It’s Atlanta Pen Show Recap time! I had a blast at the show, and Myke and I discussed it all on this week’s podcast.
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(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)
The Public Library Association's conference was held in Columbus, Ohio last week and it was immediately followed, for me, by a Horror Writers Association Wisconsin Chapter writing retreat near Milwaukee. That meant packing stationery for educational, professional, and recreational purposes! It also meant stopping in to a Columbus stationery store, On Paper, which was conveniently/dangerously close to my hotel.
For the conference:
My main stationery for notetaking at the conference was my Plotter Bible size with a CW&T Pen Type B in Brass. These weren't tools specifically chosen for the conference; they're my everyday carry writing tools that are never out of reach. They weren't perfect for the job. I could have used a gel pen to write more quickly and a larger page to expand my notes, but these were handy and portable--which were essential features for running around a massive conference.
Columbus was awesome. I got to explore a new city, reconnect with some local friends, and hang out with roughly 7,000 colleagues who were doing brilliant and amazing things. I visited two bookstores, Prologue Books and The Book Loft. Both were lovely, but I think I could live at the Book Loft. You know a bookstore is good when you're at a conference where publishers are literally throwing free books at you, but you still end up buying two books. Oops? No regrets. Okay, one regret. I regret not buying some of the cool t-shirts, too.
One highlight of Columbus is, of course, the stationery shop. On Paper is located right on the High Street, with lots of fun boutiques and coffee shops and restaurants nearby. The shop's interior is quaint and tidy, with antique furniture for displays and a fun assortment of cards, papers, notebooks, wax seals, bottled inks, and desk accessories. They had some lovely Retro 51 pens and some Kaweco fountain pens, but the majority of the focus was paper. They are my people. The vibe reminded me a lot of Papier Plume in New Orleans, minus the gothic flair of its distant cousin.
While I exercised an immense amount of self-control, I could not resist the "Hexes and Vexes" list pad from Open Sea Design Co. I mean. Who could? It was also the perfect opportunity to pick myself up a postcard souvenir. And I would like praise for resisting the recycled book cover journals, please and thank you.
If you're a PenAddict and find yourself in Columbus, I definitely recommend visiting On Paper for your stationery souvenir fix.
For the writing retreat:
I used my current story draft notebook, the Pebble Stationery Liberty Fabric notebook with Cosmo Air Light paper. For the pen, I used the Visconti Mirage Mythos, which I'm reviewing for next week's post. They were a great team, and between the lovely tools, the restful setting, and the quiet of the retreat center (and probably also the unlimited coffee and muffins of the retreat center), I knocked out about six thousand words of the best stuff I've written this year so far. Magic. The llamas also helped.
The two settings could not have been more different. A bustling city with far too much to do, oceans of people, and countless distractions--to a remote farm with a monastic room, an abundance of silence, and only a few other quiet writers. Okay, there was also a quilting retreat happening there, and they were... boisterous. But there were plenty of quiet corners to hide in, away from all humans. Which was exactly what I needed between a week of work travel and a week of solo parenting while my spouse travels.
April has been wild so far. Thank goodness for the writing tools that keep it all on track. Tomorrow I'm taking the day off just to write. Well, and taxi the kids around and pick my spouse up from the airport, but between those things...WRITING. I have goals, lists, deadlines, and empty pages to fill.
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(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
This multi pen from Uni might not have the most catchy name, but it's still a fantastic pen. The Uni Jetstream 4&1 Metal 4-color 0.5mm ballpoint multi pen and 0.5mm pencil is a sleek package that packs 5 different writing implements. Unlike other Jetstream multi pens, this one also features a knurled metal grip section.
The Uni Jetstream 4&1 Metal in the dark green colorway is a favorite of mine. I've always loved multi pens, and I'm a fan of the Jetstream ink formulation and their line of quirky and utilitarian multi pens. This latest variant to cross my desk is unique enough to grab my attention, but also incredibly useful due to the different writing options nestled inside.
Like many other Jetstream multi pens, this one relies on individual sliding latch mechanisms to select and retract the refill you want to use. There are four slides around the top of the pen body, and they have small color indicators at the top to let you know which color is which. The 0.5mm mechanical pencil option pulls double duty with the pen clip. Pushing the clip down the body extends the pencil refill, and pushing further down on the clip also advances the lead. It's a great system that works well and also keeps the pen sleek. To retract any of the extended refills, just push down on another tab.
Many of the Jetstream multi pens I already have use a soft, grippy rubber-like material on the grip section. It's firm, comfortable, and provides lots of tactile grip when writing. This pen is different in that it has a knurled metal grip section, and it's much better (for me, anyway) than the rubber material version.
That's right — this Jetstream is a mixture of metal and plastic parts. The grip section, nose cone, eraser cap, and clip are all made of metal. The body and refill slides are plastic, but the finishes on all these materials match each other so well that it's difficult to tell that only part of the pen is metal.
It's easy to see a difference in the color between the grip section and the plastic body, but the color difference is complementary instead of being distracting or making the pen look/feel cheaper than it is. I understand why the entire pen isn't made of metal — this is still a fairly cheap multi pen, and using metal for everything would have increased the price and weight. But, I'm glad that the colors work so well together and aren't distracting. It's a bummer for me when you can obviously tell that one part of a pen is one material while the rest is something cheaper. That's not the case here!
Hidden under the top of the pen is a tiny eraser that can be deployed in emergency situations. Unlike most mechanical pencils with a tiny eraser, this isn't where you refill the pencil lead. The little eraser is replaceable, but there's no hole to the lead reservoir underneath it. To replace the lead, you unscrew the grip section from body, pull out the pencil refill, and insert the fresh pencil lead into the refill. Since these refill are so small, it doesn't hold many pieces of lead, but that's an acceptable trade-off for all the additional refill options it packs.
The eraser cap is a small piece that I worry will be easy to lose. Thankfully, Uni made this piece fit really snug on the top of the pen. It takes a good deal of precise effort to remove it when you want to use the eraser. It won't come off by accident, and I'm glad for it.
Writing with this pen is a great experience. Like all multi pens that pack more than three refills into the package, it's a wide diameter body. It won't fit everyone's hands or grip style, so I count myself lucky to be in the percentage that lends itself to this pen's size.
The knurled metal grip provides plenty of tactility and control when writing. For my grip style, it's really comfortable. I have medium-sized hands and a fairly standard tripod grip style. Another benefit of the metal grip versus the rubber-like material is that this one doesn't collect lint and dust!
At $27, this is one of the more premium Jetstream models, though you can spend even more if you want. There's an all-metal Jetstream Prime that costs $45, and that's the price I'd expect for an all-metal multi pen (at a minimum). Other brands offer premium level multi pens that cost more, and I think they are fairly popular. I really wish Uni would offer one or two premium models as well. The Jetstream Prime is a different body style. What I really want is a pen like the Jetstream 4&1 or 3&1 body, but with an all aluminum build. I'd gladly pay extra for this.
The included refills (besides the 0.5mm pencil module) are all 0.5mm in black, blue, green, and red. This pen uses the Uni SXR-80 refill, which are available in lots of tip sizes and colors, but are not compatible with D1 style refills.
I haven't found a perfect multi pen to date, but the Jetstream 4&1 Metal is definitely in my favorites list and one that I can easily recommend to anyone that's looking for a great ballpoint multi pen. If the dark green version doesn't suit your fancy, there's also silver, gunmetal gray, and pink gold.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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