Exam Season, Best Rollerball? I've Done Research.

[Cythreill]

I've done some research, and I've seen some pens which are advised around here. But to make this clear, here are my requirements in order of priority:

 

Must reduce writing fatigue, I need this pen as smooth as possible, this is very important for me. (Do grips help?)

Similarly, must allow for fast writing.

Must be mostly accident prone (as it seems all rollerballs are).

Must be under £10 per pen.

Musn't be hard to find / rare.

 

Pens that seem like a good idea for me to get from what I've gathered are:

 

Pilot Hi Tecpoint V10

Uniball Vision Elite

Uniball Jetstream

 

So, could you advise me on which pens to buy? I'll probably buy a few different ones and try them out.

 

I live in London so the most popular places to buy pens at are Rymans and WHSmiths. It would be nice if the advised pen is commonly stocked at these shops.

 

Thank you

[Scylax]

The Uniball Jetstream would be my pick by far. I used the stick versions for all my exams. They are cheaper but use the same ink. I found them incredibly easy to use without fatigue. And since I'm disabled I get fatigued by writing very quickly, so that's about the best recommendation I can give. The vision elite and the pilot are nice but much more fatiguing in my opinion.

[Sleepy]

Jetstream, every time.

[Cythreill]

If I get a few more honestly advising Jetstream, I think I'll be buying one tmrw morning. I'll probably compare it to everything else in store.

 

Thanks for the replies

 

EDIT: I amazon searched Jetstream, would you guys advise

 

this

 

or

 

this

 

At that cost, I don't really care that much about price. Would the £13 pair be more comfortable?

 

also, is it better for a pen to be lighter, or do they require a decent amount of weight for writing?

 

Thanks

Edited May 16, 2012 by Cythreill

[mirosc]

another vote for Uniball Jetstream

Ugly, but together with a mechanical pencil (Lamy Scribble) it's always in my desk.

[Ad_Astra]

I'm preferential to the Pilot V5/V7 pens every time, but the Jetstreams are nice and good regular writers for my purposes.

[Cythreill]

Yep. Time to buy some Jetsreams

 

What can I expect from coming off a Uniball Eye Micro? That's what I've been using this year.

 

Also, I personally prefer Micro (which I think is .5 mm), but in terms of legibility and speed of writing, how do the thicker, .7 mm pens compare?

 

I want to write as fast and as easily as possible without sacrificing legibility. I chose .5 mm because I personally prefer the look of it, but is .7 mm seen as better in speed/legibility?

[Sleepy]

I would choose the capped version, rather than the RT. I only have the RT, but I read that the capped version has niver refills (and they're cheaper).

 

It's going to be a bit wider than you're used to, but the .7 doesn't run as wide as other .7s, so I don't think it'll be a problem. I usually like nothing bigger than .5mm, but I put up with a slightly wider line in my 1.0mm Jetstream because it writes so nicely.

 

Speed of writing you'll have no issues, they glide. In terms of legibility, so long as your writing isn't so small that you absolutely needed a .5mm, you'll be fine.

[Scylax]

I usually buy the stick versions, which are even cheaper. I can get a pack of 10 of those in my local WHSmith for c. £8. They are quite thin-bodied, but even though I generally like broad, heavy pens, I find them both very comfortable to use and excellent writers. Plus you'd have plenty of spares to see you through the exams! They will write a little broader than you're used to, but I can't imagine you'd have problems unless you write very small. They certainly do glide on paper, and even better, the ink almost never smudges at all, and is supposed to be able to resist even bleach! They're the *perfect* exam pens in my opinion.

 

 

BTW, for refills, I recommend cultpens every time

[51ISH]

I would choose the capped version, rather than the RT. I only have the RT, but I read that the capped version has nicer refills (and they're cheaper).

 

It's going to be a bit wider than you're used to, but the .7 doesn't run as wide as other .7s, so I don't think it'll be a problem. I usually like nothing bigger than .5mm, but I put up with a slightly wider line in my 1.0mm Jetstream because it writes so nicely.

 

Speed of writing you'll have no issues, they glide. In terms of legibility, so long as your writing isn't so small that you absolutely needed a .5mm, you'll be fine.

 

+1

 

Cultpens (recommended by Scylax) see here....

 

http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Uni-Ball_Jetstream_SX-210.html

 

Stock the pens and individual refills in various colours I like the black and blue/black..

 

If your order is £10 of over then post is free

 

No affiliation to Cult Pens.....just a satisfied customer.

[Pen Is Mightier]

I would go with either the Pilot G2 .7mm or the Pilot v7 retractable.

 

I think the retractable wins by a nose on this one for how easy it puts down ink and it is pretty smooth with a hint of feedback for control.

[Garageboy]

I don't like the G2 and would suggest the 207 if you want a gel refill.

 

Jetstream is nice, but it has a ballpoint look to it (not a liquid pigment ink)

[bicfan]

I've done some research, and I've seen some pens which are advised around here. But to make this clear, here are my requirements in order of priority:

 

Must reduce writing fatigue, I need this pen as smooth as possible, this is very important for me. (Do grips help?)

Similarly, must allow for fast writing.

Must be mostly accident prone (as it seems all rollerballs are).

Must be under £10 per pen.

Musn't be hard to find / rare.

 

Pens that seem like a good idea for me to get from what I've gathered are:

 

Pilot Hi Tecpoint V10

Uniball Vision Elite

Uniball Jetstream

 

So, could you advise me on which pens to buy? I'll probably buy a few different ones and try them out.

 

I live in London so the most popular places to buy pens at are Rymans and WHSmiths. It would be nice if the advised pen is commonly stocked at these shops.

 

Thank you

Those are basically the best ones: Jetstream, Vision Elite, and V5/7.

Edited May 17, 2012 by bicfan

[Ad_Astra]

I would go with either the Pilot G2 .7mm or the Pilot v7 retractable.

 

I think the retractable wins by a nose on this one for how easy it puts down ink and it is pretty smooth with a hint of feedback for control.

 

Just wanted to point out that, to my knowledge, the V7 RT is not the same as the liquid ink variant; I'm pretty sure it's a gel hybrid. I've used a few and I really like them, but they definitely don't last as long (if that's an issue that bothers the OP).

[Papermate]

+1 for Uni Jetstreams. The "stick" Jetstream 101 has a 1.0 mm ball.

[brandon_mn]

My personal favorite is a Pilot Dr. Grip Center of Gravity. The grip is great, the ink flows well, and it is (as the name implies) balanced to minimize stress on the hand, even in awkward writing positions.

 

I used it on my AP exams last year (back before I had ever used a FP), and it got me through upwards of five pages of essays in one four-hour sitting with minimal stress.

 

However, I have used a Lamy Safari with Noodler's Heart of Darkness on this year's AP Exams, and it seems to behave nicely on their FRQ booklet paper.

 

Best of luck!

 

b

[Chrontius]

I keep hearing such good things about the Hi-Tec C that I'm about to order one to try it for myself.

[XiaoMG]

Unless you want to go through a process of retraining your grip to accommodate a certain kind of pen, some pens will just be better for your hand than others.

 

If you come from a fountain pen background, you may try to "float" the nib over the paper, keeping as little pressure as possible on the nib. This is fine and good and works well for those pens, but is not ideal for ballpoints. One thing many fountain pen users complain about is the "pressure" necessary to write with a ballpoint (especially a larger-point variety). If this is your type of grip, a fine-tipped gel pen or a liquid roller should work well, but a pen like the Uni Jetstream will be less ideal.

 

Note: if you are practiced in the above grip style, you may find it relaxing. However, if you are not practiced in it, it will often require conscious effort to keep the pen hovering above the paper, and the grip relaxed. In order to maintain control, many users absentmindedly employ a death grip on the pen that causes fatigue pretty quickly. People will tell you it's the "right" way to hold a pen, but such advice may be best ignored unless you are going to jump into fountain pens or flex-nib dip pens fully.

 

The other grip style includes a relaxed grip on the pen, though the pen will not rest at a very low angle. The arm is at rest and there is no overt effort to minimize the nib-paper contact. The hand can rest with the pen point against the paper, but no muscle power is used to push into the paper. This is ideal for ballpoints and pencils, and people who've learned how to write well with this grip style will greatly appreciate modern ballpoints like the Jetstream. It also works well for most gel pens, and reasonably well for many rollers, but does not work well for fountain pens or dip pens. Like with hover-hand methods, ideal technique focuses on writing with larger muscle groups instead of "pinch-writing" with just the fingers.

 

Note: Hover-handers often lack mastery of this grip style and are quick to deride it. If you are not practiced and comfortable in this general mode of writing, it will feel like you need to exert a lot of pressure to keep the nib in useful contact with the paper.

 

If you practice the former grip style, stick with a liquid pen like a Uni Vision Elite. It is similar to your Uni Eye, but perhaps a bit more luxurious. It is not meant to be pressed into the paper, but it will survive such treatment. If you prefer the latter grip style and it's more comfortable for you, then the Jetstream or its kin are probably the best overall bet. Gel pens play well with either, though the finer points work better with a dainty touch and the broader ones are better with a more ballpoint-style grip.

Edited May 19, 2012 by XiaoMG

[olivier78860]

I always liked the Pilot V5 (V7 is too wet for cheap paper in my opinion) but I never used a lollerball for an exam.

[RNHC]

Pilot V5/V7. Jetstream was smooth but the resulting writing looked like a ballpoint to me.