When I had ordered these Pilot 4+1 Multi Pens, I knew that they used the exceptionally good Acro ink BVRF-9 low-viscosity refill. I was NOT aware that Uni’s Style Fit gel refill uses the same format, and therefore fits this pen. For today, I wanted to do a quick post showing off this feature because I love when multi pens are versatile enough to allow you to use both ballpoint and gel inks at the same time, and the contoured grip on this Pilot makes it not only versatile but extremely comfortable to use.

Style Fit and Acro Ink Refills in the Pilot 4+1 Pen Body

Here, you can see that I have taken one of the blue Pilot 4+1 pens and swapped in two .5mm Style Fit refills in Mandarin Orange and Blue-Black. The Acro Ink and Style Fit refills are exactly the same size and shape, allowing you to choose from among the 16 Style Fit gel colors in addition to the Acro Ink set.

Acro Ink and Style Fit Refills Compared Side-by-Side — The Acro-Ink Refill (left) alongside the Style Fit (right). Note that the Style Fit and Pilot BVRF-8 refills DO NOT fit Uni 4+1 Multi Pens, as these use a shorter Jetstream Refill. It’s also excellent but just a different format.

Both the Uni Style Fit and Acro Ink refills provide a smooth writing experience. Of course, the edge in smoothness and color saturation will go to the gel pen, but Pilot’s Acro Ink deserves a place among the best ballpoint refills on the market. We added one of these Pilot multi-pens to our most recent Patreon Curated Box, and received a ton of positive feedback on the stock refills so these will be a shop staple for as long as we can continue to get them. (They are imports.)

Uni Style Fit and Pilot Acro-Ink Writing Sample Comparison — From top: Pilot Acro Ink in black, Uni Style fit in blue black, Pilot Acro Ink in red, and Uni Style fit in Mandarin Orange.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Personally, I favor the Pilot 4+1 body over the Uni Style Fit Meister 5, though both are good. The contoured wood grip on this Pilot Multi Pen is among the most comfortable I’ve used, and I was thrilled to discover that there is a gel refill I can pair with it that offers .28mm, .38mm, and .5mm options in 16 different colors. (Just to be clear, the reverse is also true - the Style Fit body will take the Pilot refill.)

Pilot 4+1 Acro-Ink Multi Pen — The Pilot 4+1 Multi Pen (Top) next to the Uni Style Fit Meister 5 (bottom). I prefer the Pilot’s grip, but the Uni does come in nearly a dozen different colors.

You can get the Pilot 4+1 and Uni Style Fit Multi Pens in our shop, along with the refills for both. As noted above, the Pilot 4+1 ships with four .5mm Pilot BVRF-8 refills (black, blue, red, and green, plus a .5mm mechanical pencil). The Uni Style Fit bodies are sold separately from the refills, so you can assemble your own customized pen.

Come see these pens in person! We are open this week from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-6pm on Saturday. Check out this page for up-to-date hours and news on special hours when we have to travel.

The good thing about travel delays (as long as you can snag a place to work) is that you get some site updates done! Yesterday I managed to get the Uni Style Fit Meister 5 Multi Pens listed, along with all the refills in tip sizes ranging from .28mm to .5mm. The Style Fit has been around for so long that many people forget it exists, but it’s one of the best gel multi pens on the market for those who prefer a classic conical tip over a needle-point like the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto. We also have refills for the Pilot 4+1 Multi Pens with the contoured wood grips, as well as Pilot Acroball D1 refills that will fit the Pilot Legno 2+1 as well as other D1 multi pens like the Lamy 2000, the Lamy ST, CP1, and Logo.

Yamamoto Paper Jotter Portfolios with writing sample

We also have plenty remaining Yamamoto Bullet Jotters, though we are sold out of the new Canopus paper refills. (We have the other 5 remaining varieties, including Meringue.) I will also have a small number of the jotters at the D.C. Pen Show, assuming I actually manage to get on a plane.

AND, since it’s Pen Show Weekend, take 10% off most orders with “PENSHOW10” at checkout. (Certain brands cannot be discounted so the discount will not apply.) Note: If you are wanting to order a Roterfaden A5, I brought my entire remaining stock with me to the pen show. Be sure to place an order by tomorrow so I can remove it from pen show stock and hold it for shipment upon return.

If you’ve been following my social media, you’ll have heard that I had to miss the first day of the D.C. Pen Show due to flight delays, which ended up with a cancellation/rescheduling of my travel to Friday afternoon. It’s weather-related, so nothing to be done, but it means that my Friday afternoon workshop is cancelled. I should be there all day Saturday and Sunday, fingers crossed! Also, Brick and Mortar shopping in Nashville is closed Friday and Saturday, due to pen show attendance. Shopping available by appointment Tuesday and regular hours next Thursday-Saturday (8/7-8/9).

Uni Style Fit Meister 5 Multi-Pen. For those who prefer a conical tip gel pen over a needle-style like the Pilot Hi-Tec-C or the Pentel Energel, the Uni Style Fit is worth checking out. We have multiple color options in the 5-slot “Meister 5”, and 16 different refill color options from which to choose.
Pilot 4+1 Multi Pens. Pilot’s low-viscosity “Acro-Ink” is excellent, and should get equal air time as the Uni Jetstream. In addition to the Acroball/Dr. Grip multi pen refills (which we now stock), I understand that people have been able to get Uni Style Fit refills to fit this pen as well, though I’ve not experimented extensively. Stay tuned!
Pilot Legno 2+1. The Pilot Legno 2+1 is a three-slot multi pen that has room for two D1 refills and a mechanical pencil. The wood barrel features a contoured shape and comes in three different tones: red, black, brown, and mahogany. This version of the Legno multi pen has become one of my favorites, especially since the red and brown barrels match the Pilot S20 ballpoint and mechanical pencil, allowing you to build a set.
Pilot Acroball D1 Refills. We also have Pilot Acroball refills for the Legno 2+1, which are universal D1 size so they will also fit other D1 multi pens we carry.
Yamamoto Paper Bullet Jotter. These Bible-sized bullet portfolios hold two pads of specialty paper, which are perfect for stand-alone notetaking or for hole-punching and inclusion in a Bible-sized planner.
Yamamoto Paper Bullet Jotter Refill Pads. As with their paper samplers and select looseleaf paper packs, Yamamoto offers an expansive range of different papers that fit the Bullet Jotter, including Soliste, Sheep Clouds Bond, Slight White, Sanzen Tomoe River, and new additions Meringue and Canopus. (Apologies, but Canopus is currently sold out and I am working to get more.)
Yamamoto Paper Specialty Japanese Papers (A4 Looseleaf). We received a restock of the Yamamoto A4 looseleaf sample packs, including additional Slight White, Light Force, and Soliste.
Maruman Spiral Notebook Basic Notebook (Now with 150-sheet Options!). We now have the 150-sheet versions of the Maruman Basics Spiral Notebook, in both B5 and A5 sizes.
Notsu Notecards and Notecard Systems. The popular Notsu notecards are back in stock, including the Centre Rise box sets, packs of 50 loose notecards in multiple formats, and vegan leather notecard holders.
Toyo Stainless Steel Boxes. A popular new addition to our desk/office accessories lineup, these steel boxes from Toyo can hold anything from small office supplies like sticky notes and paper clips to small ink bottles. Toyo boxes come in various sizes and stack easily.