Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Review

In the interest of full-disclosure, I would first like to thank Lily from Jet Pens for this Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto multi pen body and refills sample that are the subject of this review.
The translucent gray pen body was loaded with violet, brown, and cherry pink 0.4 mm refills.
Sample sketches were first done on a Savoir Faire Lama Li Soft white 65 lb. Nepalese paper where the bright pen colors really stood out. For size comparison, I also included the samples from my range of black Hi-Tec-C pens and a handful of Pentel Slicci gel pens that I picked up in Shanghai last year before they became available in the USA.
I have been using Pilot Hi-Tec-C black gel pens for quite some time for doodling in my smaller travel sketchbooks because of their fine point sizes, smooth ink flow, and resistance to leakage in pressurized airplane cabins. Though the 0.25 and 0.3 mm sizes are rather susceptible to damage and drying out, I found the 0.4 and 0.5 mm pen sizes to be usually more reliable. The Pentel Slicci gel pens seem even a tad sturdier when compared to their Pilot Hi-Tec-C counterparts. Yet, I am still perfectly content using either brand in my portable sketching kits especially since I have already stocked my tool box with quite a few Hi-Tec-C pens.
Sketching samples done on a large 5¼" × 8¼" Moleskine sketchbook. The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto gel ink quality and top performance (quick-drying, smear-proof, and uniform line strokes) is consistent with what I have come to expect from Japanese gel pens, but its main strength is the added convenience of carrying 3 custom color selections within a single pen body making it a good choice for minimalist field sketching kits. The Coleto multi pen would also be useful for making color coded notes and labels in study cards and lab notebooks.


The tri-color sketches were drawn with a Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.5 mm black pen and colored with the Coleto current color palette on a 5.5" X 8" Kolo sketchbook. Another five Pentel Slicci color gel pens were also used on the following fantasy warrior sketches. While gel pens might not be considered typical drawing tools, I find them a neat practical choice for creating small color sketches in tight clean spaces (such libraries and waiting rooms) where traditional wooden pencils and watercolors would prove too messy. For even livelier color sketches, there is also a tube set with 10 different color refill cartridges available online.
Quick sketch on glossy paper. To optimize the drawing experience with quality gel pens, it's best to choose smooth surface papers for support. I tried a few doodles on rougher surfaces, and the pen tips tended to scratch and rattle.
I was not sure I would enjoy a multi pen like the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto for sketching after finding the Pilot Dr. Grip multi pen and Sakura SumoGrip mechanical pencils' wide bodies rather cumbersome to my taste. Yet the narrower Coleto pen body (barely wider than a regular Hi-Tec-C pen) with its rubberized wavy grips near the tip is quite comfortable to hold and easy to control for pleasant drawing strokes.