[Pen/Pencil Review] Sanford Uni-Ball Micro Roller 0.2mm

This week I’m looking at a classic – the Sanford Uni-Ball Micro roller ball stick pen. I’ve had a box of these in my cabinet for YEARS – seriously, years. These pens have been around – according to an Amazon product description – for over 30 years. I think I’ve had this box stuck in a cabinet for about 10 years? I found the box while cleaning out an office cabinet and most of them still worked after all this time. In fact, I have one on my desk at work right now.

These pens are, obviously, a work horse pen. NOW, it has archival ink – to prevent fading, smearing, and fraud. They’re nothing special to look at, black plastic barrels with metal clips and conical tips with color matching bands at the tip. The thing that shows this is an OLD pen? It’s a 0.2mm – not the 0.5mm they NOW call micro. I don’t think you can get these pens anymore – at least not at this size (sadly).

The barrel is about 5.25″ long capped, and 6.25″ with the cap posted. For plastic, the cap posts securely. The clip is adequate with some flexibility in the metal. There’s some scratching to the point. The ink dries quickly with little to no smearing but a little skipping. But considering how long we’ve had these pens? I’m seriously impressed.

Sadly… if you want these, I’m not finding them – just 0.5mm and 0.7mm now – but they do come in the standard colors – black, blue, red, and green. They’re great utility pens even if the finest points aren’t available any longer. And they’re available in 12 packs at most major retailers for a reasonable price.

Let’s see the numbers…

1. How does it work? – 0.5/b> – it works well. The ink dries quickly – the micro point doesn’t smear easily. There’s some skipping with the super fine point and scratchiness.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – The length is good, and the cap posts securely – but the barrel is on the narrow end and there are no ergonomics.
3. Material – 1 – It’s a plastic stick pen. It’s a classic with a metal clip.
4. Overall Design – 1 It’s a timeless design with a truly MICRO point.
5. Price Point – 1 – You can’t get these – but you can get the 0.5mm and 0.7mm – they only come in boxes of 12 – and they run about $1 a piece – some lower, some higher. Very economical for a solid office pen.