Uni-ball Vision Needle - Fine Pen Review

I'm actually really enjoying preparing pen reviews of the regular "office" variety and the feedback has been excellent.  Thanks everyone for your comments!  As promised, I'm planning on adding more pens that can be bought in normal retailers or office supply stores, but they'll probably still be ones that I find I enjoy.

The Uni-ball Vision Needle is a pen I've had kicking around my desk for awhile now that doesn't seem to get much use, but I thought it'd be a good one to review.  Upon putting the pen to paper, this is a great pen and I enjoyed getting reacquainted with it.

This particular pen is in the "Fine" line width which is probably around a 0.7mm for normal gel type pens.  The writing is nice and dark, and there wasn't a skip to be had.  The ink in this pen is black, although blue really is my preference.  I might have to hit up JetPens for a blue one...

Uni makes quite a few versions of the Vision series: the normal "Vision", the Vision Needle, and the Vision Elite.  I really enjoy the Vision Elite in the rollerball category, particularly in the blue/black color and will likely be posting a review soon about that one as well.

The Vision Needle is Uni-ball's answer to the Pilot Precise V5 and V7 which is an insanely popular and classic pen choice.  The Vision Needle does claim to have a stronger tip (for those really heavy-handed writers...or if you drop it) as well as touts the Uni-ball "Super" ink variety that is archival and fadeproof/waterproof.  I don't know, Pilot, but Uni seems to be one-upping you on this pen...

As I mentioned, I've had this pen for quite awhile on my desk, so the markings and branding may have even changed on it, but I know they are still available.

The flow of the ink and writing experience is quite good.  Not quite as smooth as the Precise I'd have to say as the tip is noticeably scratchy.  It isn't a bother per se, but is something that the super smooth writer people may find a bit annoying.  It isn't distracting to me.  Now, I have also tried the "Micro" line width ones as well, but prefer the fine as the experience was way more scratchy.  Super small writers beware!

The writing sample was done on the large Doane Paper flap jotter (easily one of my new favorite products) which is great for writing with fountain pens or really inky pens as it absorbs really well whilst leaving a crisp line.  Paper is often a key component of the writing experience, so I may have been spoiled a bit by the DP, but your average cheap-o writing pad may change how the tip feels on the page.

For about $7 per 3-pack at your local office supply store or less than $2 apiece from our friends at JetPens, I'd say these are a great pen to give a try.


rOtring 900 Rollerball Review - Matte Silver Finish

One of the more odd rOtring pens in my collection is one I got sort of on a whim.  I found it for a good deal on eBay and it came with one of the neat original rOtring boxes; selling point for sure.

I don't really know a whole lot about the rOtring 900 series because they aren't as highly reviewed as the 600s, but they are interesting.  The 900 originally came in a variety of types from ballpoints and pencils (with crazy side knock mechanisms), rollerballs, fountain pens, and a strange tip called a Stylograph which is a ballpoint of sorts that takes an ink cartridge.  So, a rollerball actually?  There is one listed right now on eBay, but they run a bit steep in the range of a 600 fountain pen.

The design of the pen seems very modern.  When I showed it to my buddy Dan Bishop he described it as "80's European Modern".  The guy has a design degree; I trust him...  It seems very futuristic.

The barrel of the pen and grip are covered with machined grooves that start shallow and end up deeper near the middle of the pen.  As they aren't uniform throughout, it adds some cool visual texture to the pen.  The grooves aren't sharp in any way and don't seem to dig into my fingers at all.

The barrel is very heavy and very long.  This is a larger than average pen coming in at over six inches in length and is quite weighty.  Like most rOtring pens, I'd imaging the barrel is made from brass, but I could be wrong.  The barrel is coated in a matte silver finish, but it also came in a chrome version which looks pretty awesome.  Our friend over at Write to Me Often has a lovely collection of rOtring pens of which a chrome 900 fountain pen is included.

I didn't do a writing sample for this review as it takes a variety of standard rollerball refills (even a Pilot G2 would fit) so the options are open.  The refill is held snugly in place by a rear inner spring that adds some tension as well as allows for refills of slightly varying lengths.

The clip is a bit of an odd one, completely different than anything in my collection.  It is comprised of a single black wire that is bent to the shape of the cap and has a rubber/plastic piece on the end as not to scratch the pen.  For being wire, it is surprisingly sturdy and I have no fear of bending it with normal use.  The cap in comparison to the barrel is extremely light, and posted, doesn't impact the writing too terribly.

Not really a lot more I can say about this one other than it is unique and is likely a rOtring model that most people haven't heard of.  As I said above, I found this one at auction for quite a good deal, but these models can run anywhere from $70 to $180, so not necessarily cheap.  But if this design is something you find appealing and interesting, that may be a reasonable investment for you.  It will definitely stand out when you use it in your next meeting. 

Phenolic Render K Prototype by Karas Kustoms

This is a fun one that I've had on the list to review for awhile.  The Karas Kustoms Render K, it seems, has become one of the staple pens in the community for some time and is still one of my all time favorites.  It is a pen thats design I never grow tired of and still find myself admiring while using it.  A timeless piece for sure, and kudos to Dan Bishop for creating such a neat product for us to enjoy.

This particular Render K is extremely unique and was a gift from Dan and Bill that they gave me several months ago, maybe even closer to a year.  The Delrin Render K that received some attention awhile back is rare as the amount they produced was pretty small in number, but this smooth capped, phenolic version was literally done in only a handful.  In talking to Dan, they actually only made six of these and mine was hand finished by Dan himself.  Needless to say, this one is probably the jewel of my Karas "Kollection".  Thanks dudes.

Recent Instagram Post

You may recognize the material in another pen on the market, the TWSBI Micarta.  For a little Wikipedia education on Phenolic... 

The overall dimensions of the pen are very similar to the Render K that many of us know and love, but does not have a taper in the barrel towards the end of the pen.  It is similar to the raw bar-stock version that the guys did as well, so the end is more squared off and flat.

The tip is aluminum as I'm sure machining one from phenolic would have been a chore and probably prone to breaking/cracking.  The cap is aluminum also, but is smooth (no knurling) which gives the pen an overall vintage look.  Dan and I were discussing that copper accents might be really awesome to coordinate with the phenolic... 

I'm not entirely sure of how durable phenolic is as it feels like a fiberglass/plastic/resin type material that could be prone to breaking.  This is a pen I keep at home mostly that doesn't travel too often as I don't want to lose or damage it, or test out the stresses it can take.  I have my aluminum or brass (or copper) versions to use and abuse as they can take the beating.

I review this pen not so much to discuss it's features, feel, or writing experience, but to showcase how cool the design process is with making products.  It would be easy to simply stick with making the same version of a product we've found to be successful, but its awesome when people are willing to branch out and try new things just "because".  There is also something to be said about creating a physical version of a product during testing as having it to handle and use is a different experience than seeing a drawing or rendering; it connects you with the product a bit more if that makes sense.

This was a quick review/tribute, but I thought it'd be fun to share some shots of this rare version of one of our favorites.

Now, I'd imagine if demand was high enough for something like this the guys might even consider doing a batch of them.  No promises of course, but if we created enough of a stir we might get our way.  Should we start a petition?...

Again, thanks to Dan and Bill for this little beauty.