Yunibōru (stylized as uniball) and Yuni are of and ,[ made by the Mitsubishi Enpitsu Kabushiki Gaisha of Japan. The brand was introduced in 1979 as a rollerball pen model, then expanding to the rest of Mitsubishi Pencil products.][
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Mitsubishi Pencil Company distributes over 3,000 core products in over 100 countries through subsidiaries, such as Mitsubishi Pencil Company UK. Distribution in the United States, Canada and Mexico is by Uni-ball's North American Corporation in Wheaton, Illinois. In Germany they are sold by Faber-Castell, in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East by Hoshan Pan Gulf,
History
The Mitsubishi Pencil company was founded in Tokyo by Niroku Masaki in 1887[ Who we are on Uni-ball UK] as the "Masaki Pencil Manufacturing Company".[ After World War II, it was renamed "The Mitsubishi Pencil Company".]
Masaki Pencil started to export its products, first to Mexico in 1927, then expanding to other markets including Belgium, Egypt, Portugal, Argentina, India and Netherlands. At the end of World War II, the company introduced the "9800" pencil. In 1959, Mitsubishi released its first ballpoint pen, while its first mechanical pencil was launched in 1961.[ About us on Uni Mitsubishi Pencil Vietnam]
In 1966, they began creating performance pens and by 1979 they developed the first "Uniball" rollerball pen,[ which was the first ballpen with water-based ink and metallic tip. This pen would be a great success in Japan and North America. One year later, the company launched the "Paint", an oil-based marker pen.][
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While mainly focused on making pens, in 2008 they developed a new mechanical pencil that rotated the graphite lead every time it is lifted from the page to sharpen it into an even cone shape. This line of pencils is named as Kuru Toga.
In August 2020, Uni-ball announced a partnership with Starline.
In February 2024, the company announced it was acquiring German fountain and ball point pen company Lamy.
Products
Although Mitsubishi Pencil started as a graphite pencil manufacturer, the company is no longer specialized in that product, focusing on mechanical pencils instead.[ All products on Uni-ball USA] Paint, Posca (paint marker pens), Chalk, and Prockey ().[ Catalog on Uni-ball Australia]
Wood-cased pencil brands include Hi-Uni, Uni and Mitsu-Bishi. Some other pen lines (mainly intended for the Japanese market) under the Uni brand are Power Tank (pressurised ink-cartridge ballpoint pen), R:E (erasable ink pens), Laknock, Clifter (ballpoints), α(Alpha)-GEL (various types of pens with soft gel-like grips), Style Fit (multi-pen system), Shift, M-552 (mechanical pencils), and Propus (highlighters). Product lines under the Uni-ball brand are One (), and Zento ().[ Web Catalog on Uni-ball Japan]
The brand is often listed best or one of the best pens in gel pen rankings.
Pencils
- Uni
Released in October 1958, it was created to be used for drafting and drawing, and was the pioneer of high quality pencils in Japan.
- Hi-uni
Released in 1966, it included all the hardness scales of 9H - 6B stipulated by JIS. The technology was developed to make the particle size very small in Hi-uni pencils. In 2008, 10H and 7B - 10B outside JIS standards were added, resulting in 22 hardness scales. The "Hi-Uni Art Set" with a set of 22 hardnesses is available.
- Mitsu-Bishi 9800 series
No. 9800: Released in 1946, for general writing. Available in many grades.
No. 9850: A red-brown pencil with a hexagonal cross section, and attached eraser.
No. 9852: A yellow pencil with a hexagonal cross section, and attached eraser.
Mechanical Pencils
- Uni SHIFT
It is a mechanical pencil ("sharp") used for drafting. The grip is made of aluminum and is knurled.
- Kuru Toga
Released in 2008, the Kuru Toga mechanical pencil the "Kuru Toga engine"—that rotates the lead slightly each time it touches the paper.
In 2017, Uni launched the “Advance,” which doubled the rotation angle of the lead.
In February 2020, the Kuru Toga Dive was released in limited quantities.
Ballpoint and rollerball pens
- Signo
Released in 1994, the Signo is a gel-ink ballpoint pen. In 2015, the "Signo 307" was introduced which used "cellulose nanofiber" ink.
- Power Tank
The Power Tank is a pressurized oil-based ballpoint pen. It was introduced in 2001. It can write in conditions where conventional ballpoint pens typically fail, such as when writing upward, on wet paper, or in temperatures below freezing.
- Jetstream
The Jetstream line was introduced in 2006. It is a low-viscosity oil-based ballpoint pen.
- Uni-ball One
Released in 2020, the Uni-ball One uses a proprietary "BeadsPack" pigment ink in which pigments are firmly enclosed within the particles, reducing absorption into paper fibers. The Uni-ball One series includes three models — Uni-ball One, Uni-ball One F, and Uni-ball One P.
- Uni-ball Zento
The Uni-ball Zento is a water-based ink ballpoint pen featuring Uni’s distinctive "Zento Ink," that was introduced in 2025. It uses a polyoxyalkylene (POA) surfactant, along with pigment ink .
There are four models: Basic, Standard, Flow, and Signature.
Other writing instruments
- Uni α(Alpha)Gel
First introduced in 2003, this series uses a shock-absorbing material, called αGEL for the grip. There are models of mechanical pencils, oil-based ballpoint pens, and multi-functional pens.
- Style Fit
Style Fit, released in 2009, is a customizable pen system that allows users to combine various body designs with different types of refills.
- Posca
lead=yes (sometimes stylised as POSCA) are Japanese Paint marker created by Uni Mitsubishi Pencil in 1983.
Poscas are known for their ability to write on a wide variety of surfaces.
There are slight variations in colours available between the Japanese and International pens.
Posca pens are popular with graffiti artists
External links
