Ballpoint Recommendations For A Student?

[rminj]

There are many good metal pens out there but I see one requirement is no metal finish. The Parker style refill is

good to stick to. Some of the new durable metal pens (KarasKustoms Retrakt and TactileTurn Mover) take the Pilot G2 gel size refills.

 

The Parker Sonnet is a good candidate but they are painted metal.

The Parker Jotters remain a durable and cheap pen that one can lose without being out big money. A Jotter with an Easyflow 9000 refill is a very fast note taking machine.

The Retro51 Tornados may be too wide but are a great value for the money and can take both their gel/rollers and

the Parker style refills.

 

For fast note taking I'm baffled how anyone could use a cross ballpoint as they are not fast writing.

[slide13]

First, pick a good refill. I like the Itoya gel myself, best writing thing next to a fountain pen I've found.

 

Next, the pen. This really depends on your tastes.

 

Parker Jotter is a great cheap pen, I love mine. Just pickd up some brass thread versions from the 70s and they are even better.

 

Karas Kustoms Retrakt is next on my list, it's like a bigger, tougher, all metal Jotter with an edgier/industrial look. Really great pen for the money. Takes Pilot G2 refills which are decent, cheap and easy to find (doesn't work great with the Itoya because of its needlepoint anew the step down to it catches in the barrel).

 

Maxmadco titanium bolt action. This is my favorite ballpoint. It comes in steel and aluminum too, but Ti is the best I think. Steel is way too heavy and slippery, Ti has perfect weight and a bit more texture. Haven't owned aluminum, but didn't care for the black color as much. It's also a super clean design, elegant simplicity.

 

And if you like a more traditional looking pen, I have a Pelikan K215 that is very nice, classy, and has a nice weight and feel.

[Drcollector]

Thanks for the suggestions! I appreciate the pictures, Mike.

I purchased a matte black Cross Click a while ago. As a lightweight pen, it only got lighter as I swapped the gel refill for a Bic Easy Glide refill. It makes for very fast note taking. Will check out the others ASAP.

[RNHC]

I think you should start out with which refill you like to use. Do you prefer ballpoint, gel, or rollerball?

 

If ballpoint, Parker-type or other types of refill?

If gel, Pilot G2 type or Parker-type (also confusingly referred as G2)?

If rollerball, which type?

 

As for the body, do you prefer capped or clicker pens? You said you want non-metal, right? So plastic, acrylic or any other material?

 

For Parker-type refill, there are plenty of choices.

For Pilot G2 type gel, the choice is more limited. For capped pens, Waterman comes to mind. Rotring also takes Pilot G2 but it's metal. For clicker type, I can't think of any non-metal pens.

 

We need more information before we can make a more meaningful recommendation for you.

Edited January 10, 2015 by RNHC

[orfew]

I have a few MB ballpoints and I always carry at least one around the university campus. An MB ballpoint is my go to when a fountain pen is not as useful. IMHO one cannot beat the feel of a nice ballpoint as compared to a bic crystal. The Miesterstuck is especially nice. It has a good weight, is nicely balanced , and writes very well.

[Ambien]

Indeed more info would be helpful.

As a student I like Uni-ball Signo gel pens which come in sober colors too and have plastic bodies. I see that you prefer non-metal finishes which is fine as most of the line is plastic anyway. I have small(er) handwriting and the .38 mm is great for notes. Although, I wouldn't exactly pay more for a body tbh as I dislike heavier pens (30 g+) but they tend to be metal.

The gel pens are approx $3 too which makes losing them less traumatic than say a MB.

[butterkeks]

I sort of agree that ballpoints write more or less the same.

Students aren't allowed to write exams using a fountain pen, so i also wanted to buy a nice ballpoint i could carry with me for a long time. After a while searching I bought the LAMY 2000 ballpoint, with a broad blue refill. It writes smooth, probably because its broad.

I bought it rather for the nice minimalist look. One can't really say it costs 50€

[Drcollector]

I have mostly been using Cross ballpoint refills. I also like Montblanc and Parker ballpoint refills. I favor ballpoints over gel/rollerball refills as they last longer.

 

Capped, click, and twist pens are all acceptable. I do not have a material preference aside from metal finishes, so long as the pen would not be considered disposable.

 

I think the Lamy 2000 is very sleek and very interesting.

 

Right now I am using a Visconti Van Gogh Starry Night, acquired for a fraction of the retail price. The blue tones are complemented by streaks of white and yellow, which I find very appealing. Again, I am using a Parker ballpoint refill. It has not let me down.

 

Thanks!

[Conan the Grammarian]

I like the Jotter, but it narrows down at the end and that makes writing with it for longer periods of time less comfortable (at least for me it does).

 

Since you're a student and a meticulous note-taker, you will be writing for longer periods. I'd recommend and wider pen.

 

If you want to stick with ballpoints instead of gel pens, Zebra makes some nice everyday ballpoints. The F-701 is all stainless and looks like a higher-end pen. Consider it despite your desire to avoid an all-metal finish. The F-402 has a gel grip. And the F-301 is inexpensive enough to stick in a backpack and go. They all use the same refill which can be found in almost any office supply store.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Conan the Grammarian

[Conan the Grammarian]

Anything that uses a Parker refill should merit consideration since the refills are available in any office supply store and probably in the university's bookstore.

[Kuhataparunks]

Simple Pilot G2? That's all I need

[svpmailman]

Uniball Jetstream, or KarasKustom Retrakt with a refill of your choice!

[meiers]

The Jotter was the go-to pen in my student days.

Edited February 3, 2015 by meiers

[indigoskye]

My favorite ballpoint/rollerball pens are the Zebra F-701. They are built like a tank and the Zebra refill works great. I keep a pair of these at work for writing where I might lose a pen to a customer. They retail for around $7, so if you lose one, you are not out a huge sum. I'm very fond of Retro 51 Tornados. You can find them in various finishes, not just metal. I have a "monroe" that is diamond cut resin that feels great in the hand and the deep red is quite beautiful. A Tornado will set you back between $20 to $35 depending on if it is a limited edition or not.

 

One other suggestion is a recent acquisition. It is a ballpoint made by Taccia. It is black laquor with chrome accents and the Taccia refill is incredibly smooth. It is a bit more expensive than the other choices, but it might serve as a replacement for your Mont Blanc without the huge price tag. I believe these ballpoints retail around $60 and would be somewhat of a status pen. As much as I love my Tornados, when I need to use a ballpoint (carbons and such), this is usually the pen I reach for. I haven't used it for extensive writing. I only use it for carbons or signatures, but you could have a look and be your own judge.

 

The rest of the time, I use fountain pens as my first choice.

[RajAlexander]

From an aesthetic point of view I think few beat the sleek look of the ST Dupont Jet 8. Comes in a variety of colours and pretty solidly made, though can be a tad top heavy.

[mc021]

I was just in the dilemma and would suggest the path I took. The first thing I did was found a refill I was happy with. The way a ballpoint of rollerball writes are all dependant on the refill. My pick was the Uniball Jetstream or Signo, but the Signo had some slight smudging if I touched it immediately after writing. I picked the Jetstream mainly for the immediately drying and the wash proof ink. The worst thing for a student is to accidentally spill something on a book of notes and it becomes illegible. This was the reason I avoided ballpoints. After you pick the refill then pick a body that will fit the refill and is pleasing to your eyes. All my research had been for the G2/Signo/Jetstream refills so I can offer a few ideas for you for under $100.

 

Waterman rollerball bodies will take the jetstream refill (which is considered a ballpoint I believe). There are a lot within your budget including the Carene ($84 on Amazon), Expert, Hemisphere, and Perspective.

 

Visconti rollerball, I remember seeing some models under $100 on ebay. It will be the lower end though, such as Rembrandt.

 

 

The link below is a great reference. Pay attention to the measurements as it first stumped me when it referred the Parker refill as a G2 refill in the first list.

http://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2014/06/the-epic-refill-reference-guide-rollerball-gel-and-ballpoints/

[temptar]

No one has mentioned Caran d'Ache here, much to my surprise, particularly since the 849 range is very cost effective and it takes a Goliath refill.

 

OP, I did must of my student years with a Caran D'Ache Ecridor. This may be a bit over budget for what you want but the 849s can be got for a lot less and they take the same refill which I find a pleasure to write with.

[inkobsessed]

Lamy Pico or Lamy Scribbel. They are not too small towards the eind of the pen so they are very nice to hold and you therefore can write upright so the refill writes very smooth that way.

 

Joop