My Stationery Life

I don’t regret many pen purchases, but every now and then, I end up with something that should have been reliable—and just wasn’t.
I bought two Uni Jetstream 4&1 multipens: a cream-colored one for Torah study and a green one for my Hobonichi Techo 5-Year. They were supposed to be staples—dependable pens that lived alongside my notebooks and planners, always ready to go. But instead of being trusty everyday tools, they turned out to be one of my biggest stationery disappointments.

What Made Me Buy It?
I’ve always liked multipens because they’re practical and efficient, letting me color-code notes without carrying a dozen individual pens. Since I already loved Jetstream ink, I assumed the 4&1 would be an easy win—after all, Jetstream is known for smooth, quick-drying ink, which is a huge selling point for me.

The idea of having four ink colors plus a built-in mechanical pencil in one sleek body seemed perfect for both Torah study and my 5-Year Techo.
I take a lot of notes in a Papermates notebook for Torah study, and my headers are black, subheaders are green, main text is blue, and key terms are red. For my 5-year, I just alternate each day: black, blue, red, green. I will use the pencil if I have to jot something down I'm not sure about and then go back to write in ink. At $15 per pen, I expected something sturdy and reliable, an all-in-one tool I could use daily. (We’ll come back to that price in a minute.)

On paper, this should have been the perfect pen. Literally.

Where It All Went Wrong
The Ink Was Cursed
That’s the only way I can describe it. The green ink in my Torah pen was the first to stop working. Then the blue ink followed. Then the red ink. Eventually, I was left with only the black ink and pencil lead actually functioning.

Thinking maybe I’d just gotten a bad batch, I bought refills and replaced them all. Nothing changed!

No matter what paper I tested them on, no matter how many pen warm-up scribbles I did, the ink refused to flow properly. And just when I thought I had isolated the issue to my cream-colored pen, my green pen started doing the same thing. Just like before, it all started with the green ink.

The Eraser Was Useless
The eraser is far too delicate, and both of them popped right out of my pens way too easily. This wouldn’t be a huge issue, but for a $15 pen, I expect better design.

The Plastic Feels Cheap
Speaking of price vs. quality, the overall build just doesn’t feel good. The plastic is light, fragile, and not nearly as sturdy as other multipens I own—some of which were half the cost of this one.

The Mystery of the Self-Unscrewing Pen
My green pen constantly unscrews itself while I’m writing. I have no idea why. I admit to being a heavy-handed writer, but it still doesn’t make sense that one of them keeps coming loose while the other one stays intact.

Final Thoughts: A Rare Miss from Uni
I wanted to love these pens! They should have been solid, everyday writing tools, but instead, they ended up being frustrating, unreliable, and overpriced.

For $15, I’ve bought far better multipens that actually work for half the cost. I still love multipens, and I have several 4-in-1s that I use regularly, but the Uni Jetstream 4&1 is a rare miss.

If you’re considering this pen, save your money and try a different multipen instead.