(Maybe) the "gel vs oil" preference can be related to summer/winter temperature

[Azkim Rikschum]

I realized these days that I prefer to use a ballpoint pen with traditional ink to carry around and have to sign something on the fly when needed, instead of a gel or roller. Whereas a few months ago I preferred to carry the gel.

Since my taste in pens and pencils fluctuates over time I thought "maybe I like it this way now, depending on how I feel about it".
but then I thought that instead is due to the fact that now it's summer, the oil ink being warmer flows much better and this has (perhaps) affected my choice.
(on the contrary maybe the gel feels too slippery now?).
Who knows what kind of reasoning there is when we "instinctively" prefer one thing over another.

 

So I thought I'd share this thought: I think it's better to use gels when it's cold and traditional oil ones when it's hot, since the temperature probably changes the performance.
(it's just my intuition at the moment, it's to be verified how much truth there is to it)

[ENIAC]

Totally agree.  I still have some decade-old generic (from eBay) Cross BP refills that work well only from, say, May - October.  During that time the Pilot V7 rollerballs wait for fall & winter when the aging BP refills get too "draggy" and I have to put them up until the weather gets warm again.

 

I've also noticed some FP ink that dries acceptably quickly in colder, less-humid months can get a bit smudgy when it gets hot and humid.  Typically the ones that do that are the most-saturated ones.  That's when the Skrip and Quink come out of hibernation and go to work.

 

EDIT: Northern hemisphere.

[Black Spot]

I will not give up my carpenters pencil ! 

[ENIAC]

Those flat ones, painted red?  I bought a 3-pack of those a few years ago, but they won't fit into any of the round holes on my old Adler crank sharpener, even the largest one.  I keep trying every few weeks, but it's always the same story.  Very disappointed.