The Pilot Hi-Tec-C is a popular capped gel pen known for its fine tip needle-point. It is an inexpensive office-style stick pen featuring a clear plastic body and cap, and metal cone piece at the front.
The Hi-Tec-C is the Japan version of the Pilot G-Tec pens, which sold in Europe (with the Hi-Tec-C being the original).
The pen is available in several ink colors including the standard black, red, and blue as well as purple, green, orange, brown, and pink. It is available with tip sizes of 0.25mm, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5mm.
It typically costs about $3. It is also available with a rubber grip instead of the molded plastic.
Pilot Hi-Tec C Review
The Pilot Hi-Tec C is a plastic pen with a plastic cap. The body is clear, molded plastic with a hexagonal shape and a ribbed texture for the grip. The cap and clip are also molded from plastic.
Despite being plastic the clip seems quite strong and doesn’t break easily. The cap will post and, being plastic, it doesn’t affect the balance of the pen much.
The pen is light and feels good in the hand. The barrel is on the narrow side which might be an issue for some but works fine for me. The ribbed texture also does a good job of improving grip.
Writing Experience
The Hi-Tec C is an excellent writer. Most needle point tips tend to be a bit scratchy, especially in the smaller sizes, but the Hi-Tec C is very smooth. The gel ink lays down consistently and with very good color. In testing, I did experience a few very small skips but those are difficult to avoid at this price point.
Extended writing was quite pleasurable. The pen kept up with me very well. While the Hi-Tec-C gel ink was a great performer, its dry time was a little long. Being a lefty, it did smudge a few times on me.
Where the pen really shines is its needle-tip. It is one of the smoothest and best performing pens in the extra fine sizes. The 0.5 mm tip I tested did very well with my small handwriting, but the pen goes down to a tiny 0.25 mm. The Hi-Tec C also performs well in very thin paper notebooks like Moleskine.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a good writing pen with a small tip size (0.5 mm or smaller) the Hi-Tec C is a solid choice. The pen is quite popular and for good reason too. It’s cheap and works very well. Just be mindful of the potential for smudges.
Other similar pens would be the Uni-ball Signo DX (also known as the Signo UM-151), or the Pentel Energel Euro Needle Point. Both of these pens are also solid performers in this market space. The Uni-ball would be the more direct competition though.
Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Pen Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Pilot |
| Pen Type | Rollerball / Gel |
| Rating | |
| Barrel Color | Clear |
| Barrel Material | Plastic |
| Body Diameter (mm) | 9.0 mm |
| Grip Color | Clear |
| Grip Material | Plastic |
| Grip Diameter (mm) | 9.0 mm |
| Country of Origin | Japan |
| MSRP | $3 |
| Still Sold | Yes |
| Similar To | |
| Refills | |
| Capped? Retractable? | Capped - Snap On |
| Clip? | Plastic |
| Length Capped / Retracted (cm) | 13.6 |
| Length Posted (cm) | 15.6 cm |
| Length Uncapped (cm) | 12.6 cm |
| Weight (g) | 10 grams |
| Refillable | Yes |
| Ink Color Shipped | Pink |
| Writing Sizes | 0.25 mm, 0.38 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm |