I went on a bit of a multi pen binge these past few months.  You know, "for science." From left, the Zebra Sharbo X, Lamy 2000 4-Color Ballpoint, Uni Style Fit, Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto, and Uniball Jetstream. — I went on a bit of a multi pen binge these past few months. You know, "for science." From left, the Zebra Sharbo X, Lamy 2000 4-Color Ballpoint, Uni Style Fit, Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto, and Uniball Jetstream.

Guide to Multifunction Pens: Picking the Best Multi Pen for your Needs

January 7, 2017

Apart from fountain pens, I find myself using multifunction pens (or "multi pens") often. At work, I usually alternate between writing in pen and pencil, and on the pen side I regularly switch colors when I’m annotating documents and taking notes. When I’m at my desk at home, it’s easy to grab a pencil out of my pencil cup, or to simply reach for a different pen when I want to change colors, but if I’m sitting in a meeting at work or on an airplane, multi pens are the way to go. The universe of multi pens out there on the market, however, can be confusing and frustrating, and if you don’t do your research on the front end you can wind up with an unpleasant surprise when your refills run out and you realize replacements are unexpectedly expensive or difficult to find.

In this brief guide, which is intended to offer a little more information than your typical “top 5 pens” list, I’ll walk you through what I think are the five best multi pen options for most people, with an eye to quality, overall cost, and refill availability. My first two picks, the Lamy 2000 4-Color Ballpoint and the Sailor Imperial Black Multifunction Pen, might come as a surprise to people because they are more expensive pens than the others. However, they top my recommendations list because both are built to take a beating and accept the non-proprietary D1 refill, which comes in a wide variety of ink types and colors, some of which are very inexpensive. While D1 refills have their drawbacks - for one thing, gel versions can run out very quickly - pens that use the D1 “system” are more versatile, and you can usually find some sort of inexpensive D1 refill available at your local office supply store in a pinch.

The Sailor Imperial Black Multi Pen is just as good looking as its fountain pen sibling, with a matte finish.

For each of the pens I discuss, I link to a purchasing option and also to a full review of the pen in question. If I've personally done a review, I've used that. If not, I've tried to locate a good review by another blogger if one exists.

My Top Five Multi Pen Picks

Lamy 2000 4-Color Ballpoint. The multi pen version of Lamy’s iconic fountain pen isn’t just one of the best multi pens I own, it’s one of the best pens I own. It made my recent year-end list of best purchases from 2016, and I haven’t regretted spending the money to snag this pen. If I had to pick one drawback, it’s that there is no mechanical pencil option, which is a capability all the other multi pens on this list have. Despite this, the Lamy 2000’s looks, quality build, and use of the D1 refill keep it at the top. [My Review Here]
Sailor Imperial Black Multifunction Pen. Sailor’s latest “Imperial Black” pen was another pleasant surprise for me (though I don't know why because my experience with Sailor has generally been good). If you’re looking for a higher-end multi pen with excellent finishes, a blacked-out "stealth" color scheme, AND a dedicated mechanical pencil slot, this would be my recommendation. The pen also accepts D1 refills, and Sailor’s inexpensive “Chalana” .5mm ballpoint refills write well, even if they are somewhat difficult to find. Oddly, it seems that nobody has written a thorough review of this pen, which I'll have to remedy soon.
Uni Style Fit. I always thought I’d remain a Hi-Tec-C Coleto guy, but after spending some significant time with Uni’s Style Fit multi pen, I’m slowly becoming a convert. While the standard plastic Style Fit pen body doesn’t do much for me, the metal version is quite nice. The proprietary gel refills come in .28, .38, and .5mm sizes, are super smooth, and last an exceptionally long time for a multi pen refill. They also are relatively inexpensive and available in a wide range of colors. [Check out The Pen Addict's Review Here]
Uniball Jetstream. An excellent inexpensive option, especially if you are looking for a no-fuss hybrid ballpoint multi pen that has a mechanical pencil option. As I noted in my review last month, the Jetstream multi pen is larger than most of the others on this list, and also takes proprietary refills that are limited to black/blue/red/green colors. The mechanical pencil is available in both .5mm and .7mm sizes. [My Review Here]
Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto. The first multi pen I ever purchased, and the version of Pilot’s Hi-Tec-C pen that I use most often. If you’re a fan of the Hi-Tec-C or needle-tip pens in general, you should go with the Coleto. It’s relatively easy to find, and the refills come in a wide range of colors across .3mm, .4mm, and .5mm tip sizes. The .4mm is the sweet spot for me. The .3mm is a bit scratchy, and the .5mm runs out too quickly. Unfortunately, Pilot seems to have discontinued the Coleto Lumio (formerly my favorite pen body). [My Review Here]

Honorable Mention

BIC 4-Color Ballpoint. This childhood classic still rocks, and is sold in both a 1.0mm “medium” tip and a .7mm “fine” tip sizes. I have a bunch of these in lying around in strategic locations (i.e., in the kitchen, in the car, etc.). A great utility writing implement. [Review Here]

Zebra Sharbo X. The Sharbo X is a well-made pen that accepts the universal D1 refill and is available in many different color schemes. It also has a built-in mechanical pencil option. Compared to the Sailor Imperial Black and the Lamy 2000, however, the Sharbo X is too short and too narrow for me to use comfortably for longer periods of time. Plus the Sailor holds 3 colors + a mechanical pencil, while my Sharbo only has 3 slots. That said, this would be a great pen to keep in a planner or for someone with smaller hands. [My Review Here]

Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Multi pens in general aren’t as expensive as fountain pens (or even most high-end ballpoints or rollerballs). Up front, that is. As I mentioned earlier, to be happy with a multi pen system in the long run, you’ll want to keep an eye on refill cost and availability. A multi pen that uses the universal D1 refill will be the easiest and most economical for most people to deal with long-term, especially if you use longer-lasting ballpoint or hybrid ballpoint ink. D1 multi pens are also the most versatile, providing the option of writing with ballpoint, hybrid ballpoint, gel, and even highlighter ink. The only question remaining is whether or not you want a mechanical pencil option.

That said, if you’re a fine-point gel pen aficionado, and use nothing else, a D1 system will be extremely frustrating, given how fast D1 gel refills run out. You would be better served by going with either the Style Fit or the Coleto, which use larger-capacity proprietary refills. (Zebra also offers a Sarasa multi pen, which I’ve not tried and which has received mixed reviews.)

Neither the Uniball Jetstream nor the BIC 4-Color multi pens are primary carries for me, though I own both and use them regularly in situations where writing with a ballpoint is called for. They’re also priced low enough that I don’t feel guilty about only using them sporadically, whereas my more expensive Lamy 2000 and Sailor Imperial Black pens get used all the time.

Hopefully this overview was helpful. I enjoy using multi pens, and as always, I will try to update this guide as new options come to market.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the pens that I tried for this feature with my own funds, for my own collection.

Pen Review: Uniball Jetstream Multi Pen

December 21, 2016

I've been on a bit of a multifunction pen kick recently, picking up a handful of multi pens as part of a larger project I'm working on comparing the different options currently available on the market. A good multi pen has become an integral part of my daily carry and my workflow, giving me access to different ink types and colors - and sometimes a mechanical pencil - in one pen body. As I've said before, the downside to multi pens in general is that the refills can run out quickly, increasing the long-term cost of your "efficient" purchase. The Uniball Jetstream multi pen, which I'll review today, is probably one of the more cost-effective options of the "higher-end" multi pen bodies.

Four colors of ink + a .5mm mechanical pencil.

Uniball's Jetstream pens are famous for their smooth, quick-drying hybrid ballpoint ink that doesn't smear, and Jetstream multi pen refills are no different. The model that I purchased features a .5mm mechanical pencil, plus four different ink colors: black, blue, red, and green. With the exception of the green, the inks all lay on dark and smooth. (Like many green ballpoint inks, I found the Jetstream green be a bit skippy and somewhat temperamental.)

As you can see, most of the colors write a nice, solid line, with the exception of the finicky green.

The one potential drawback for some people might be the size of the pen. I'd characterize the Jetstream multi pen as moderately large, and since it's a five-unit pen, this thing has some girth. Despite the bit of bulk, it's very comfortable to use due to good ergonomics and a light weight. I also found the soft grip section very comfortable.

.5mm vs .7mm

There is something of a debate with respect to .5mm vs .7mm in the Jetstream line. Many people don't like the .5mm and find it writes too thin and scratchy of a line. I've personally had nothing but good experiences with the .5mm, but the .7mm is excellent as well, so if you're on the fence I would go with the wider tip size. You can always swap the refills out later.

Takeaways/Where to Buy

I'm really enjoying the Jetstream multi pen, especially at work where I need a fine point for annotation and I sometimes have to deal with copy paper so thin that it's impossible to use with fountain pens. The ability to switch between different color inks on the fly, knowing that all of them will write reasonably well on nearly all paper, removes yet another thing from the "worry list" in the midst of a hectic workday.

In addition to the excellent writing experience it offers, the Uniball Jetstream is probably the most reasonably priced of the good multi pens out there on the market. Right now, you can find both the .5mm version and the .7mm version on the market in various iterations, including several special editions that Uni has been releasing such as the “Bamboo” version that we stock in our own shop. Individual color refills are also available separately. Note that the refills for this particular multi pen are proprietary, so you are limited to the four colors Uniball offers and won't be able to swap in refills from another brand (unless, of course, you figure out a way to hack the pen.)

For those of you who already use a multi pen that accepts D1 refills (like the Lamy 2000 4-color ballpoint), Jetpens also carries a Uniball Jetstream D1 refill, which is more expensive but makes for a nice writing experience.

Disclaimer: I purchased the pen featured in this review with my own funds for my personal collection.

Pen Review: Lamy 2000 4 Color Ballpoint (Multipen)

December 7, 2016

So I finally caved and bought it. After sitting in my Amazon cart for most of the year, last week I pulled the trigger and ordered the Lamy 2000 Multi Pen (which Lamy refers to as the 4-Color Ballpoint), and this is another of those purchases where I'm kicking myself for waiting as long as I did. This is hands-down the best multi pen I have ever used.

Fit and Finish

Makrolon + Brushed Stainless Steel = Classic Design

No surprises here. This pen is pure Lamy 2000, from the brushed Makrolon finish to the stainless steel spring-loaded clip and knock. It resembles a slightly girthier Lamy 2000 ballpoint pen, and I've found that the added width makes it more comfortable to hold for longer periods of time. This pen looks stunning in a three-pen holster along with my Lamy 2000 fountain pen and ballpoint. I'm tempted to finish out the set by picking up the rollerball and the .5mm mechanical pencil, especially since I've read that the rollerball can be hacked to take a wide variety of common refills, including Montblanc fineliner and Pilot G2 refills.

Gravity-Driven Color Changing Mechanism

By far the coolest thing about this pen is how you switch between the different colors. At the back of the pen, around the knock, there is a series of colored panels in blue, red, and green. To change colors, you rotate the pen so that the color you wish to use is facing you ("black" is the clip), then press the knock. Once you're finished, press the knock again to retract the refill, rotate to select a new color, and repeat. It's mind-bogglingly simple to use, and it baffles me how Lamy can come up with this idea and execute it in such a way that the mechanism works perfectly nearly every time.

One note: while you can use any color refill in your Lamy 2000 Multi Pen, the color references will always show black, blue, red, and green. There's no way to change the colors on the body of the pen itself, BUT many D1 refills also have a splash of color around the tip for reference purposes. If you venture outside the black-blue-green-red range of colors, it might otherwise be easy to forget what you have in the pen.

Some D1 refills, like this red Uniball Jetstream, have a colored ring around the tip so it's easy to recognize which color you're about to write with.

Refill Options

The big downside to D1 refills is that they are small and therefore don't last very long, especially the gel versions. (Zebra Sharbo X gel refills are excellent, but they can get very expensive very fast if you're using your multi pen for more than quick notes here and there.) To get more mileage out of your refills, I'd recommend sticking to ballpoint or hybrid ballpoint refills. Based on what I've used so far, I'm most impressed with the Uniball Jetstream D1 in .5mm. I have these loaded into the blue and red slots in my Lamy.

Just to give you an idea how small these refills are. Uniball Jetstream and most other Japanese refills are sold individually (I'm currently using the packaging to store the stock Lamy refills that came with the pen), but Monteverde and Schmidt sell… — Just to give you an idea how small these refills are. Uniball Jetstream and most other Japanese refills are sold individually (I'm currently using the packaging to store the stock Lamy refills that came with the pen), but Monteverde and Schmidt sell their refills in packs of four.

In terms of standard ballpoint refills, the stock Lamy refills are fine, but they can be a bit light in certain colors, especially the red and the green. I purchased a couple packs of the Monteverde Softroll D1 refills in blue-black and orange, since I'm generally a fan of Monteverde ballpoints. The blue-black is nice, and I currently have it loaded in the "black" slot, but the orange looks gross (brownish in color and way too light to be usable). I have a pack of the Schmidt D1 refills on the way, so we'll see how they turn out. I'm a huge fan of Schmidt's Easyflow 9000 and the D1 version has received good reviews.

For a complete discussion of the various D1 refill options, I highly recommend that you visit Ana's Epic Refill Guide over at the Well-Appointed Desk. It's comprehensive and will give you a good idea of what's out there. In my experience, JetPens and Amazon typically have the widest selection of D1 refills.

Takeaways/Where to Buy

I consider the Lamy 2000 4 Color Ballpoint to be the gold standard of multi pens. It's well-built, reasonably priced, and takes a readily available refill style that's not proprietary. Given the small size of the refills, they can be expensive to own as your primary writing instrument if you plan on using them for something like journaling or writing extensively in longhand, but I've always appreciated multi pens as annotation and note taking tools.

The Lamy 2000 4 Multi Pen can be somewhat difficult to find from traditional pen retailers, because it's a bit of a niche product. [2023 Update: Over the years, I became frustrated with how few retailers were carrying the Lamy 2000 ballpoints and focusing on the non-fountain pen portion of Lamy’s excellent lineup, so I became a retailer! You can now purchase the Lamy 2000 line of pens, including the 4-color ballpoint, directly from T.G.S. in the Curated Shop.]

Further Reading. There are tons of Lamy 2000 Multi Pen reviews out there. To name just a few, check out reviews by Bob at My Pen Needs Ink and Azizah at Gourmet Pens.

Disclaimer: I purchased this pen with my own funds for my own collection. This post does not contain affiliate links.

The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto is my favorite multi pen.  The top pen is the Coleto Lumio, a slightly higher-end body, and the bottom pen is the standard Coleto, which typically costs around $3. — The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto is my favorite multi pen. The top pen is the Coleto Lumio, a slightly higher-end body, and the bottom pen is the standard Coleto, which typically costs around $3.

The Hi-Tec-C Coleto: Getting into the Multi Pen Game

May 7, 2016

I don't own a lot of multi pens. Two, to be exact, and they're both different versions of the same pen: the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto. To me, the multi pen evokes images of those chunky Bic multi pens they used to sell at the grocery store (or hey, maybe they still do), which would work for about a day before they crapped out. So I ignored multi pens for many years.

As the story usually goes, of course, I started listening to the Pen Addict Podcast and learned about the joys of the Pilot Hi-Tec-C. The Hi-Tec-C is my go-to ultra fine-point gel pen, but I often color-code my notes and there are certain times, like when I'm traveling, where it's inconvenient to carry around a fistful of gel pens in different colors or multiple fountain pens loaded with different inks. That's where the multi pen comes into play.

The Coleto makes it easy to see what color refills you have loaded in the pen.

What I like about the multi pen is that it is completely customizable. My personal favorite is my Coleto Lumio, a higher-end model that comes in matte black. I have it kitted out with a .5mm mechanical pencil and .4mm blue-black, orange, and purple refills. For situations where I don't want to carry multiple pens on me, it's a complete solution.

The cap of the Coleto flips up, allowing you to drop in the refill. The gray refill on the left is a .5mm mechanical pencil cartridge.

If you're interested in dipping your toes into the world of multi pens, the Coleto is a great place to start. The Coleto Lumio is more expensive and harder to find, but is a very professional and nice-looking matte-black pen. (Other colors are available, too.) One of the great things about multi pens is that unless you are going really high-end, like certain models of the the Zebra Sharbo X or the Lamy 2000 multi pen, you're probably not going to spend more than $30, and often much, much less. At least not on the pen body itself.

Where multi pens eventually will get you is on the refills. The Coleto is far from the worst on this point: you can buy the refills in bulk to get the price down to about $1-2 apiece, and they last for a reasonably long period of time if you use them for moderately intense writing tasks like jotting down ideas in your Field Notes. However, if you're using a pen like the Zebra Sharbo X that takes smaller D1 refills, you will burn through the refills like there's no tomorrow, especially if you write a lot. You can offset the cost by avoiding D1 gel refills and moving to a hybrid ballpoint-gel ink like the Uniball Jetstream version, which last a good bit longer.

The Coleto sports the same ultra-fine point that made the original Pilot Hi-Tec-C famous.

The Hi-Tec-C Coleto refills come in .3mm, .4mm, and .5mm sizes. As I mentioned, you can buy bulk color assortments until you figure out which particular colors you like, then stock up individually. [Note: as of 2024, we have opened our own pen shop and are now happy to announce that we sell the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto directly, along with the refills. The specific models listed in this review are nearly 10 years old and no longer available, but the Coleto 1000 and Coleto 500 are the new equivalents.]

Zebra Sharbo X: The Premium Multi Pen

December 19, 2015

For the past few weeks, I've been testing out Zebra's Sharbo X multi pen, on loan from enabler-in-chief Mr. Hall. The Sharbo X is a well-built multi pen that clearly has been manufactured to appeal to the "upscale" market. The version I have is the LT3, which features metal construction (aluminum) and three slots that Thomas has outfitted with two D1 Jetstream Refills and a .5mm mechanical pencil. The blind cap unscrews to reveal an eraser.

What first struck me about this pen is the size. It's a small, slender pen that would fit perfectly into the loop of a paper planner (if you're a planner person). I immediately realized that this pen is probably too small for me to use to write for long periods of time, and therefore wouldn't have a place in my toolkit, since that's what my day job requires.

The Sharbo X also has an unusual mechanism for shifting between refills. There is no "retract" button or nock. Rather, you rotate the barrel to one of three positions, and leave it "in-between" in order to retract the pen from writing position. To be honest, it's not my favorite mechanism; I found it counterintuitive and somewhat confusing.

The major drawback to the Sharbo X is that it typically has a premium price to go along with those premium looks. Jetpens sells the Silver LT3 Model (the three-slot multi pen) for $32. You can find versions for as low as $7 through Japanese sellers on Amazon, but the shipping looks to be pretty slow and I'm not familiar with the seller. Where the Sharbo X will kill you, however, is on the gel refills, if that's your preference. This pen uses the small D1-size refill, which run around $2.75 each. You can mitigate that somewhat by opting for hybrid ballpoint refills, such as the Uniball Jetstream D1 refill, which typically last much longer.

I'm a fan of multi pens, and this is a good one, but it won't replace my four-slot Hi-Tec-C Coletos (starting at $3.30 for the pen body and $2.20 for the refills) anytime soon. The Hi-Tec-C refills may be finicky, but they last a long time for a multi pen and have a wide range of available colors. Due to the smaller than average refills, any multi pen is going to be more expensive in the long run because you will have to replace the refills more frequently. I've been satisfied with how long the Coleto refills last. And if I wanted a multi pen that accepts D1 refills, the Lamy 2000 multipen is at the top of my list, primarily due to the comfortable size.

A big thanks to Thomas for loaning me this pen for review. He was generous enough to send it to me to try out for a couple months, and now I can send it home.

DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links. All Amazon pricing and availability is subject to change, is only current as of the time of publication of this review.