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uni style fit meister review

Yesterday I tested out the new multi-pens I ordered from StationeryArt.com a week ago which just arrived (shipped from Hong Kong).

I purchased the Uni Style Fit Meister 3 in 1 multi-pen and the 5 in 1 version. Both in pink (I'm surprised at myself too!) to match my A5 Finsbury.

When I unwrapped and picked up the 3-in-1 I remembered that I don't like metallic pens - they don't have a good grip and feels like they are forever slipping while you're writing.

Luckily, although the 3 in 1 has a metallic barrel, the 5 in 1 has a plastic one. I had originally ordered the 3 in 1 to store my staple colours, (red, black and blue) whilst the 5 in 1 was for the fun colours together with the mechanical pencil.

However, if the metallic barrel keeps slipping in my grip, I may need to re-organise the colours and use the plastic one as my main instead.


I sometimes handwrite the draft of my blog entries

When ordering the pens, I had accepted that the 5 in 1 would be too thick to fit in the pen holder in my Filofax; I had assumed I'd just clip the pen to the holder instead. However it would seem that the 3 in 1 is a bit too thick as well. I could get the pen in and out with a little force and I've heard that leather pen loops would loosen over time, but I'm afraid that I'd tear the stitching if I tried. So both pens are now clipped to my Filofax instead. Which isn't too much of an issue for me.

I also had an issue with the ink refills. Don't get me wrong, I love the variety of colours available and how smoothly it writes (except for the light blue one - that took a few try to get the ink flowing).

However, I've only written about one A4 page of text using the dark blue ink and already you could see a significant decrease in ink levels. I write a lot, and I have a feeling I could finish one refill within a couple of weeks (one week if I was writing my draft blog entries as well).



I really prefer gel ink over ballpoint (who doesn't?), but replacing refills frequently can get pricey.

Lastly, and this is not a deal breaker, but it does leave me scratching my head, is that the 3 in 1 doesn't have a naturally "retracted" mode.

With the 5 in 1 you just half press any of the other colours that you're not using and the pen you're using will be retracted and you wouldn't have to worry about the pen accidentally leaving marks on things when you're carrying it.

With the 3 in 1 however, it doesn't naturally allowed this. The pen doesn't have any buttons, instead you twist the top half of the pen to select the colour you want. Normally when a cartridge is selected, there is a slight "click" to lock the cartridge in place. But there is no lock for retracted mode, you have to just half turn the top half of the pen until it is roughly between two colours (ie. so none of the cartridges are protruding from the barrel).

As there is no lock for "retracted mode", there have been a few times when the cartridge has accidentally out twisted and I end up marking myself or my clothes. As I said, not a complete deal breaker but can be annoying.

Regardless of the number of "negatives" that I've pointed out I still love the number of ink colour choices and how the pens write. The pen nib doesn't move around when I write, which is something I've found to happen with some multi-pens, and the pen barrels (both metal and plastic) are nicely made.

These pens are thicker than the Filofax pen loops (the leather ones anyway), so you'll need to use the pen clips to attach them to the Filofax, but that's not to much of a problem for me - all the pens I like have fairly thick barrels and won't fit in the loop anyway.






Uni style in Filofax loop

So there's my review of the uni style fit multi-pens. When I've had a chance to use them more, I'll come back with a follow-up review.

For now, please let me know your Filofax pens and leave a comment with a link to your Filofax-related blog posts!


Comments

  1. Hi! I too am on a Uni-ball Style Fit kick. I have a blue 5-barrel and a pink 3-barrel, with a silver 5-barrel and pink metal 3-barrel on order (overload, I know, I know). I also use the Pilot Coletos but since the Unis are waterproof, I wanted to try those. It's a pity they don't fit the pen loops, really. I've been going crazy about how to keep 2 5-barrels in my Filo and still close them.

    But I love the Uni because they feel like normal ballpoint pens due to the tips, and the brown-black is a gorgeous color.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow that's a lot of style fit pens. Although I could completely understand, even now I'm trying to justify buying another one!

      What size Filo do you have? My 3 and 5 barrel fits fine in my A5 with a little room to spare, so I'm assuming two 5-barrels would work just fine.

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    2. Hi again! I use a pocket Baroque as an everyday binder and a mini as a wallet. I keep the 2nd pen in the rings as you do but I want to find a better way.

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  2. Hi again, I just got in my pink 3-in-1 Meister and I can't seem to figure out how to open it to refill ): I don't think you mentioned it in the above (:

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It works the same way as the 5-in-1, you just twist off the front end (nib end) of the pen anti-clockwise (if you have the nib pointing at yourself).

      Because this pen uses a twist mechanic to release different pen cartridges, you've got to twist the pen anti-clockwise all the way (there should be slight clicks to let you know you're rotating through the different cartridges). When you meet some resistance, you've got to keep twisting. It might feel a bit scary, but it will give and you'll be able to unscrew the nib section off like the 5-in-1.

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  3. I finally got it to open! It took 4 large rubber bands, 3 hours of wiggling it loose, and 4 men to try loosening it up. I was able to do it with patience, not a virtue of mine, but I really wanted to use this pen.

    The travails of a stationery fiend!

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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