My, how the ballpoints are bad. 🙂

[Dominic]

OK, so while working today and using the red fountain pen and the black ballpoint, I discovered I never realized how often I had to start and restart when writing with the ballpoint. Now I find it incredibly annoying how often I need to do a little scribble to get the ballpoint going. I never noticed it before. If it keeps bothering me, I might bring the Metropolitan to work with me.

 

[catchacoolbreeze]

I am totally with you on this. I used to think that this was ok. Its totally not OK - its incredibly annoying completely destroys the argument that ballpoints are easy! It happens with so many ballpoints and rollerballs. I write with mostly FPs now but a few select rollerballs make the cut.

Btw - love the logo - 'Benedicere, Laudare, Praedicare'!

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

That is the problem with my Parker ball point pens, I always have to keep a rough paper aside when using it.
It's the pens with metal refill that mostly skip writing before getting a constant flow.

The cheaper ball pen like Flair, Cello and other brands actually perform better.

 

[Tomo]

Funny how you often don’t realize how bad something is until you try some thing better.

 

[Toothpick]

Funny how you often don’t realize how bad something is until you try some thing better.

That I will agree with.

But I use the Pilot G7 pens at work. They are not “rollerball” but rather gel. idk what is better or not.
I go through one about every 4-6 weeks. I write a lot. They don’t skip at all. Just constant smooth writing until they run out of ink.

 

[catchacoolbreeze]

They don’t skip at all. Just constant smooth writing until they run out of ink.

Interesting - I had the exact opposite experience the the G7s. I guess its a ymmv thing.

 

[Toothpick]

Interesting - I had the exact opposite experience the the G7s. I guess its a ymmv thing.

For sure. Could also be the paper too. What i use at work is a thick card stock. Also, how you write…if you are heavy handed or not. Just like shaving - writing is very subjective.

I suppose you can also factor in the surface you are writing on. So many variables.

 

[Rhody]

At work I use the bic crystal xtra bold blue pen. It’s the wettest widest ball pen ever. It lays down a thick broad blue line. But it can be messy.

 

[StuMcB]

Had to use my 2nd ink ball tip in 3 years a few days ago in my Monteverde one touch / engage. The original fitted one just got rough and stopped rolling. Been using pilot regular black all that time too. Starts first time every time.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

I use a Cross Townsend rollerball and it glides as smooth as silk. I hate traditional ballpoint pens and refuse to use one. I go to the doctors office and they hand me one to fill out my evaluation form. I hand it back and use me cross. I hate the scratchy feel of a ballpoint. It feels like I’m scraping over every fiber in the paper. My rollerball glides over the paper like I’m writing on glass. The downside is that it requires frequent refills and the refills are pricey. That’s one of the reasons I want to transition to traditional fountain pens.

 

[vacman]

I use a Cross gel pen and I've never experienced this issue. Love that pen. It's the only pen that got me off fountain pens.

 

[Slivovitz]

I have had differing results with various ballpoint refills as far as smoothness and reliability go. The smoothest, write every time ballpoint refills I've found are the Schmidt EasyFlow ones, which rival gel pens for performance. Some people even find them too smooth, although that's not my opinion. But they're rather sensitive to shock. Drop your pen on the floor, and that refill will never work the same again. Of course, you definitely don't want to drop your fountain pen, particularly if the nib is exposed.

After getting used to fountain pens, ballpoints, particularly the less good ones, always seem vaguely unsatisfactory. It's not just the feel of writing with them, but the dull look of the ink on the paper. Gel pens / rollerballs are a step up for that, and for me, they were a gateway to fountain pens.

When writing in ink, I almost always use fountain pens these days, but ballpoints remain great for lending to people you don't want to trust with one of your "good" pens. And then there are pencils, both mechanical and wooden. I've never had to scribble to get one of those going.

 

[Slock]

I use a pencil.

 

[tankerjohn]

There are good ballpoints and bad ballpoints, including gel pens and rollerballs. I don't mind using the cheap crappy ballpoint to sign a receipt or fill out a sign-in sheet. But I prefer a better pen for anything more than that. Pilot G2s are pretty good, but not a particularly inspiring writing instrument. I keep a few Parker Jotters and Zebra F-701s around for quick notes and as a quick loaner (people give you the strangest looks if you try to loan them a fountain pen). Rollerballs are a big step up as far as writing experience. But they usually are not permanent ink, making them less desirable for some applications like writing checks or addressing envelopes.

 

[Dominic]

OK, perhaps I should have qualified the ballpoint pen. It wasn’t a nice pen made by some company that also makes fountain pens. This was the pen banks give out. Prior to this side by side writing comparison I thought it wrote just fine. Had you asked me, I would have said as much. Might need a little help to get it started at the beginning of the work day, but after that, no problem. But then I brought the fountain pen. Every time (or at least very often) I started to write with the ballpoint, I had to make that first stroke twice. And I know this is how it’s always been…now…but I just never noticed it before. It’s weird when you’re used to something you don’t notice the flaw until, as @Tomo said, you use something better.

 

[Rhody]

I’ve used about every pen out there at one time or another in terms of “not a nice pen” I’ve also bought so many roller ball refills in search of something good. I have a pile that we’re supposed to fit a nice pen but don’t. The bic crystal xbroad is the only ball pen out there that writes like a roller in that it loads tons of ink out on the page. After using I typically have blue ink on my fingers so it make me feel at home (fountain pen messy). Tbh I can’t recall if I have to do a starter line with them to get them going but I’ll pay attention to that.
Now if someone made an aftermarket lamy refill whoa boy I’d be so happy.

 

[shavefan]

That I will agree with.

But I use the Pilot G7 pens at work. They are not “rollerball” but rather gel. idk what is better or not.
I go through one about every 4-6 weeks. I write a lot. They don’t skip at all. Just constant smooth writing until they run out of ink.

+1 for the G2-07. Been using them for years with neary an issue.

 

[LMcC]

I’ve had mixed experiences with most “nicer” ball points, but at work we have the old Bic ballpoints that look like a clear pencil (and the pocket clip on the plastic cap will cut you if you’re not careful). They always work.

 

[velocityboy]

I really like the uni-ball Jetstream pens. No start up issues, silky smooth and ink dries instantly so no smudges.

 

[Fred D]

I really like the uni-ball Jetstream pens. No start up issues, silky smooth and ink dries instantly so no smudges.

View attachment 1294295

I really like these also, they are my favorite inexpensive rollerball.