Uni-Ball One gels pens are crazy popular. The gel ink is good quality and the simple, minimal styling feels modern and aesthetic. Uni recently released a set called Fika ($13), which is based on the Swedish concept of a cozy, midday coffee break with friends. The set includes seven colors: Avocado Green, Cappuccino Brown, Plum Purple, Sesame Gray, Poppy Red, Mango Orange and Nemophilia Blue.
The form factor for the One series is matte textured plastic, smooth in the hand and a wider-than-average barrel that makes these pens comfortable and easy to use. The tips are conical so they are sturdy and there is no wiggle in the housing. They are retractable with a functional clip.
(Check out are previous reviews: Pen Review: Uni-ball One Gel Pen 3 Color Set and Pen Review: UniBall ONE Metallics (and White) Set)
I wasn’t interested in a couple of the colors so I swapped out the Poppy Red, Mango Orange and NemophilaBlue for Mamedaifuku Iro, which is a warm grey color. So, unlike the original set, my set has five colors instead of the original seven. Each pen sells for $2.20.
The colors are quite light and in the 0.38mm tip, the colors are probably even lighter than they would be with a larger tip size. I like the colors and the subtlety they add to my gel pen collection.
The Mamedaifuku Ire is probably the lightest color in this set. The Avocado Green is probably my perfect lime-y green color in a gel pen and I have spent years looking for the perfect green pen. The Plum Purple is a gorgeous color and the Sesame Grey is the closest to an old favorite pen which I have been looking for a replacement for years.
I originally fell in love with the Pilot Hi-Tec C pens because of the unique and unusual colors that they introduced. A lot of those color options were discontinued so Uni One has stepped in with these more complex, sophisticated color options.
With the reasonable price point and the fun, unique colors, the Uni One gel pens are worth investing in for your pen stash.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
It’s amazing how the range of colours for gel and ball pens keeps expanding. These are a little light for my taste, but I like them. They’re the sort of colours that I wouldn’t choose for myself, but would happily read if someone wrote me a note in them. (I feel that way about a lot of Great Art: I enjoy seeing it in a museum, but wouldn’t want it on my wall. 🙂