a new pen every other day.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

pen 112: uni-ball insight


today's pen is the uni-ball insight. i found this particular pen at staples, right around the back to school sales... god i love that time of year, so many new pens. i cant remember how much i spent at the time, i'm pretty sure that it was a package of 2-4 pens and was around the $5 range.

the insight is a pen that i would classify as a work horse pen. it defines itself as a fine point pen, although at 0.7 mm, this point sized is often described as medium or even bold in other pens. i guess it is all relative, one of the things that i have come to discover about pens over the years is that there really isn't a universal or concrete rule when it comes to things like that.

this pen has good (and heavy) flow, fair glide, good bite and consistent line quality - it doesn't skip or stutter. the ink is super saturated, it has no range of value from dark to light, it is another one of those all or nothing pens. as i mentioned this pen puts a lot of ink down on the paper, and while it does dry almost instantly the ink does bleed, out and through. the 0.7 point size added to the flow and bleed make this pen a good choice when filling in large areas, or where moderately sized detail work is called for. this pen also supposedly is refillable, however, when i went to the official uni-ball website, not only could i not find any information on that, i was unable to find the pen itself listed at all.

the biggest problem i have with this pen is that it puts a lot of ink down very quickly, too quickly, it bleeds quite a bit, there are several pens that i have reviewed here that have performed similarly  but without the bleed, also i should mention that this pen feels a bit cheap, the plastic body is pretty light and there was a tendency to unscrew itself as i was using it or had it in a pocket or bag. 

price: 

officemax.com
$7.99 (4 assorted colors)+s/h
$25.27 (12 pens) +s/h

amazon.com
$4.64 (4 pens) +s/h
$11.63(12 pens) +s/h

website:
www.uniball-na.com (not listed)

what they say:
officemax.com
Stylish rollerball pens with consistent smoothness and color intensity.
Exclusive uni-flow ink system regulates a steady flow of waterproof ink to the point for consistent smoothness and color intensity down to the last drop of ink
Ink-o-meter allows for visible ink supply so you know before you run out
Specially-formulated uni Super Ink becomes trapped in paper to help prevent criminal check washing and other document alteration
Archival-quality and acid-free ink for documenting
Water-resistant ink dries quickly

amazon.comExclusive uni-flow ink system regulates a steady flow of waterproof ink to the point for consistent smoothness and color intensity down to the last drop of ink
Ink-o-meter allows for visible ink supply so you know before you run out
Features uni Super Ink that helps prevent against check and document fraud
Archival quality and acid-free ink for documenting and record-keeping

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