I woke up this morning to the most beautiful article ever shared with me on Twitter from TJ. It’s an article reviewing easy-to-find and affordable pens. There’s even snark! About pens! They make fun of the popularity of Pilot G2.
I’ve always considered the Pilot G2 the Comic Sans of pens. Like, when you first want to try a “good” pen from the store instead of the crap from your office, that’s the first one everyone grabs. Like the first time you want to use a “fun” font. It’s not until you realize that there are way MORE fun/better fonts/pens that you finally give it up.
YES. I MAKE SIMILES ABOUT PENS AND FONTS TOGETHER.
Anyway…I read the article THREE TIMES.
If you are a pen addict…Go! Read this! First of all? It makes you fell less alone in the world of people who care about what they write with. Neither Donnie nor E give two flying craps about their pens. I was buying E school supplies for college and told him to pick out some pens and he just GRABBED A PACK OF RETRACTABLES…didn’t even care how they wrote. I was like, “Have you ever even used those?” He looked at me like I was crazy, “It’s a pen. Don’t they all work the same?”
HE IS NOT MY CHILD.
And Donnie…he just gets mad if there’s not a black ink pen within reach. He doesn’t care what it is, how it writes, but it MUST BE BLACK.
I prefer my pens in all sorts of colors.
Anyway! I currently have a few favorites.
- Precise V5 – Which they mention in the article. I feel like it skips sometimes for me, but I also just got bored with it. And I hated I couldn’t find it in fun colors. I like variety in my pens, so sometimes I switch things up – not because the pen is inefficient – but because I need a change.
- Pentel Energel – They also mention this one. This one comes in a bunch of fun colors, but not necessarily in the size tip I like. And it is sometimes globby or doesn’t dry fast. Also? IT FALLS APART SO EASILY. This pen would travel with me in my purse more if it didn’t constantly come unscrewed and then link. It’s happened dozens of times. Seriously. THIS DRIVES ME CRAZY.
- Bic 537R – They didn’t mention this one at all but I really like it. It’s one I’ve liked for years. But it’s a Pen With A Top and I hate losing tops, so that’s why I don’t buy it often.
- Infinity Felt Tip – This is basically a fine-point sharpie. But it’s cheaper! And I actually like it better. It hasn’t dried out like my other fine-tip Sharpies did. And it doesn’t bleed like they do. AND FUN COLORS!
What about you? Did you read the pen review? Are you now wanting to go buy new pens? I don’t even know if I’ve ever used the one they loved the most – Uni-Ball Jetstream. But I also want to try the other one they talked about a lot the Signo 207. I have to ship something from UPS today anyway, so I may hit up Staples to give them a try.
I like the Jetstream! I also like one I bough only because the casing was pink (ink is black): the Papermate Flex-Grip (they’re called Write for Hope because they’re pink).
My favorite line in that article: “probably the most widely read-and-respected pen blogger on the planet.”
I am still a fan of those G2s. I do a lot of writing at work (I am a NICU nurse, so I am constantly writing down notes on my assessments of my babies), and I consider them my go-to pens. I also like the fun colored ones to keep track of my different categories in my planner.
I do like the Precision V5 and the Energel as well. At work, I can only use black pens, so these work well for me.
Have you tried those new hybrid gel/ballpoints from Pilot? The Acrobat? I really like them because TECHNICALLY we are not supposed to write in patient charts with gel pens (although many people do), so this bridges the gap for me. They are not as smooth as a gel pen, but I like the way they feel in my hand, and they write nicely.
I was unaware of the existence of the Infinity felt tip. I like that kind of pen for journaling, so I have to seek them out.
I have never met a Uni-ball pen that I liked. Most of my favorite pens are from Pilot.
So funny – I had no idea there is a whole “pen subculture” out there!
I happen to like the G2, but mostly because I get it for free at work, and it’s way better than the other crappy pens they provide.
Might have to give that Uni-Ball Jetstream a try though, I do love me some pens!
The V5 extra fine is my go to pen, I have them all over the place. I found it in a bunch of colors at Target- pink, blue, green, purple, light blue. I get a lot of free pens through work, all the companies we work with like to give us pens and I usually just put them out for the students to use. I like the Sharpie fine tip and I think it’s the Infinity…I like the smoothness but the point isn’t fine enough for me.
I have had a pen addiction since I was a kid. My friends and I would go to town to the stationary store and play with the pens. WEIRDOS! I always daydreamed about having a cool job where I could use all these pens,lol.
I haven’t seen the hybrids! I will look for those at staples too!
I love the Pilot G-3 .38 (which used to be a top 5 pick on The Pen Addict, but has disappeared off his list…), but have to order them from Asia, and they tend to start drying out after less than half the ink is used, but I love them so much I just toss them and get a new one. Seems like a good time to give the Jetstream a try.
I have a very fine point Signo, which is OK, but not very smooth. Lately if I’m not using the Frixion, I use the Signo Premier because it has a nice cushy gel grip that is great for comfort in long meetings full of fast scribbling. The point is a little more broad, but not too much, and it writes smoothly. (I like to write tiny, so I like reeeeeeally fine point pens.)
I used to LOVE the sharpie pens, but I’m kind of meh on them now. I feel like I have to hold them at a straight angle to work well, which doesn’t work for fast scribbling, so it seems like they skip a lot. They make a good fine-point marker replacement, but not an every day pen for me.
D & E’s responses crack me up. It reminds me of when, in my mid 20s, my cousin, in his early but legal 20’s asked, “Beers taste different?”
OH, HONEY.
I am a sucker for a cheap ballpoint that flows for jotting a list, but those are rare & fleeting. I write a TON for work, and LOVE using colors. Flairs & sharpie pens are in my arsenal.
OMG, Zoot! I had no idea there were PEN BLOGGERS! I’m adding some to my Feedly right now!!
I’ve always been fussy about my pens (I like blue ink, narrow, light weight body, and smooth writing, no skipping or catching), but I also never thought about branching beyond drug rep pens and looking for something REALLY enjoyable. You may have changed my life today. 😛
I love your pun! I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but I still love it. “constantly come unscrewed and then link.” Leak + Ink = LINK!!! Bwah ha ha! This gave me my second real smile of the day. (The first was when my nephew was born!! So you see how much I like puns!) As for pens, I have some fairly strong preferences but I don’t pay a whole lot of attention, really. More like I recognize a pen I have liked or disliked in the past, and I will gravitate or avoid them. I do NEED to have an assortment of colors available, too, but generally prefer blue.
OMG I LOVE PENS! (And similarly, office supplies. There is nothing that makes me feel more organized and apprehensive than writing in a fresh notebook!)
My husband, who doesn’t get my pen love, remarks to me when standing in Costco, “You know, I really like the Pilot G2s. They write really well.” And I just guffawed and rolled my eyes because I’ve tried to like them and I just can’t. The Signo 207 is my go to. I have it in quite a few different colors and I’ve been a hard core Signo proponent for years.
Two of my new favorites: Sharpie Fine Point pen. It comes in a variety of colors, writes smoothly but has a nice Sharpie feel. I use it for lettering in my journal because my to-do lists have to have pretty headings. Also, the Pilot Acroball which is a new one I actually got through my Birchbox and has this unique hybrid feeling – it’s a ball point pen that feels exactly like a gel pen when writing. It’s pretty nifty! And it comes in white, which makes my unique special snowflake self feel happy.
I have a special pouch for all of my good pens too so I get it. People think I’m weird. I prefer to think of it making the things I write count. 🙂
And here I realize someone shares my Acroball love! That’s what I get for skipping to the bottom. My bad! But yes, I second the Pilot Acroball. It’s a great hybrid solution.
Love the Jetstream! It’s my ONE office supply request at work that I have.
My go-to currently is the Frixion – I am a perfectionist in my writing and if I screw up? I will THROW THE WHOLE THING AWAY. The ability to COMPLETELY erase has been life-altering for me. And I would feel weird about it, but we’re CLEARLY all cool here. The one downside to the Frixion is that I *HAVE* to have an extra/ultra fine tip (super duper teeny writing), and their Extra Fine isn’t as dark as I’d like the ink to be. The Sharpie extra fine tip is like a part time lover of mine; I visit when I want something different, but after a few strokes, I remember why I left.
I looooo pens. I love new pens. If you like the Infinity, try Staedtlers. They have the triangle shaped barrel too, but I think they write more smoothly and the grip doesn’t have the awkward transition bump that the Infinity does. Off to read the article…
The other day a lady came up to my desk and asked me to send out a company wide email about a lost pen she found in the parking lot. I rolled my eyes at her and told her that I wasn’t going to send an email to every single person in the company just because she found a pen on the ground. “But it’s a really nice pen!” she protested. “Sorry, no.” I said. She was absolutely distraught. I feel like you could empathize with her… I, apparently, am a cold hearted pen hater. 😉
My favorite pen is the PENTEL R.S.V.P. The grip is just right for my hand. Not too thin. Not too fat. I prefer the medium tip, but can live with the fine tip as well. The pen itself comes in all different colors. But you can also get different colors of ink.
You can typically find the pen in Wal-mart, but sometimes I treat myself to a trip to Staples or Office Depot. It’s a treat for me, because those are OFFICE SUPPLY stores and I might get carried away!!
I adore pens and also keep them in pouches by a specific sorting system. I like the jet stream a ton, but sometimes they write too fast for me.
Yes! The Pentel R.S.V.P. is my favorite too! I’m a medium point gal through and through. Fine point is like scratching with a quill. I’m very heavy-handed when I write. Don’t care for gel pens. Love going to the fairs and trade shows just to get free pens!