December 2, 2007

Review: Pentel Slicci 0.3mm

See all sizes of this photo on Flickr.

I think I just found my new favorite pen. Smooth and steady from the very first use, the Pentel Slicci is the most consistent micro tip pen I have used in recent memory. The lines are sharp, and I have yet to experience any skipping or clogging. It is going to take a lot for me to replace this pen as my main day-to-day writing instrument.

11 comments:

Josh said...

What are your thoughts on the Slicci vs. Hi-tec-C? I agree with your complaints on the grip, but I've solved that problem for the HTC by using the 'Cavalier Executive' body (it feels much better than the cheap plastic on the standard HTC body). There doesn't seem to be a similar solution for the Slicci though...

dowdyism said...

Right now, I prefer how the Slicci writes better than the Hi-Tec-C. The line is a little smoother, sharper, and quicker to start. I do wish the slicci barrel was a bit wider like the Hi-Tec-C and had a rubber grip, but I'm willing to overlook those things since I like the line so much. I haven't seen a different barrel option for the Slicci yet.

I keep waiting to get a Cavalier body for the Hi-Tec-C, so I will have to do that soon. They seem really nice!

Ryan said...

A little late to this party, but I was in the same boat that both of you were with respect to the Slicci's barrel. Love the pen; can't write with the tiny little barrel (I've got big meatpaws). Here's how I solved it.

Get a Sailor Innovation Rollerball for a buck or two (you can find them here http://www.shop.peartreepens.com/product.sc?productId=33&sourceCode=froogle).

Pull out the Sailor refill (which is very nice, by the way - albeit very broad), stuff a little tiny bit of wadded-up paper towel in the bottom of the barrel, and swap in the Slicci's refill. Instantly better. It's not a perfect fit, but it's not bad, to be truthful. The Slicci's point doesn't stick out quite as far or look quite as "stock", but if it's a big concern, grab a Dremel and hollow out the plastic section just a little and it'll fit a little better.

One more thing. If you do happen to shove in too much wadded-up paper towel or Kleenex, the very bottom of the Sailor's barrel does come off. You'll need to push it a little, but it'll pop out so you can grab the extra material and discard/compress, etc.

Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Shameless plug:
(There'll be an upcoming post on my blog on this soon - with pictures)
http://roossinck.wordpress.com

Best,
Ryan

Ryan said...

Woops...looks like the link didn't come through.

www.peartreepens.com

Use the search feature to find the Sailor Innovation.

(I'm not affiliated with Pear Tree per se, other than being a very happy repeated customer.)

dowdyism said...

I have seen a few pen hacks in the past, and I think myself and a few other readers would be interested in seeing your Slicci hack. Make sure you send me the link when it is up on your blog. Thanks for reading!

dowdyism said...

You got me thinking Ryan, and it turns out I had the perfect barrel sitting right in front of my eyes:
Perfect Slicci Hack

Curt said...

nice blog!

I've order some of the Slicci 0.30 to try out, but also got a few of the UniBall Signo RT 0.38 because it's my current favorite.

Thanks for the information!

For my personal taste I don't really like the rubber (or other material) soft-grips because they tend to stick to my shirt when I'm trying to pocket them.

When I couldn't find the Signo locally I tried the Pilot Hi-Techpoint V5 0.50 but it's a little sloppy.

For soft-grip 0.50's I also like the Pilot G-2 05...

Looking forward to trying the Slicci though!

Curt said...

Follow-up from my prior comment -- I've been using the Slicci for a bit now, and love it! I have two minor issues:

1 - the cap doesn't stay on the tail very well... I'm always knocking it off while writing.

2 - the grip groves are uncomfortable after a bit. (I'll try the hack).

Oh, complaint #3 is that JetPens has only a single one left in stock!

NOOOOOO!

Speedmaster said...

I wasn't even aware of this pen, thanks.

Unknown said...

Have you tried the Pentel Slicci 0.4mm yet? I just got one recently and it can write some clean black lines. I will try the Hybrid-Technica hack as soon as Jet Pens comes back into stock.

dowdyism said...

Not yet. JetPens was out of stock on the colors I wanted when I went to order, but I see now most everything is back in stock. I'll get some soon!