This is a pen that is long overdue for review. Given how many I own and how popular it is, I'm not sure why I haven't already reviewed it! In this post, I'll be reviewing the
Pilot Hi-Tec-C in 0.3 mm.
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| Top to bottom: Mauve, yellow ochre, venet, khaki brown. A simply designed pen. |
This pen is one that a lot of Japanese stationery lovers (in other words, JetPens fans) are familiar with already. What others (and haters) probably wonder is, what's so great about this pen?
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| Easy color identification. |
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| And easy tip size identification! |
The pen's design is very simple and straight forward. It has a hexagonal clear plastic barrel and a clear cap. The pen can be posted and the cap is very snug both posted and closed. The tip of the cap and the end plug are color matched to the ink, a feature I find very useful. Especially when one has many
Hi-Tec-Cs...The color plug in the cap also is labelled with the nib size, which is very convenient, given that you can get multiple nib sizes in the same color! I love the clear barrel because I can see how much ink is left in the pen. I don't care much for the body besides it being clear. It's not outstanding and it's not that comfortable to hold.
There is no real grip to speak of. The area where a grip would normally be placed is ridged in rings. Some people love this, some people hate it, some are indifferent. To me, I think it's more useful than no grip at all, so I won't complain much. It could certainly be softer though.
The part about the pen that I enjoy is the ink and the writing experience. Even the micro tip 0.3mm can write smoothly and consistently. It is certainly a sharper writing experience than when you pull out a gel pen with a 0.7mm tip (like a
Uni-ball Signo RT 0.7mm, for example). But surely, you don't purchase a 0.3mm pen with the expectations of a butter tip!
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| That's a tiny tip, yessir. |
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| Top to bottom: a 0.3mm tip, a 0.4mm tip, and a 0.5mm tip. |
The 0.3mm micro tips are fabulous for intricate details, tiny lines, and crisp, precise writing. I prefer writing on normal paper, not glossy/coated papers or papers that are fibrous/textured. This is because the tip is so thin that it can scratch up fibers, and stop ink flow. Normal paper works best for me - like the
Leuchtturm 1917 notebook. I have found the
Pilot Hi-Tec-C in 0.3 mm is less scratchy than the
Pentel Slicci in 0.25mm but that's just my opinion.
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| Seriously. Look at the detail on that. |
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| MAMA MIA! |
I have had some of my 0.3 mm Hi-Tec-Cs in my pen cup since 2010. Some have been sitting horizontally, some vertically, some a combination of the two over time. I began to worry that they would dry out and stop writing sometime last year. Surprisingly, they all still write. For the ones that have never been used, it only takes a few scribbles to get them going, and then they write as though they're brand new. For the ones who have been used before but were then shelved for a little while - same thing - they write perfectly once I scribble a wee bit. And having to "get the ink going" is not abnormal. And the fact that these pens have been shelved for two years but still write like they're new is pretty awesome and impressive. And a relief for me, because I have like...thirty Hi-Tec-Cs. At least. And the ink lasts a good long while for normal use.
Things To Think About
Obviously, the tip is tiny. If you are a heavy handed writer, you will have to be careful and make conscious effort not to write too hard or press too hard because you can certainly bend the tip. The tip is a thin needlepoint type (still a rollerball, just very skinny), not a tapered rollerball type like that of the
Uni-ball Signo DX micro tips (which tend to be sturdier).
Some people have raised the issue of getting the pen to start writing. I don't doubt that this could be a problem but it's never happened to me. A few scribbles and mine always work. I bought these pens expecting I would need to get them started for writing and this doesn't bother me.
Other Great Reviews
A Penchant for Paper
The Pen Addict
Gourmet Pens compares Uni-ball Signo DX to Pilot-Hi-Tec-C
Price
JetPens - $3.30
Overall
The
Pilot Hi-Tec-C in 0.3 mm is a pretty classic pen. If you are totally unfamiliar with micro tips, or you are a heavy handed writer, you may want to think about a different micro tip pen (for example, the
Uni-ball Signo DX micro tips). If you only like really smooth, wet, buttery pens, this pen is not for you. If you are comfortable with writing with fine tips, or you want
outstanding precision lines, or you just love the array of
colors, I highly recommend the
Pilot Hi-Tec-C in 0.3 mm. In fact, what initially won me over and made me order these was the array of colors because no other micro tips come close to this rainbow!
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