Cheap Pen Review

Ampad Computation Book

2010-11-03T18:31:00.002-04:00

It's the Ampad 22-157 book. Link to amazon here

It's pretty nice

Long time, no updates

2010-11-01T22:57:00.002-04:00

I've settled in on an approach. I've switched to capped pens, I ruined too many shirts by putting an extended pen into a shirt pocket. Because of this, I'm now using a Pilot Precise Grip Extra Fine Needle Point pen. Daily, I'm writing either on Hp Bright White Inkjet paper in a Circa Notebook, or an Ampad Computation book. This pen puts down a nice dark line, and starts up immediately.

I may toss it sometime soon though, as occasionally it doesn't flow ink nicely, and I end up with a couple of words that are very lightly inked. I'll give this another couple of days, thought. The rubber Grip is pretty nice and tacky, so it doesn't slip in my fingers.

If I toss this, I'll have to do digging in my box o pens for something to replace it. Hmmmm...

Late to the Party/Sharpie Pen RT

2010-01-21T21:55:00.003-05:00

I guess I'm late to the Sharpie retractable pen party. I've been using one for a couple of weeks, and it's working well so far. Leaves a nice dark line, and it comfortable to write with. I've read through some of the other commentary on this, and I haven't had it dry up yet, but I'm paying attention to that.

Long time with no updates

2009-10-08T22:38:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's been so long between updates. I've been by the big box office supply stores, but I haven't come across anything new, so nothing to review. I've been bouncing back and forth between the Signo and the energel needlepoints for the past couple of months, and they are both writing well. I'll keep my eyes open for new things to try.

Pentel Energel Needlepoint/Uniball 207 Needlepoint

2009-07-22T22:09:00.003-04:00

I've been switching off between two different pens. The Uniball 207 Needlepoint, in Fine (0.5), as well as the Pentel Energel Needlepoint in 0.5. I've been enjoying both pens, but they lay down very different lines. The Energel is more of an extra fine point, while the Uniball is noticeably wider, verging on a medium tip.

From a design point of view, the Uniball is much nicer looking. There is a nice soft-touch grip with subtle texturing, and the body of the pen is clear, with a smoked black tint. The body of the pen is nicely contoured, and it feels much smaller in the hand than the Pentel.

The Pentel is like writing with a dowel. it's a straight body, with a fairly slick soft touch grip. There isn't any contour to the body, and there is a block of usage instructions on it-Remove tip before use, Always retract after use, etc. visually, there is a lot of mass in your hand as you write, which makes the pen seem somewhat back heavy. The Uniball is much more visually front loaded, making it seem much smaller and lighter.

Earlier Energels has a self retracting mechanism that would retract the point when putting it into a pocket, but that's been removed, which is a big loss. I much prefer the Pentel as a writing instrument, but visually, the Uniball is much nicer.

Uni Kuru Toga

2009-05-20T21:56:00.002-04:00

I've been writing with this pen for a couple of weeks so far, and I'm really enjoying it. The lead rotation mechanism works well, although it's really set up for printing, instead of cursive. The lead rotates when the point is pushed down onto the paper, so it really depends on picking it up and putting it down. It takes ~ 40 pushes to rotate the lead around, so the lead wears down evenly. I'm regretting that I didn't pick one up in 0.3 when I was ordering from jet pens. I'll have to remember this for the next time.

Pilot G2

2009-04-22T20:47:00.003-04:00

I recently started a new job, and the default pen in the office supply cabinet is a Pilot G2 07. I haven't used one in quite a while, and I forgot how nice they are. Start up immediately, nice dark line, no blobs of goop on the lines. No wonder they are a huge seller.

I also broke down and ordered three pencils from Jetpens, a Pentel Kerry, a Uniball Kuru Toga, and a Pentel Wing Grip. I've used the Uniball Kuru, and it's really neat. The grip is clear, and you can see the lead rotating around, which is somewhat entertaining to watch. The Pilot Kerry is a nice, professional looking pencil, but I haven't broken it out yet. The Pentel Wing Grip is entertaining to look at, but I have't spent much time writing with it yet.

(4/27/09-Corrected mention of the Pilot Kerry to a Pentel Kerry. Oops)

Uni-ball Vision Needle Point

2009-03-11T20:32:00.002-04:00

Well, I was looking for these for a while, and finally found some in an Office Depot. I'm somewhat disappointing, to be honest. I really like the way it writes, but the grip is the same slick, rigid grip that the Uni-ball Micro has. Not very comfortable, I find the soft rubber grips that the Pilot pens have is much more friendly.

Fountain Pens :-)

2009-03-04T10:38:00.004-05:00

I just recently cleaned out and filled a Pelikan fountain pen I've had sitting around, and I've really enjoyed writing with it. There is definitely a different feedback from the nib, something that you don't get from a gel or liquid Ink pen. I'm not sure I'm happy carrying around an expensive fountain pen daily, but I enjoy writing with it much more than I like the more inexpensive pens.

Uniball Vision Elite Updates

2009-02-18T13:50:00.002-05:00

A capped pen, this one works well after being held vertically in a shirt pocket. I can take it out of my pocket, uncap it, and start writing without a couple of funky looking words. Maybe now I can keep my shirts clean.

Pilot Precise Grip Extra Fine Updates

2009-02-16T10:32:00.003-05:00

I've been using this pen for the past couple of days, seeing how much I liked using a capped pen, and I'm running into ink feed problems. If I keep it in my shirt pocket, the pen is held point up, and the ink seems to drain away, towards the bottom of the pen. When I take the cap off, the ink flow is pretty poor for the first couple of words that I write, until the ink returns. I'm finding this pretty annoying.

On the other hand, with a capped pen, I'm not likely to ruin more shirts by putting an extended pen point into my pocket, where the ink can wick,and ruin another shirt.

Bic Pro+ Ballpoint

2009-01-29T16:15:00.002-05:00

The Bic Pro+ is a traditional retractable ballpoint with molded plastic body and a soft rubber overmold. The grip is nicely contoured, and the rubber runs under the pocket clip giving it good resistance to pulling out of a pocket. The Pocket clip is molded as part of the body, so it doesn't wiggle. The bottom of the clip is designed so that it won't grab onto your pocket, which is a nice feature.

The ink itself shows up as a dark grey, not quite the nice solid black that gell or liquid ink pens gives.

As a retractable, the pen point is held firmly when it's extended to write, so it doesn't wiggle about.

Overall, a pretty nice pen for a ballpoint.

Uniball Vision Micro

2009-01-25T20:05:00.005-05:00

This is noticeably cheaper than the Vision Elite at $6.49 for four. The clip is a simple piece of metal, with a bent over end to form the clip. While not as visually nice as the Vision Elite, it doesn't have the towel holder inside that will grab onto clothing.

The grip is smooth clear plastic, and the feed mechanism looks very similar to the Vision Elite. There isn't any provision for refills, so it's disposable. Posting the cap on the end it secure, but there isn't a stop on it, so you just push the cap on until it's snug.

Writing on this is pretty nice. It's getting so that all of the pens that I get leave a very nice, deep black line with instant starting and no globs or drips left behind.

Overall, it's an OK pen. I prefer the Vision Elite, which has a more comfortable grip, as well as looking nicer overall.

Uniball Vision Elite Micro 0.5

2008-12-26T22:16:00.005-05:00

This is a fairly expensive pen, at $10.49 for 4. This is a capped pen, that is fairly visually attractive, with a nice grey and silver color scheme. The clip is firmly attached to the cap and doesn't wiggle. Inside the cap is a spring loaded seal so that the tip doesn't dry out.

The grip is made of the same plastic as the cartridge, so it's not cushioned. There is a subtle diamond texture to provide some slip resistance. Inside the grip is the visible air flow mechanism, a set of thin ribs and vanes. The liquid ink capacity is pretty large, so this should write for a long time. (Perhaps I need to invest in a pen plotter to provide measured line lengths)
The pen itself is very light, and posting the cap changes the balance slightly, but not enough to be annoying. Posting the cap on the back of the pen takes a distinct push to snug it down. Once it's on, the cap is held firmly in place, and takes a real pull to get it back off.
As to the writing, it's pretty good. Ink start up is immediate, and the pen leaves a dark line, without any gaps or streaking There isn't a lot of feedback from the pen as you write, no slight vibration as you move across the paper, but it writes well.

Pen shopping success

2008-12-21T21:19:00.004-05:00

Managed to get to Staples this week, and I picked up the following pens

Uniball Vision Elite Micro 0.5
Uniball Vision Micro 0.5
Bic Pro+ 1.0
Papermate Profile 1.4B.

You'll see reviews of all of these over the next couple of weeks.

Pen Updates

2008-12-16T22:32:00.003-05:00

If I don't get any updates soon, they are going to revoke my blogger card. I've been really happy with the Pilot Precise V5 RT and the Pilot Vball RT, both in Extra Fine. However, the last time I was in Staples, I noticed a few new items in the pen racks, so I need to go make another visit and pick up a few goodies. I'm also running out of pens at home, disappointing my family. Time for some more shopping. Updates by this weekend, for sure.

PS-The laptop needed a new HD. Once that was installed, it's been running very well. How about that?

Quick Updates

2008-09-29T22:51:00.002-04:00

I've been busy downgrading my wife's Laptop to Windows XP, which has cut into my time. I've been sticking mostly with the Pilot Precise V5 RT recently. I flirted a bit with a Pilot VBall Grip in Extra Fine, but it wasn't quite fine enough. In addition, the liquid ink feathered a bit on the paper I was using, so I put it away. More updates when I get the WiFi working :-(

Pilot Precise V5 RT

2008-08-30T16:42:00.005-04:00

This is pretty nice. Not much feedback from the pen point as you write, but a nice dark line behind, without gaps and blobs on the line. Startup is good, and there isn't a problem with blobs of ink accumulating on the point as you write. The pen itself is pretty good looking, The body is ink colored, as is the soft rubber grip. It's soft, but not too sticky, so you can slide it in and out of a pocket without difficulty. It uses a BXS-V5RT cartridge, and it's held securely in the pen as you write, so there isn't a lot of wiggle in the pen tip as you write.

The Pen Clip is a bit cheesy, and wiggles a bit. The bump at the end on the clip is created by folding the edges over, leaving a triangular hole on the inside that can and does grab a pocket, making it difficult to remove, depending on what you've clipped it to. I had a real problem with a knit shirt, and ended up with a snag in the shirt :-(

Pilot Frixion Pen

2008-06-23T22:58:00.005-04:00

Purchased as a single for $2.29

The Pilot Flexion Pen writes very smoothly, with good startup and no ink feed glitches that I've seen. Erasing works pretty well, with most of the ink disappearing. You can still see a slight shadow of the ink behind, but it's pretty faint. The Eraser doesn't rip up the paper, either.

I'm not so happy with the ink color, as it's a very light black/dark grey. The Pen leaves a wet ink trail that dry's over ~ 15 sec, so a lefty may have trouble with this pen.

The pen itself is comfortable to write with. It's a capped pen, with a nice rubberized grip and good diameter for writing.

The graphic design is pretty bad. It looks like a tribal tattoo design, printed in silver on a black pen body.

Overall I'll give it a C, primarily for the graphics. if you don't mind trying too hard for that, it's a decent erasable pen.

Pentel Hyper-G

2008-06-23T22:57:00.003-04:00

The Pentel HyperG 0.7 is a refreshing pen to look at after the Frixion. There is a nice diamond pattern on the inside of the barrel, which provides some nice subtle eye candy from the light reflections. The rubber finger grip is also nicely shaped, with subtle scallops in the design, leading to an interesting feature on the top of the pen point.

The tip unscrews to get the refill out, and Pentel did a nice job of indexing the threads so that the chrome tip always stay's in the same orientation as you remove and replace it.

The Clip is metal, and firmly attached to the pen, so it's unlikely to break.

Now, onto the important stuff. This leaves a Pentel KLR7 refill. it leaves a nice, deep black line, with the occasionally ink flow startup problem. No globs or skipping that I've seen. There isn't much writing feedback when using this, the pen point slides over the paper with an almost greasy feel. I'm not sure if this would be the same in an 0.5 size point or if it's due to the ink used.

Overall, I'd give this a B. Writes nicely, and is pleasant to look at.

Purchased as a single for $1.99

Pilot VBall RT Extra Fine

2008-06-23T22:45:00.006-04:00

Another Gel Pen from Pilot. This is a fairly nice writer, with a nice black line and quick ink startup. This uses the Pilot bls-vb5rt ink cartridge. The Design is fairly interesting, with a black and white color scheme. The grip is a soft rubber compound, a bit stickier than the Uniball Vision RT.

This doesn't have the nice feature of retracting when it's put into a pocket, which is a nice feature of the Uniball.

Purchased at a 3 pack for $5.49/$1.83 Each.

I'm giving this a B Grade. It's a nice writer, with a good thick black line, and starts up reliably. I'm realizing that I like the automatic retract feature on the Uniball, so I'm going to upgrade the Uniball Vision RT to a B+

Uniball Vision RT

2008-05-23T22:54:00.008-04:00

I ended up hitting the jackpot a last month when I went into the local Staples. There was a display in front with a bunch of different new pens, and so I picked up a bunch. I'll start with the Uniball Vision RT.

(Purchased @ 2.99 each, pretty steep, but it was sold in singles, which was nice)

I've stopped using a Moleskine for my daily writing. I finished off one, and I realized that:
1-I rarely go back and look at the things that I've written
2-I think before I write in the notebook, to make sure that I'm writing something that is worthwhile (Pretty sad, I know).

so I pulled a Circa notebook out of a pile,and printed out some day planner pages from diyplanner, and away I went. I'm scanning the pages to PDF as I write on them, so I have a permanent record of what I've written.

Now that I'm writing on 8 1/2 by 11 paper, I'm not so sensitive to writing so small, and a larger pen point is acceptable.

The Uniball Vision RT is a reasonably nice pen. I've been using the 0.6 point, and it writes reasonably well. Cosmetically, it's a nice looking pen, with a combination of clear and dark grey plastic. The dark grey is soft and grippy, but not as sticky as a real rubberized grip, so it slides in and out of a pocket easily.

One feature that I really like is the retract button has a release under the pocket clip. When you slide this into your shirt pocket, then fabric slides between the pen body and the pocket clip, and releases the ink cartridge so you don't pick up an ink spot in the bottom of your shirt pocket. The mechanism isn't particularly smooth, but it works reasonably well.

One nice thing about this pen is the tip is quite solid when you are writing. On some cheap pens I've used, the tip moves around as you are writing, something that I find very irritating.

Now, as to how it writes. This is a liquid ink pen, not a gel pen. Even though I'm not looking for a 0.18 pen, it writes a bit broad for my taste. In addition, it seems pretty sensitive to the amount of pressure on the tip. With a really light touch, I end up with a very fine line, and then when I put a little pressure on it, the line thickens up to the normal width. I also ran into some situations where the ink flow didn't start up immediately when I wrote. I picked up the Black, Blue, and Red, and then colors are quite nice. I get a thick, opaque line for all three colors.

Overall, I'd have to give this pen a B. It writes pretty well, it's attractive, and the pocket clip retract is a real plus.

Not Happy with Pilot anymore

2008-01-31T21:35:00.000-05:00

Well, I've given up on the Pilot Hi-Tec-C line. Both the slim knock and the regular Hi-Tec-C have lost the little ball in the tip, making them useless. I wasn't finished with either pen, as well. I've gone back to the Uni-Ball Signo RT Gel, which started up flawlessly after 9 month's of sitting in a cup, and continues to start up instantly and leave a opaque black line behind.

New Favorite-Pilot Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock

2007-12-01T22:45:00.000-05:00

I've found a new favorite pen, thanks to Jpens. The Slim Knock is a small retractable pen with the Hi-Tec-C Guts. This seems to write slightly better than the capped Hi-Tec-C. I ran into a problem with the Hi-Tec-C i was using, I suspect that the ball in the point popped out, to the pen died with lots of ink left in the tube. It's about 80% of the a Pilot G2, so it's pretty small and delicate.

I also ordered a Pilot Slicci 0.25, which I'll take a look at before too long. It's probably a little thin, but I wanted to order a couple of pens, and they were out of the Slicci 0.30 size.

Pen Update 7/20/07

2007-07-20T23:17:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I updated this. I've been bouncing back and forth between the Pilot Hi-Tec-C, the Uniball 0.28, and the Pentel Hybrid Technica, all for writing in a Moleskine. I've come to the conclusion that I'm most happy with the Hi-Tec-C in 0.30. It leaves a nice line without having to really press down on the paper to leave ink behind. I've noticed that it tends to flow really well initially, and then "dry up" after a couple of dozen words, and then back to a nice dark line. It's possible that this is due to not using it consistently, so I'll work on using just the Hi-Tec-C for a while.

Other than that, things are quiet on the pen front. I've dropped into Staples to take a peak at what they offer, and there is nothing new. I'll keep watching, but I think I'll have to go over to Jetpens again to grab some more pens to review.

Dave

Handwriting Analysis

2007-05-02T23:00:00.002-04:00

I received an email a while back from a reader asking how small I write. Here is a picture of my Mileskine notebook. You can see that I treat each grid line as a seperate line. I can pack a lot of stuff into one page....

Pen update 5/2/2007

2007-05-02T23:00:00.001-04:00

I've primarly been using two pen's for the last couple of days. First, the Uni-Ball Signl DX 0.28. This is a pretty nice capped pen, that leaves a dark black line. The startup is good, and it doesn't leave gap's at the start of a line. The second pen is a Penten hybrid Technica in 0.30. This is another nice writer, with a dark black line and good startup. I haven't noticed any smearing of either one in my writing.

both of these, though have a finger grip that's a little too big for my taste. From a writing perspective, I think I liked the HitecC better, since the finger grip is slightly smaller.

I've also been using a Pilot G2 with a 0.38 tip, and that writes pretty nicely. I generally walk around with 2 pen's in my shirt pocket. One is a retractable, that I use for jotting quick notes, and the second is a capped pen. I've mainly been doing this while Im reviewing all of these pens. I'm about to swap out the Pilot G2 for a Pentel Hybrid technica retractable in 0.35, to see how I like it. It doens't quite match the Pentel Energel as far as retractablilty. If you remember, the Energel has a nice clip that makes sure that the tip is retracted when you clip it into a pocket. This one doens't do that, so I'll have to be careful.

Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.28 Review

2007-03-19T19:24:00.000-04:00

Not a bad Pen. Leaves a nice dark line behind, with a clean startup and no smearing. I won't continue using this, though, for a personal reason. The barrel is a little too big in diameter for my taste. I found the Pilot Hi-Tec to be more comfortable to write with.

Dave

Pilot Hi-Tec C Update

2007-03-08T22:58:00.000-05:00

I've been using the two Pilot Hi-Tec C's for a month or so, writing primarily in a Moleskine notebook, and I think I've come to a conclusion. I really enjoy the fine line that they provide, and they (mostly) leave a nice dark line behind, with no noticeable smearing. I've got two problems with them though.

First, when I start to write with one, there seems to be good ink flow for a word or two, and then it fades out for the next couple of words, and then the ink comes back. This is a first thing in the morning event, and I do keep the pen capped.

The second issue with this pen is that you really need a firm backing for whatever you are writing on. I found this worked well when I was sitting at a desk or table, but not wasn't very good standing up and taking a quick note.

As you would expect, I found this was also pretty sensitive to paper quality. Again, not too surprising.

I've changed to a Uni-Ball Signo DX in 0.28. I'll update in a couple of weeks.

Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.25 followup

2007-01-20T21:46:00.000-05:00

I'm about ready to give up on this Pilot Hi-Tec 0.25. It works well on a Moleskine, but it doesn't write so well on regular paper. I've put it away for now, and I'm starting to use the Pilot Hi-Tec 0.3 instead. It seems to write pretty well on papers other than a Moleskine, and the line isn't too thick on a Moleskine.

Dave

Pilot HI-TEC-C 0.25

2007-01-14T20:29:00.000-05:00

I finally received the pen's that I ordered from Jet Pens, and I've found a pen that is almost too fine for me to write with, something that I never thought would happen. The Pen had a nice dark line, and starts up and quickly when it's time to write. It's a little thin, but I have a 0.3o one to try next. It's a capped pen, and the pen point is really thin, so dropping it is a real concern, but one that I'll have to deal with.

Dave

Ordered some pen's from Jet Pens.

2007-01-04T21:02:00.000-05:00

So there should be some more review up here soon. Here's what I ordered

1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.25 mm - Black (PILOT BLLH20C25-B) = $3.00
1 x Zebra Mini Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm - Silver (ZEBRA TS-3) = $4.75
1 x Pentel Hybrid Technica 0.35 mm Gel Roller Pen - Black (PENTEL KN123T-A) = $2.00
1 x Pentel Hybrid Technica .3mm - Black (PENTEL KN103-AO) = $2.00
1 x UniBall Signo RT 0.38mm (UMN-138) - Black (UNI UMN-138 B) = $1.50
1 x Pilot G-2 Gel Pen 0.38 mm - Black (PILOT BL-G2-38-B) = $2.60
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.30 mm - Black (PILOT BLLH-20C3-B) = $3.00
1 x Uniball Signo DX 0.28mm - Black (UNI UM151(028) BLACK) = $2.50

So this should be good for a couple of month's of posts. As you can tell, I'm biased toward fine line black ink pens.

Dave

Running out of Pen's in Staples

2006-11-08T22:13:00.000-05:00

Things have been slow in the Pen evaluation recently. There are a couple of reasons. First, I've pretty much run out of pen's in the local Staples to evaluate, and I can't seem to find new pen's locally. I'll have to do some poking around on the internet to see what I can find.

In addition, I've partially moved back to taking notes in my Palm instead of on paper. No major reason, just a preference shift. I'm sure I'll move back to paper before too long.

Dave

Uni-Ball Signo Micro 207

2006-10-13T22:51:00.000-04:00

I've been using this for a week or so for general purpose writing, and I'm pretty impressed. It starts up nicely, leaves a smooth, dark trail of ink behind on the paper as it writes, and it a reasonably attractive pen to boot. While this is a little thicker than I really prefer, it's not too bad. I've also seen these in staples more often than I've seen the Signo RT Gel pens.

A big advantage is that the ink capacity for this pen is easily 2 to 3 times larger than the Signo RT 0.38 pens.

Definitely a thumbs up for this one.

Uni-Ball 207 Micro 0.5

2006-10-03T20:07:00.000-04:00

I just picked up a package of these at Staples, 4 for $6.99. I'm curious to see how they write compared to the Signo RT 0.38 pens that are currently my favorite. I suspect that they will be too broad for a Moleskine, but we'll see.

Pilot Precise V5

2006-10-03T20:06:00.000-04:00

Another pretty generic capped pen with a "needle point". This writes pretty well, and the ink doesn't smear. This is a rollerball instead of a gel pen, and it writes well. I left it uncapped for a couple of hours, and it started up without any skipping. The ink delivery is smooth, with a consistent line width and no skips.

This has a hard plastic grip, so writing with this for a long period of time would probably be uncomfortable. Other than that, it's not a bad pen. I'd certainly pick this over the Staples and the Sarasa pens, primarily because of the smearing issues.

Zebra Sarasa 0.7

2006-10-03T20:05:00.000-04:00

Nice retractable pen with a smooth rubberized grip. Comfortable to hold, and a smooth writer. On the other hand, this ink suffers from the same problem as the Staples Sonix pen, in that it smears pretty easily. Since I can't stand ink that smears, I'd have to give this a thumbs down.

Staples Sonix Gel

2006-09-20T23:03:00.000-04:00

My oldest son started high school this year, and he came home with a note from his English teacher that she didn't want him writing with any gel pens in class.

This pen is the reason why. It leaves a beautiful black line behind, but it smears like there is no tomorrow. I can get smears from a whole word after writing. This is enough to put this in the do not use column. On the plus side, I got a package of 5 for free. I wonder who I can pawn these off on?

Pilot Precise Grip Extra Fine

2006-09-20T23:01:00.000-04:00

This pen is a capped gel rollerball pen, with a silver and clear body, and a silver top. This writes well, with good ink startup and decent line thickness. I haven't noticed any scratchiness was I write, it just lays down a nice black line. The grip is nice and rubberized, with a nice sticky rubber, which is covered by the cap when the pen is capped.

I did run into one problem though. I did have a problem with the pen not flowing ink once, were I was trying to write and ink wasn't flowing in volume. This just happened once, so it's possible that it was just a glitch. I'd have to say that as long as you used this regularly, there shouldn't be a real problem. Comparing this to the Pentel Energel, I think this is a nicer capped pen, primarily based upon the looks of the pen.

Giving up on the G2

2006-09-20T23:00:00.000-04:00

I've had enough with the Pilot G2 on a Moleskine, the scratchy writing is enough to drive me up a wall. I'm back to the Uni-Ball for daily writing in a Moleskine.

Staedtler Liquid point 7

2006-09-08T08:15:00.000-04:00

I picked up a package of these last weekend, and wasn't very impressed. This has a nice fine line, but the grip is hard plastic, with no rubber cushion on it. I found it uncomfortable to write with because of this. The ink also takes a relatively long time to dry on the paper, I was able to draw a line a couple on inches long, rub my finger along the ink, and smear the whole line. I'd have to give this a thumbs down for these two reasons.

Pentel Energel Non-Retractable

2006-09-02T22:44:00.000-04:00

I found a package of these in Staples, in the Extra Fine that I'm craving. I picked them up in the hope that the ink cartridge was the same between the retractable and the capped version. No such luck, the Capped version is a single piece, without a removable cartridge.

Other than that, it writes very nicely, with good ink startup and deep black ink. That said, I have to say that it's not as attractive to me as the retractable one. The detail at the cap strikes me as being a little too much for my taste.

Pilot G2 Revisited

2006-09-02T22:40:00.000-04:00

Well, after a couple of weeks using a G2, I have to say that I'm not impressed. Most of the time it writes just fine, but occasionally it really feels like there is something scratching on the paper. Mostly, this is when I'm writing on a Moleskine notebook, but not always. I looked at the point under a microscope, and I didn't see anything while it was acting this way.
On the plus side, when it was writing nicely, it did do a nice job. I've swapped out a for a new one, to see if this was just a fluke.

Pilot G2

2006-08-17T21:49:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been using this for a couple of days, and it's not too bad. Compared to the Uni-Ball Signo RT, the line is a little wider, which is a bad thing. On the other hand, it looks like there is a ton of ink in the cartridge, so I expect to be able to write for a long time with this.

As far as the ink flow goes, it's not bad. I'm not seeing any gaps or skips when I start up, which I appreciate. On the other hand, I do notice that when I am writing, there seems to be some times when the ink flow isn't enough, and the line gets a little thin and ink starved, something that didn't happen with the Uniball. I am using the 05 point width, so this is likely something that is specific to the extra fine width. The 07 width probably doesn't do that.

I bought this at Staples, $4.89/4 or $1.22 each.

As with the Pentel, I'll sent one to the first person who leave's a comment here. US only, please.

Uni-ball Signo RT Gel 0.38

2006-08-14T13:20:00.000-04:00

This is more along my lines of a very fine pen to use. Most of the writing I did with this one was in a moleskine notebook, and it did a very nice job. As I mentioned, I tend to write very fine, and this fine point was just the thing to use. It started up immediately, and left a nice dark line. The ink didn't smudge on the paper. I bought this in a package of 4, with 2 black, 1 blue, and 1 red. I'm using all the colors, and they all leave a nice dark line of the appropriate color.

I have 2 complaints about this pen. First, the ink cartridge doesn't contain much ink. It's nice and long, but the plastic that is used in the cartridge is thick enough to support my car :-). Seriously, it's a very thick wall tube, and it contained enough ink for filling up about 30 pages on a regular sized moleskine, plus some other miscellaneous writing. Not an impressive amount of ink.
The other complaint is that the pen point exploded and leaked ink onto a shirt of mine. Certainly not the first time, and it probably won't be the last. None the less, it was annoying

I'd certainly use this pen again, but I'd have to say it wasn't as nice as I was hoping, primarily because of the two faults I've mentioned. It certainly wrote nicely though.

Pentel Energel Retractable

2006-08-10T23:28:00.000-04:00

This is one sweet pen. I prefer retractable pens so I can easily remove them from my shirt pocket and write. The clip is attached to the retract mechanism so that if I put it in my pocket with the point extended, it automatically retracts. This is a great feature, I've ruined several shirts by putting pens in with the point extended.

The real reason to use a pen though, is to write things down. In this, this Energel excels. It writes smoothly, and lays down a nice dark line. No start-up stutters or gaps, and it keeps up with high speed scribbling as well. The ink will smear if you rub it immediately after laying the ink down, but give it 5 seconds, and it's smearproof.

I tried scrubbing the paper with Acetone based nail polish remover, and it didn't smear at all.

The only downside it that I really want one in a narrower width, and I haven't seen one in a store yet. I'll be keeping my eye out for them, though.

This came in a package of 3 for $5.79, or $1.93 each.

I'll send one to the first person who leaves a comment on this blog. US Only, please.

What to do with all the pens?

2006-08-05T16:28:00.000-04:00

One of the bad things about buying all of these pens is that now I have lots of extra pens laying around. While some of these are available in singles, the big office supply stores all sell them in packages of 3 or 4. This is great if you really like the pen, but what to do with the one's I don't like?

More Pens!

2006-07-29T16:18:00.000-04:00

I stopped by Office Depot on the way home this week, and picked up some more pens.
1-Pentel Retractable Energel, Black medium line
2-Pilot G2, Black Extra Fine
3-Pilot Precise GRIP Rolling Ball, Black, Extra Fine
This last one came with a free Precise V5, so that gives me 4 different Pens to try out. I also have some Uni-Ball Signo RT gel 0.38, extra extra fine that I've been enjoying for a while, and I'll write up my impressions on that sometime it the future, as well.

Uni-ball EX2 basic

2006-07-24T19:24:00.000-04:00

Staples/$1.29 single price

This is very similar to the Uni-ball Signo bit that I've reviewed. Writes very nicely with a smooth dark line without gaps or skips. The ink smears a little right after it goes down, but give it 15 sec to dry, and it doesn't smear. After the cap is off for a while, the pen starts up nicely. I even left the cap off for 2 hours, and it started up nicely.

This is a pretty generic stick pen, with a hard plastic grip that isn't very comfortable to write with. This is pretty long in your hands, without the cap posted on the end. This also unscrews to allow the ink cartridge to be removed. I'm not sure if the cartridges are available.

This pen also has a small scratchy point which went away as I rotated it in my hand.

This point is labeled 0.7, which is too broad for my taste, and I was unable to find a smaller point in the bin at Staples. This isn't a bad pen for the money, but it's got a really generic office supply look to it.

Uni-ball Signo bit 0.7

2006-07-24T19:22:00.000-04:00

Staples/$1.99 single price

Not a bad cheap pen. This is a capped Gel pen, which writes pretty well. Using Ampad's Gold Fibre pads, there was little feathering on the page and the ink dried quickly. If I rub my fingers over the ink just after writing it, there was some smearing, but if I gave it 10 to 15 seconds, then there was no smearing. I left the cap off the pen for a couple of hours, and it started up nicely without any skipping.

The grip is partially rubber, and partially ridged. It was comfortable to write with. With the cap not posted, it's a nice small pen to write with. The pen unscrews, and the ink cartridge comes out, although I'm not sure if refills are available. Looking at this, it's a fairly attractive pen, with some nice texture to it.

One downside is that it's a little scratchy when writing. As I rotated it around in my fingers, this came and went, so there was a single spot on the pen point that was scratching. This is on a sample size of 1, and so I'm not sure that this is the case for all of them.

I generally prefer a much finer point, so I'd have to say that this isn't a pen that I'd really use for day to day use. If this were available in a fine or extra fine point, I'd be likely to use one.

What's Here?

2006-07-06T10:19:00.000-04:00

This Blog is intended to collect and comment on cheap pens and how suitable they are for writing. I've got small handwriting, and I use a variety of papers to write on. I've been using fountain pens for a long time, and have recently decided to stop carrying around $100 pens, and instead use ones that only cost under $5.00 each.

My review format will likely involve writing on several different paper types, along with seeing how well the pen's start up after sitting uncapped for a few minutes.

Dave