[Pen/Pencil Review] Dong-a U-Knock Retractable – Black Ink 0.5mm
I love having friends in Korea and access to the internet. That way I have access to things like the Dong-A line (which the 12-year-old boy in me always finds HILARIOUS). This week’s pen is the Dong-A U*Knock retractable pen made in Korea. Dong-A is a Korean line. This is a gel ink pen in the same vein as the Sarasa and Jetstreams but harder to find in the US even online.
Pretty sure this came from The Francis Family on one of their trips in from Korea – because they live there and know I’m a sucker for this kind of thing. You can find like 12-packs at Amazon and Ebay. But it’s a decent everyday pen and comes in a 0.5mm point. This is a black retractable.
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. This sometimes feels like it’s a finer point than a 0.5mm but I still like it. Amazon says it has patented “U-spring†technology that allows for smooth ink release. Seems good to me. The conical tip means it’s not as scratchy feeling than some needle points. But it’s a nice color.
These pens run about 5.5″. The mechanism is smooth. The rubber grip is 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 0.5mm, 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, it’s good. I did find some refills online – so refillable. From the dozen box on Amazon, they seem to run $1.60 a piece which is just fine.
That’s 4 bronze pencils out of 5.
