[Pen/Pencil Review] Uni-Ball Signo RT 1 Blue-Black 0.28
Welcome to the “Rhonda’s at a Conference†edition of this week’s pen blog. I will also be going on a brief road trip just as soon as I’m done with the conference. So this is going to be quick and in the blue family – because I’m in Florida, it’s going to be in the blue family.
This is a pen I picked up at Kinokuniya in Carollton, but it’s also available through JetPens.com. This is the UNI Signo 0.28mm retractable pen in Blue Black. I’ve apparently used and reviewed a black one of these before (which makes the review a bit easier to put together while conferencing (it’s a word).
The ink is good for so fine a point. You’re going to lose some depth/darkness in an ink tone the finer the point. But this feels thicker and darker than it should. The conical tip means it’s not as scratchy feeling than some needle points. The blue/black feels more like a dark teal to me–or turquoise according to my writing sample. But it’s a nice color.
These pens run just over 5.5″. The mechanism is smooth. The rubber grip is not textured and seems to be only a slight nod to comfort. The barrel is fine but not EXCEPTIONAL – the barrel has a transparency to it and the grip is slightly rubberized for a nod to ergonomics. It’s a cool pen for what it is, which is a good editing or notation pen if you need something easily transportable and super fine.
Let’s see the numbers…
1. How does it work? – 1 – it works well. The ink dries quickly – especially being such a fine point, but it doesn’t feel that fine and has a solid width with a slightly transparent barrel.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – The length is typical for a retractable pen. The barrel is slightly rubberized. But there are no real ergonomics.
3. Material – 1 – It’s a plastic retractable pen. It’s all plastic. The retraction plunger is kind of cool.
4. Overall Design – 1 It’s a decent design for a plastic retractable pen. The ink is decent and dark for a 0.28mm, it’s a smooth decent line. The mechanism works well. It does what it’s supposed to do.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – For a retractable gel pen, the price is…MEH… it’s $2.50, but it’s a 0.28, so that’s not all that common. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s not the most expensive.
That’s 4 bronze pencils out of 5.
