Roller Ball Pen Review Archives

Uni-Ball 5 Roller Ball Pen Review

July 18, 2014 by Blake

The Uni-Ball 5 is a roller ball pen that I can find almost no information on. I couldn’t find this pen on Mitsubishi’s (Uni) Japanese site (http://www.mpuni.co.jp/) nor on their US site nor on Google. Here is what I do know:

I bought this pen from Itoya in Tokyo for 100 YEN (a bit less than a $1USD). It is a roller ball with a 0.5mm point. The ink is ultra smooth and fast drying.

I put the Uni-Ball 5 up again three other traditional roller balls, the Pilot V Ball, the Pilot Precise Rolling Ball, and the Uni-Ball Deluxe Micro (all 0.5mm).

The Uni-Ball 5 was the clear winner for me. The lines are tight and sharp and it’s the smoothest writer out of all of them. In terms of price its most clear competitor is the Pilot Precise Rolling Ball and comparing them more closely the Pilot had a more liquid and fluid feel where the Uni had a more viscous, thicker feel (though clearly a liquid ink). I also found that the dry times for the Uni-Ball 5 were faster than that of the Pilot Precise. With that said the Pilot Precise’s feel on paper is more unique and a bit more fun but objectively it really isn’t a better pen.

In short the Uni-Ball is the best writing disposable roller ball pen I have come across under $1. I almost think I might like it better than the Ohto Graphic Liner. I don’t know how to buy them in the USA, so if anyone out there knows of a place or has more information on this pen I would love to hear from you.

Pilot VBall BeGreen 0.5mm Blue Roller Ball Review

December 15, 2013 by Blake

The Pilot VBall BeGreen is a roller ball pen with a body made from “81.6% recycled content”. First off, this isn’t the VBall I remember enjoying years ago; the design is much better but the pen as a whole is worse.

I really love the clean and elegant design of this pen; the inset metallic branding and the blue plastic cap combined with the translucent body and feed are excellent. For a disposable pen the VBall BeGreen gets an A+ in design.

As for writing, the VBall is quite scratchy. I compared it to the Uni Ball Micro Deluxe (another traditional liquid ink roller ball) and the difference was night and day. The Uni glided across the paper with more ease and left a cleaner line on the page. As I spent more time with the Vball I noticed that some parts of the tip were smoother than others; by twisting I could find both smooth and scratchy parts of the tip which makes me think I may have gotten a bad one.

I haven’t come across many duds that were made by Pilot in Japan but this might be one.

Here is a great review of the Pilot VBall BeGreen:

(I have no affiliation with the site linked below)

The Pen Addict – Pilot VBall BeGreeN 05 Review

Morning Glory Mach 3 0.38mm Roller Ball Pen – Review

October 19, 2013 by Blake

The Morning Glory Mach 3 is a disposable roller ball pen with a fine 0.38mm tip. The Mach 3 writes with a crisp and clean line but it is not very smooth. The ink is neither waterproof nor archival safe. There is an ink level window on the pen body and the grip is made of a translucent plastic that lets you see the feed. I like that the cap snaps onto the body when posted. The look of this pen is pretty mediocre and the clip has rough edges that gives an air of cheapness. At $2.00 the Mach 3 is well priced but for a little bit more you can have a much better pen such as the Pilot Hi-Tec-C and the Otho Graphic Liner.

Here are some other reviews of the Mach 3:

(I have no affiliation with the sites linked below)

Good Pens – Surprise…Morning Glory Mach 3

The Pen Addict – Morning Glory Mach 3 Roller Ball Pen 0.38 mm Review