What Are The Best Ballpoint Pens? Share Your Thoughts!

[dauodwa]

My favourite ballpoint of all time is the Artline Flow 4 Colour Retractable, in 1.0mm. Brilliant pen, writes very well, smooth and even on any type of paper, very reliable and comfortable to use. I'm waiting on delivery to get back into fountain pens, but I'll be carrying several of these in addition to FPs. Plus they are on the larger size which is great for me as I have large hands.

Not only that but they only cost $2 AUD. I've had expensive ballpoints in the past but nothing has come close to giving me as much pleasure as this pen.

http://i.imgur.com/J9EDidN.jpg

Edited May 4, 2016 by dauodwa

[sciumbasci]

Well, from the first pages of this post I see I'm a bit out of place here, as I am a university student so I follow completely different criterias. In particular, I wanted the pen to

 

1. Cost effective (price per pen compared with writing "mileage")

2. Lay down a rich, dark line

3. Smooth as butter

 

Ideally, it would've been the Pilot G2, but at 2,50/each and not even two months worth pf notetaking ink, it is ruled out by point 1

 

I went great lengths to find the perfect replacement for the Pilot G2, mostly because I was consuming these pens at an alarming rate, and they do not come cheap

 

I didn't care for another gel, so I decided to go full ballpoint. After many, many pens, I finally found the one:

 

http://www.eurolibri.com/pimages/PAPERMATE-FLEXGRIP-ELITE-1-4-NERO-PENNA-big-35356-267.jpg

 

Special mention is deserved for the Staedtler Noris Stick 434: if you really want your son, or friends, or the office hate ballpoints (and in this case, you) buy them that pen.

[Mike 59]

sciumbasci, If you have not tried them already, you might have a look at PaperMate Inkjoy ballpoints, I have seen in the UK, 10 black ink pens for £2 (say $3 roughly), they are better writers than most others in that price range.

You can also buy packs of 10 assorted colours, but there could be a few colours you might never use.

[sciumbasci]

I had the InkJoy 100, made in India. It writes like a dream, the a a literal joy to hold, it seems almost an hybrid gel if you don't mind the occasional blob of ink. My only complaint with them is that I don't think they fill the refill past 1/4 of it's length.

 

Bought the pack of 10 of InkJoys, kept the blue and the black, gave away to kids the orange and the green ones. Mine didn't last 2 week each, and so did the kids' pens.

[tonydent84]

Economy ballpoint that is still an average ballpoint but writes smoother and darker than most is the PaperMate Grip. I found a box of 24 i think for $4.99 on sale. Retractable and a beefy rubber grip. Definitely one of the better ballpoints from PaperMate in recent times. And like all ballpoints, theyll last for a while.

 

For Piliot G2, if you look online like ebay of amazon or some internet office supply stores, you can buy the refills in bulk for like a dollar each. Based on your estmiate of about two weeks of usage before needing a new one, then buying them in bulk at that price should cost you about $2 a month, less than a Netflix subscription.

 

Some dollar store brands have fantastic gel pens but they tend to run out of ink fast. But at those prices, uaually like a dollar or two for ten, you could really stock up.

 

And lets not forget Chinese made pens. They make decent quality cheap fountain pens, but they also make some amazing disposable gel pens. I randomly bought one pack of gel stick pens from China with free shipping for a couple of dollars and theyre some of the best gel pens i ever used (but not quite as good as the Energel pens which are exceptionally smooth, dark and consistent). But, like the dollar store brand gel pens, theyll likely run out of ink in a day of hard use.

 

My personal favorite pen is the EnerGel from Pentel. But those can get pricey. But, if you buy the capped versions in bulk, it might be more economical. I think an EnerGel needlepoint gel pen with the cap lasts a few weeks to a month of extensive writing based on the last time i used it exclusively (school notes, personal notes, carrying it around and using it sporadically, etc). I stress the capped ones because the retractable refills dont even last me a week under the same conditions....I suspect that for the refills they use far less ink in that narrow tube but in the capped version the whole pen barrel is filled with ink.

Edited May 4, 2016 by tonydent84

[tonydent84]

Oh and i think the newer G2 pens claim to write two times longer than other major brand gel pens. The newer G2 pens have a yellowish stopper while the original ones had an orange stopper. They dont write as smooth or as wet and dark as they used to but they dont skip anymore, they dont blob as much anymore, and they write noticeably finer than before. Its become more reliable from a usage standpoint, and if their claim of writing 2x longer is true, then more economic as well.

Edited May 4, 2016 by tonydent84

[tonydent84]

My favourite ballpoint of all time is the Artline Flow 4 Colour Retractable, in 1.0mm. Brilliant pen, writes very well, smooth and even on any type of paper, very reliable and comfortable to use. I'm waiting on delivery to get back into fountain pens, but I'll be carrying several of these in addition to FPs. Plus they are on the larger size which is great for me as I have large hands.

Not only that but they only cost $2 AUD. I've had expensive ballpoints in the past but nothing has come close to giving me as much pleasure as this pen.

 

http://i.imgur.com/J9EDidN.jpg

I want that pen now lol. Is Artline a local brand there? Ive never seen it on store shelves before.

[dauodwa]

I want that pen now lol. Is Artline a local brand there? Ive never seen it on store shelves before.

I think it must be! They are $2 each in store locally but 3 for $10 online on ebay. Just search artline flow and sort by lowest price. If you have a lot of trouble getting one, I'd be happy to post you a couple!

 

I should reiterate too that it's 1.0mm point so I would consider it similar to a medium.

Edited May 5, 2016 by dauodwa

[rowdy]

I like this forum within FPN. I was born in the transition age -but mostly it was ballpoints that were used. I really like the Jotter and have used them for over 40 plus years. Even the newest versions from France are pretty capable. Heck I even bought the book on the Jotter. (History of an Icon). The Jotter and my Parker IM rollerball are my staples when I can't use a fountain pen.

 

However being a pen collector my employer has found an effort to frustrate me (in a good way). We have been getting the Pentel Energels in both retractable and capped versions along with the Paper Mate Ink Joy 550 RT - a very smooth pen. With getting pens like this in the supply cabinet I find no need to buy any further pens - well except for a Jotter or 6 from a flea market, antique market or brand new:).

 

My thoughts.

[ggrosjean]

When I need to use a ball point its Caran D'Ache, MB dries out too fast although I carry a Starwalker Steel and Rubber in my brief case for trade shows and the multi copy forms.

[Mike 59]

Here's a few ballpoint samples for comparison;

Edited May 13, 2016 by Mike 59

[rminj]

Here's a few ballpoint samples for comparison;

The cross medium and parker quinkfloe look light and faint...one will find themselves pressing harder trying to get ink on the paper. I really don't understand the pen manufacturers..we want the ink on the paper..not in the refill.

[Mastiff]

Please don't forget the BIC click ballpoint. Nothing can possibily match its longevity, cost-effectiveness and reliability.

[max dog]

After a owning a Cross, no other ball point will do.

 

[Garageboy]

My fat fingers can't even grip onto a Cross

Does the Parker IM have a rubber grip? I'm hoping not

[usk15]

My fat fingers can't even grip onto a Cross

Does the Parker IM have a rubber grip? I'm hoping not

 

No rubber grip, but metal grip. I'm pretty happy with IM series, I have 5 of them.

[sciumbasci]

After a owning a Cross, no other ball point will do.

 

 

 

That script on the background is beautiful. Spencerian?

 

Also, is it computer printed?

Edited June 1, 2016 by sciumbasci

[IvoryParker]

Please don't forget the BIC click ballpoint. Nothing can possibily match its longevity, cost-effectiveness and reliability.

+1

[MYU]

Cross pens are very well made. The rotating mechanism is very, very smooth. In principle it's a better design than a clicker, for several reasons -- simpler mechanism (less likely to fail), fewer moving parts (unlike a clicker), and pocket friendly (pressing it won't extend the ballpoint). However, I don't know why but I get some kind of satisfaction of clicking a pen with my thumb. It's also faster to do it one handed.

 

I recently bought a rOtring 700 ballpoint. It's a very thin pen and looks like it would be slippery, but it has very tastefully done engravings on the barrel for grip. It's not featherweight, but it's light enough not to cause fatigue. I love the looks of it too.

 

Not my photo. Ballpoint is in the middle.

[inkeverywhere]

Lamy 2000 for me. A real winner for those times when I have to use a ballpoint!

 

 

Greg