Looking For Advice - Ballpoint Or Rollerball (Delta / Visconti / Others?)

[Braindrain]

Hi

 

I'm looking for some advice and suggestions on pens to look for. I'm in the market for a new pen and I prefer ballpoint or rollerball.

 

I'm a total noobie in pens and have (or had) a classic ST Dupont, Dunhill, and Montblanc. This time, I'm looking for something more "interesting". So far, from browsing, I'm interesting in the look of the Delta Dolcevita or the Visconti Van Gogh series.

 

I'm quite open in hearing more suggestions and am looking for a well built pen that isn't outrageously expensive.

[Wolverine1]

Message deleted.

Edited February 13, 2012 by Wolverine1

[Apollo]

Delta and Visconti offer some great fountain pens and it would be a shame to pass them up for a ballpoint pen that would likely write no more different than a Parker Jotter.

[meblamy]

Those are both very nice, and certainly interesting pens, in whatever configuration (fountain, rollerball, or ballpoint)!

 

You might also check out Bexley, very nice, well priced pens available as rollerballs. A number of interesting designs.

 

Pelikan is an obvious choice as well.

 

In most cases, if you see a design in a fountain pen, you can get it in a rollerball. Not always, but that's a good rule of thumb. So, click on topics with paperclips (generally contain photos), and look for pictures of pens that interest you. That's a fun way to look for general designs you like. Check the pen online, and if it seems to fit what you're interested in, come back and ask. Many, but not all, rollerballs take relatively universal refills, so you can change your writing experience quickly by trying different refills.

 

Oh, !

 

(And don't worry, this is a writing instrument discussion; occasionally people even ask about (gasp) pencils!)

[yachtsilverswan]

Hi

I'm looking for some advice and suggestions on pens to look for. I'm in the market for a new pen and I prefer ballpoint or rollerball.

 

I prefer twist action ballpoints over rollerballs - as long as the twist action ballpoint can be fitted with a Gel Refill rather than the standard ballpoint refill.

 

The gel refill is just as smooth as the rollerball refill - so the rollerball loses its advantage in smoothness.

 

The twist action ballpoint can be pulled from a shirt or jacket and twisted with one hand - the rollerball must be uncapped with a second hand.

 

I have the Pelikan Souveran twist action ballpoints, the Visconti Homo sapiens twist action ballpoint, and the Visconti Divina Proporzione twist action ballpoint - all running gel refills - they work smoothly, write fluidly, and look great.

[raging.dragon]

Would you be interested in a rollerball which fills from a bottle of ink, or uses standard fountain pen cartridges, instead of a normal rollerball refills (which in my near non-existant experience with rollerballs, tend to be relatively expensive).

[vannesspen]

Hi

 

I'm looking for some advice and suggestions on pens to look for. I'm in the market for a new pen and I prefer ballpoint or rollerball.

 

I'm a total noobie in pens and have (or had) a classic ST Dupont, Dunhill, and Montblanc. This time, I'm looking for something more "interesting". So far, from browsing, I'm interesting in the look of the Delta Dolcevita or the Visconti Van Gogh series.

 

I'm quite open in hearing more suggestions and am looking for a well built pen that isn't outrageously expensive.

 

Vistconti makes eco-rollers - which opens the world of bottled ink- and color choices beyond measure. ST DUpont makes great pens ( a favorite at our store).

Many brands carry several price points. Large pen, thin pen? fine lines or bold lines when you write? Do you have a favorite color? Does keeping up with a cap casue you distress? These things affect your purchase.

 

But much of your choice depends on how you write, the paper you use, and whether you prefer a heavy pen or light weight pen.

As a B&M we feel strongly that you must try the options before buying. Pens are very personal- especially for pen lovers.

My (now)husbands family knew I was the one when he let me use his favorite old Sailor.

 

Happy Hunting!

[SylvainP]

I always bring a rollerball and a FP with me all the time. I prefer rollerball to ballpoint.

 

First reason is I can hand the rollerball to someone without fearing for my fp but also to write on cheap paper or for carbon copy.

 

I have some montblanc (starwalker, meisterstuck) but recently got a Visconti van gogh and really really like it.

 

The pen is beautiful, well made and also accept many cartridges from other manufacturer (smidth, sheaffer, pelikan, pilot etc) so you can find one that is perfect for you.

 

I really like the sheaffer,schmidth and specially the bold one from pelikan.

 

A nice thing about the mb starwalker is the fine liner cartridge that I use a lot. I would like to find similar cartridge for my Visconti.

[Braindrain]

Delta and Visconti offer some great fountain pens and it would be a shame to pass them up for a ballpoint pen that would likely write no more different than a Parker Jotter.

 

Unfortunately, the large majority of my writing consists of my little notebook that I bring with to meetings. This pen would be a workhorse but I just wanted a little luxury/flair.

 

 

I prefer twist action ballpoints over rollerballs - as long as the twist action ballpoint can be fitted with a Gel Refill rather than the standard ballpoint refill.

 

The gel refill is just as smooth as the rollerball refill - so the rollerball loses its advantage in smoothness.

 

The twist action ballpoint can be pulled from a shirt or jacket and twisted with one hand - the rollerball must be uncapped with a second hand.

 

I have the Pelikan Souveran twist action ballpoints, the Visconti Homo sapiens twist action ballpoint, and the Visconti Divina Proporzione twist action ballpoint - all running gel refills - they work smoothly, write fluidly, and look great.

 

Those are some great suggestions.

 

 

Would you be interested in a rollerball which fills from a bottle of ink, or uses standard fountain pen cartridges, instead of a normal rollerball refills (which in my near non-existant experience with rollerballs, tend to be relatively expensive).

 

I did see those but am afraid of them leaking. Again, for the workhorse aspect I mentioned above and I do a lot of biz travel. I'm afraid the constant pressurization/depressurization might be too much for a FP?

 

Vistconti makes eco-rollers - which opens the world of bottled ink- and color choices beyond measure. ST DUpont makes great pens ( a favorite at our store).

Many brands carry several price points. Large pen, thin pen? fine lines or bold lines when you write? Do you have a favorite color? Does keeping up with a cap casue you distress? These things affect your purchase.

 

But much of your choice depends on how you write, the paper you use, and whether you prefer a heavy pen or light weight pen.

As a B&M we feel strongly that you must try the options before buying. Pens are very personal- especially for pen lovers.

My (now)husbands family knew I was the one when he let me use his favorite old Sailor.

 

Happy Hunting!

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

 

Those are both very nice, and certainly interesting pens, in whatever configuration (fountain, rollerball, or ballpoint)!

 

You might also check out Bexley, very nice, well priced pens available as rollerballs. A number of interesting designs.

 

Pelikan is an obvious choice as well.

 

In most cases, if you see a design in a fountain pen, you can get it in a rollerball. Not always, but that's a good rule of thumb. So, click on topics with paperclips (generally contain photos), and look for pictures of pens that interest you. That's a fun way to look for general designs you like. Check the pen online, and if it seems to fit what you're interested in, come back and ask. Many, but not all, rollerballs take relatively universal refills, so you can change your writing experience quickly by trying different refills.

 

Oh, !

 

(And don't worry, this is a writing instrument discussion; occasionally people even ask about (gasp) pencils!)

 

Thanks for the tip on Bexley. I'm looking at them now.

 

I always bring a rollerball and a FP with me all the time. I prefer rollerball to ballpoint.

 

First reason is I can hand the rollerball to someone without fearing for my fp but also to write on cheap paper or for carbon copy.

 

I have some montblanc (starwalker, meisterstuck) but recently got a Visconti van gogh and really really like it.

 

The pen is beautiful, well made and also accept many cartridges from other manufacturer (smidth, sheaffer, pelikan, pilot etc) so you can find one that is perfect for you.

 

I really like the sheaffer,schmidth and specially the bold one from pelikan.

 

A nice thing about the mb starwalker is the fine liner cartridge that I use a lot. I would like to find similar cartridge for my Visconti.

 

Thanks for the feedback on the Van Gogh. Interesting thought about bringing 2 pens with you. How do you carry them?

Edited February 13, 2012 by Braindrain

[1point1mm]

Don't know if you've come across the Caran d'Ache Ecridor series such as one reviewed here:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/30054-caran-dache-ecridor-retro/page__p__2197097__hl__caran+d%26%2339%3Bache+ecridor__fromsearch__1&do=findComment&comment=2197097

 

Anyways, I recently bought as a gift the Ecridor Eclat for a person I work with. Before wrapping it up, I tested it out. Straight out of the box, and the sealed plastic the pen was in, it wrote very smoothly right away! For a ballpoint pen, I was quite surprised. I also tested it out with Parker Gel refills, and it did fit nicely in the Caran d'Ache Ecridor with no problems. With that said, hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

[tanalasta]

Aurora make really nice ballpoints with a lovely twist section.

 

ST Dupont ballpoints are also lovely - more classic but different, with heft and again have a wonderful twist action.

 

I really rate my Aurora ballpoint although I do tend to use the Lamy 2000 blackwood BP more. The eco-roller isn't really something I recommend anymore. It writes too wet and inconsistently and Q/C on this has been rather subpar - corrosion on a ring, magnet on the cap falling right off etc... The tips are cheap to replace and write like it!

[phrenzy]

I just got a Visconti homo sapiens rollerball which I really like to the look and feel of. It's a little pricier than the van gough (although got mine for $170 brand new!). Even if you don't end up with the homo sapiens and got the van gough instead it would be using the same refills I can attest to how smooth the Visconti branded ones are.

 

If you got it off eBay you could probably get a GvFC guilloche rollerball for not much more than a van gough, they're very cool pens...

[Braindrain]

Don't know if you've come across the Caran d'Ache Ecridor series such as one reviewed here:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/30054-caran-dache-ecridor-retro/page__p__2197097__hl__caran+d%26%2339%3Bache+ecridor__fromsearch__1&do=findComment&comment=2197097

 

Anyways, I recently bought as a gift the Ecridor Eclat for a person I work with. Before wrapping it up, I tested it out. Straight out of the box, and the sealed plastic the pen was in, it wrote very smoothly right away! For a ballpoint pen, I was quite surprised. I also tested it out with Parker Gel refills, and it did fit nicely in the Caran d'Ache Ecridor with no problems. With that said, hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

 

I took a quick look (online) of the Caran d'Ache Ecridor and it looks quite nice. Thanks for the tip.

 

 

Aurora make really nice ballpoints with a lovely twist section.

 

ST Dupont ballpoints are also lovely - more classic but different, with heft and again have a wonderful twist action.

 

I really rate my Aurora ballpoint although I do tend to use the Lamy 2000 blackwood BP more. The eco-roller isn't really something I recommend anymore. It writes too wet and inconsistently and Q/C on this has been rather subpar - corrosion on a ring, magnet on the cap falling right off etc... The tips are cheap to replace and write like it!

 

I honestly have not looked at Aurora. I just took a look at some of their models and the designs do look very nice. Thanks for the advice on the eco roller. That's the sort of stuff I was afraid of.

 

I just got a Visconti homo sapiens rollerball which I really like to the look and feel of. It's a little pricier than the van gough (although got mine for $170 brand new!). Even if you don't end up with the homo sapiens and got the van gough instead it would be using the same refills I can attest to how smooth the Visconti branded ones are.

 

If you got it off eBay you could probably get a GvFC guilloche rollerball for not much more than a van gough, they're very cool pens...

 

$170 for the homo sapiens? Remember to let me know if that ever comes up again! And, I'm not sure what GvFC is. Remember, I'm a noob.

Edited February 13, 2012 by Braindrain

[raging.dragon]

Would you be interested in a rollerball which fills from a bottle of ink, or uses standard fountain pen cartridges, instead of a normal rollerball refills (which in my near non-existant experience with rollerballs, tend to be relatively expensive).

I did see those but am afraid of them leaking. Again, for the workhorse aspect I mentioned above and I do a lot of biz travel. I'm afraid the constant pressurization/depressurization might be too much for a FP?

 

There are a huge number of rollerballs on the market, so just trying to narrow down the possibilities!

 

I have two rollerballs - a Cross (I believe it's Century but I'm not certain of the model) and a Snakewood OMAS 360 (old style). I don't use either of them frequently, but they both write nicely. The triagular old style OMAS 360 is one of my favourite pens to write with as the size and shape are pretty much ideal for me (I have several in fountain pen form, which I do use regularly), though a possible downside of the rollerball version is that it only seems to work with special refills made for it - at least the others I've tried didn't fit. The old style 360 isn't produced anymore, but while looking for fountain pens I've stumbled upon numerous NOS (New Old Stock) rollerballs so these aren't hard to find and are often available for pretty good prices.

 

The following may not be relevant to you, but you might find it interesting, and it might be helpful to others readers of this thread.

 

There's alot of contradictory information about fountain pens and flying. The only point everyone seems to agree on is that the more complex feeds on modern fountain pen feeds handle it better than the simpler vintage feeds. Alot of people have had no issues flying with their fountain pens. Additionally, some pens have features specifically designed to prevent leaks while flying. The Waterman Edson has a special feed design, the pilot 823 has an ink flow shutoff mechanism, and many Viscontis use the Double Resevoir Power Filler which feeds the nib from a small ink resevoir which is itself fed in from a larger resevoir with a shutoff valve between the two resevoirs. Some people find the Visconti and Pilot shutoff valve mechanisms fiddly and annoying. Others love them.

 

$170 for the homo sapiens? Remember to let me know if that ever comes up again! And, I'm not sure what GvFC is. Remember, I'm a noob.

 

GvFC is an acronym for Graff von Faber Castell, the highend brand of Faber Castell. I haven't added any of the products to my collection (yet), but the ones I've tested were quite nice and they have an excellent reputation.

[plumeau]

Parker with a new cartridge QUINKFLOW.Jotter or Duofold, the important is the catridge, not the classique Parker.

[Braindrain]

There's alot of contradictory information about fountain pens and flying. The only point everyone seems to agree on is that the more complex feeds on modern fountain pen feeds handle it better than the simpler vintage feeds. Alot of people have had no issues flying with their fountain pens. Additionally, some pens have features specifically designed to prevent leaks while flying. The Waterman Edson has a special feed design, the pilot 823 has an ink flow shutoff mechanism, and many Viscontis use the Double Resevoir Power Filler which feeds the nib from a small ink resevoir which is itself fed in from a larger resevoir with a shutoff valve between the two resevoirs. Some people find the Visconti and Pilot shutoff valve mechanisms fiddly and annoying. Others love them.

 

Thanks for this info. I'll definitely look into it.

 

Parker with a new cartridge QUINKFLOW.Jotter or Duofold, the important is the catridge, not the classique Parker.

 

I never thought about Parkers. An interesting suggestion...

[Precise]

I prefer rollerballs or gel pens over ballpoints. But I also prefer retractable points over capped pens. Today I discovered that when searching Italian pens, it's best to specify "ballpoints" because that mostly yields retractable points. I may have to change the refill after I buy, but that's easy.

 

I bought a wooden Delta ballpoint from martemodena today. They offered what they called "hybrid" rollerball refills, which they explained were suitable for ballpoint pens. I ordered one of those too, presuming that a "hyrbrid" rollerball means capless.

 

Alan

[dkirchge]

Parker with a new cartridge QUINKFLOW.Jotter or Duofold, the important is the catridge, not the classique Parker.

 

​I agree, the Quinkflow refills are quite nice. I also like the Parker rollerballs, but they feather too much on the cheap legal pads my company buys for me to use them daily.

[AnneHW]

What a great topic, and so nice that people who love fountain pens are willing to jump in with some great ideas and reviews. I also love my fountain pens, but I bought this inexpensive little Stablio rollerball that I use most of the time. I also like that it's ergonomic, lightweight, plastic, and I don't have to worry about it leaking in my purse or pocket. The refills are small, however. The pens come with 3 extras, and I don't think they're expensive. This is a weird looking little pen, maybe doesn't fit into the conversation, but I do like the way it writes.

 

I'd really like to try some other brands, and glad I found this post!

[Zookie]

Have you ever tried Uni Signo, or Pentel products?

As far as ballpoints go, there are a lot of nice ones out there. My personal favorites are jotters, the refills are easy to find and usually good quality.