Pilot v. Uni-ball

[dmmcf]

This is the Pentel "EnerGel" pen. The particular pen I bought is the retractable, 0.5 mm "needle tip" pen in red ink. I have been amazed by the quality of line this pen produces. Supposedly, the ink is a breakthrough hybrid of liquid rollerball ink and gel ink. All I can say is, I have never had an inexpensive pen (meaning, non-fountain pen) lay down a line this smooth and this solid.

 

I bought a package of these some time ago, and I agree they write very well. The only problem I had, and it occurred with all (3? 6?) of these pens I tried, was that once the pen was mostly empty, it began to flow too much ink--not dripping off the needle, but easily smeared on the page. If this problem has been solved, I'll happily try these pens again.

 

The supply cabinet at work has recently been stocked with Uniball Micros (0.5 mm). It had been a while since I last used these, but they're not too bad at all. And, as noted above, they're nearly indestructible.

 

Michael

[Banded Krait]

I bought a package of these some time ago, and I agree they write very well. The only problem I had, and it occurred with all (3? 6?) of these pens I tried, was that once the pen was mostly empty, it began to flow too much ink--not dripping off the needle, but easily smeared on the page. If this problem has been solved, I'll happily try these pens again.

 

Uh-Oh...I have been using the EnerGel pens only for a short while. I'll have to keep an eye out for this problem. If this happens to me, I will be very disappointed. I thought I had found inexpensive (i.e., not FP) pen nirvana.

 

[dmmcf]

Uh-Oh...I have been using the EnerGel pens only for a short while. I'll have to keep an eye out for this problem. If this happens to me, I will be very disappointed. I thought I had found inexpensive (i.e., not FP) pen nirvana.

Sorry, I didn't mean to be a wet blanket. Now that I think of it, it was several years ago that I tried these pens. The problem may have been fixed, or it may have been limited to a single production run. And even if the behavior persists, these pens may be good enough that I would use them until they ran low, then, er, forget them on a colleague's desk. :ph34r: After all, most people don't care nearly as much about these things as we do. ("Pen free! Pen make mark! Pen good!")

 

Michael

 

[Brerarnold]

I like the way the Pilot Precise fits in my hand. Whether or not there is bullet-proof ink is not an issue with me.

 

I wonder, really, how much it is an issue in general. On my Master's diploma, one of the signatures has faded badly over the years. You can still make it out. It is still a legitimate diploma. It took over 15 years before it became noticeable. Isn't this good enough for just about anything? Or is the issue that there is a potential that someone could alter a signature? I'm not an attorney so if I am missing something, pardon my ignorance.

[CLC ESQ]

I don't know much about the pervasiveness of "check washing" or the altering of signatures and/or other writing on legal documents, but I am sure that there are instances of the same. I have read that the Uni-ball Signo 207 was developed with the prevention of check washing in mind. In fact, I think that Uni-ball's bulletproof "Uni Super Ink Technology" is now used across Uni-balls entire line of pens. I can definitely see the advantage of writing with this type of ink, and I'm sure that it gives the writer additional peace of mind when filling-out and/or signing important documents. For giggles, I put several pens that I possess from both Pilot and Uni-ball through an "ink torture test" and was amazed at the "bulletproofness" of the Uni-ball inks; they were all rock-solid. On the other hand, the Pilot inks either ran, faded or simply disappeared altogether. Nevertheless, I am still torn between the two pen makers for the reasons stated earlier.

 

I do wonder how important the "bulletproofness" of ink is to pen users. Personally, I favor and try to use pens that are, at least, waterproof and fade-proof.

[ramshacklemann]

I bought a package of these some time ago, and I agree they write very well. The only problem I had, and it occurred with all (3? 6?) of these pens I tried, was that once the pen was mostly empty, it began to flow too much ink--not dripping off the needle, but easily smeared on the page. If this problem has been solved, I'll happily try these pens again.

 

Uh-Oh...I have been using the EnerGel pens only for a short while. I'll have to keep an eye out for this problem. If this happens to me, I will be very disappointed. I thought I had found inexpensive (i.e., not FP) pen nirvana.

 

I have been using Energel pens in the recent past, and they work perfectly right down to the end in my experience, what's more Staples even has energel refills.

[Violet]

My fave gel pen (when a fountain pen just won't fit the job) is the Uni-Ball Signo EX. They're transparent barrels and longer than normal length makes them very comfortable to hold. (and i do love oversize FPs). The ink is super smooth and never skips (Pentels seem to have that particular issue). Oh, and they come in great colors -- their purple ink is superb!!! Like Waterman Violet.

[Garageboy]

The Retro 51 Tornados are smooth, but the refills run out quickly and the whole thing is HEAVY

[Viseguy]

I just discovered the Pentel HyperG gel pen. Very smooth writer, no blobbing, quick-drying, low-viscosity gel ink. Pentel claims the ink is acid-free, archival, and safe for check-writing (a test with soap and hot water applied to the blue ink seems to bear out the last of these claims). Made from recycled materials, and takes refills.

 

When it comes to the lesser species of pens I'm a uni-ball Vision Elite loyalist, but the HyperG might change my mind.

[dadoody]

As of right now, I would go with Uniball's 207 Impact pens.

 

My company just stuck these in the stationary cabinet and I picked some up.

 

The pen writes solidly with no wiggle room.

Smooth.

Bright and Bold colors.

Forgery resistant ink - I soaked a paper in alcohol and it didn't even feather or fade 1 bit. About as solid as Noodler's so far.

If the pen clip is used, the pen retracts! Great if you like to pocket pens and not have them bleed onto your clothing! Very good idea!

 

Wide body. Very comfortable to use.

[rollerboy]

I favour Pilot for liquid ink needle point pens, and Uniball for gels. I prefer liquid ink needle point pens over gels *if* the paper can handle it.

[Alohamora]

The standard basic black Micro Uni-ball is one of my all-time favorite pens. I buy them in boxes of a dozen. Great feel, and so tough that they don't even notice if you run over them with a truck.

 

I know this is an old thread, but I'm going to chime in anyway. I too used to buy those Uni-ball Micro pens by the dozen. Blue, black, fine and medium, they were all good. Then, they became impossible to find in stores. But today I see a similar looking pen on the Uniball website, it's just called the Roller http://www.uniball-na.com/main.taf?p=2,3,7 I wonder if they really are the same thing?

 

Anyway, when I couldn't get the Uni Micro anymore, I thought the other Uniball pens of the time were all too ugly to use. Well, Jetstreams were OK, but they were only available in bold back then -- and expensive considering how many pens I went through in those days.

 

I used Pilot G2s for a while but found they started to blob and blotch too much. I tried a lot of other retractables and settled on Signo 207s as the best everyday pens.

 

Then I got a pack of Pilot Varsity's and that launched a whole new obsession...

[jBeckett]

I use both regularly as well as Zebra and Pentel. If I were to pick a brand based on average quality of all their products it would be Pentel, easily.

 

That aside, between Pilot and Uni-Ball and only talking about non-fountain pens. Uni-Ball gets a slight edge, I love Pilot but they've yet to beat the Jetstream or Signo Broad.

[Dark Side]

I've been looking at picking up a Pilot Knight rollerball for use at work, it looks like they take the Pilot G2 refills which is a plus. Can anyone comment on the Pilot Knight? Worth the money? How's the size?

[yliu]

Uniball Gel Impact 1.0 mm pens are awesome! They write incredibly smoothly. But they run out pretty quickly.

 

But I tend to like pilot gel pens better for their color unless it's black. The uni ball blue ink looks very pale to me:S

[Xqmano]

Wow! I had no idea there were so many different g2s.

 

I think they are both great brands, but I tend to prefer Uni-ball with their Power Tank and their Jetstream. Silly names, but they write great.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Aside from the Uniball Vision RT, which I suggest that you avoid, I recommend the Signo, the Gel Impact, and the Uniball rollerballs with caps over the Pilot pens. They are quite smooth and many of them are waterproof.

 

Dillon