Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen with Grip - 0.3 mm - Red

So I actually used one of these pens for day to day writing until it stopped working, and simultaneously used a Uniball Signo 0.28mm for the same purposes until it ran out of ink. I filled up one Doane pad, and two Clairefontaine pads with notes. I'll compare the two:

-The Uni-Ball pen lays down a thick, smeary river of ink, while the Pilot pen is far more sparing. I used both pens at about the same rate, and the Uni-Ball ran out when the Pilot was at about 2/3 expired.

-Both pens stopped working at around the same time. The Uni-ball ran out of ink, but the Pilot's tip just stopped functioning for some reason. There was no obvious mechanical failure, but with about 1/3 of its ink reservoir remaining, lines became spotty, faint, or not inked at all. I'm not very hard on these pens-- My writing style does not put very much pressure on the tip.

-The Pilot pen made the better line. Lines had superior definition, and smudged less overall.

-The uni-ball pen made a much more consistent line. It smudged more easily, and had poorer definition, but it performed in exactly the same manner until it ran out of ink. The Pilot pen sometimes took a few lines of writing until it started acting normally, and the quality of the line varied from day to day and line to line.

-Both pens were very nice to write with. The Pilot pen had a slight advantage, but both felt very good compared to other pens.

This has got to be one the best pens I've ever used. I was first introduced to this pen 6yrs ago and I have been in love with it ever since. the ink is smooth coming out and always even. A joy to work with.

This pen lays down an amazingly fine line. However, I usually write with the pen at a heavy slant (I'm a lefty) and the Hi-Tec-C doesn't like that one bit. When taking notes in class, the ink frequently sputters which is, needless to say, annoying. They work just fine for my girlfriend though.

These are the only pens I like to write with. I write small and these allow me to do that without smudging and without skipping like some roller ball pens do. I would buy a lifetime's worth of stock on these pens, that's how much I like them and I hope they never stop making them. I tried the .3 mm size but found that a bit too fine. .4 mm works best for me, for general writing and they are also very good for drawing. I would recommend them to anyone who writes in small print.

wow, what an awesome pen. believe the hype you read about the hitec-c line. i compared this pen to it's .3 and .5mm siblings, as well as to it's uni signo dx competitors (in .38, .28, and .5) on the following paper types

- doane graphed notepad
- moleskin lined notepad
- crappy ol' yellow notepad

one thing to say for sure: the .5mm pens were too wet and blotchy for me, especially at smaller letter sizes. your mileage may vary, try them out!

as far as hitec vs signo dx, i find myself going back-and-forth. buy one or buy both, you won't be sorry.

finally: i tend to write larger, sloppier letters during meetings and lectures (when i need to scribble fast) and the finer-tip gel pens start to get scratchy and annoying for me. in those cases, i'd reach for a jetstream or a crappy bic ballpoint over these. however, during a brainstorming session or casual note-taking, i'd go in circles with the hitec and signo DX pens - they're amazing. buy them now. from jetpens.