I know a similar issue was mentioned in an earlier thread. I haven’t replied yet because describing the structure in detail and taking photos separately to illustrate it seemed a bit troublesome for me. However, I’ve now realized that drawing a schematic diagram can solve the problem quickly. (Also you can refer to the actual photos in the above reply)
The three on the left are all side views, and the one on the far right is a top view. As far as I know (includes at least most of recently produced mid/high end multipens), the three models on the right are the only ones that adopt a certain structure to achieve some kind of ‘detent’ function for rotating type multipens. I’ll add a little more information and my opinion for reference down below.
In terms of how noticeable this feature feels in actual use, I’d say Surari >> Legno > Ridge (But this in itself does not mean that one is better than the other, which one is better depends on which feature you value more)
Zebra Surari: It feels exactly like it has 6 positions. I don’t like it very much because the excessive number of positions interferes with the smooth rotation, and (perhaps more importantly) its appearance is completely unattractive to me.
Pilot Ridge: I LARGELY exaggerated the bend angle on purpose. Out of the three, I like this one best. Unless you slow down and carefully feel it when rotating, you won’t even notice it during everyday use. But at the same time, just that subtle resistance is enough to help me, without extra attention, stop the refill roughly centered between the two positions when retracting it. (That is to say, you still need to consciously stop rotating it yourself. It’s not like the other two, which when you rotating with normal force, it actively stops you when you switch to that position)
Pilot Legno: It feels like there are 3 extra little positions, with only 1/4 torque. The positions marked 123 indicate that you have rotated the pen to the positions where the refill is extended. The position marked 0 indicates that you have rotated the pen exactly halfway between two positions, which is where the refill is fully retracted.
