(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
I'm no stranger to the Uni Signo 207 line. In fact, they were one of my gateway pens into my stationery awakening back in the day. Regarded as one of the most accessible "nice" pens available at every big box store today, it's probably been a gateway pen for many, many people. Given the smooth, crisp refills and high quality body, it's no wonder. As good as the standard 207 is, I had to give the Uni Signo 207 Premier a shot to see if the extra cushion could improve on an old classic.
Since the refill inside this Premier body is no surprise, I'll just say that it is exactly what you can expect from the regular 207 line. They all use the same refill, so you can easily swap it out for the size and color that works best for you. I don't have any spares at the moment, but I mostly prefer blue 0.5mm refills with this pen. The black 0.7mm works great, though. The ink is smooth and crisp and I have zero complaints about it.
The key difference between a regular 207 and the 207 Premier is the luxurious grip section. This thing is a delightful little pillow for your fingers. I've had so much fun playing with it and enjoying the plush texture. The additional cushion does also make the overall diameter of the pen a bit larger as well, so it feels a little more chunky than the standard 207. In my experience, it hasn't really made the writing experience any more or less comfortable. This mostly comes down to how I hold the pen. My grip is fairly low on any pen I use, so I end up gripping the space between the nose cone and the beginning of the grip. At that part, there just isn't much cushion because of the underlying mechanism that locks the grip section into the cone. You don't really get to fully experience the cushy grip unless you hold the pen a little higher. This is uncomfortable to me just because of old habits, but I envy the people who can naturally pick this pen up and write with the cushion in the appropriate place for their fingers. I imagine it feels great and relieves fatigue.
I'm willing to discount this critique on the 207 Premier because one size does not fit all when it comes to pen grips. I knew what to expect, and I wasn't disappointed or surprised when I finally held it in my hand. But, one area I do criticize the 207 Premier's grip is how it reacts to lint and dust. It LOVES it. Between playing with the grip, writing, and cleaning lint and dust off the grip, I'd say I've split my time equally three ways. It really is a magnet for picking up lint, and I haven't even slid this pen into a jeans pocket. I really don't want to for precisely this reason. This is not something I expected from looking at the pictures, and it does prevent me from using the pen like I normally would.
At just under $9, you could pick up a couple of 3-packs of the regular 207s. Unless you know that your writing grip would fit this grip section perfectly, and you know you'd love to write with the pillowy cushion under your fingers, I'd recommend you pass on this one. The bonus of the fancy grip and larger body don't elevate the value over the regular 207 lineup. Save a few bucks and enjoy the already-excellent Uni 207 instead!
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
