5/13/24 – Content Note: This article has been updated with uni Brands’ latest content guidelines for brand names. The material and substance of the article has not changed.
One Pen To Rule Them All
Once upon a time, there was a pen called the Uniball One. It was a fairly unique addition to the Uni Brands family, featuring a white barrel with a lightly-rubberized grip section with a small splash of color near the top to indicate the color of the ink inside. The pen was a remarkable departure from the hard-edged black and grey tones of the 207 or 307 series. The One also introduced a new (at the time) ink formulation that was supposed to sit atop the page rather than be absorbed into it, creating a more vibrant, sharp line. It even held a world record as the “blackest gel ink ball pen” as of July 2023. I didn’t like them very much. I found the grips to be too wide for comfort, and the bright barrels attracted dirt and dust like no other. The One eventually faded into the background, for me at least. It joined the legion of gel pens that just didn’t quite live up to my personal preferences.
I had pretty much stepped away from the standard gel pen category, then they released the F and P variants and pulled me back in.
The Second And Third Ones
The Ones F and P are two of the latest additions to Uni Brands’ somewhat-confusing catalog. These pens are fairly unique for the brand, featuring uniquely-colored barrels that stand out from the business-casual look of their core lines. Both the F and P feature a variety of vibrant barrel colors with more limited editions hitting various regional markets all the time.
The One F is the more typical of the two pens. Measuring in at 14cm long, it’s fairly standard size. The barrel is slightly narrower than average at just 11.1mm, tapering gently down to about 9mm at the grip before terminating an a metal nose cone. This, for my money, is far more comfortable than its wider predecessor. Inside is a standard size gel refill with a conical 0.38 or 0.5 mm ball tip and Uni Brands’ fade-resistant pigmented black ink.
The One P is essentially what would happen if you took the F and shrunk it down by a third without locking the aspect ratio. It is a short, chunky little pen that uses the same clip, nose cone, and ink refill as the One F. The diminutive One P is only 11.7cm in length, with a surprisingly comfortable diameter of about 14mm. While I have previously lamented the hand-cramping wide grips of other gel pens, the One P’s short stature somehow makes it work.
What Do I Look For In A Pen
If I’m picking up something to write with that isn’t a fountain pen, there are a few boxes that need to be checked in order for me to have a good experience. A pen must be comfortable to hold in both shape and texture. A great pen can be ruined by bad grip design. A pen must write consistently well. I don’t have room for a part-time performer, so my pens of choice must put down a crisp, clean line every time. And a pen must be accessible. All good things must come to an end, so when my favorite refill runs dry there has to be an easy and reliable source of replacement.
The uniball One F and One P are a pleasure to write with. Lightweight and comfortable in the hand, and the range of colors are very easy on the eyes. The clips are simple and springy, providing a positive grip to whatever pocket or sleeve they slide into. And the metal cone on the business end really ties the whole look together. Aesthetics and ergonomics aside, if these pens didn’t write well I wouldn’t be writing about them. The One’s gel ink is a truly next-level performer, laying down clear dark lines with every motion. Equipping that ink with the 0.5mm and 0.38mm tip size makes for pretty much my ideal writing circumstance. At this point I’ve collected a handful (too many) of these pens and they all write incredibly well. The lines produced are dark and crisp, but not overly inky. While some thicker gel pen refills, like the EnerGel, may smudge and bleed through on some thinner papers, I have had no such issue with the uniball One ink.
Finding Something To Complain About
I only have two complaints with the uniball One. First, I picked up a spare 0.38mm blue refill and it doesn’t perform quite as well as the stock black ink. It still writes well, but there is a little more scratchiness, it isn’t quite as flowy as the others. I can’t quite pin down the source of the issue, it seems to write better once it gets going, so this might be an outlier.
The second complaint is a really subjective one: The uniball One is too much of an improvement over other Uni Brands gel pens. Or rather, the “other “over the counter” gel pens seem worse in a world where the One is out there. Simply put, I don’t know why they can’t all be this good. For this review I have a uniball 307 and 207 Plus+ nearby for comparative testing. In truth, they really do not compare. The inks, while black, are more shiny and reflective on the page under direct light. The lines are a little less crisp, and the tips are a little more scratchy. The former pen professional in me understands why those other lines exist. The big box sales keep the lights on and (executives willing) enable more exploratory products in smaller markets. But the pen addict in me hates that we are forced to such lengths to secure a superior writing experience. I’m perfectly happy funneling business towards companies like Jetpens and Yoseka Stationery, in fact I did just last week, but I wish I could find these pens on the stationery aisle. I consider myself lucky to live a short drive’s distance to stationery stores that carry these pens (M.Lovewell and Flax Pen to Paper to name a couple) but its likely a majority of those reading this will have to order online. If I could wave a magic wand and make all of the Uni Brands gel pens use the uniball One ink, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Well I’d better end this review before it becomes an all-out rant against the cyclical capitalism in which we are all forced to participate. If you’re interested in checking out the uniball One, or One F, or One P for yourself, I highly recommend you shop as small as you can. Locally, if at all possible.
Check out Uni Brands pens at Jetpens.com
Also check them out at YosekaStationery.com
And check out the rest of the Uni Brands lineup at unibrands.co.
Disclaimer: The products mentioned in this review were purchased by the author at retail price, with the exception of the 207 Plus+ which I won in a Pen Addict raffle. All opinions stated are my own.
The Poor Penman 
I’m glad we have unaffiliated third parties like the Poor Pen Man to pick up the slack of these poor multi-national corporations who seem unable to merchandise their products in a digestible way 😀
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Very mmuch the same feeling. The One F, with it’s added weight toward the point makes me want to choose it every time. It’s as though someone finally made a pen capable of keeping up with my ADHD, racing thoughts. 😉
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This is at best, a mediocre pen. I’ve tried it on everything from notebook paper to vellum and it is unreliable. The ink flow is terrible and never consistent. It always changes with every word! And it doesn’t feel smooth when you write. Although the pen is the right width for my fingers, I can’t say I like the writing experience at all. Just an average, humdrum clicker pen not worth spending much money on. The Zebra 0.7mm G350 blows it away. It is very smooth and easy to write with. It produces perfect lines and never deviates with each word. I would never buy this type of pen again. Stick with Zebra.
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I love these pens, too, and usually get ball point and gel pens from Jet Pens. Sometimes Japanese novelty stores, or Daiso stores, have some of these brands. But I had to order the Uni Ball P. It’s so visually attractive, and I like the shape. It could benefit from a less slippery grip section.
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