Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 5 Color Multi Pen - Clear Pink

Brad (@dowdyism) at JetPens has generously sent a Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 5 color multi pen in clear pink (plus refills!) for review. Many thanks to you Brad and JetPens!

The Pilot Hi-Tec-C gel ink pens are quite popular and are known for their great micro tips, lovely ink,  and don't forget their range of colors! I myself have a good 50 Hi-Tec-Cs or so (I know...but some were being discontinued so I had to stock up on them) but I really wanted to try the Coleto. The reason for this is because I like "all-in-one" things. It's much easier to carry one pen with five different colors than five separate pens, right??  (This is the same reason I hate having to carry a BlackBerry AND an iPod Touch... why can't they just morph into one device of awesome? Anyway...I digress). So I really have a thing for multipens. The sad thing is, I only own one: the Bic 4-color in fashion colors. I know, it's not much of a multipen.

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 5 Color Multi Pen vs. Pilot Hi-Tec-C

0.4 mm tips

I'm not kidding when I say I spent hours on JetPens, trying to pick the body and refills I wanted. In the end, I narrowed it down to the 5 color body in clear pink with the following refills:

- 0.5 mm violet
- 0.4 mm apricot orange
- 0.5 mm apple green
- 0.5 mm baby pink
- 0.4 mm cherry pink

I absolutely LOVE all these colors!! They're cheery, springy, and happy. I think they all fit together quite nicely as well.

Happy colors!

The body is quite simple: it's a simple plastic make up that's easy to figure out and use. Pop the cap off at the top, put your refills in, and pop it back into place. Easy peasy! It's also great because you can see what color refill to select based on the color of the knob at the top. The sides of the refills also indicate the tip size (in case you're not a nib-freak and can't tell just by looking at it...). Okay so I won't blab about the body. For the price, it's not going to blow your mind as far as component bodies go, but it's cute and not too expensive.

There is a thin layer of grip around the barrel near the tip and it's just for gripping purposes, not cushioning so don't expect it to relieve grip pain if you hold your pens tightly. Especially in the case of the larger barrels. Speaking of larger barrels, I thought the 5-body would be really bulky but it wasn't and I am able to write with it comfortably. I wouldn't have a writing marathon in it but it's fine for doodles and jotting notes in my journal (given the price of refills, I don't want to use it for every task anyway...).

A great thing about Coletos is that you can get a whole bunch of different bodies if Hello Kitty pink isn't your thing. There is also a whole slew of refills including various tip sizes, a mechanical pencil, and stylus. You can do some serious customization with what's available!

Having written with the Hi-Tec-C before, I was expecting similar performance and I was not let down! The Coleto refills write wonderfully - there was not a hint of scratchiness or skipping (although neither 0.4 mm or 0.5 mm are thaaaat fine). They don't show through or bleed through, under normal writing conditions. It dries very quickly too and doesn't smear - perfect for left-handed writers (who also deserve nice pens).

My only complaint is that the refills are too expensive for how long they last. They are much smaller than regular Hi-Tec Cs and don't last as long. Gel ink runs out pretty quickly in general, and the Coleto refills run out even quicker!

Top: Coleto refill. Bottom: Hi-Tec-C cartridge.

Can I interest you in more Coleto?
Economy Pens
Office Supply Geek
Office Supply Geek (A different one.)
Pen Addict
Office Supply Geek (Yes. Another one.)
No Pen Intended
Multi Pen Dimensions

Price:
JetPens - $4.25
Refills - $2.20 each

Overall:
Super fun to write with and so many color options available! Given the price of the Coleto bodies, the price of refills and bodies sort of "balance out". Okay. That's just me justifying that I'm going to continue to use the Coleto because I love having this multipen and I love the colors Pilot has made for them! I'm already looking at another Coleto body so I can have one of each color always at hand!

A pretty pink pair: Clear pink Coleto + Ikea sketchbook

**I was provided one or more of these products for review, but all opinions are my own!