Ballpoint Pen Ideas

[basakadakara]

Hello everyone,

 

I am a college student who takes a lot of notes (who doesn't). For the past several years I've been using a Pilot Vanishing Point but it started to get irritating in class (cartridges, etc). I've switched to a vintage Parker Jotter ballpoint and found that there is something missing from the experience.

 

This is my first real venture into ballpoints that aren't throw away Bics. I would like to purchase a great ballpoint that will last years. Price isn't too much of an issue as I will be using it every day for years to come. Naturally I have looked at some Mont Blancs - Starwalker, etc.

 

Are there any recommendations? I am happy to buy used and give a pen a second life. The most important thing is a good writing experience. I have rather small hands but find that a larger pen can be comfortable such as the VP.

 

Ballpoint with a twisting mechanism is preferred. Thanks!

[RayMan]

For me, the most important criteria for a ballpoint is the type of refill it accepts. I find gel refills to be smoother and much more pleasant to use as compared to regular ballpoint refills. My second criteria is the availability of the refill. Based on these criteria, I prefer ballpoint pens that accept either the Parker or Pilot G2 (which I believe is also referred to as the Standard International style) gel refills. My third criteria is how the pen feels in my hand. My last criteria is esthetics.

 

It's been a while since I've purchased a ballpoint pen, but based on past experience, the following ballpoint brands accept the Parker gel refill:

 

 

Aurora

Delta (certain models)

Faber Castell

Monteverde

Parker (obviously)

Pelikan

Taccia

Visconti

 

I believe that the following ballpoint brands accept the Pilot G2 (Standard International) gel refill:

 

Aurora

Conklin

Conway Stewart

Delta

Faber-Castell

Monteverde

Rotring

Stipula

Taccia

Visconti

Waterford

Waterman

 

Unfortunately, I have no idea whether there are any twist-retractable pens that are compatible with these refills.

 

Hope this helps.

 

[Mike 59]

Hi, It might be worth trying out a few pens that I keep going back to, the Pilot Acroball, and the Pentel Energel.

Another good design that has a really effective clip, is the Zebra Sarasa 'Clip' (!) which also uses the same size refill as the Pentel.

All these have a smooth writing refills, and all are made in 0.7 (medium) and 0.5 (fine) widths, and many colours too.

These type of pens are really all about the refill, rather than the body of the pen, and if lightweight is preferred or a heavier metal pen, it's so much about trying them out and finding out what suits the writer.

Also more expensive ballpoint pens tend to have metal finger grips, which, if writing for long periods, tend to become difficult to hold.

The first three pens I mentioned all have very good grips, which I find makes a great deal of difference.

[SallyLyn]

What did you not enjoy about the Parker? The pen or the cartridge? As mentioned there are other refills that fit in the Parker.

 

As far as a pleasing for me experience I enjoy the Uni JetStream. Really smooth. But I'm not certain I'd use in a college note taking situation as it runs through ink. You'd be buying and carrying lots of pens or refills and they're not cheap.

 

The Bic Clic or Crystal are smooth willing writers, some even use them for great art work but sounds like you want a more attractive, serious or comfortable ink holder. Personally I'd be looking for comfortable pens that take them as a refill. They write well and seem to last.

 

This is a nice discussion.

[basakadakara]

What did you not enjoy about the Parker? The pen or the cartridge? As mentioned there are other refills that fit in the Parker.

 

As far as a pleasing for me experience I enjoy the Uni JetStream. Really smooth. But I'm not certain I'd use in a college note taking situation as it runs through ink. You'd be buying and carrying lots of pens or refills and they're not cheap.

 

The Bic Clic or Crystal are smooth willing writers, some even use them for great art work but sounds like you want a more attractive, serious or comfortable ink holder. Personally I'd be looking for comfortable pens that take them as a refill. They write well and seem to last.

 

This is a nice discussion.

 

 

The Parker is pretty nice. It is an all metal Jotter so the barrel can be a little slippery. I have a Fisher Space Pen cartridge in it at the moment. That seems to give me a fair amount of success. Sometimes it skips a little but I actually like the cartridge. I was hoping for a slightly thicker pen for extended writing sessions.

 

Thank you for your input!

[basakadakara]

For me, the most important criteria for a ballpoint is the type of refill it accepts. I find gel refills to be smoother and much more pleasant to use as compared to regular ballpoint refills. My second criteria is the availability of the refill. Based on these criteria, I prefer ballpoint pens that accept either the Parker or Pilot G2 (which I believe is also referred to as the Standard International style) gel refills. My third criteria is how the pen feels in my hand. My last criteria is esthetics.

 

It's been a while since I've purchased a ballpoint pen, but based on past experience, the following ballpoint brands accept the Parker gel refill:

 

 

Aurora

Delta (certain models)

Faber Castell

Monteverde

Parker (obviously)

Pelikan

Taccia

Visconti

 

I believe that the following ballpoint brands accept the Pilot G2 (Standard International) gel refill:

 

Aurora

Conklin

Conway Stewart

Delta

Faber-Castell

Monteverde

Rotring

Stipula

Taccia

Visconti

Waterford

Waterman

 

Unfortunately, I have no idea whether there are any twist-retractable pens that are compatible with these refills.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

 

This is actually very helpful!

[usk15]

Look at Aurora Ballpoint pens. They will work with Parker style refills, also Fisher refills. I will also recommend Schmidt easyFlow 9000 refills.

 

https://www.iguanasell.co.uk/collections/pens-primary/aurora-pens+ballpoint-pen

[Mike 59]

Hi again, Thinking about this more, if you write dozens of pages a day, then the gel type refills (in any brand of pen) are going to run down fairly often. More ballpoint pens are probably made, right across the brands, which use the Parker 'style' refill, which do last a good deal longer.

Parkers own refill, the 'QuinkFlow' uses hybrid ink, which is smoother and richer than the average ballpoint, and is available in fine and medium widths, blue and black ink. These refills do fit in many other brands of ballpoint, so the choice is vast.

The Schmidt easyflow refills are the same fit, and I would think Monteverdi make a refill like this too.

I have quite a few all metal ballpoints, and I find them slippery if used for more than, say 15 mins, so the finger grip part of the pen is important to think about as much as the refill type.

[RayMan]

I have quite a few all metal ballpoints, and I find them slippery if used for more than, say 15 mins, so the finger grip part of the pen is important to think about as much as the refill type.

I totally agree. I own a metal Parker ballpoint. It looks nice, but it's slippery.

[Mech-for-i]

At the end of the line, Ballpoints are all about the refill before the pen body .. that pen body is only a vessel to house the actual pen , and good refills usually had more than a single or even just a couple of bodies that will take it. Cheap as it might sound the good old Bic actually write quite nice and had all kind of pens taking it from cheap one like Bic's own to expensive designer pens. I like Bic's own Citation , not an expensive one but one that just feel right.

[usk15]

At the end of the line, Ballpoints are all about the refill before the pen body .. that pen body is only a vessel to house the actual pen , and good refills usually had more than a single or even just a couple of bodies that will take it. Cheap as it might sound the good old Bic actually write quite nice and had all kind of pens taking it from cheap one like Bic's own to expensive designer pens. I like Bic's own Citation , not an expensive one but one that just feel right.

 

 

Yes and no!

 

While you might have the right refill, the pen body could be too heavy, too light, too thick or too slim. Or could be too short or too long, a clicker or twist operated, or maybe the materials feel wrong. It is a fine balance to get it right specifically for your preferences!

[Studio97]

If you like a bold line as I do, the Bic 1.6 Velocity is great.

[pajaro]

I used the Montblanc Meisterstuck with broad refill for my working years. A superb pen, and a little wider than Jotter. After retiring, the grocery list and checking it off in the store are all I use a ballpoint for. I switched to the Pelikan K200 and K400 click top pens. Click top is easier than twist on the go. A bit more girth than Jotter, but the same kind of refill, and most of these refills require little or no pressure, just like a fountain pen.

[Sasha Royale]

You seem to like the Parker Jotter. Get one in stainless steel. A long-term point-of-failure, in a heavy use ballpoint pen, is the plastic area, at the end of the pen, where it interacts with the refill point. The all metal pen does not have this weak point. For smoothness, gel refills are a consideration. Choose a pen that is comfortable. An expensive Montblanc ballpoint pen, with a inferior refill, will write poorly. Select your refill thoughtfully, as IT actually does the writing.

 

For a "fat" pen, consider the Jinhao x450 , or Jinhao 500 ballpoint pens. They are of metal tube construction, and, I believe, they accept Parker refills.

[sciumbasci]

There is a distinct lack of recommendations regarding the rOtring Rapid Pro pen (the all metal, knurled grip type)

 

http://www.cultpens.com//imgs/products/cp/950_constW/RT20983~rotring-Rapid-Pro-Ballpoint-Pen-Black_P1.jpg

 

Oh, there's also the TWSBI Precision

 

 

Silly me, twist mechanism AND larger diameter you say? Disregard what I wrote earlier, they won't cut it for you. Have a look at the Waterman Graduate or Pelikan Jazz

Edited September 27, 2017 by sciumbasci

[Conan the Grammarian]

I've really tried to like ballpoints. They're durable, they write on anything, they don't smudge or run. But the line they put out is too light for my tastes. Like a previous poster, I've migrated to gel pens for my workday writing needs, really for all my writing needs as liquid ink pens (fountain pens, rollerballs) bleed through too many of the notebooks and papers I'm using these days for even everyday writing.

 

In making that switch, I set several criteria for what pens I would use. The refills had to be readily available or, if a mass market pen, new pens had to be readily available at most retail outlets selling pens (including grocery and drug stores, office supply store, etc.). That way, if I have to pop into a store to grab a replacement while in the middle of something, the writing at the end does not differ from that at the beginning.

 

The pen had to be comfortable to hold and somewhat professional looking (not a purple striped mess with a troll hair).

 

I like a bit of drag on the point so liquid/gel hybrids are out (bye, bye Jetstream).

 

The ink had to be somewhat archival. It doesn't have to withstand an acid wash, but should be able to handle a spilled drink.

 

That pretty much led me to the Pilot G2. The Uniball 203 gels lost out due to the ink not being as vibrant as the G2 ink and due to their availability not being as wide, but it was close, very close.

 

Pilot also sells a Metropolitan clone that loads the G2 refill, so you'd have a nice looking pen, if you want that and a readily available gel refill.

 

Also, the G2 comes in a Navy ink version (blue-black) that can't be beat. I've only ever been able to get it online, so it fails the ready availability criterion, but the color is so nice, I'm willing to overlook that.

Edited September 27, 2017 by Conan the Grammarian

[qvxb]

basakadakara,

 

Try the black medium Parker Quinkflow refill. It puts down a dense black line and doesn't require a lot of pressure.

 

Retro 51 pens such as the Tornado are twist-action and use Parker-style refills.

 

http://www.ipenstore.com/retro-51-17/

[pajaro]

I've really tried to like ballpoints. They're durable, they write on anything, they don't smudge or run. But the line they put out is too light for my tastes. Like a previous poster, I've migrated to gel pens for my workday writing needs, really for all my writing needs as liquid ink pens (fountain pens, rollerballs) bleed through too many of the notebooks and papers I'm using these days for even everyday writing.

 

In making that switch, I set several criteria for what pens I would use. The refills had to be readily available or, if a mass market pen, new pens had to be readily available at most retail outlets selling pens (including grocery and drug stores, office supply store, etc.). That way, if I have to pop into a store to grab a replacement while in the middle of something, the writing at the end does not differ from that at the beginning.

 

The pen had to be comfortable to hold and somewhat professional looking (not a purple striped mess with a troll hair).

 

I like a bit of drag on the point so liquid/gel hybrids are out (bye, bye Jetstream).

 

The ink had to be somewhat archival. It doesn't have to withstand an acid wash, but should be able to handle a spilled drink.

 

That pretty much led me to the Pilot G2. The Uniball 203 gels lost out due to the ink not being as vibrant as the G2 ink and due to their availability not being as wide, but it was close, very close.

 

Pilot also sells a Metropolitan clone that loads the G2 refill, so you'd have a nice looking pen, if you want that and a readily available gel refill.

 

Also, the G2 comes in a Navy ink version (blue-black) that can't be beat. I've only ever been able to get it online, so it fails the ready availability criterion, but the color is so nice, I'm willing to overlook that.

 

The only issue I have found with Gel pen refills is short refill life.

[Preserved_Killick]

I've been using a Retro 51 ballpoint at work, and I quite like it with a Schmidt Easyflow 9000 medium blue refill. I've found that I also like Visconti's hybrid refill. Could it be that its made by Schmidt?

 

With a ballpoint, the interchangabeability of the refills (plus being nice to hold and look at) is everything. I have a Lamy 2000 ballpoint, and I like it's Bauhaus aesthetics. But its refills are horrible, and the Monteverde refills for it are not as good as a Schmidt hybrid ink and they're just a hair too short as well. I would not buy another ballpoint that doesn't take Parker-style refills.

[stuck-in-time]

With a ballpoint, the interchangabeability of the refills (plus being nice to hold and look at) is everything. I have a Lamy 2000 ballpoint, and I like it's Bauhaus aesthetics. But its refills are horrible, and the Monteverde refills for it are not as good as a Schmidt hybrid ink and they're just a hair too short as well. I would not buy another ballpoint that doesn't take Parker-style refills.

 

If you like the design of the Lamy 2000 ballpoint and is annoyed about the limited selection of refills available, perhaps you could try to get the multi pen version of the 2000. Looks almost identical, but takes D1 refills, and that surely will greatly broaden the selection. Including those hybrid refills like the Schmidt Easyflow and Uni Jetsream SXR-200.

 

Getting back to the original question, I do think the Lamy 2000 multi pen is a good suggestion. A rather thick and classy looking pen. It's not a twist-action, just the usual push-button, but it's got a gravity-based selector mechanism that works very well. I know that opinions differ on these gravity systems and multi pens in general, but for myself, these are two very good plus points. Especially that gravity mechanism. I always find them very fascinating.

Edited January 26, 2018 by stuck-in-time