A product of the
Bexley Pen Company, the Mini-Max is a smaller version of the
Multi-Max. Like the Multi-Max, is fairly
unique (relative to other
writing instruments on the market), and a lot of
fun. The basic pen is a nice fat
acrylic barrel with a nice design. On one end is a
button that opens and closes a “
claw” on the other. This claw grabs whatever
refill happens to be loaded. The main difference between the Mini-Max and the Multi-Max is size. Where the Multi-Max is among the longest of my pens (around five and a half
inches, the Mini-Max is at the other
extreme, coming in at just under four inches.
The Mini-Max comes in a nice tin, along with a sharpener and several tubes of different sorts of refills. The main refill is a pencil lead. Though it is less than half the size of the Multi-Max’s lead, it still is four times the size of my colleague’s pencils, coming in at 2 mm. This is great for general writing and sketching.
For the truly creative, another tube has a set of colored pencils in six colors: red, yellow, orange, brown, green, and blue. I have seen some catalogs describe them as dry highlighters, similar to what comes with the Multi-Max. However, they seem to have a feel that is closer to a crayola, and they really seem more suited to that use.
Finally, black ballpoint pen refills are included. They are similar to the ones that are used in a rotring multi-pen with a sleeve to give it just the correct diameter. I suspect it also helps hold it in place when in use. This is perhaps the most standard refill in the kit. As a result, other colors should be readily available, as well as other modes, such as an “underliner” found on some Lamy multi-pens, as well as a stylus. I haven’t tried this out yet.
The Mini-Max’s fat barrel feels nice in the hand, and is generally fun to write and draw with. It may not be perfect for an accountant or engineer who may prefer a thinner lead. For the rest of us, it is a great general-purpose writing instrument that offers a degree of fun and flexibility.
Sources:
Pendemonium http://www.pendemonium.com
Appointments, a pen store in Cincinnati, Ohio
The Mini-Max I got for Christmas.