I just recently got into the world of #Pen's and wish I had gotten into it sooner. A primer:
🖊️ #BallpointPen: The ones you see everywhere. You need to push pretty hard to write. Tiring to use. Cost: free
✒️ #FountainPen: ink flows down a fancy pen nib onto your page. Almost zero pressure required, but is finicky about the angle you hold it. Cost: ~$20 (refills cheap)
🖊️ #Rollerball pen: Ballpoint convenience, fountain pen ink, requires less pressure to write. Cost: ~$2 (refills pricier)
@nus nice summary! Minor nitpick: rollerball ink and fountain pen ink are both water-based liquid inks, but they aren’t generally the exact same ink, rollerball ink is usually formulated to be a bit more viscous to help it roll around the ball easier. (There are some rollerballs that do take FP ink as-is, but they’re the exception.)
@paradoxmo thanks for pointing that out! I don't think I'll ever have a rollerball that can be refilled, let alone one that can use fountain pen ink... At least, all the rollerball refills I've seen come with the tip attached.
@nus Rollerballs that take FP ink are available from Schneider, Herbin, PenBBS, Pilot among others. They’re not super uncommon, but you have to be looking for them.
@nus look for Pilot HiTecPoint v5/v7 cartridge system. They discontinued it in some markets but they still sell them in Japan so you can still get them.
They’re still disposable rollerballs, just a bit less disposable than the normal HiTecPoint which has the barrel filled with ink. The ball will still wear out eventually just like any disposable pen.
@paradoxmo Interesting. I didn't expect the pilot V5/7 to be so enticingly inexpensive for an entire pen, but looking around online for refills for higher end rollerballs, the refills for the nicer pens are... are more expensive than the disposable ones?! (They're often made of nicer materials, but still.)
Thankfully this isn't an issue for the fountain pen cartridges, probably because they know they're competing with ink that can be bought in high quantities for VERY cheap).
@nus it’s really because the Japanese mass market pen companies like Pilot, Pentel, and Mitsubishi have gotten making cheap pens down to a science. But there are tons of refill options to choose from and you don’t always have to stick with the manufacturer brand refill.
@paradoxmo can I tap your presumably expert knowledge for a question regarding a secondhand pen and rollerballs in general?
And maybe I just got spoiled by the Pilot precise because darn does it do a good job of requiring less effort than anything else I've tested with a ball in it.
@paradoxmo actually this probably won't need a specific spot...
Is there anything with the design of the Pilot V5 Rollerball (with incredibly uniform line widths!) that's refillable, and the refills don't cost more than a whole new V5?
Because upon testing rollerballs, it seems pressure equals width and boldness in a big way, and cartridges run steep, although not unsurprising given they're made of metal...
Just get that, and if you want to refill cartridges with any ink you want, you can do that too. A lot of people use the Pilot Blue FP ink and it works fine (but slightly different color than the rollerball refills).
@paradoxmo I'm sorry, you had. I was just curious if the Pilot is unique in those properties (requiring minimal pressure, keeping a surprisingly even line). The Hi Techpoint is on its way, but I'm always a sucker for a fancier container~
@nus But if smoothness and even line is what you want, why not use fountain pen? Sounds like the best fit to me. Something like a Pilot Lightive or Kakuno M will get you around a 0.5.
@paradoxmo I'm definitely having a "why not both" moment btw. Fountain pen recommendations are greatly appreciated. This is no longer a zero sum game for me... and it's far less expensive of an interest than my last one (okay, at least on the low to moderate end -- I see those high end pen prices).
Especially if you have one that's a bit more flexible for writing than your average one. But I'm not sure if physics would allow for that...
@nus Oh, I see. No, it’s not the only one. I’d say a good alternative is the Pentel Energel gel ink with the needlepoint tip. Apart from fountain pens, Pilot roller or Energel are what I usually use. For the Energel you can get a good metal body for it called the Philology (aka “Style”), or the Energel refill also fits in the Zebra Sarasa Grand pen, which is really nice.
@paradoxmo
the one thing that's kept me from looking at gel pens is I'm a leftie, and by left pinkie knuckle boycotts everything I write. Unless the warnings I've seen about gel pens have been greatly exaggerated.
FWIW I love how easy my fountain pen is to use in terms of (lack of) pressure, the biggest limiting factor for me has been angle, which slows me down. Basically I figure rollerball will maximize my writing speed considering all these factors
@nus as far as the writing angle for FPs, it doesn’t take that long to get used to it. When I started using FPs, it only took me like a couple weeks to get back to full speed
@nus rollerballs and gel pens have almost the exact same issues, so I’m not sure why your southpaw would cause more issues with gel than rollerball (other than the delivery mechanism they’re basically the same thing). And fountain pen ink smudges even more than gel ink so if you’re doing fine with FP gel should be fine too.
@paradoxmo i can attest to being able to smudge cheap Ballpoints' ink really easily, I have no idea why fountain pens don't for me (I'm using Pilot's cartridge refills) and have tested it right adjacent to the ballpoint... the ballpoint ink is easy to smear, the fountain pen ink is not.
I don't understand it either TBH.
Maybe it's the quality of the ballpoint pen (a papermate inkjoy)?
Well, I'll keep that in consideration anyway. I've been curious about them too.
@nus ballpoint ink is oil-based so it doesn’t soak into the paper, but rather dries on top of it. Gel, rollerball, and FP inks are water-based, so maybe those work for you because it doesn’t stay on the surface of the paper
@paradoxmo interesting. I looked them up and they boast airplane compatibility. Not a feature I knew I wanted, but it can't hurt right? (I wonder if fountain pens have a similar issue.)
PS I noticed that rollerball pen that takes fountain pen cartridges -- the Schneider One -- and I'm curious about how well it'd hold up.
@paradoxmo Schneider acquired. Would you believe me if I told you it's got everything going for it - very smooth, consistent lines, super cheap... the only negative is the lines it makes are super thick. I can't write two lines of text within a line on my notebook with this one lol
@paradoxmo upon reflection, I made a mistake: The pen I bought was not designed to be filled with fountain pen type ink... No cartridges for me. It was an inexpensive mistake, at the very least.
From the looks of it, a Schneider Ray might be better.
But hey, besides that Minor mistake, I can't really complain about it. It's remarkably smooth to write with, I just can't make microscopic notes like I occasionally do
Add comment