I used to not really care about stationery. That changed when my uncle showed me his fountain pen. I had never used one before. I couldn’t believe how smooth it was. He suggested I went to stores and tried different pens. That way, I’d find what I like. And that’s exactly what I did in the last couple of weeks.
I found out exactly what I like at a price that is reasonable for me. When I now have to write something by hand, I get excited about it!
Everyone will have different tastes, but here’s what I learned for myself:
- Lamy Safari Rollerball sucks*. I thought I was getting a pen for life, but the ink flows inconsistently. This same problem has been reported by other people online. This pen was not designed for rollerball. It was designed as a fountain pen.
- InkJoy Gels are alright. They’re an improvement over normal ballpoint pens, but they’re not as good as other gel pens, such as the G-Tec-C4.
- G-Tec-C4 is my new go-to. They’re relatively cheap and the experience of writing with them is amazing.
- I rediscovered mechanical pencils. I tried one that had buttery-smooth lead. I fell in love. I won’t buy any yet, because I have pencils at home, but I know what I will eventually buy (a metallic mechanical pencil with Uni lead).
- Point balls are not my thing. I haven’t found one I like. Unfortunately, they are probably the most environmentally friendly pen that is both convenient and cheap. If someone has a good recommendation, I’m open.
- Fountain pens are amazing for writing, but they’re not resilient. I need pens that will survive my life. I fling my backpack around. I don’t want to have ink spill all over. A fountain pen is an amazing writing experience that doesn’t fit naturally in my life. I could be wrong. Are there resilient fountain pens?
*Edit: I said this because I used my Lami Safari Rollerball in smooth paper. However, what I said stopped being true the instant I tried the Lami Safari Rollerball in rougher paper. Thanks, dr_jekell@lemmy.world for the heads up!
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Lamy Safari Rollerball sucks. I thought I was getting a pen for life, but the ink flows inconsistently.
Some pen types work best on different papers, some need a rougher surface to get the ink ink dispersion method working where as others need a smoother surface (nicer paper) and some that don’t care what paper type they are used on.
I have a Sharpie S-gel pen in 0.38 that is scratchy and skips on nice paper but when used on standard printer paper it writes happily.
So give it a try on standard printer paper to see if there is a difference.
I rediscovered mechanical pencils. I tried one that had buttery-smooth lead. I fell in love. I won’t buy any yet, because I have pencils at home, but I know what I will eventually buy (a metallic mechanical pencil with Uni lead).
I just got a Uni Kuru Toga mechanical pencil paired with some Uni HB Smudge-Proof Lead that I am enjoying (though I might try the Pental Ain HB leads next). The nib rotates to keep the lead wear even.
Ball points are not my thing. I haven’t found one I like.
I don’t like most ball points myself but I have found Lamy pens using the M16 cartridge (I prefer fine) to write very well on most paper types I have tried. The Lamy logo lineup is an affordable pen to use the cartridge.
Fountain pens are amazing for writing, but they’re not resilient.
Depending on how rough you are there are several options for your needs
TWSBI GO (Uses bottled ink but has a leak/dry out resistant cap) Platinum Preppy (has a leak/dry out resistant cap but uses proprietary cartridges) Kaweco Classic Sport (popular for everyday carry and uses a standard short cartridge that many mfg make)
You would be better off using a cartridge based pen as they are less prone to leakage from rough handling.
I tried the Kuru Toga Advance today. It’s amazing! Definitely getting a Kuru Toga instead of the other metal ones I had in mind.
Thanks so much for your thorough and thoughtful response.
give [the Lamy Safari Rollerball] a try on standard printer paper to see if there is a difference.
I did it and the ink didn’t flow inconsistently! Amazing. I don’t know how long this would’ve taken me to realize, if at all!
Uni Kuru Toga
This sounds great!
The one I tried was Rotring 600, and I liked its metal construction and that it apparently has a tried-and-tested design. However, when I look at the Uni Kuru Toga’s moving parts, I assume there’s more risk of parts failing. I looked it up quickly and for lots of people Kuru Togas could last years, while others had them stop working after a while.
Maybe choosing a mechanical pencil is not a matter of “which mechanical pencil lasts longer”, but “what experience would you like to pay for while the mechanical pencil works”. Or, maybe it’s more of a matter of “try and see”.
TWSBI GO [and] Kaweco Classic Sport
I love how both of these sound. Thanks for the information on the catridge leakage.
TWSBI GO [and] Kaweco Classic SportI love how both of these sound. Thanks for the information on the cartridge leakage.
Just be warned that the Kaweco (I recommend the Kaweco AL Sport version for bag carry) is quite small in hand unless you post the cap on the end of the pen (making it longer in hand).
Pilot G2 .7s have been my go-to since I discovered them. I’ve gone through so many packs I’ve lost count by now, and going back to classic non-gel ballpoint is disappointing every time.
Sharpie S-Gels are also pretty decent, but the ink flow is a bit thick for my personal taste. They do have decent refills though.
I also have a sketch set of mechanical pencils that comes in widths from .5 to 1mm, and color leads. I haven’t tried the color leads yet but replacing the regular leads and the erasers has been smooth.
Oh wow. You unlocked some of my memories. Turns out, when I was little, my dad used to have a stash of G2s. If I wanted to use them, I could do so in front of him, but I couldn’t take one. I remember that I liked how they felt but I couldn’t really write properly without accidentally bumping the pen on the page and ending up with random marks all over. To be fair, it could’ve been a skill issue! Now that I’ve got some years of handwriting under my belt, I’ll try them again.
IMO the best value pen experience you can get is a TWSBI Eco. More or less as versatile as a rollerball, but it’s a nice fountain pen. Lots of nice features and really well priced.
This sounds amazing. It seems to me as the most environmentally friendly way of writing. It also probably can be quite cheap, if the cost of the pen is amortized over a long-enough period and the ink isn’t crazy expensive.
I’d be scared of taking it with me when traveling in the city or on a plane. In the city, I’d slosh it violently. In the plane, the air pressure would suddenly change. I don’t know how likely these worst-case scenarios are, but for now I’m okay with using fountain pens at home! In fact, I like the idea of getting this pen. Thanks for the recommendation!
It’s pretty much completely sealed with the cap on, you can carry it around in your pocket and slosh it around all day, no problem. I’ve never flown with one because I’m too poor to fly really, but I bet other people have, who have shared their experiences online. It’s a very popular pen.
TWSBI is the best I’ve found at making fountain pens that completely seal when capped, although Kaweco is also quite good for that. I currently EDC a TWSBI Mini Vac, where the caps seals and the ink chamber can be separately sealed closed. After more than six months in my pocket it has yet to lead.
TWSBI also has some amazing technology for refilling the pen. If you use their special ink bottles, you can refill them without coming anywhere near the ink. You can also buy a “snorkel” that screws onto most of their models that does something similar with a regular ink bottle. (Note that the Eco, is one of their few models that does not support any of the fancy refilling options.)
Lamy Safari.
Bullet proof. Used by Urban Sketchers all over the world for this exact reason.
Throw it in with your art supplies. Go to location, and know it will work. Throw it back into bag when done
I’m a big fan of the simple bic ball point round stic. I think it writes great. Though I likely haven’t tried a too large variety of pens.
They’re solid. They last a long time and they’re super cheap.
They’re so good I actually have a bag of them. I use them in reading groups or meetings where people don’t have something to write with.
The thing is, I tried other pens, and I liked those others more!
Staedtler fineliner
I’ve used fineliners in the past, when I briefly tried DrawABox. I like them for the purposes of drawing, but I didn’t particularly like them for writing. It felt too delicate. It also felt awkward to push the tip instead of pull it. Do you write with it?
Yes it’s all I use
