What I Talk about When I Talk about Pens

I have always loved pens. I have more of them than I will ever use in a lifetime. Some of them, like floaty pens, are really fun to look at and collect. But this post is about the pens that I use.

My pen fetish is constrained by three things: budget, fondness for bold lines, and left-handedness. My "nicest" pen is a Mont Blanc roller ball, and it IS nice -- but anything besides name-brand refills for it (at $6-8 a pop) pretty much sucks. I have a couple of Watermans, and they're probably the best looking pens I own...but good luck finding anything for a Waterman that's bold point. I also have some handmade pens that I really like for their looks and their weight. Weight is about the only thing that makes me want to use a ballpoint.

When it comes to choosing what to single out, pens are like books. There are pens that I've loved for a long time for technical reasons. There are pens I love for sentimental reasons. There are pens I've picked up in the last few months that I've thought were great...and time will tell if they stay in my traveling pen case. There are pens I pick up after a long hiatus, and fall in love with them all over again.

Currently in the case*:

Pilot G-2. This one has a Facebook fan page for a reason. Smooth writing, almost never globs up, available for a reasonable price in a wide variety of colors. No cap to lose. It's so great that even the lesser known similars like Zebra Sarasa are pretty good. (I grew up loving the Pilot Precise V5/V7, but it's now hard to find in anything besides extrafine and fine.)

Lamy Vista with Noodler's Ink. This pen/ink combo -- and I'm sure it's the combo -- makes me look forward to writing. It's ridiculously smooth, and I love the line. There's no mess whatsoever.

Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pen. This is a backup in case the Lamy runs out of ink, but it's a terrific pen in and of itself. I think the only Pilot pen I've ever had that I thought was crap was the VBall, and that was mostly because it reminded me of a Uniball. Funny name, but I don't like the pens -- except for one, the Jetstream Premier, and that just might be until tomorrow...when the inkflow starts to skip and the brand overall annoys me again.

Platinum Preppy Sign Pen, brown. It's a Flair pen for grownups. It bleeds through the page sometimes, but I've got it that badly for bold line pens. I had a Platinum Preppy fountain pen for a while and I liked that too, but I dropped it on the floor and cracked it...an occupational hazard for a pen that's less than $3 (though I don't think the Pilot Varsity would do the same).

Parker I.M. roller ball. I picked up one of these not too long ago and so far, I'm liking it a lot more than I usually like Parker pens. The appeal here is the heft -- this sucker weighs a ton, especially compared to the other pens currently in the case.

Since I was lazy and made you click for pictures, here are some pen blogs I follow**:
Cheap Pen Review
Good Pens
The Pen Addict

*I always look at pens wherever they're sold, but a number of these are from Jetpens. I've been very happy with their delivery speed, and particularly their customer service.

**I know there are tons more pen blogs, forums and sites, especially for the high end stuff...but there's only so much time in my day. Of course I drool over Namikis from time to time over at Fountain Pen Hospital, but I have to draw a line somewhere.

Comments

[Jason Jordan]

I'm a big fan of the Pilot G-2 07. I use it exclusively.

Thanks for linking to my blog, by the way. I've linked to yours. :)

[Jessie Carty]

I'm also a big fan of the Pilot G-2
But my current favorite is the Uniball Jetstream in a clicky with .7 or 1.0 point. it doesn't leak through the page and just feels easy to write with :)

I once got to stock the pen section of a store i worked in (before grand opening) it was like being in heaven!

[largeheartedboy]

I love the Pilot G-2's, and either use the or my Lamy Accent. I will definitely try the Noodlers Ink, thanks for the tip.

[Jim]

My wife sells office supplies, so I'm always getting some new pen to try. Of late, I like the Zebra Z-Grip. It has a medium point (I must have a medium point pen in ball points), and a nice clip for those days wearing button up shirts with a pocket.

For book signings, I'm partial to the Uni-ball Vision Elite. Nice, smooth flowing pen that always writes well and won't smear on a variety of papers.

For a little better pen, I like the Waterman Harmonie, which I rec'd as a gift.

Nice to know in a digital world, others out there still dig their pens.

[OfficeSupplyGeek]

I dont have a Vista, but I do have a Lamy Studio and Safari and both of them are fantastic with Noodlers ink.

I just did a review of a Waterman rollerball today, great pen that I really like. You might want to look at some of the replacement ink cartridges that Levenger carries for a bolder line in your Waterman. I have not reviewed those yet, but I plan on doing it soon.

Great listing of some really nice pens though, thanks for the great read.

[JonelB]

G-2's are my back-up pen, and I'm currently using it after dropping my Pelikan Pelikano and bending the nib(for the second time)

[mwschmeer]

The Pilot G2 refill will fit in a Waterman rollerball pen without any modification to the refill or the pen. So, you can have the best of both worlds if you give it try. I prefer the Pilot G2 .7 refills, as the .5 just doesn't flow as well as I'd like, as I tend to apply pressure when I write.

I also like the good old Parker Jotter ballpoint with a Parker Gel ink refill. Writes like a dream.

[Jürgen]

Pilot Precise V7 for me.

[PeteAsh]

It looks like Pilot for the win! I do love them myself, I use one for my everyday pen, but my favourite is still my Mont Blanc Meisterstuck. I've had it for years and always use it for my Christmas and birthday card writing!