Pens: Search and Destroy

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Get to it.

― nabiscothingy, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:40 (twenty years ago)

search: pig.

― jbr (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:41 (twenty years ago)

Uniball Vision Fine has been my fave for years

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:41 (twenty years ago)

I use the Uniball Vision fine at work, and a Scheaffer fountain pen at home... they still make the little ink cartridges in brown, grey, green, etc.

― andy --, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:45 (twenty years ago)

Another vote for Uniball Vision Fine (I have a green one sitting next to me right now!), though up until a few years ago it was Pilots all the way.

Man, this makes me wish I could write with a pen at work. Copy-editors just get little red pencils.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:55 (twenty years ago)

Funny: I have a Uniball Vision Micro at work that I'm enjoying. My recent favorite, though, has been the Pilot VBall Grip, which is a bit clunkily sized but has a nice drippy-thin line.

My aesthetics here are that I definitely prefer ultra-wet, ultra-drippy pens, like a lot of Uniballs—you can write more lightly and much, much faster, and the whole experience is smoother and more satisfying, almost painterly. On the other hand, I tend to write very tinily, in which case the ink-seepage of an ultra-drippy can start to obliterate the characters completely. I’ve tried using finer-point varieties, but it’s just not worth it; I always wind up needing to press harder against the page to make a mark, and if you do this and move your hand swiftly enough, a very-fine tip will slice right through the page. The Pilot VBall Grip has just a hint of a page-slicing tendency, I'm sad to say. Anyway, I'm still searching for that magical combination of (a) soft / wet / drippy / smooth and (b) fine / manageable / “good hair.”

― nabiscothingy, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:00 (twenty years ago)

This fellow keeps an online "pen database."

http://www.canit.se/~griffon/writing/text/pen-database.html

― nabiscothingy, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:12 (twenty years ago)

tri-tip Pantone markers represent what what. And Rapidograph.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:13 (twenty years ago)

Pilot G-2 05.

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:13 (twenty years ago)

Pentel EnerGel rocks.

― adam (adam), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:17 (twenty years ago)

One I used to really dig: these by-the-box rolling-ball pens from I think maybe Pilot. They had clear hexagonal barrels, tinted the color of the ink inside, and a cap of the same material. Came in a regular or a fine line. I liked the Bic-type feel—cheap, sturdy, disposable—but even more than that I liked the ultra-soft line on the regular size. Really ideal for writing notes on things—notepads, post-its, anything where you’re content to take up a little space. The fine-points had a bit of the page-slashing quality mentioned above; they’d never actually slash a page, but I always felt like I was getting close.

― nabiscothingy, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:20 (twenty years ago)

Re: the Pentel EnerGel: I'd be willing to look past the "futuristic barrel accents" (which look terrible for chewing) if it delivered on the smoothness it promises. But don't those fine tips cut into the page?

― nabiscothingy, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:22 (twenty years ago)

Thin line: Pilot Razor Point II superfine (the tip's a little delicate, though)
Medium line: Pilot V Razor Point Extra Fine

I don't like the scratchy quality of smaller diameter ball points w/ liquid ink.

― Brian Miller (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:34 (twenty years ago)

N****h: It's not so fine as they say--plus it's gel so it doesn't require going all buck wild on the page.

― adam (adam), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:35 (twenty years ago)

it's all about the pilot precise.
i am always stealing boxes for myself from the supply room and then giving the crappy ballpoint pens to the lawyers i work for.

i'm pretty badass like that.

― carly, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:37 (twenty years ago)

The Pilot P-500 in glorious extra fine point.
For fountain pens . . .the Lamy Vista in extra fine.

― kelsey (kelstarry), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:39 (twenty years ago)

http://www.reelmanagement.net/pages/headshots/katiedoyle.jpg

― ASK MY DADDY (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:40 (twenty years ago)

man, this is going to make for a horrible parody thread.

― Who did release magic family out from the base of $499 (deangulberry), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:56 (twenty years ago)

pilot hi-tecpoint v5 extra fine (pink is better than red for subbing, for some reason the reds run out or dry up sooner than the pink)

Berol Italic medium felt-tip (black) (my mum put me onto these)

CONNECT permanent marker (black)

stabilo boss highlighter (yellow and green)

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:02 (twenty years ago)

the highlighters are the ones i go through most of

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:03 (twenty years ago)

http://www.pilotpen.us/images/p_g27blk.jpg Writing instrument of the lesser gods.

― Remy (null) (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:04 (twenty years ago)

wow pilot sure got ilx sewn up

i used to use ball pentel fine point R50, but they skate around too much and my writing is big enough as it is — i need a lot of friction to write clearly small

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:08 (twenty years ago)

Isn't anybody gonna be all pen-indie and stick up for the Bic Stick?

― nabiscothingy, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:09 (twenty years ago)

(The one regular-old-Bic enthusiast I knew preferred them for environmental reasons; least waste, best disposability, etc. He used green ones.)

― nabiscothingy, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

they're the best to chew on

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

i HATE old-skool ball points, they're even MORE skaty and they blob ink all over the place

haha at school i had this REALLY ANCIENT bulb-filling nib-pen which i found in a drawer in my dad's study — when the weather was warm it would randomly drop GIANT BLOBS of ink just anywhere (it wz all over my face and arms by the time i'd written for any length of time)

also uh-oh age 17-21 i wrote in green ink

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:13 (twenty years ago)

actually i've got quite a good propelling ball-point at the moment which i got FREE through the door with my NAME AND ADDRESS already on it (a promo gift from some lose stationery outlet): it's called the something-INFINITY pen

(i blogged about it on PROVEN BY SCIENCE bcz the press release was so idiotic)

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:15 (twenty years ago)

Actually, to be fair, I use one of these http://static.zoovy.com/img/dealexpress/-/ex042944 now; they're much much easier to use for longer-writing stretches. Not having to apply and wrist-pressure discourages writer's cramp, too.

― Remy (null) (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:17 (twenty years ago)

i use hundreds of these

http://www.viking-direct.co.uk/pictures/GB/VKG/SK/MD/70-YW_SK_MD.jpg

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:25 (twenty years ago)

i like how the pix show pens w.their sleeves already rolled up ready for ACTION

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:26 (twenty years ago)

My parents have been on a pen kick ever since middle-age started moving toward retirement-age, so I get all their extras and cast-offs.

http://www.retro51.com/ - their rollerball Tornado pens are great (small for big hands if you intend to write much), there's a little bit of give to the rollerball and their ink is great

Best pen ever: http://www.cross.com/Catalog/PenDetail.aspx?cat_name=ATX+Pens&tech=Selectip

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:33 (twenty years ago)

i don't like pens with any kind of curve to them, they should be all modernist straight lines

also the only metal bit should be the tip

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:39 (twenty years ago)

"ilxor flips through mail-order catalogue"

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:40 (twenty years ago)

http://www.buyonlinenow.com/images/fullsize/PAP8430131.gif

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:41 (twenty years ago)

http://www.staples.com/images/products/catalog/enlarged/S0054478_enl.jpg

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:46 (twenty years ago)

http://www.penwa.com/waterman/images/16400.jpg

― Michael White (Hereward), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 00:02 (twenty years ago)

http://www.uiowa.edu/~oldcap/tour/artifacts/artifact_images/quills4.jpg

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 00:06 (twenty years ago)

Quills are too much work.

― Michael White (Hereward), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 00:08 (twenty years ago)

I'm partial to the black Pentel RSVP fine points.... Nice smooth ballpoint writing. And I go thru an average of 2-3 highlighters a week. I like the Pilot Supremes but they're kind of expensive, so I've settled on the Bic Z4 Brightliner. I NEVER use those giant yellow highlighters since all they're good for is bleeding through the page.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 00:11 (twenty years ago)

I like the standard Uni-Ball Rollers (Micro). Sam's stopped selling them and I couldn't them anywhere else that week, so I panicked and assumed they were being discontinued. Next time I was in Staples, I bought several boxes. Of course, it was a temporary glitch and they're not hard to find at all anymore...

Papermate Fine ballpoints are good for cleaning one's ears, and for carbonless forms.

― Curious George Rides a Republican (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 02:15 (twenty years ago)

anglo scribbler-massive reprazent

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 13:48 (twenty years ago)

staedtler triplus fineliner (dry safe)

http://217.194.225.155/intershoproot/eCS/Store/de/pixorig/040243A1.gif

pilot hi-tecpoint V5

ihttp://www.vikingop.it/pictures/it/vkg/sk/md/v5-ro_sk_md.jpg

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 13:52 (twenty years ago)

(i just checked and the one i am currently usin is a v7!!) (which is "curvier" and pretend-swankier and probbly more expensive — *i* don-t buy em!! — but otherwise the same as the v5)

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 13:55 (twenty years ago)

well I am a student

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 13:56 (twenty years ago)

Depends on writing surface:
For writing on a single sheet on a hard surface - Pilot VBall fine
For writing on a pad - scratchy, low-flow, fine line

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 13:58 (twenty years ago)

"does anyone remember pencils?"

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

Papermate Kilometrico is genius and will leak in your pocket.

― Nellie (nellskies), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

that's i. a led zep ref ii. reachin

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

Does anyone remember handwriting?

― Nellie (nellskies), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

For anything unofficial and under 1000 wds I always use CURSIVE in PENCIL and always create many reasons to use dots and dashes in RED PEN. It's beautiful, and so neat. Sit me in front of my dayplanner with my pencil and red pen and I am in O.C.D. ORGAZMALAND.

Does this make me a woman?
Would it make a difference?
That's what I thought.

― LeCoq (LeCoq), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:13 (twenty years ago)

I used to like fine-tip pens best until I met the uni-ball gel impact broad. The only flaw is that you use up the ink incredibly quickly.

― Greig (treefell), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:41 (twenty years ago)

You guys know too much about your pens! I just use whatever ones the insurance companies give me for free. Once, C|\|4 gave me two pens with LIGHTS IN THEM, so you can write IN THE DARK! One was blue and the other was red, it was like they KNEW I had higher JEDI/SITH SHOWDOWNS in mind when I swiped them from the basket of marketing trinkets!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

Oh wait, actually, I've got a metric assload of these, pilfered from the supply closet:
http://www.monk.ca/image/55041-02.jpg
PENTEL RSVP YATCHIZ

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:49 (twenty years ago)

ONE OF US!!

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:53 (twenty years ago)

There's one batch with a springloady tip, and another with removable cap. I like the removable cap ones better, cuz I can set them on top of it all loosey goosey and then fling it across the room at cubicle neighbor girl with a flick of the wrist.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:55 (twenty years ago)

This thread is bringing out the sneaky sneaky ink enthusiast in me! I just realized that *gasp* I love the Bic Stick! Those little guys are just so basic and efficient and just...PURE. Plus they fit HLIKE A GLOVE in the little pen holster on my backpack strap!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:59 (twenty years ago)

Roller balls PWN! Liquid ink RULES OVER gel ink and paste ink, y'all.

I'll use a gel pen if there's nothing else available, but cannot abide a ballpoint with paste ink.

Lately, I'm with the Pilot Precise lovers. A VBall is fine but is not my first choice. At one time Sheaffer had a nice refillable roller ball called the Vector, and that was a nice upscale RB, but I haven't seen them in years.

I went through a phase of ostentatious fountain pen use, and had some midmarket Cross and Sheaffer pens. Nothing too Montblanc-fancy, because I just KNOW I'd lose it on the subway within days.

― The Mad Puffin, Wednesday, 2 March 2005 17:32 (twenty years ago)

http://www.buyonlinenow.com/images/fullsize/NEW-PIL35334.gif

These to me are the crack.

― The Mad Puffin, Wednesday, 2 March 2005 17:35 (twenty years ago)

Pilot G-2.

Gel pens or no pen, as far as I'm concerned.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 17:38 (twenty years ago)

hey we should get some ILX pens made, and like post them out randomly!

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 17:41 (twenty years ago)

with a survey.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 17:41 (twenty years ago)

I bought one of these today. it makes my writing look japanese.

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 19:31 (twenty years ago)

nice.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 19:45 (twenty years ago)

Waterman all the way.

Michael White OTM. Best pen I've ever used. Feels so solid in your hand. So pretty.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 19:53 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

REMY OTM about pilot g-2 07, however i just discovered the japan only pilot hi-tec-c pens which are fucking bonkers!

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 03:57 (twenty years ago)

http://www.jetpens.com/images/p_pihi40bzz.jpg http://www.jetpens.com/images/p_pihi40bzz.jpg http://www.jetpens.com/images/p_pihi40bzz.jpg

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 03:59 (twenty years ago)

My favored pen is the rotring rapidograph:

http://www.officeline.com.pl/images_upload/rotring_rapidograph.jpg

― Kate / Productive Pedagog (papa november), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 05:15 (twenty years ago)

my favourite pen: this gambley ole king of hearts one i picked up in vegas.

― di, Tuesday, 26 April 2005 07:22 (twenty years ago)

six years pass...

can i take a brush pen on a plane

― Abattoir Educator / Slaughterman (schlump), Wednesday, 9 November 2011 20:26 (thirteen years ago)

nine months pass...

Pens for Her. Check out the customer reviews

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Wednesday, 5 September 2012 12:47 (thirteen years ago)

Clearly this is a result of ILX being hosted on the Amazon S3 cloud - our clever zings and biting satire has infiltrated the product reviews.

― Ich fart auf der Kleineschissehaus (snoball), Wednesday, 5 September 2012 12:59 (thirteen years ago)

Bic should up the ante by starting a Ladies' Pen15 Club.

― Ich fart auf der Kleineschissehaus (snoball), Wednesday, 5 September 2012 13:09 (thirteen years ago)

four months pass...

Scored a Retro 1951 limited edition Mickey Mouse pen at Tuesday Morning :D
I dont' care so much abt the disney aspect, more the brand

I got a Retro 1951 tortoiseshell fountain pen as a Christmas gift years ago, and I love it so much, so I was thrilled to find a ballpoint pen. Beautiful heavy barrel, and such smooth action in the inkflow, it's a really lovely ballpoint to write with.

pen heaven!

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 11 January 2013 17:18 (twelve years ago)

four years pass...

These days I really like the Pilot Metropolitan pens. They're about eleven bucks each, and they work really well w. the Pilot Iroshizuko inks. I don't have a favorite paper, but I like the Tomoe River Kanso. The only place I buy this stuff is from jetpens.com

― rb (soda), Wednesday, 10 January 2018 22:26 (seven years ago)

Some of my Metropolitains have been good, others have skipped and generally driven me crazy. My cheapish fountain pen of choice atm is the Preppy .02 extra fine tip.

I have a whole pile of discarded fountain pens that I abandoned for skippiness. I should learn how to work on nibs I guess.

― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Wednesday, 10 January 2018 23:53 (seven years ago)

i have a pilot g-2 in my shirt pocket

― the late great, Wednesday, 10 January 2018 23:54 (seven years ago)

Pilot G2 0.38 mm, Pilot Hi-Tec C 0.4 mm, Muji 0.38 mm

― The Bridge of Ban Louis J (silby), Thursday, 11 January 2018 00:22 (seven years ago)

Who is blue ink for, btw, lawyers or reporters or something?

― The Bridge of Ban Louis J (silby), Thursday, 11 January 2018 00:24 (seven years ago)

blue ink = humans

black ink = savages

― the late great, Thursday, 11 January 2018 00:26 (seven years ago)