The Frixion 3-Colors Slim came with the standard red, blue and black erasable gel refills. Being spoiled by the endless variations in color in fountain pen ink, I get really pouty if I have to use “boring, standard” colors in any writing tool. So, I was delighted that many alternate color refills were available for the Frixion multi-pen (individual refills start at $2.30).

I tested the Frixion pen and inks on two paper types: a standard big box store composition notebook and my fancier Tomoe River as well.

I’m really happy with upgraded ink colors though it did make the multi-pen exponentially more expensive than using the stock inks. I did not find a Frixion multi-pen option that came empty though so if you are hoping to upgrade the ink colors in the Frixion multi-pen the final price will come in at about $15USD. While the refills might fit into a different multi-pen body, the “frixion”-specific multi-pen bodies are the only ones that include the built-in eraser. It is possible to get a stand alone Frixion eraser ($1.65) if you want to mix it up.

On the very porous composition book paper, the Frixion eraser erased adequately. It was a lot of ink converage and probably not the same as erasing a couple words of text so, depending on your paper YMMV.

Next up is the Tomoe River paper. Overall, the Frixion multi-pen performed similar but there was a noticeably longer dry time for the ink on Tomoe River.

The color and line weights all looked similar on the TR paper and the ink erased quite easily. I would even say that it erased better and more completely than on the composition book.

Overall, the Frixion multi-pen is a lot of fun and the erasability is a really great feature that I always forget how delightful it is to be able to erase ink.

Other sizes and configurations are also available with 2- to 4-color components. See the full collection here.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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In case you missed it, Part 1 of Multi Madness included three multi pens with unique components. This review includes four multis with ink and graphite components: the Bic 4-Color 3 + 1, the Uni Jetstream 4&1, the Zebra Sarasa Multi 4 Color and the Zebra Clip-on 1000S 4 Color.

My fondness for multi pens goes way back. My first was the Bic 4-Color Pen, the now-iconic multi pen that was introduced in 1970 by French entrepreneur Marcel Bich. It seems basic now, but as a teen, I thought it was the coolest thing ever to have four ink colors in one compact pen. I could write a diary entry in blue or black, then emphasize certain passages with swirly hearts and flowers in red and green! Beyond nostalgic value, the ubiquitous Bic still contains the oily, (and unfortunately) blobby ink that I find to be the ideal ballpoint ink for drawing. The color range has expanded, too.

A while back, a different Bic 4-Color came to my attention: the 4-Color 3 + 1 (about $6). Actually, it has only three ink colors (I don’t miss green), and the fourth component is a mechanical pencil. In general, I’m not a fan of drawing with mechanical pencils, but having a graphite option with my beloved Bic ink does make this Swiss army knife of drawing tools more versatile.

As soon as I got it, I noticed a difference. The body shape is slightly different from the classic 4-Color, and – more significantly – the mechanism of the slidey levers is much smoother and operates better. While most Bic 4-Colors are made in France, reading the fine print on the packaging revealed that the model with the graphite component is made in Japan. To my relief, the ink remains the same Bic ink.

The pencil unit includes 0.7mm lead instead of the more typical 0.5mm lead in other multi pens. I have a heavy-handed habit of snapping most 0.5mm leads, so this was good news to me; I prefer 0.7mm for both writing and drawing. To my mind, nostalgically and practically, the Bic will always be the ballpoint multi pen to beat.

And let’s face it: In most ways, it’s not hard to beat the Bic. The other three multis in this review all have smoother, more vibrant inks than the Bic, and the bodies are generally better, too. They all write and erase competently, as you’d expect from Uni and Zebra, so most of my comparisons are about the bodies. Below are scribble and erasing samples made in a Plumchester sketchbook, which has a smooth surface. Erasing was done with the attached eraser.

When I first got one several years ago, the Uni Jetstream 4&1 ($11.75) instantly became a daily-carry. With Uni’s smooth black, blue, red and green ballpoint inks plus a 0.5mm mechanical pencil, it’s a reliable quick jotter. The plastic body has a metallic sheen like anodized aluminum, and the rubberized grip is comfy. The selector buttons are a bit springy when they snap back, but they engage securely and easily. 

For writing, Jetstream ink is leaps and bounds better than Bic. Unfortunately for me, that “revolutionary low-viscosity Jetstream ink” that is so wonderful to write with just doesn’t have the same subtle build-up for drawing as Bic’s viscous formula. 

Still, there are many more ink + mechanical pencil multi pens to try, and try more I did. Zebra Sarasa gel pens in all styles have long been favorites, so the Zebra Sarasa Multi 4 Color ($7.50) was a natural choice. You can’t beat gel for lots of colors and sizes to choose from. (I’m still deciding which colors to swap out for the basic 0.5mm black, blue, red and green it comes with.) 

The Sarasa’s trademark squeezy clip is also the lever for the 0.5mm mechanical pencil. I don’t use pen clips, so it doesn’t bother me, but I wonder if the motion of clipping it to a pocket could inadvertently select the lead. More bothersome to me, however, is that the ink selector levers are nearly flush with the pen body, making them more difficult to push, and they don’t always engage. Springy and bouncy like the Jetstream’s levers, they are probably a joy for people who like to fidget with things.

Speaking of fidgeting, when no components are selected, the Sarasa’s top button (which covers the eraser) bounces up and down simultaneously with all five selector levers with no apparent function. However, when the mechanical pencil unit is already engaged, then the top button’s function is to extend more lead. This is a bit counterintuitive, as on most other multi pens, pushing further on the mechanical pencil selector is what exposes more lead. However, that functionless bouncing would also be fun for fidgeters.

The Zebra multi pen that I prefer to the Sarasa is the Clip-on 1000S 4 Color ($12.50). Without a fidgety top and with selection levers that are easier to push and engage, this multi contains four 0.7mm ballpoint inks plus a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. Ink refills are also available in 0.5mm and 0.4mm. 

Like the other Zebra, its squeezy clip has the additional purpose of selecting the graphite component. Unlike the other Zebra, however, pushing the clip further extends more lead. Both Zebra models use the same graphite refills. I’ll probably switch mine out to 0.7mm (you can also choose the 0.3mm size).

Of the four bodies in this review, I think the Uni Jetstream’s anodized aluminum look is the nicest, and it also has the most solid feel and easiest-to-engage slidey levers. The Zebra 1000S Clip-on is a close second. 

As a ballpoint sketcher, I couldn’t resist ending the review by comparing the three ballpoint inks side by side. In the sketch of my hand, the black ink is Bic, the red is Zebra, and the blue is Uni Jetstream. It probably isn’t apparent in the sketch, but I was surprised to find that the Zebra’s ballpoint ink felt close to Bic in its ability to layer gradually (similar to graphite). Jetstream is the least satisfying in that way; it lays down a smooth, solid line every time, making it beautiful to write with but not necessarily to draw with. I’m encouraged to draw more now with the Zebra 1000S – an excellent, all-in-one jotting/drawing tool.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. And some items in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.Please see the About page for more details.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

The post Multi Pen Review: Multi Madness, Part 2 appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Ana is not the only one who has a thing for multi pens! I’ve acquired more than my share over the years. For this review, I picked out a few with unique or noteworthy features: The Pilot Hi-Tec C Coleto 1000 ($13.50 for body; $4.50 for eraser component; $3 for graphite component; $1.80 for gel pen component), the Pilot Acroball Spotlighter 3 Color Ballpoint Pen + Highlighter ($9.75), and the Uni Color 3 Multi Mechanical Pencil ($8.25). (In Part 2, I’ll compare several other multi pens with more conventional ink/graphite components.)

The Pilot Hi-Tech C Coleto, the only customizable multi pen in this review, is nearly mind-boggling in its potential versatility. I was kind of scared to look through all the possibilities – 72 gel pen, pencil and eraser components compatible with its four available slots! (Don’t even get me started on the Uni Style Fit Meister, which has 214 components!) I stayed up a little too late choosing my refills (violet and green 0.5mm gel, 0.5 mm pencil and eraser). The body is a smooth, metallic-colored plastic with a shape that’s comfortable to hold, although the surface can be a bit slippery.

The refills are easy to place into the body. The hinged top flips open, and a component slides into each chamber. (It’s only tricky if you try to put one in backwards as I did! The tab must face out.) It’s fascinating to see all the hingey, springy parts on the components that make the multi pen operate smoothly. The selector tabs push down flawlessly and stay engaged in use until released by slightly pushing another tab. The larger tabs on the eraser and pencil units enable easy loading of additional eraser or lead by pushing repeatedly.

One reason I chose the Coleto is for its eraser unit. While most multi pens with a pencil unit include a refillable eraser at the top, the Coleto is the only one I found with a conveniently retractable eraser – and it’s just about the same diameter as my favorite Tombow Mono Zero. Although it doesn’t erase quite as well as the Zero, it’s still a very good eraser. I like that the eraser itself is refillable. Similarly, the mechanical pencil unit can be refilled with any 0.5 mm leads. The gel pen units are competent and come in oodles of colors. My only wish is that they were available in 0.7 mm, my favorite writing size. (All scribble swatches made in a Col-o-Ring Oversize notebook.)

Another Pilot, the Acroball Spotliter is unique in a different way: In addition to three 0.7mm ballpoint pen units (black, blue and red inks), this multi pen comes with a highlighter in either pink or yellow at the top. I was pleased that it came with 0.7mm ballpoints, and the ink doesn’t smear when highlighted. The highlighter can be refilled along with the ink units.

I like the grippy rubberized body, which is comfortable to hold and use. It’s fun to look through the translucent barrel and watch the inner mechanism move when a color is selected. (I admit, one reason I love multi pens is being able to see their intricate mechanical parts.)

I have some quibbles, however. To select an ink color, the barrel must be twisted, and a small colored line indicates which color you have chosen (a ring on the pen tip also indicates the ink color). However, the barrel goes only so far, and then it must be reversed. When I get to the stopping point, I always want to keep going in the same direction. My preference is retractable tabs as on the Coleto.

A second quibble is the cap over the highlighter. Intuitively, I want to pull off the cap, but when I do, the whole highlighter unit comes off, revealing the chamber for refilling the pen components. To open the highlighter, the cap must be twisted off. Maybe from a lifetime of pulling caps off highlighters, this twisting motion is not at all intuitive to me.

The third multi pen in this review is not a pen at all – it’s the Uni Color 3 multi pencil. It comes with 0.5 mm Uni NanoDia Color Erasable leads in red, blue and orange. When the top cap is removed, a refillable eraser is revealed. The translucent barrel makes it easy to see which color is being selected.

I didn’t have high expectations of coloring with these leads, but I made a valiant effort at sketching a peach anyway (I used a smooth Stillman & Birn Epsilon sketchbook). Although all three colors are pale by colored pencil standards, the orange is especially light. Adequate for writing, the red and blue would be a handy alternative to a woodcased bicolor pencil. All three colors do erase well with the attached eraser.

Of the three (and of most multi pens I’ve tried), the Uni’s body feels the least sturdy. Although the sliding selector mechanisms are smooth, they feel bouncy instead of secure when pushed. Although a fully detachable cap over the eraser seems standard for multi pens and pencils, I wish more could be hinged like the Coleto’s. I’m certain that I’ll lose that tiny cap.

The Uni 3 is one of few multi mechanical pencils I know of. Since the components will accommodate any 0.5 mm leads, here’s what I might do: Fill the three units with H, 2B and 4B graphite leads (Pentel Ain Stein and Pilot Neox are some good ones). That would make the Uni 3 a handy and compact writing/drawing multi – and with a decent eraser, too.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

The post Multi Pen Review: Multi Madness, Part 1 appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The other reason I like multipens is that when I run out of ink, I can just replace the refill, not the whole pen. So, like my fountain pen habit, I like the reusability.

I have three Japanese multipens to discuss:

• Pilot Hi-Tec C Coleto 4 ($3.55 for 4-refill body, $1.80 for pen refill, $3 for pencil, $4.50 for eraser)
• Zebra Sarasa Select($4.20 for body, $1.95 for pen refills, $3 for pencil)
• Pentel i+ ($2.55 for body, $1.65 per pen refill, $3 for pencil)

I thought I had at least one Uni Style Fit but I couldn’t find it. And the final pen is the very upscale Lamy 2000 multipen ($79.20).

The Pilot Hi-Tec C Coleto 4

The Pilot Hi-Tec C Coleto is a wide 4-refill plastic barrel. The end is translucent to see the moving components and check the ink levels of the refills.

The top of the pen barrel hinges open and the refills are slid down into the spring-loaded channels. The plastic knobs that stick out from each refill become the knock mechanism that is pushed down in the channel to reveal the tip at the other end. To retract, just pull down on any other refill and the exposed refill will spring back up. If you continue to push on it, the newly selected refill will click into place. I find it a bit easier to retract one refill before pushing down to reveal the next. (The other Japanese multipens work similarly once a refill is installed).

As is apparent from the name, the Coleto uses Hi-Tec C gel ink in its pen refills ranging in size from 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5. There are also metallic, pastel and fluorescent colors available.  I tend to have less issues with ink drying out in the Coleto than I’ve had in the regular single-use Hi-Tec C pens so, of all the Hi-Tec C products, the Coleto multipen is one of my favorites.

The Zebra Sarasa Select

The Zebra Sarasa Select is available in 3-refill or 5-refill options. The Select is a slim design but the color options definitely skew a bit more … flamboyant? The plastic barrels are printed with shimmer metallic paint in bright reds, pinks or white (shown here)  which gold metallic vine around the uppermost window through which to see the refill status.  This pen also does not include a clip.

Not to throw gender into the mix but I’m going to assume that a clipless multipen in pinks, corals and pearl were probably designed to appeal more to women. I know not all women like these colors but most women I know don’t clip pens into their shirt pockets. As such, I recommend that the Select line continue but that Zebra introduce some other colors: plum, forest green, a deep teal?

If this design is not as understated as you would prefer, I recommend looking at the standard Zebra Sarasa multipen line. The same refill options are available but the color range is a bit more varied and models with clips are available.

The Sarasa Select opens at the grip section (like the Pentel i+ shown below) and the refills are slotted into holes in the top of the barrel. There is one knock that is bigger and translucent that is designated for a pencil refill should you choose to use one. This is the only slot to put a mechanical pencil refill since its the only knock that still sticks out after its depressed down so that its possible to advance pencil lead.

The Zebra Sarasa multipens use Zebra Sarasa gel ink and there are few gel pen fans I’ve met who do not find the Sarasa to be one of the nicest writing gel inks. With the Sarasa multipen, there are gel refills in sizes 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5, Surari ballpoint pen refills, pencil refills. There are also five metallic gel colors available.  The addition of the ballpoint refill (should you need to fill out forms or need ink that stands up to lots of surfaces) makes the Sarasa multipen a great option for someone needing a gel pen, ballpoint pen and a pencil all in one barrel.

The Pentel i+ (Slicci compatible)

The Pentel i+ series, despite the vague name, is one of my favorite multipens. I love the Pentel Slicci refills but the single-use pens are very narrow and are becoming harder and harder to find. The bright, glossy plastic barrel (available in a variety of non-gender biased colors) allow most people to find a barrel color that appeals to them. I love the bright yellow-green myself (I know, big surprise.). The glossy white or black put all the focus on the clear grip area where ink levels and color selection can be viewed.

The i+ designs allows for pencil, gel pen and Vicuna ballpoint refills to be used. Gel pen refills are available in 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5mm. The Slicci gel refills are not available in any metallic inks at present.

The clip is streamlined and acts as one of the knock mechanisms. When adding a pencil component, its recommended to add it in the slot activated by the clip since, like the Sarasa Select, the other knock mechanisms slide flush with the body when depressed.

Aesthetically, the Pentel i+ is pleasantly understated. It offers an array of refill options though not as many as the PIlot Hi-Tec C. The refills for the Pentel i+ are slightly less expensive overall though making this multipen a great option for someone looking for variety on a budget.

Comparing refills:

While I have not attempted hacking one refill to fit into another multipen, the size and shapes of all three multipen refills are relatively similar. The plastic caps in the end of the Hi-Tec C Coleto refills can be popped out easily and the refills have been modified to fit other pens so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that, with some trimming, these refills might be somewhat interchangeable in some pen bodies. THIS HAS NOT BEEN TESTED. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

The Lamy 2000 Multipen

Finally, the Lamy 2000 is both in a class by itself and comparable to the previously mentioned Japanese multipens. Pricewise, I could rebuy all three multipens and the necessary refills twice and probably just reach the price of the Lamy 2000 multipen, it’s also the most durable, solid-feeling pen in the lot. As it should be. It’s metal, not plastic. Fancy brushed metal finish to boot.

The seam in the grip area where the Lamy 2000 is unscrewed is virtually invisible creating a smooth, uninterrupted design. Why is that seam not where the silver meets the black metal? Good question. I have no answer. I suspect being further back on the barrel makes it easier to align the refills with the holes inside the pen and align with the color tabs ringed just under the clip.

Inserting the refills take a bit more force than with the plastic Japanese pens but once the refills are in place, the colors are selected by simply turning the pen  so the color you’ve selected is facing upwards and pushing the knock down. It’s kind of magical.

While Lamy insists on its own proprietary refills, a standard D1 refill fits into the Lamy 2ooo easily. In fact, the first thing I did was swap out the stock refills with Zebra D1 gel refills. Because of the red, green, blue, black color marks and the limited variety of colors available in D1 gel ink (or any D1 style refill) the Lamy 2000 doesn’t have the option for lots of different color refills or swapping in a pencil component. So, what you get in design and durability you lose in options.

Writing Samples:

All the gel inks perform as anticipated. For an in-depth analysis on standard black gel ink, check out our previous post. The performance, legibility and usefulness of the wide variety of colored gel ink is largely a matter of preference. Lighter colors tend to work better in wider tip sizes than the extra, extra fine tips I tend to gravitate towards.

Above is a close-up of the eraser component in action in the Hi-Tec C Coleto model. It wouldn’t be useful for covering large areas but it’s great for erasing a letter or a bit of detail from a drawing.

Above is a close-up of the metallic gold (0.5mm) refill in the Zebra Sarasa Select. When placed properly in the slots, the point size will be visible in the clear grip area of the pen body.

So, what should you glean from this post?

If you haven’t tried a multipen yet, there is one out there for you. If you are looking for the largest selection of gel ink colors, I recommend the Hi-Tec C Coleto. If you want to be able to have a ballpoint refill as well as gel ink and maybe a pencil, then go with the Pentel i+ or Zebra Sarasa Select (or regular multipen). If cost is not an issue and you just want some standard colors, then the Lamy 2000 multipen is a solid choice.

Why should you trust me?

This is a photo of my box of pen refills. I have an equally large box of pencil refills. There’s a reason everyone messages me with refill questions.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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