Uni (Uniball) Artis - a very rare pen with a pressurized refill

Introduction to the Artis

This is a pen that had been on my mind for a couple years, but was released (and subsequently discontinued) some years before that. The exact history of the Uni Artis is a mystery, but it was only ever available in Japan.

The particular model number of the ballpoint version in my review is the SS1400AS-P07 and the colour variant of this one is the 1P.26.

At the time this caught my interest, it was because I was looking at the Uni pens with the pressurized refills (of which there are only a handful) to test out. Uni made a couple types of pressurized refills which I've written about before. One type is a plastic refill encased in a pressurized suit, and the other is a pressurized metal refill (like a Fisher).

All of the pressurized refill pens were from a series called the "Power Tank", of which there were several grades, from their basic SN series, to their metal bodied pen with metal refill, fittingly called the "High Grade". Outside of the Power Tank series however, there was one exception.

The Uni Artis was released in the early 2000s - my research from Japanese sources leads me to believe they were introduced in 2003 specifically. However, the Artis line was mainly focused on mechanical pencils, including a standard pencil for writing, and a large (2mm) lead-holder version for art, which was offered with a special lead sharpener. However, there were relatively few ballpoint versions on the market, and those that were, were fitted the pressurized metal refill.

The original packaging at the time for the ballpoint advertised 4 key features:

• Oval pen body shape
• Aluminum construction
• Side grip
• Power tank refill

Design

The Artis does indeed of an oval/elliptical shape of the pen body (including the knock), which is entirely constructed of aluminum. The unusual shape makes for an unusual feeling in the hand, but it is still quite comfortable. The sides are painted with a bumpy matte finish for grip, while the rest of the body is smooth. It makes for a highly unusual and attractive design.

There were multiple colour options available for the pen, at least 4, and the matte grip for some of them were in a different colour than the rest of the body. For this one, the body is in silver while the grip is in blue.

Writing

I'm not sure how old the refill is on this, but it writes exceptionally well for what may have been the original refill for the pen. While my Jetstream refills are perhaps smoother or darker when new, they all deteriorate over time and become grey & sticky, perhaps due to the hot climate where I live. However the Power Tank refills maintain their consistency, rich colour, and write more like a good quality non-hybrid ballpoint. These refills are also available in 1.0mm which is something I intend to try.

While the pen appears (visually) to be very solid, I will say that the aluminum body feels quite thin and light. On closer inspection, the body seems to be made of plastic and then wrapped in an aluminum shell. It gives it a somewhat hollow and plastic feel when clicking the pen.