First Rollerball Pen

[hcd615]

I have recently been using a Uni-Ball Vision .7mm rollerball. I like that size diameter pen (not a fat barrel). I have a nice pen store (Pen Boutique) in a mall near my home and I am going there tomorrow morning to get my first 'nice' rollerball. They sell all brands. I was told to look at Pelikan and Waterman etc. I want to spend no more then $150 for the pen unless I fall in love with a pen I will go up in price.

 

My question is, what should I look at in my price range, are there any rollerballs I should look at over other ones and are there any brands that I should stay away from?

 

Sorry I am a newbie to this rollerball scene and there seem to be hundreds to choose from. I assume it also depends what feels good in my hand, but I figured you guys could give me a head start.

 

Thanks!

Edited September 20, 2009 by hcd615

[cl0123]

Welcome to FPN!

My experiences with rollerball pens are limited, but of the few that I have, they are all good writers. I have a huge modern-looking Cross C-Series selectip rollerball that writes really well. Since the selectip is usable in all Cross applicable models, it's only a matter of selecting a model that you like. I personally like the heft on the C-Series, not to mention I do like the letter "C" quite a bit. I have a couple of Parker stainless steel pens as well. As far as I can tell, they all write pretty much the same and the only differences are mostly ergonomics and aesthetics. Refills for these two are not difficult to find.

 

You may want to take a look at the Waterman Phileas offerings. They can use G2 and Signo refills. My office used to stock Uni Balls until about a year or two ago. We now have G2's instead. They really are incredible innovations when compared to the old trusty ball point pens. I remember paying quite a bit for some fancy Cross ball point pens that can write upside down. Unless I have to use a pen to write upside down, nowadays I find the G2's more practical than the old ball points.

 

While fountain pens remain my instrument of choice, there are instances where rollerballs and pencils are more practical.

 

With Aloha,

 

Clarence

[Koyote]

I have only a little experience, but here it is:

Unlike FPs, the rollerball pen only writes as well as the refill. So, pick a pen with comfortable ergonomics, and pay attention to the smoothness of the refill. I use Parker Medium RB refills in my old 75, and I just bought my wife a new Sheaffer with a Medium RB insert - the Sheaffer lays a wider, smoother line which I prefer.

[Tsujigiri]

See if you can find any Conklin Duragraphs for sale. They're great rollerballs that don't cost too much.

[kwinana]

I have recently been using a Uni-Ball Vision .7mm rollerball. I like that size diameter pen (not a fat barrel). I have a nice pen store (Pen Boutique) in a mall near my home and I am going there tomorrow morning to get my first 'nice' rollerball. They sell all brands. I was told to look at Pelikan and Waterman etc. I want to spend no more then $150 for the pen unless I fall in love with a pen I will go up in price.

 

My question is, what should I look at in my price range, are there any rollerballs I should look at over other ones and are there any brands that I should stay away from?

 

Sorry I am a newbie to this rollerball scene and there seem to be hundreds to choose from. I assume it also depends what feels good in my hand, but I figured you guys could give me a head start.

 

Thanks!

 

I have a Parker Sonnet Rollerball and in my opinion the Sonnet Roller is nicely balanced and well made. The refill is one of the best refills available (in my opinion) because it writes really well and smoothly, especially the Medium refill. The ink flows constantly from beginning to end because it has a "free-ink" system.

[Rabidferret]

There is also the old trick with the Schmidt refills - pop off the rear cap and refill with your ink of choice via syringe. I use them in a Retro 51 Tornado rollerball.

 

- Jon

[indigirl]

Are you also considering the rollerball pens that take fountain pen ink cartridges? If I were going to spend real money on a rollerball, that's what I would get. Yesterday I saw some very cute ones in purple, pink & mint green, with sort of cartoonishly bulbous caps, made by "Online" (which gets my vote as the Worst Possible Name for a pen company... or for any company, come to think of it). They were about $50.

Edited September 28, 2009 by indigirl

[djh]

I am a big fan of Lamy brand rollerballs. They make several different models in differing styles and I think that they write really well.

[shivneelsingh]

Hello,

I have bought a Santos de Cartier from Cartier a while ago and I love it! It was meant to be a ballpoint but a 3 7/8" rollerball ink will fit it perfectly. The feel and weight of the pen feels great! I also have a Pasha de Cartier fountain pen and rollerball and both are great. The Pasha de Cartier (with Cartier rollerball ink) is probably the smoothest pen I've EVER written with in my life, it's so smooth, elegant, and very masculine. It's a very beautiful and classy pen but it's over $400. I'm absolutely in love with the Pasha but the Santos is good too for the price.

You can use any pen but I suggest you use the Cartier rollerball ink since it is probably the smoothest. Good luck!

By the way, after buying, post what you bought and which pen you decided to purchase.

[shivneelsingh]

Are you also considering the rollerball pens that take fountain pen ink cartridges? If I were going to spend real money on a rollerball, that's what I would get. Yesterday I saw some very cute ones in purple, pink & mint green, with sort of cartoonishly bulbous caps, made by "Online" (which gets my vote as the Worst Possible Name for a pen company... or for any company, come to think of it). They were about $50.

 

IndiGirl,

Are there rollerball pens that will take fountain pen ink? How is that possible? I'm really interested. What are one of the pens that would be able to do this?

[Rabidferret]

Are you also considering the rollerball pens that take fountain pen ink cartridges? If I were going to spend real money on a rollerball, that's what I would get. Yesterday I saw some very cute ones in purple, pink & mint green, with sort of cartoonishly bulbous caps, made by "Online" (which gets my vote as the Worst Possible Name for a pen company... or for any company, come to think of it). They were about $50.

 

IndiGirl,

Are there rollerball pens that will take fountain pen ink? How is that possible? I'm really interested. What are one of the pens that would be able to do this?

 

There are a couple on the market I think. A quick Googling turned up the Monteverde Megaball but I vaguely recall many on this forum having issues with them.

 

Still, it's an interesting concept.

 

And there's the trick I mentioned with Schmidt refills. Take a used-up Schmidt rollerball refill and pop off the rear cap. Inside the barrel you'll see something like a sponge - that's the matrix which holds the ink in the refill. Take a syringe and and your favorite fountain pen ink and fill it up! A little trial and error is needed, as some inks work better than others, but mechanically it's an incredibly easy procedure.

 

- Jon

[indigirl]

Sorry for the slow reply, I just now came back to check on this thread. I think people usually call them "ink rollers" to differentiate them from other rollerballs. Like I said the Online ones are very cute, but the first I ever heard of ink rollers was the Kaweco one. Swisher has them here. When I was admiring the Online ones the salesperson also showed me a big fat monster of an ink roller, which was also pretty nice but much more expensive, & I don't remember the name of it.

 

Are you also considering the rollerball pens that take fountain pen ink cartridges? If I were going to spend real money on a rollerball, that's what I would get. Yesterday I saw some very cute ones in purple, pink & mint green, with sort of cartoonishly bulbous caps, made by "Online" (which gets my vote as the Worst Possible Name for a pen company... or for any company, come to think of it). They were about $50.

 

IndiGirl,

Are there rollerball pens that will take fountain pen ink? How is that possible? I'm really interested. What are one of the pens that would be able to do this?