Smoothest Ballpoint Pen?

[ithehappy]

I know its a disgusting query, but lets be practical. I am appearing in in a certificational based exam come mid-March and for the same I was advised to use a ball point pen for whatever frigging reasons. In last few weeks I have tried few ballpoint pens but needless to say all are complete piece of garbage. They don't write smooth. The inks are so faded and whatnot. So basically what I am asking is is there any ballpoint pen which will write very smoothly and also the ink should be dark as well? I will prefer 0.5 mm but can do with 0.7 mm as well.

 

I have tried Pentonics pen, while the black ink on it was fathomable the blue is cancerous. And a few other Cello fluidball or whatever pens as well, nothing good really. As you can guess from the companies I have mentioned I am based in India and kindly suggest accordingly. The cost of the pen doesn't matter much but the refill should not expensive. In nutshell, just suggest the best ballpoint pen you have used and I shall be extremely grateful for the same.

 

 

Regards,

Saurav

 

PS- I am a Lamy Safari user by the way.

Edited February 8, 2020 by ithehappy

[sansenri]

As a matter of fact in a ballpoint pen the refill is more important than the pen it's in.

So don't save on the refill, get a good original parker and any pen that will take it.

If allowed use a rollerball.

[Trekker]

Uni Ball Jetstream:

https://www.jetpens.com/blog/uni-jetstream-a-comprehensive-guide/pt/758

 

They offer a Parker-style refill as well, the SXR-600:

https://www.jetpens.com/Uni-SXR-600-Jetstream-Ballpoint-Pen-Refill-0.5-mm-Black/pd/25439

Edited February 9, 2020 by Trekker

[Parker51]

The best ballpoint I believe is a Fisher. It is possible to buy Fisher refills which fit other ballpoint pens. The Cartridges are pressurized and will not fail to write under almost any condition you may face. They are sometimes referred to as Space Pens as they have been routinely used by Astronauts for decades. If you can't get a Fisher then I second the Parker cartridge. It is very good. And if you can't get a Parker cartridge I suggest a Waterman.

I do not suggest a popular German brand. Yes, when they work, initially, they work quite well, but they will fail, often unexpectedly and much earlier than expected and then you are left with an unusable pen, until you replace the cartridge.

Regarding uni-ball, they are generally acceptable and reliable, but generally uninspiring.

Edited February 9, 2020 by Parker51

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I don't know that it's actually disgusting. As ballpoint refills go, I think that Schmidt EasyFlow 9000s are quite smooth. They are a Parker style refill that will fit Parker ballpoints, such as a Jotter. I'm afraid I don't know how expensive they would be in India.

 

And although whatever authority you're dealing with may say "ballpoints", are they distinguishing between ballpoints and rollerballs/gel pens? Pilot G2 gel pens are smooth writers, and you should be able buy a pack of them for not too much. The refills are not too expensive either, if you decide you want to go on using them.

[Studio97]

For actual ballpoints I have found Montblanc bold tip and Cross bold tips to be enjoyable to write with.

[Anderglan]

...

So basically what I am asking is is there any ballpoint pen which will write very smoothly and also the ink should be dark as well? I will prefer 0.5 mm but can do with 0.7 mm as well.

...

PS- I am a Lamy Safari user by the way.

 

Did you try the Lamy Safari Ballpoint Pen?

https://www.lamy.com/en/lamy-safari/

[milkb0at]

Try a Uni-Ball Jetstream in 0.7 first. It's super smooth, but for me it's too smooth and slippery so is tricky to control.

 

If you'd be ok with gel pens (as opposed to the oil-based traditional ballpoint pens) then classics like the Pilot G-2 are always lovely rich colours. Uni 307 and Pentel EnerGel are also good, so go with whatever you can try and which you prefer.

 

Those options are (mostly) for complete pens. The other option is to get a nice pen body and fill it with whatever compatible refill you like. The Schmidt easyFlow 9000 and Schneider Slider refills are both good and available in Parker style. Perhaps buy a Retro 51 Tornado while you still can.

[Mongoosey]

+1 on uni-ball jetstream 0.7 and Uni SXR-600-07, which I recommend in a rOtring Tikky Ballpoint if you want something affordable and great for long writing sessions.

 

+1 on Easyflow9000. I use these in my rOtring Tikky Ballpoints as well.

 

Pilot G2 is always a safe bet, though I find I prefer the Pentel Energel, also a safe bet, a little more.

 

I don't recommend the Fisher refills. Because they are pressurized they require the most amount of pressure to write. They're dependable, but not pleasant.

[sciumbasci]

Bic 1.6

Warning: highly addictive experience

 

[alexwi]

If it has to be a ball-point, Schmidt seems to be the way to go, although I found their 9000 refill too smooth for my taste. Crazy smooth is more like it. Feels almost like writing on glass.

 

If it can be roller-ball or gel, I like Lamy's roller-balls and Parker's gel refills. The latter is likely to fit in a variety of pens, so that mightbe a good direction to follow. Be aware, though, that I've had Parker gel refills leak (not much, but enough to make the inside of the pen slightly messy) if you leave them unused for a few months.

 

alex

[ithehappy]

Thanks fellas. Appreciate all the inputs. However, unfortunately most of what you said are not available here, or at least not that affordable considering a ballpoint pen anyway. The Uni Ball Jetstreams are available, but I do not understand their Indian website. There are lots of Jetstreams listed not sure which one would be suitable for my situation. The Jetstreams are listed under the Roller ball category- https://uniball.in/shop/index.php?id_category=14&controller=category

 

I would love to use the Gel pens. In face a Pilot V7 is still my favourite amongst cheap gel pens but in exams they advise against using these pens for whatever reasons! So only ball point pens unfortunately.

[mikerph]

As far as ballpoints go, I like the Parker medium refills. I use these at work, where I have to take verbal orders and transcribe them quickly, and a Parker ballpoint is the surest and smoothest I have found. LAMY is a close second, especially with the Monteverde refills.

[qvxb]

The Bic Cristal 1.6 mm with black ink is good and inexpensive.

 

The Bic Gelocity 0.7 mm gel ink pen with

black ink is also good.

[Mongoosey]

If it has to be a ball-point, Schmidt seems to be the way to go, although I found their 9000 refill too smooth for my taste. Crazy smooth is more like it. Feels almost like writing on glass.

 

 

I also find the easyflow9000 too smooth, unless I'm using very feedbacky paper (mostly cheap stuff), but even then it's still quite smooth.

 

I think the Jetstream/SXR-600-07 is a great alternative. It's basically an easyflow9000, but a Fine version with extra feedback. I've grown to prefer to write with the SXR-600-07 more, but I prefer the thicker line of the Easyflow9000.

[Anderglan]

The Bic Gelocity 0.7 mm gel ink pen with

black ink is also good.

That's an excellent idea, Number 6!

Usually I'm not a fan of one-way items, but the BIC "gel-ocity" gel ink is quite good, they cost next to nothing (less than EUR 1.00 per piece where I live), and the best thing is, IMHO: they have a triangular grip section not unlike the LAMY Safari pens!

[spirit_stampede]

The refills that come with both the Caran D'Ache 849 and Rotring 600 have been quite smooth and pleasant for me. Both are great ballpoints that I didn't feel the need to switch to a gel refill. Other than that, as others have said, you can't go wrong with the Easyflow9000.

[hbdk]

The Schneider XB 755 cartridge - Parker type - is the smoothest I have tried.

[EBUCKTHORN]

And the Schneider "Slider" 755M is similar but with a more moderate width line. It writes very nicely and, same as the XB755, has the added advantage that, because it has a metal body it can (at least around here) be pulled from the solid waste stream and recycled. Plastic waste is an enormous problem globally and we must do what we can even with items as small as a pen refill to slow the expansion of this terrible pollutant. Of course, among writing instruments, a fountain pen that is refillable from a bottle or a mechanical pencil creates the least waste but i understand that neither is suitable for the situation being discussed in this topic.

 

The Schneider XB 755 cartridge - Parker type - is the smoothest I have tried.

Edited February 11, 2020 by EBUCKTHORN

[bemon]

I like the Lamy broad refills. I don't know if there's any difference between blue and black, but at least the blue one rides like a Fleetwood. It never fails to get a "that's a nice pen" comment as the loanee flips the pen on end and examines the writing tip after I hand the pen off for a signature or something.