I had the pleasure of talking with Tom Vanderbilt for his latest piece in The New York Times Magazine, titled "Letter of Recommendation: Uni-ball Signo UM-151". The UM-151, or DX as it is often called, is one of the great gel ink pens, and unfortunately, is not available in the US outside of importers. Thanks Tom for allowing me to be part of this piece!
(P.S. If anyone has a physical copy of this let me know. I hear there is a sidebar of my Top 5 Pens and I'd love to see a scan of it.)
Image via JetPens
I have a Hello Kitty pen, and I'm not afraid to use it.
I mean look at this pen - it's amazingly well done. I wouldn't expect anything less from Uni-ball, especially with their premier gel ink pen lineup in the UM-153. And including one of Japan's most timeless characters in Hello Kitty they had to get this right. And they did.
The Uni-ball Signo UM-151, also know as the DX, is the best gel ink pen on the market, especially in the sub-0.5mm range. It has been atop the rankings in my Top 5 Pens list for ages, and is a joy to use. Pilot Hi-Tec-C owners may want to challenge you to a duel over statements like these, but their pen will likely misfire when challenging you, leaving you to walk away unscathed. I should know, I used to be one of those people.
What makes the DX so good is the consistency and sharpness of the line. It is always ready to write, and when it does, it does so perfectly. The colors are brilliant too. Uni-ball has the best non-standard colors in my opinion, just like the orange seen here.
In a non-surprising twist, the Hello Kitty Signo DX is fyling off the shelves at JetPens. Five of the eight colors are out of stock, and being a limited edition, I don't know if and when they will be back. If you are interested in picking one, or several, up keep your eyes peeled.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
I’m in a bit of an extremes phase with my pen choices right now. I am either using a super wide tip like the Sharpie Pen Medium, or an under 0.3mm micro tip like this Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.28mm. The funny thing is I LOVE both of them.
I have never been a pen monogamist, so switching back and forth from the far ends of the spectrum shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. It’s all a mood thing with me. When I want to go this small, the Signo DX is a no-brainer. The build quality of this pen is exceptional, and while other sub 0.3mm pens can be finicky, the DX never fails to work right out of the gate.
I’m not going to pretend this is a smooth writing pen, but no pen with a tip this fine is. There is going to be feedback when writing, so set your expectations accordingly. Once you accept that fact, you will find a pen that is extremely enjoyable.
The Jam “All Mod Cons”
It has been a long time since I have posted lyrics and music, but I want to start doing it again because it is something I enjoy. “All Mod Cons” is one of those songs that never fails to get me going. The under a minute and a half rock song is a rarity, and this is one of the best (“Shocker In Gloomtown” is a close second). Enjoy!
