TETSU
Introducing TETSU

Keep the refill. Upgrade the pen.

A slim, machined stainless-steel rollerball that ships ready to write with a genuine UBR-90 / UBR-95 refill.

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Expected US$49–59 · Brushed stainless steel · Targeting Q4 2026 · No payment today

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Thank you. We'll be in touch with final specifications, launch pricing and first access to the initial production run.

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TETSU pen, brushed stainless steel
For UBR-90 and UBR-95 refills

The first production run

Expected launch price
US$49–59
Planned finish
Brushed steel
Materials
Stainless steel
Shipping regions
US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand
Early-access benefit
Launch price, priority access & reserved stock
Expected release
Q4 2026

The first run will be produced in limited quantities after we refine manufacturing and quality control. Early subscribers will receive the final specifications and purchasing opportunity before the public launch.

Refill threading directly into the TETSU metal body

Made for the refill

The refill threads directly into the stainless-steel body - a true native fit. No adapters, no donor refills, no extension springs, and no plastic threads to crack or work loose. Fitting a refill is obvious the first time, not a hobbyist ritual.

TETSU pen resting on a surface showing its slim balanced form

Quietly substantial

A slim stainless-steel body adds genuine weight and balance without becoming thick, cigar-like or unwieldy for prolonged writing. TETSU proportions are drawn from the quiet elegance of a premium fountain pen.

Hand replacing a refill in the TETSU pen

Designed to last

Most pens are designed to be discarded - TETSU is designed to be kept. Machined from stainless steel to survive countless refill changes, it stays with you through meetings, notebooks and years of everyday writing.

The idea

The writing experience you love, in a body worth keeping.

Many writers return to the same rollerball refill because of its smooth, consistent feel. The frustration has never been the ink - it is the disposable plastic housing that cracks where the grip threads in, loosens over time, and was never meant to be kept. TETSU preserves that familiar performance in a slim stainless-steel body engineered to last.

Disposable plastic rollerball pen body
Disposable plastic
TETSU slim metal pen body, brushed stainless steel finish
Elegant metal
TETSU prototype and early development
The story

It started with a refill I did not want to replace.

Hi, I'm Ivo. For years I was head purchaser for a stationery chain in New Zealand, which meant testing more pens than I can count. One ink kept winning: Uni-Ball Vision Elite.

Let's face it: Uni-Ball Vision Elite is a premium writing tool trapped in an underwhelming body.

I kept returning to this rollerball because it wrote exactly the way I liked (especially for someone left-handed). What I could not find was a slim, permanent metal body it deserved.

Drawing on the clean, elegant, minimal lines of premium fountain pens, TETSU is being created to give a familiar writing experience a more considered and lasting form.

Now, working with local and overseas manufacturers, I am delighted to be bringing this pen to you.

Be the first to use it.

Join the list for final specifications, launch pricing and 48-hour priority ordering before the public release.

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Expected US$49–59 · Brushed stainless steel · Targeting Q4 2026 · No payment today

You're on the list.

Thank you. We'll send final specifications, launch pricing and first access to the initial production run.

Questions

Yes. TETSU is a reusable metal pen body that ships ready to write - a genuine UBR-90/95 refill is included, in your choice of black or blue.
It is being designed and tested for UBR-90 and UBR-95 refills (Uni-Ball Vision Elite refills). Compatibility with other refills is not currently claimed.
The used refill unscrews from the body and the replacement screws directly into place. No uncapping tricks, donor refills or extension springs - just thread it in.
That is the exact problem TETSU is built to solve. The body and threads are machined from stainless steel, so the section that fails on a plastic pen (where the grip screws in) stays tight and secure over years of refill changes.
No. Many compatible bodies feel thick and cigar-like for prolonged writing. TETSU is deliberately slim - it adds the weight and balance people ask for without becoming an oversized EDC pen.
You buy the TETSU body once and keep it. From then on you only replace the inexpensive refill when the ink runs out — no discarding an entire pen each time, and no plastic housing that cracks before the ink is even used up.
The launch body is machined from stainless steel, with final finish and weight specifications published before orders open.
The expected launch price is US$49–59. Final pricing will be confirmed before orders open.
The current target is Q4 2026. Subscribers will receive development and production updates.
TETSU is designed to be a considered ownership experience, not just an object. Protective presentation packaging and clear aftercare will be supplied. Final warranty and service details will be published before orders open.
No. This is an independently designed product and is not manufactured, sponsored or endorsed by Mitsubishi Pencil Company. Brand names and refill model numbers are used only to identify compatibility.