Pilot Hi-Tec C Pen

Yes cg, it’s not a continuous flow like the gels (my gripe as well). The gradation is minimal below the .5mm nib though. I haven’t had any issues with the hi-tec clogging near as much as the bics i was using. Have you used the bic orange fine before? I just order a set from a store in the UK…I’ve heard good things.

I really hate those pens…
it’s like when you are a little boy and can’t control your hand :slight_smile: and you always pressure your pen too much.

Does anyone know how these compare to the Pilot G-Tec-C4 or the muji pens?




These are my 2 favorite pens to use and was wondering if anyone knew how they compared? never been able to find Hi-Tec C.

The best benefit I found when I got mines (heard about them from the Feng videos) is they don’t smear or bleed when you marker over them. They were developed for kanji writers who write very small and often smear other pens. I still like a good cheap bic for the expressive lines, but if you are going to marker up, photocopy, use the hi tec and lay down the markers!

Am I the only person in the world who does not like these pens? I always preferred a regular bic ball point…

I’ve been using my Hi-Tec-C pens for years, I’ve been happy with them until a recent project required me to use a straight edge and some ship curves to define some lines. I noticed that after a day of running the pens along the edges it caused the tips to wear out, making them useless. They are wonderful pens for freehand sketching, but beware of using them along with a straight edge.

It took me some time getting used to gel pens (I was taught to sketch with fineliner), but I now love them because they don’t bleed at all with alcohol based markers.

I’m also using Pilot G-Tec-C4 or the Muji pens. Can’t get the Hi-Tec C where I live, and just can’t believe they’re that much better, so haven’t bothered ordering them.

Oh, you don’t know what you are missing. But truth be told, I haven’t gotten my hands on a Muji pen myself yet.

Beware also that the Hi-Tec C ink is water-based, if you go over with markers you are going to smear all your sketch lines. I found this out the hard way.

Are you sure? None of my hi tec’s smear from any kind of markers. (AD, copics, Prisma)

It was one of the main reasons why i bought them. Dont like that they leave a lot of ink blobs however.

What paper are you using? I soak markers all over Hi Tec C lines and get no smear at all.


The only retail place I’ve found near when I live is the…

market outside of Chicago in Arlington Heights. If you’re not near the area check out any other Asian market in your area. If they have a stationary section you might find them.

I take that back, it was indeed the paper I was using, ink wasn’t drying fast enough.

I’ve always had major problems with these pens. Maybe I press down too hard because I always end up smearing/smudging the lines I’ve drawn over with the side of my hand as I’m drawing. I’ve even waited 1 min before going back over a sketch and it still smudges. Beautiful lines, but for all the troubles I go through I usually just stick with my bic ballpoint.

I never get ink blobs with my pens, that’s the main reason I like them.

Got a little story about one of my pens. One time while I was hanging out with some buddies at a busy coffee shop, a woman asked the cashier if she could borrow a pen, I knew she was a regular so I offered to let her use one of my Hi-Tec C’s. Next thing I look over at her table and she is chewing my pen and doing all kinds of stuff with it! I saw that woman again several times after that incident but she never offered to give it back, needless to say it wasn’t that important to me anymore.

Weird. Every time I go an ellipse, i get a small blob at 200degree mark. From every single one of them. (0.5’s). Got two 0.1’s too, but they were pretty useless for me.

My classmates stopped borrowing my pens, because I got kind of zelous to get them back. Nedless to say, I’ve love pens/pencils. Ever since opened my fathers desk drawers for the first time.

I find the 0.5 to be too heavy, I have one but never use it. 0.4 works just fine for me, I use 0.3 for lighter lines.

So I love these pens but now I am in love with this Korean pen called ‘Monami’ - can’t find them in the states, only online

Monami plus pen 3000 in black-

I think this may be my new favorite ?! And I do have a serious problem buying one of every pen I see too…

During a recent trip I came across the Zebra Sarasa Clip pen. I tried one briefly and was very impressed, and it costs half as much as a Hi-Tec C. Does anyone out there use them for sketching?

I went to buy some replacement Hi-Tec C pens today and the woman at the store told me that ever since this article in the New York Times praising the Uni-ball Signo UM-151 people have been coming in asking for them.

I like them and cost less but I’m going to have a hard time letting go of my Hi-Tec C’s.

This is the thread that never dies. :laughing:

I’ve been coming across a similar Pilot pen called the G-Tec-C, seen them at a couple of stationery shops. I bought one and it turned out to be the same as the Hi-Tec-C under a slightly different name.

I imagine the big wigs at Pilot got word that third parties were importing the Hi-Tec-C’s and realized there was potential to make money by bypassing the middle man.

They’re a bit cheaper but they don’t have the same color and tip size selection as the Hi-Tec-C’s.

http://staples.com/Pilot-G-Tec-C-Gel-Ink-Pens-Ultra-Fine-Point-Black-3/product_911977