Ohto Needle-Point Slim Line 0.3mm Ballpoint Review

I was really excited to give this new Ohto Needle-Point Slim Line 0.3mm ballpoint pen a twirl as soon as I saw it show up in JetPens new product feed (they have been on quite a roll lately fyi). First off, it is an Ohto, whose pen designs I really enjoy, and secondly, it is an 0.3mm ballpoint. Not 0.4mm like the Zebra Techno Line, and not 0.5mm like the Uni-Ball Jetstream, but 0.3mm. Easily the finest tipped ballpoint I have used.

My expectations of this pen were so high that I wanted it to be perfect, and like many of us find from time to time, things have a hard time living up to perfection. I'll say right offhand that this is a really cool pen and one I will keep using, but there are a few little things that get to me. The largest culprit is the ink line. What I found as I was writing was that if I kept a reasonably vertical pen barrel angle I wouldn't have many problems, but if I had a lower angle there would be a fair amount of skipping. I think that is a function of just how fine this pen is and that there isn't much room for error.

Additionaly, the pen barrel is to thin for any long term writing stints. Again, I think this is due to how fine the tip is. If you had a thin barrel and a wider tip, you could write in a more flowing style without as much stress. I felt like I was gripping pretty firmly to get the pen to do what I wanted it to do. The overall feel in the hand was fantastic though. The barrel is made completely out of metal, and I love how the knock is a conical shape as opposed to the more standard vertical walled design.

At $7.50, it isn't cheap to not completely love, but it has so many good things going for it I am going to keep it well within arms reach.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Ohto Pieni Wooden Body Mini Needle-Point Ballpoint Pen

Similar to the Sharpie Liquid Pencil in the fact that it is not a completely unique idea, the Ohto Pieni is still the first pen I have used where the barrel is made in the traditional wood case pencil style.  The sleek design was a definite selling point, as was the 0.5mm ballpoint ink cartridge, but would this pen stand up to the test?

Performance wise, the 0.5mm refill did a nice job, but a decent amount of ink would collect near the tip when writing.  It didn't often transfer to the page, but I did have to wipe off the tip six or seven times when writing the review.  (I'm not the only one that keeps a napkin or the like next to where I'm writing just for that purpose, right?)  Overall it was a good writing experience, but not without flaws.

The wood case barrel is skinny just like a pencil, and while that size has posed a problem for me in the past (see the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleur), this one worked ok because I was able to get a good grip on the hex shape barrel.  It actually ended up being comfortable to write with, and lightweight to boot.

From a design perspective, its great looks are marred by one flaw - the soft wooden barrel is going get dinged and scratched pretty easily, just like a traditional pencil would.  That may not be a big deal to those who go pretty easy on their writing implements like myself, but it would take away from the overall aesthetic of the pen if the barrel started to go downhill.

There are tons and tons of wooden barrel pens available on the market - especially from custom pen manufacturers - but this pencil style is a unique one to me and has been fun to play around with.

Click here for the XL review.