I recently bought four Hi-Tec-C's from jet pens because a good friend of mine kept ranting about them. However, I am have been having a major problem with them. Whenever I write, I have major inconsistencies with the ink. There are times when the ink flow is amazing and they write very smoothly. There are other times when the ink flows as if the pen were out of ink. If any knows, why do the Hi-Tec-C's ink do this? How can I fix it.

I formerly used the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner series and the Pilot V 5, and neither of those have the ink problem, but they dont write as thinly as the Hi-Tec-C.

Many Hi-tec-c users have reported this same problem, and the main reason for this is that the thinness is somewhat a double edged sword. Because the Hi-tec-c's tip is so thin, it is also extraordinarily delicate. Thus, it is easily bent out of shape.

For some 'priming' the pen by making some experimental scribbles on a scrap sheet of paper before use gets the ball rolling and the writing experience from then on becomes smoother. It also helps to cap the pen whenever it's not in use as the ink dries up fairly easily and may cause clogging- as does writing on really fibrous paper.

From personal experience, if the above method fails, one alternative is to get the coleto range of multi hi-tec-c refills instead or other hi-tec-c models with retractable tips such as the hi-tec-c material grip range. Somehow, the nibs last longer without the stress of replacing the cap every time after use.

If you like the thin tip of the hi-tec-c but are looking for a less fragile nib, many thin tip users have had good experiences with the less smooth but hardier uniball signo dx or, my personal favorite, the sliccis which are arguably equally smooth but less easily jammed. :P

I second everything aleoneon said! :)

When I first ran across the Hi-tec C's online, they sounded great....but I decided not to buy any. I was looking for very fine point pens...ideally rollerballs, and these had great reviews. But, in reading further...particularly here on JPs products reviews (which are a great resource for seeing what others have experienced), the UniBall and Pentels aleoneon mentioned sounded much better to me. I've liked some Pentels I've used, and have had less than great experience with Pilots. I have a "deluxe" precise pen that does pretty much what you mentioned....hard to start, etc...so I use it for a beater pen on the go and stuff. Don't care what happens to it.

But I've found...I do not like the needle points for the most part. The Slicci's sounded like a great option, so I got some of those instead and love them! Will need to get some of the .4mm ones now that JP has them! I love the slim style and they write excellently. Also a much better tip than the Pilot needles. So, if you're not bent on Pilots or needle points, give the others a shot, definitely. I doubt I'll ever buy a Hi-tec, just because Pentel's Slicci's are awesome.

I am not sure what happend with my hi tec c's, but now i never have those problems. i took some suggestions about getting rid of air bubles and once i started using them alot, the ink flow has been really good. thanks for the help though guys.

I don't know how much pressure you apply when writing/drawing but I have found that a too heavy of a hand can cause very fine pointed pens to write inconsistently. I find this to be very true of the uni-ball Signo bit with the 0.18mm nib. Unless I apply very light pressure the needle-like nib tends to scratch the paper. I've also found, like you did with the Hi-Tec-C's, that the more I use it during a session the better it writes. :roll:

You know, it may be a problem on the molecular level. The smaller the nib gets the less space the ink has to flow around the ball. While nibs are getting smaller ink molecules are not. Maybe the poor things are just having trouble getting around! :lol:

Haha, that's true! However, I'm willing to bet that a new fluid will eventually replace gel, which will be able to make smooth yet thin lines, just as gel pens replaced ballpoint pens!

You are probably right and sooner than we think. :mrgreen:

You know, one of the best flowing liquid ink pens that I have found and seldom mentioned here is Pilot's P500. I find that it produces a sub 0.5mm line even though it's touted as a 0.5mm pen. It's a needle point but one I'm sure is stronger than the H-Tec-C's. I really like the P500, even though it's not an RT! :lol:

Another series of Pilot pens I like is the Precise Series, the V5, Deluxe and Rolling Ball, all Extra Fine and all seem to produce a sub-0.5mm line. Unfortunately I do not have a great number of these because in recent times I have been concentrating on newer gel/liquid ink pens. :(

Ah, life is tough... :D

One of my friends used to have a P500, but I'm not sure what happened to it. I used it once and fell in love with the way it wrote, do you know which office supplies stores sell it? I would hate to order it online for fear of shipping that costs more than the pen.

I've seen it at Wal-Mart and Staples. Not sure about Office Depot though.

Yay! I'll have to head out soon.