I wanted a smooth-writing pen that writes with a very fine line. Not knowing what to choose, I bought a Pilot Hi-Tech-C 0.25mm, a Pentel Slicci 0.25mm, a Uniball Signo 0.28mm, and the Uniball Jetstream 0.38mm, all with black ink. The Jetstream was really an afterthought - I expected the gel pens to be superior to a lowly ballpoint. And how fine could a 0.38mm ball write, anyway? Boy, was I wrong on both counts.

To test the pens, I wrote several pages with each one on two kinds of paper. The Hi-Tech-C clearly wrote the finest line; so fine that it wasn't comfortable to read my writing - too faint. The Slicci and (surprise) the Jetstream were tied for second place as far as thinness goes. The Signo was easily the thickest of the four.

The Signo, the Hi-Tech-C, and the Slicci were very smooth but offered resistance, like moving a canoe paddle through water. The Slicci was best in that regard, the Signo the worst. The resistance of the Signo and Hi-Tech-C was so great that I can't see myself writing with them very much; it would be too tiring. (Note that those pens probably write with much less resistance if you choose a larger ball diameter.) The Jetstream, on the other hand, moved across the page with no resistance, but had just a tiny bit of that "ballpoint feel". You probably know what I mean, some kind of tactile feedback that gel pens don't have.

As far as comfort goes, the Signo and Jetstream were easily the best and the Slicci was the worst. The Slicci and the Hi-Tech-C are just sooo thin and slippery that they are uncomfortable to hold, and I got tired of squeezing them to keep them from slipping out of my hand.

Skipping was really not a problem with any of the pens, although the Hi-Tech-C and Jetstream did skip just a tiny bit once in a great while, with the Hi-Tech-C worse than the Jetstream.

The Jetstream ink, being a ballpoint, dries much faster than the gel pens, pretty much instantly.

All things considered, the Jetsteam was the clear winner, with the Slicci coming in second.

Finally, and best of all, you can buy the fantasticly comfortable Jetstream Alpha Gel 0.7mm pen and replace the guts with a Jetstream 0.38mm refill, giving you what I think is the all-around best pen on the market. I didn't notice any better pen bodies available for the Slicci, but if there were one, I would rate the Slicci a close second.

Hope that helps.

I never thought I would fall in love with a ballpoint. I did. Head over heels. Buy this even if you hate ballpoints and only wound up on this page because your finger slipped. Buy 10. Smooth, clear writing. Occasionally the ink spits out a little chunk of ink? I'm sure there's a word for this phenomenon but it happens to most pens. In the scheme of this pen's performance passing it over because of that would be like divorcing your husband because he wears Hanes instead of Fruit of the Loom.

Fine point gel pens are basically the only pens I use. I have always had an aversion to ballpoint pens; they're all greasy with uneven ink flow.
This pen proved me wrong.
The ink writes fantastically and flows smoothly. I never have a problem with this pen skipping, even when I first tried it out.
I strongly reccomend this pen, especially if you don't usually like ballpoint pens. You'll love this one.
My ONE dislike is the pen body. The clip feels kind of cheap, and I do find it uncomfortable to hold. However, when I put the ink cartridge in a Pilot Juice body it works fine and is a lot more comfortable to write with. I can definitely overlook the pen body being uncomfortable, though, because the ink quality is so great. I wish I could give this a 4.5 / 5.

Absolutely a fantastic pen. I used it to the last drop of ink. It writes very smoothly and very finely, as expected. I write very small, but slowly, so I prefer very fine points that do not bleed. I had no problems with this pen. I used to use a Zebra Sharbo X, but as that has been discontinued, I got this as a replacement and in fact prefer it by far. Extremely cost-effective. I am back buying three more (since I did, in fact, use the last drop of ink). The only problem I had was completely negligible: the grip got a bit stretched out by the end there, and sometimes shifted around the body a little. I will update if that was a one-time thing. Otherwise, and excellent purchase that I intend to make again many times in the future.

I once borrowed a Uni Jetstream from a friend and was thrilled when she said I could keep it. The pen swiftly and securely clicks into action. And the nib! It's a beauty! It literally dances across the page, adds muscular flair and originality to my signature and written work.