StationaryGuy

I am BACK!!! Apologies for the delays in posts on this relatively new website. Being a teacher certainly does have its hard days, particularly close to final exam time!

I decided to go on a splurge at Tokyo Pen Shop, and bring over the new Lite Touch Jetstream inks to my home in the States.

If you can’t wait until the end of this review, at time of writing, you still can get the standard lite touch here, or the 4&1 here!

But let’s talk about these pens, and how StationaryGuy decided to go about reviewing them!

The order that started it all:

When I first brought attention to these new additions from Uni, I knew that I needed to have them. I needed to know if the claims made in the advertisement were true.

So, I took the plunge. I had already placed an order the day before directly from Uni, since I had been searching for the Uniball Zento, and a Vision Needle in Pink. That aside, I needed to know what all the fuss was about, so I clicked my way over to Tokyo Pen Shop, and ordered a few things.

First: I ordered the standard Jetstream Lite Touch in 0.7mm. That pen will likely make an appearance on my long-term project to swatch every black pen ink that I can find. (Coming Soon!)

Second, I ordered refills for the Lite Touch 4&1. 2 Black, 2 Blue, 1 Red, and 1 Green.

Now you’re probably wondering… you ordered refills and no pen body.

Yes! I did.

Introducing… *drum sounds*

The tools of the trade:

These are my two lovely 4&1s, one in Red and the other in Purple.

Now, it pleases me to inform everyone that the new Lite Touch refills are unchanged in terms of length, width, and height when compared to the original jetstream refills. This means: you can use your already purchased OG 4&1 and just swap out the ink to the new Lite Touch variety. That is what I opted to do for this review.

You can also of course just buy the full Lite Touch 4&1, but do note that it is more cost-effective to simply purchase the refills for a pen that you already own. The Lite Touch 4&1 is $21 on Tokyo Pen Shop, while the refills are only $2 each ($8 total for all 4 refills).

Refills can go in more than just the 4&1: they also fit in my more compact Uniball F-Series as well.

The review:

Okay lets talk about the performance of the new Lite Touch ink vs the OG.

This ink test was performed on Rhodia paper. Now, this paper was chosen for a few reasons, but the most important one was how ink really “pops” on it. I typically use this paper or Tomoe River paper to swatch fountain pens, so I am familiar with how it really does represent the ink comparatively better than standard bristol cardstock (which is what I normally use for swatches.)

On the top left, I used the Original Jetstream ink to swatch and scribble.

On the top right, I used the Lite Touch Jetstream ink instead.

After swatching both, I used a mildliner on the scribble to see any smudging.

In the middle, I did closer swatches of pen inks from both formulations so that we could look at how they compare in terms of inktensity.

On the bottom right. I compared the intensity of the new Lite Touch ink with one of the darkest pen inks on the market: The Uniball One F. While not a ballpoint pen, a lot of people who want an idea of ink intensity typically use the One F as the baseline.

Let’s discuss how these pens performed.

Smoothness:

Both pens glided on the Rhodia paper like butter. There was no skipping, little feedback, and all in all it performed like a typical Jetstream ink. In the advertisements for the Lite Touch, they did talk about how this new ink was smoother.

I would say that, that marketing point is valid. It’s not much of a difference, but I would say that the Lite Touch went on the paper a tad bit smoother. I don’t think you would notice if you weren’t looking for it, though.

Smudge Resistance

The OG Jetstream had perfect resistance when tested using a finger 5 seconds after putting on paper. All pens have a heavy resistance to the mildliner. Don’t be fooded by the streak in the OG black, I ran the mildliner over it twice before letting it fully dry since I was a little curious. If its only a single pass, these hold up perfectly.

The Jetstream Lite Touch had perfect resistance when tested using a finger 5 seconds after putting on paper. All pens have a heavy resistance to the mildliner with one pass.

I don’t think either ink beats the other here. By nature of being a ballpoint oil-based ink, they both tout the same smudge resistance.

Inktensity

Now this is the big one. It had been reported that the Lite Touch was made to be more vibrant than the OG Jetstream. Now, for those familiar with ballpoints, vibrancy is a fairly big issue. Due to the oil-based formulation of the ink and the tech involved, ballpoints typically are very smooth, but struggle with vibrancy.

I as a teacher tend to avoid ballpoints for this reason, especially because I grade with Green ink, and Green ink in particular tends to be the most difficult to formulate. I want my colors to POP so my students can see them more easily.

And well, well, well. This is DEFINITELY a step up.

Comparing the two ink formulations, the Jetstream Lite Touch is quite a bit more vibrant than the OG. This is most apparent in the Red and the Green Lite Touch, which are noticeably more intense than the OG ink.

Now, the Lite Touch ink is no where near the Uniball one F, but that ink is in a league all on its own. (Please excuse the lighting, I took these pictures with an iPhone.)

Final Thoughts:

I already adored the Jetstream Line for my own reasons. For official documents that need water resistance and fraud protection, it still remains the best ballpoint pen with regards to color, smoothness, and feedback.

I think that Uni really stepped up their game with the Lite Touch ink. It was smoother and most importantly, more vibrant.

I think that if you already like the Jetstream line, you will love this new addition. I’m so happy that I decided to take the plunge and order these to try for myself. Even though the school year is coming to a close, I can see myself ordering refills of the green ink for next year (unless they make a full-sized green refill in 0.7mm, in which case SIGN ME UP!).

I hope this review answered all your questions regarding the Jetstream Lite Touch, and I’ll see you all next time!

Keep up the Pen-ergy

-StationaryGuy