Disappointed With High-End Ballpoints And Rollers

[soapytwist]

My three favourite ballpoints (don't use rollerballs) are (in order):

 

1. Caran d'Ache 849 or Ecridor - just find their Goliath refills the smoothest, nicest line. All-metal, and I ike the hexagonal grip and the no-nonsense button. Also, the 849 is cheap enough to not worry about if you lose it and available in lots of colours.

 

http://image.rakuten.co.jp/penroom/cabinet/campain/849_top.jpg

 

2. MB 164 - yes it's pricey, but get yourself a second-hand one. The heft is lovely, the twist action is positive and seats the refill properly for use. And MB refills are my second favourite after C d'A ones (not including gel refills).

 

http://www.penantique.com/Penantique/Pen/Montblanc/Vintage_Montblanc_Pens_2/Montblanc_Masterpiece_164_Ballpoint_Pen/Montblanc_Masterpiece_164_Ballpoint_Pen_1.jpg

 

3. Lamy Noto - these are under UK£5 but look and feel like they should be twice the price. You could even pair one with the 2000 FP and they wouldn't look out of place. I don't rate the Lamy refills that much, but you can get a Monteverde one which improves them no end. Also available in lots of colours.

 

http://www.lamy.com/content/e10/e87/e154/items133/283_gross_ger_eng.jpg

[Mangrove Jack]

3. Lamy Noto - these are under UK£5 but look and feel like they should be twice the price. You could even pair one with the 2000 FP and they wouldn't look out of place. I don't rate the Lamy refills that much, but you can get a Monteverde one which improves them no end. Also available in lots of colours.

 

http://www.lamy.com/content/e10/e87/e154/items133/283_gross_ger_eng.jpg

Nice. What material is the grip section made of on this pen ? Is it slippery ?

[aderoy]

The Lamy Noto grip section is plastic, with a small amount of sandblasting type finish. Do not find it to be slippery at all.

Section goes from a tripod to rounded, so if you hold close to the end it may be more of a slippery slope.

[Mangrove Jack]

aderoy, thank you.

[Time_Table]

That rotring in the first post looks strange, never seen one of that kind before. @aderoy have you tried a grip on the Lamy?

[aderoy]

That rotring in the first post looks strange, never seen one of that kind before. @aderoy have you tried a grip on the Lamy?

 

Which Lamy?

1. Noto - yes not slippery, this is my EDC for work. Triangular section is comfortable, section is wide enough for my hands (glove size 7). Not worried if lost (clip is not the best for some shirts). Refill is reliable, nice blue.
2. Studio - yes Palladium not slippery, Brushed Chrome can be in humid weather
3. 2000 - yes not slippery
4. CP1 - yes not slippery. bit on the narrow side for long writing sessions

[tanalasta]

At the end of the day, every 'high end' ballpoint or rollerball is going to use the same $5 refill as the cheapest ballpoint or rollerball in their range. Which is one reason why I prefer paying for at least the craftsmanship that goes into manufacturing "some" nibs and buying fountain pens.

 

My favourite ballpoints?

1. Aurora Optima. Lovely springy twist action and gorgeous Auroroid colours. Pity about the durability, the black rings broke off. The Aurora BP refills remind me of the Parker ones. Smooth, no smudge and reliable.

2. Lamy 2000. Click Click Click. Easy and durable. I also have the blackwood one somewhere which has a lot more heft and the lovely, warm hard feel of solid wood.

3. Okay. Yes, I do have a solid silver MontBlanc rollerball. And I love it. It's classy, elegant but probably too pretentious as a daily writer.

4. Very much enjoy the Lamy Swift. The retractable clip stops me wrecking my shirt pockets by trying to clip an uncapped pen. Brilliant!

 

The Lamy 2000 makrolon isn't that slippery at all. There a lovely matt texture to it. Unless you do what I do to accelerate the patina and rub some RM williams leather conditioner onto it (mostly beeswax). Works on new leather...

[Flounder]

I've written in this forum that I don't often carry my beloved fountain pens because they don't write well on the cheap paper that I encounter in the course of my day. So I decided to buy some quality rollers.

I bought:

 

[snip]

 

With the exception of the Rotring, they all have tapered sections which are hard to hold and make my hand cramp.

 

None of these pens can hold a candle to my Pentel EnerGel rolling writers. They have a nice rubber section, are retractable, and only weigh 12.4 grams. And oh yes, they write better than any of the above and only cost a few dollars.

 

Grumble, grumble

 

BallPens--.jpg

 

Have you thought about multipens? I had my eye on '70s era Pilot multipens (2 ballpoints + pencil lead), but haven't pulled the trigger. Looks much thicker than a standard ballpoint, made of steel, and the deeply engraved section should have great grip if the depth of engraving matches my same-era Pilot Elite's cap.

 

The other candidate that popped into mind was the Pilot S20, nice wood finish, and the taper is at the barrel end of the pen rather than the section.

 

Both are retractables, obviously.

[wrennflint]

I love my EnerGel pens, and use them daily at work, but I'd like to find a "fancy" body the refill will fit in that doesn't look quite so disposable. Suggestions?

 

I like pens that are a bit heavier, but not too fat or too thin.

[Pickwick]

I love my EnerGel pens, and use them daily at work, but I'd like to find a "fancy" body the refill will fit in that doesn't look quite so disposable. Suggestions?

 

I like pens that are a bit heavier, but not too fat or too thin.

Take a look on Pentel website the Energel RT alloy is an attractive looking pen.

[wrennflint]

[Zookie]

Love those Energels

[Stephen2020]

I bought an Eversharp Skyline rollerball a few months ago, burgundy/gold version, great continuation of the line, from fountain pen to pencil to 1940s ballpoint to rollerball.

They use a Monteverde refill, I bought a 2 pack of blue-black refills for it.

[flatline]

Take a look on Pentel website the Energel RT alloy is an attractive looking pen.

 

FedEx Office sells the metal Energel. That's the only place I've seen them locally.

 

They're available on-line from the regular places.

 

I've got one and I got one for my wife. They're nicely balanced and comfortable to hold, but there's just enough tip wiggle with mine that I hear a constant clicking when I write with the metal bodied Energel. I do not have this problem with the regular plastic Energel bodies or my wife's metal Energel. Maybe I got a dud.

 

--flatline

Edited April 13, 2016 by flatline

[Studio97]

I should find an energel and try it. I did buy several packages of TUL gel pens and roller balls in a clearance sale. They were limited edition "metallic" pens. Wow do they ever write well.

[penpencil]

Not inexpensive, but my Pelican M600 rollerball works very well with the Pelican refills. Instant start, smooth and rich line with no gunk buildup. If you need to fill out forms with copies, it works too. Works much better for me than others I've tried - plus it looks great!

[Studio97]

I have a Montblanc rollerball with Fine refills. They do not write all that well for the price but I have found a way to put in refills for Sarasa and TUL pens into the body. Now why can't MB make their refills that way? Expensive does not always mean better.

[oregano]

Perhaps she is correct for groups of refills, but there are some outliers that write better.

 

Sometimes it's subtle, like balls that only roll when the pen is near vertical, but scratch when the pen is held at a common angle of near 45 degrees.

Alan

 

This is my problem with high-end rollerballs too--thanks for raising it.

 

I had forgotten about it until I tried to use them again. The Pilot Precise V5 needlepoint eliminates that angle problem, but I haven't found a way to get portable refills that have liquid ink (not gel) to put in the rollerballs-- and the needlepoint would look ridiculous in a nice rollerball body. The Signo 307 sounds like the best option.

 

In terms of BP, my favorite refill is the Papermate joy or other papermate ballpoints, and the pen is so comfortable to hold.

 

Personally, I prefer pens with caps, which is why I don't use ballpoints that much.

[Arklawboy]

This is an interesting thread; I learned about some pens with which I was unfamiliar. For me, if I want a ballpoint, it's a Parker Jotter hands down. I have a Duofold BP, a Montblanc BP in the bordeaux color, and have had others in the past - I ALWAYS reach for, and carry, a Jotter. Dependable, "click-able," and a good variety of refills.

 

But for rollerballs, my pens of choice recently have been Cross Townsends. I am a little surprised they haven't received more attention in this thread. Perhaps it is too heavy, too large, etc. For me, they are perfect. I love that the cap posts so well and love the heft and size of the pen. The real draw for me has been the porous point refills which seem to write well on just about any kind of paper, including receipts. Cost-wise, my experience has been that you can find new ones for less than $50 all the way up to a few hundred. Used ones are also a good bargain.

 

I had a Pelikan R805 in blue/black and a R800 in green. While these may have been the most visually stunning rollerballs I've had, I never cared for the refills for some reason. And the blue quartz Townsend is a stunner as well.

 

My vote: for BP, Parker Jotter. For RB, Cross Townsend.

[Studio97]

I find the fine line MB rollerball cartridges to feel too scratchy when I write with them. Always been reluctant to substitute a MB cartridge for something else in any MB pen. Until now. I cut a ballpoint spring in half and dropped it into the bottom of the cylinder part of the pen. Dropped in a TUL gel retractable cartridge and then put the writing end on. Great fit. Great writer and happy to be using my MB rollerball again.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Studio97