Uniball Signo Impact 1.0mm

Gel pens would count as my close second favourite writing tool, behind fountain pens. In fact, it was gel pens that would introduce me to the world of higher quality writing instruments and I still use them and carry them around regularly, particularly for situations where fountain pens are particularly inappropriate.

My absolute favourite brand of gel pens is Uniball Signo range of pens. They have a huge range of gel pens – from the very fine 0.28mm width, to the larger 1.0mm tip size, in a large range of body types and ink colours.

This Uniball Impact is one of the wider pens available in the range. Although it is not always practical, the wide 1.0mm tip offers an extremely smooth writing experience, and offers crisp, dark lines. The downside is that, due to the wide tip, its near impossible to write small and it will smudge more easily than a finer tipped pen, due to the amount of ink it lays down. Further, ink refills don’t last as long as more ink is used up, compared to a finer tip.

For me, the benefits of the pen’s smoothness outweighs the downsides associated with the wider tip. After a long day, or if I’m feeling particularly tired, a smooth writing pen makes it easier to write with. Also, if you get the retractable refill, the smoothness is helpful when using it in one of the particularly heavy, brass rollerball pens that are popular these days.

This Uniball impact is part of the 207 range, which has “super ink” which is archival quality and is water, chemical and light resistant. Available in both capped and retractable varieties, the Uniball impact remains one of my favourite gel ink pens.