It has little dots in a pattern that helps make it more interesting! I like this grip - I usually prefer softer grips and this one is quite firm. It looks really cool though and is comfortable to hold. The rest of the body is uniformly dotted with little silver squares. It’s not labelled with a sticker so it can’t peel off over time of us. It’s a pen that will look nice for a long time, possibly even until it’s empty! This section is also translucent so you can see your ink level (something I love).

The needle-point is awesome. It’s never skipped. Lines always come out rich and clean but not very fine as the pen suggests, regardless of what paper I’m writing on (yes, even crappy paper). And, it's not so sharp that it scratches paper and collects fibers.

Obviously it looks way better on premium paper, but for office work, it’ll be great. Doesn’t bleed on premium paper but because it’s liquid ink, it would be wise to test cheaper paper for bleed through if you’re worried about it. I didn’t have any bleed through on Moleskine paper (yes... I am calling Moleskine cheaper paper) when I wrote quickly. Once I started doubling over my lines or colouring in spots, the ink soaked through a bit.

In Rhodia Reverse book

In Quo Vadis Habana with bright white Clairefontaine paper

I love the ink. Not only is it Super Ink™ (which is supposed to become trapped in the paper to help prevent check washing and document alteration. Good for signing checks and stuff like that), it’s a unique blue. It’s almost a dark powdery blue and I loved it when I first tried it. It’s not “just another blue pen”, it’s one that you can justify because it’s a unique blue!

Unfortunately, this pen is a little bit pricy and isn’t refillable so of course you have to replace the entire thing when it runs out. That’s a shame though I guess I can’t imagine how it would be easily refillable anyway. If your office supplies them, lucky you!!

Other reviews that may roast your toast:

The Pen Bin

Price

Paper Place - $3.15
Office Depot - $25.99 for 12

Overall

Yet another great pen by Uni-ball, though a wee bit pricy. I absolutely recommend this pen to anyone who wants a nice looking pen for work, school, or just for fun. It's a great ink color, and is comfortable to hold and write with. Do not lend it out. It will be stolen. And you may be forced to commit a crime to recover it.