Pentel Sharp
or my 2mm Lead Holders

Marvy St. Tropez II with Itoya Gel GMR-7 gel refil cartridge... WOW... what a smooth writer.. the St. Tropez II is not available any longer but the St. Tropez is a very nice twist cap pen. (for $12 USD)

I enjoy a wood case pencil or a good gel pen too

Fisher bullet space pen.

I went out and bought this thing and have had buyers remorse ever since "...a ballpoint? Why and how in the heck did I manage to spend that kind of $$$ on a ballpoint?!?!?!"

...Darned if I don't carry the thing in my pocket EVERY DAY and pull it out at least 5 times a day to actually use. No more use for germy, crappy ballpoints at the checkout counter anymore.

• Delta Maasai rollerball -- compliments the big sibling fountain pen. These new "liquid/dry" rollerballs that can be used on capless pens are the best I've ever seen.
• Rotring 600 rollerball is the ultimate blast proof pen (no nib to damage). Solid and rugged. A little too heavy for daily writing. I use it to jot down something quick or ward off a would-be mugger.
• Fisher bullet space pen is a very cool little writing instrument. The anti-gravity filler must be the reason why you don't have to press hard to use it.
• Pilot MYU black stripe ballpoint and mechanical pencil -- they are super thin in diameter, but rugged nonetheless without feeling weighty.

Cross mechanical pencil or Faber Castell's Perfect Pencil.

Besides fountain pens, I like
Brushes
Pencils
This keyboard
H&K MP5

I recall my first exposure to a non conventional writing instrument to be a mechanical pencil that had a three pronged mechanical device that held the lead. I believe it was of German make and of a mustard yellow color. I recall being very fascinated with it.This was over twenty three years ago.

my macbook air, of course as a professional writer, my life depends on it!

Vintage woodcased pencils.
Usually an Eberhard Faber Blackwing,Van Dyke or Microtomic.
I've never tried better,although the California Republic Palominos are very good.

1) Ballpoint: Lamy Studio, very heavy so you don't need to press so hard, with a very smooth 'M', DIN ISO Standard
12757-2 Archival, refill.

2) Rollerball: Lamy Swift, capless with a blue M66 refill which is fair water- and lightproof

3) Mechanical pencils: Pentel & Steadtler

Sharpie!

Elizabeth Arden lipstick

If I MUST use something else. It's fall between either a ballpoint w/ Fischer Space Refill or a Parker Gel.

Ballpoints: Carna D' Ache 842 Original Ballpoint and AG-22 Fischer Space Pen (Full size pen), Zebra F-402 (I used these constantly before FP's)

Pencils: California Republic Palamino.

A ballpen is only as good as its refill.
I'm told - by people in the pen trade - that Cross ballpen refills are superior to all others.
I use them as well as other refills and I'm unable to tell any difference.

As to my favoured resource after FP - I have a slim polished alloy MB ballpen that holds both a blue and a red refill (twist to change) and I find this very useful at times.

Solitaire

Non-FP writing instrument that you love? That's quite an oxymoron!
PMS

- Parker jotter pen
- Parker mechanical pencil
- Pilot Hi-tecpoint V5 Grip
- Staedtler Mars Lumograph 2B

I don't know what was more disturbing: the idea one could write with a submachine gun, or the needlessly devious signature.

For me -
- an MB carbon fibre BP;
- a Staedtler compact whiteboard marker (I sit next to three floor-to-ceiling whiteboards);
- Sharpie (esp. on evidence bags/tape); and
- Artline 200 felt-tip pens (one of these is attached to my work ID badge).

Delta brand BP from Staples
Triangular grip and barrel
Clip is similar to Sheaffer Valor

Click to view attachment


Edited to add picture.

Ballpoints: Cross Townsend and Waterman Expert. Both i.m.o. good size, well balanced great writers.

Pencils: Just picked up a beautiful near mint rolled gold Life-Long pencil on Ebay. Just over 5 inches long, machine patterned barrel - all for $3.50 including postage. Unbeatable...!

G.

My Haas TM-2, computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine. It's very slow, but it's pretty cool, being able to write in steel.

Hi,

I like my Duofold BPs, look vintage and take ink gel refills. also enjoy using my various Pelikan RBs/BPs, but I suppose my favourite is probably my CS100 RB, looks great writes pretty well with standard RB refills that don't cost a fortune.

Andy

For Pens:
I like to use my Pelikan 800 Ball point with a Parker Gel refill.
Also I use a Pelikan Ink Roller that takes international cartridges

for Pencils:
Parker Duofold Streamline Sr. Black and Pearl Pencil
Retro 51 Sudoku pencil

Ballpoint-Caran d'Ache Le-Man Blue Lacquer/Gold BP, with Large (bold) refill--smooth as glass!

My Lamy scribble clutch pencil.

The Pentel rollerballs are pretty nice as are the "signature pen" felt tips.

I'm rather fond of the printing press. Not for person use mind you, but I do rather like the results they produce (at times)

I'll fifth or sixth the Fisher Bullet for sheer portability, convenience, and durability. It's always in my pocket in case of ink shortages or any other situation where I'm away from my desk.

I also really like my Retro51 Tornado roller ball. It's my go to if it's anywhere a fountain pen isn't.

My previous pen of choice was the Uniball Signo 207 and I still have a ton of them around. It's usually what I hand moochers (and my wife) instead of a FP.

I recently found out that my Eversharp Skyline roller ball (the one that matches the fountain pen) can actually be filled with a MontBlanc felt tip refill. After putting it in the roller ball pen and writing with it, I can hardly believe just how much it is like a fountain pen.
With a light touch, I find it smooth and wet.....a great alternative!

I also use and love LaTeX. I don't use a TeX editor; I am a loyal fan of vim and the command line.

As far as pens go, I love my GraphGear 1000 0.5mm ballpoint. I never thought I'd even like a ballpoint, much less love one, but this one is my baby and never leaves my side. I also rather like my Pilot Hi-Tec-C Cavalier (0.3mm).

As far as pencils... I've a fondness for anything 0.3mm. In particular, I love Pilot's S10 drafting pencil. I also rather like Zebra's Tect 2way, and Pentel's GraphGear 1000 pencils, though the latter are far more prone to jamming than I'd like (lead shavings end up jamming up the works).

my faber castell e-motion 1.4 mm penci, and Rotring RB

My Montblanc Starwalker Rubber & Metal Ballpoint. Always works like a charm.

I have, somehow, amassed a considerable collection of Parker Jotters over the years. None are vintage, however. I use them quite frequently at work for copy paper. I also have a Sheaffer Targa RB that my grandfather willed to me. I gets used with a fair amount of regularity, also for sentimental reasons, and is one of 6 pens in my collection that I would never sell, for any price.

Pencils!!! Mechanical or not, sketch...every kind of pencil...love its strokes on paper...

For my job...sometimes i'm forced to use my MB Hemingway ballpoint...

I used to carry the Fisher Space Pen until the ballpoint push out through the end of the cap. After that, I got my first Cross Ion. When I lost the cap to that one, I found they were no longer manufactured, I bought a couple more and some ink through the special offers section of the Cross web site. Whenever I load my wallet and keys into my pocket, a Cross Ion joins them.

At work, Papermate Write Brothers Grip stick pen Medium...until it runs out to the bitter end.
Wanda

My beloved green Faber-Castell mechanical pencil 9785 that I have been using almost daily for the past 20+ years.

I always have "something else" in my shirtpocket for quick notes.
I used te have several Parker Vectors, lately with gel-refills, but after I stumbled upon a Pentel ERGoNoMIX gel roller pen that's what I use most.
It's always there to have some client sign a paper. I'm not handing over my FP!!!. As my clients mostly are elderly or disabled this ergonomicly shaped pen works well. It's also a backup when ink runs out (seldom)

While I wouldn't use the word "love" with reference to a material item, I am quite fond of one BP and one RB in particular. I rarely use them as my FPs are by far my preference. However, these pens will not leave me. One is wood, was given me by a dear church member shortly after his father-in-law died, and is engraved, "World's greatest pastor." While the statement is obviously incorrect, the sentiment is very touching and recalls the memory of that entire family. The other was given to my by a dear church member's daughter and has in raised lettering, "The man who walks with God always gets to his destination." While neither likely cost much to the original purchasers, to me they are priceless.

I spend more time with non fountain pen instruments.

My favorites include:

Pens:
Papermate Profiles
Montblanc Scenium
Rotring 600s

Pencils:
Papermate/ Sanford Logo pencils
Rotring 600 pencils

Pilot Parallel Pens - though I wish they made a smaller than 1.5mm size !

I have lots of fountain pens that make me happy. But it seems I have only one mechanical pencil that I have to have with me. A black 30's Sheaffer flat-ball clip Jr. sized Balance pencil with GF trim and a BBB .7 lead. Graphite heaven.

My favorite non-FP is the Pilot Dr. Grip Center of Gravity. It's a heavy ergonomic pen that lays down ink with barely any pressure, and the writing is silky smooth and effortless. The only downside is that the ink tends to clump up a bit, but that's true of most ballpoints.

I keep a Fisher Space Pen on my keychain so I don't have to worry about ink freezing in the winter or running out of ink when I scribble notes on a vertical surface. The refills are made of metal and make good portable mini-pens in and of themselves, tucked into journals and calendars.

Never was a fan of the gels and rollerballs. I think maybe the line from such pens is...too dark? I guess I prefer a more understated hand. I wonder if this reflects a personality trait? Hmm.

I use Roller Balls when not using a fountain pen. I like the dark, wet lines they also leave.
I hate ball points so much now, I have replaced as many as possible with gel refills!

Not that I really buy BP's, but I have some good BP pens from gifts when I was young, and pens that I "thought" were good at one time. I usually buy Univision RB pens now when I am not able to use a FP.

Other than fp's, I'll use a ballpoint, gel, pencil, then rollerball.

I use a ballpoint more than the others above when I have to write on glossy surfaces, take down notes, or fill in forms. I currently use a very solid Caran D'Ache 849 metal pen and an elegant-looking Ballograf Epoca. Both have archival ink refills, and they do write on pretty much anything. Their black ink colors are not as dark as cheap pens, but they don't blotch and they shade really well - similar to pencils.

For gels, I use a navy blue Pilot G-2.

Pencils, I have a Retro51 Tornado with the thick 1 mm lead.

Lastly, I use Uniball Jetstream rollerballs, the thin 0.7mm ones.

The single greatest writing instrument innovation of this century: the retractable Sharpie!

Richard Jarvis

I keep hearing raves about said retractable Sharpie. I'm going to have to check it out myself I guess.
I really avoid ballpoints. When I must use something other than a fountain pen (like when I write checks...mine have the carbon copies), I have an Aurora Ispilon rollerball that fits the bill. I keep it refilled with Parker gel cartridges and it lays down a nice wet line with very little effort.

Thanks for the tip! I had no idea there was such a thing. A Sharpie Vanishing Point. Gotta get one!

Doug

Ball Point = Waterman Expert II, black with gold trim or a Bic Stick (the original) in medium.

Pencil = Faber-Castell TK-Fine Vario L 0.5

Staedler wood-cased pencils : I have a whole collection, from 3H to H, HB, F, B, 2B to 6B. Most often for drawing (as a hobby), but sometimes for editing text, especially the 6B. If I have nothing else at hand at work, which is very rarely, I'll settle for another wood pencil -- see next item.

Mechanical pencils, in rotation : 3 Sheaffers -- 2 that are part of a set, 1 Balance and 1 Valiant Snorkel, as well as a Targa (unfortunately, the Targa needs fixing) --, and a Parker (probably from the 30s). Mainly for editing at work, as well as taking notes in meetings (easier to carry around than pencils).

Ball Points : I've had a collection of Parker Jotters throughout the last 40 years, as well as a Targa that I used to fill my reporter's notebooks as well as my travel notebooks throughout the late 70s and 80s, and that I recently rediscovered. A few months ago, I digitized an old black and white photo of myself that was taken on the site of the Acropolis in Athens, in 1977. I noticed there was a Parker Jotter in my shirt pocket.

Dip pens, for calligraphy (as a hobby).

Evidently, a keyboard. However, once every two or three years, I'll dust off my old electric Smith Corona typewriter, just for the nostalgia. I'll enjoy typing for a few hours a days during a period of two to three weeks. Two weeks ago, I couldn't resist trying out an old Royal typewriter in an antique market : it worked very well, but I nonetheless managed to resist the temptation of acquiring it.

A stick in the sand at a beach during summer holidays.