As a lefty I second the Pentel EnerGel rtx. Although more expensive they do fantastic and the inks dries before my hand travels over the words. They are my favorite gel ink pen. The pilots don't do a bad job either. As far as traditional ball points if the point is bigger than .7 and it has stayed in my pocket it I still get smearing. I always have 2 pens in my pocket, a Fisher Space pen which is the backup and my primary pen of the day.
Ballpoints
- Thread starter AimlessWanderer
- Start date
Being a full time fountain pen user I have been thinking that for those situations that calls for a ballpoint maybe I should get a Lamy Safari ballpoint. That way I wouldn't stray too far away..... Anyone own one? How are they?
A functional pen, have you thought about having a matching bp to your fountain pen, perhaps buy a nice leather case to suit both of them?
I have a few relatively inexpensive Lamy ballpoints. The Noto and Logo are my favorites, and I still have the Noto that was used daily for at least two or three years. They are great pens and I enjoy using them, but the refills don't seem to last very long. I'm in the States, so not sure if the stock sells through quickly or it sits around. Or that's just how they are?
Lately I've been using Bic Cristals most often.
Lately I've been using Bic Cristals most often.
I'm a fan of the humble Cristal too. The regular ones you can get in the US are OK, but if you venture into the Amazon listings there are a lot of variants that don't seem to be regularly sold in the States. The Cristal Soft (in black) is probably my favorite, but the finer Cristal Exact is very nice too.
Bic Japan offers the classic Bic Clic, but in a made-in-Japan version called Clic Gold. Given the name, it's not too surprising that these unfortunately have the metal hardware finished in gold. There are 0.5 and 0.7 versions. I have the 0.5 and it's darn nice too. You can find these on Amazon and eBay pretty easily. Unfortunately the Japanese refill is too short to fit a vintage Made-in-USA Clic that I still have from a long time ago.
These Bics are very light
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
I have the Soft which are French made. Seem very much like the fill that is sold as the Ultra here but in the Cristal stick. Exact are nice, but I think a nicer writing fine tip is the Cello Techno Tip (0.6) sold on AMZ. They are from India, but it's my understanding that Cello is owned by Bic
As to the Clic, I thought I saw them in the Japanese market. I got some just the other day that were made in Mexico. They are on the Fieldnotes website and come in black or red. Pen color denotes ink color. Can verify that ink wise they are just the bog standard Bic Clic that has THE common click give away pen for decades but in the older barrel design of the 70's. I actually like those older designs. I don't like that all of a sudden we need pens that are super grippy and 3/4 of an inch in diameter. It's nice to have a pen that moves easily in and out of pockets, purses, bags, what have you.
Not to change the subject but the Papermate Ink Joy 300 RT click pens are very nice writing pens. The ink is low viscosity ball point probably similar to the Uniball Jetstream type ink, but maybe not quite as low viscosity as that. They come in 1.0mm but really wish papermate would make some in 0.7 or 0.8. They seem to have largely given up on fine tips these days.
Anyone tried the Lamy Safari ball points? I am eyeing one to use when I have to use a ballpoint pen.
TheShaun
Bejeweled
What's that green one?
Pilot MR
You can hack in a Pilot G2 gel refill into the Lamy Safari Ballpoint pen. Several videos on the tube on how to do it.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
Hmm really
Ok thanks I’m heading to yt now
If it doesn’t work, I’ll have ink on my hands
Hehe there you go. Yeah I think that the G2 refill is just a bit shorter and you need to make a simple spacer. That is all.Hmm really
Ok thanks I’m heading to yt now
If it doesn’t work, I’ll have ink on my hands
I use G2 and Signo refills in my Lamy 2000 rollerball pen. A spring out of a disposable click pen works great as a spacer.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I have used the same three ballpoints for years. I am not a pen expert but I think they are a 1992 Parker Matt Black Classic, a 1996 Parker Jotter CT, and a silver and black Cross Helios from around 2000.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
I ordered jaymo m16 replacement refills
Much more affordable. We shall see as to the quality and performance.
At work I always have either my Jotter Flighter or my copper Tactile Turn Bolt Action. I was just looking at the Tactile Turn website and see that they have a Ultem Bolt Action that is calling my name!!!
Tom
Tom
Where do you get refills for the Parkers?
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
They are standard Parker refills, I get them on Amazon UK, they are currently £8 for a pack of six.
One of my favorites during my working years used to be UniBall 207, until they cheapened the bodies. Long retired now. Most of my writing these days are just scribbled reminders on post-its next to the PC, or shopping lists on index cards with a Pilot G-2 or TWSBI Pencil. Love the pencil. Next Jet Pen order, I need to look for a better pen.
