# Are modern pens basically useless junk? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2024, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178 "2024-12-05T05:28:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/61 "2024-12-07T01:24:41Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I bought a Fisher Space Pen from the planetarium gift shop when I was in Chicago earlier this year, because I occasionally have to work inside a freezer and blowing on the tip of your pen to thaw out the ink gets tiresome when you’re trying to take notes and figure ouf what products you need to order in. I never would’ve though of a space pen. Having to write, while I’m in a freezer, is about the only time I use a pencil. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/62 "2024-12-07T01:34:44Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I have been using blue Pilot G-2s for as long as I can remember I’m a Pilot G2 man myself. Aside from being reliable and ergonomically friendly ( comfortable ) it’s the only pen I’ve seen so far that is able to write on certain carbonized forms where I work. With any of the other pens I’ve had it’s like trying to write on wax, Whereas the G2 prints perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/63 "2024-12-07T02:18:39Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > what I do know is that if you want a pleasant, reliable writer, you’ll have to pay money for it. Pens come in every price range, but a twelve dollar pen will write better than a two dollar pen. Oh man, there’s nothing like _not having to worry about losing your pen_, for people who tend to misplace things. My current batch of Paper Mate Write Bros Medium Points (pic above) cost 12 cents plus tax each, and they write better than BIC crystals (which tend to bleed) and BIC sticks (which trend a little dry). I purchased 60 last January. Some place on the internet recommended the Uni-ball Jetstream as a good pen for good value choice. Imported from Japan, it currently goes for $1.56 + tax each. Those I don’t leave around everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/64 "2024-12-07T05:20:55Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I never would’ve though of a space pen. Having to write, while I’m in a freezer, is about the only time I use a pencil. So then you get this sort of ad: > **[Noodler's Polar Black - 3oz Bottled Fountain Pen Ink - The Goulet Pen Company](https://www.gouletpens.com/products/noodlers-polar-black-3oz-bottled-ink)** > > 3oz (90ml) glass bottle of Noodler's Polar Black fountain pen ink. The Polar ink series is lubricated and freeze-resistant. Seems like a high-tech modern product. Handcrafted fountain pen ink! Writes smoothly in the coldest conditions! Water-, bleach-, and fade-proof! … only $17 for a 90ml bottle. Actually, that may not be completely outrageous compared to the cost of, say, G-2 refills, but come on! ETA so not useless junk, but you have to pay. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/65 "2024-12-07T06:30:48Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I use Pentel EnerGel .7mm Metal Tip exclusively. These are the ones I buy. Actually, I only have 1 or 2, and I buy new cartridges. Hubby uses Uniball Vision Elite and has them in blue, black, red and purple. Has to have his purple. The nice pens live in a mug on my desk. Those I use for writing letters. But most of the time I am working through a huge backlog of random freebee pens, including ones from work. I have a basket of them, and I just have 1 or 2 in rotation. When it dies, it gets tossed and I take another one from the basket. Those are the ones I use for making lists. If I take a pen to the grocery store to mark my list, I use a freebee. I don’t take the ones from work because they are actually rather nice and I could buy new cartridges for them. It’s just that I have so many of them I haven’t bothered. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/66 "2024-12-07T06:49:20Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I never would’ve though of a space pen. Having to write, while I’m in a freezer, is about the only time I use a pencil. I’m left-handed, so writing with a pencil is a good way to get a smudged piece of paper and graphite all over the side of my hand. The space pen is great for the freezer because the ink doesn’t freeze. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/67 "2024-12-07T08:49:17Z")
I use freebies I swipe from most any place, for my crossword puzzles. I do have some fancy drawing pens. They are put up. Don’t buy pens anymore. So… I have a tub(large mug) full of golf pencils. They are pink. I got a gross of them once, on a deep discount. Always a pencil at my house. They tend to be returned. No one wants to keep a bright pink short pencil ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/68 "2024-12-07T09:35:59Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I use freebies I swipe from most any place, for my crossword puzzles. Another crossword solver here, who does them in ink. Very pleased to see you are too. I love NYT Sunday crosswords, and I always do them in ink. Bic Medium ballpoint, if anybody’s interested. > [@](#): > > I do have some fancy drawing pens. I’ve got Pelikan drawing pens and crowquills, and Speedball C/D dip pens for calligraphy. Hm. Maybe I’ll try a crossword sometime in Uncial hand. Thanks for the idea! ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/69 "2024-12-07T12:20:57Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Seems like a high-tech modern product. Handcrafted fountain pen ink! Writes smoothly in the coldest conditions! Water-, bleach-, and fade-proof! … only $17 for a 90ml bottle. > > Actually, that may not be completely outrageous compared to the cost of, say, G-2 refills, but come on! > > ETA so not useless junk, but you have to pay. That is not expensive for fountain pen ink – a bottle could give you a couple of years of refills. Fountain pen ink companies abound, many with special-purpose inks like this as part of their offerings although Noodler’s is particularly well-known for it. I have a modest collection of some 80 or 90 inks myself, from some fifteen or twenty makers from all over the world. This is something you can do with fountain pens. The only special purpose ink I have is a permanent archival black, which I keep in my carry pen for writing checks and signing things. Most fountain pen inks, being water-based, can be washed off. The reason all those old letters and documents are still legible hundreds of years later is because they were written with iron gall ink, which is still available today. Iron gall ink is made from oak galls and ferrous sulphate. They come in greyish blacks and browns for the most part. I don’t lose my pens, because they never leave my desk, except for this one carry pen, which lives in my shoulder bag. It’s a modern Pelikan, a German company which makes very German pens – solid engineering, totally reliable, excellent smooth writer. But since it is modern it has little other personality, unlike vintage pens (some of mine are more than a hundred years old). I could easily replace it with an identical one, all I would lose is money. But I very rarely lose things. My husband, who has trouble keeping track of objects, has the many-cheap-identicals strategy, which works for him but would be unbearable for me. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/70 "2024-12-07T12:47:27Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > only $17 for a 90ml bottle. > > Actually, that may not be completely outrageous compared to the cost of, say, G-2 refills, but come on! If you want outrageous, you can get yourself a bottle of [Chou Kuro](https://www.gouletpens.com/products/platinum-chou-kuro-black-60ml-bottled-ink). It is the blackest ink ever made, Chou Kuro is Japanese for ‘super black’. It is waterproof, something many fountain pen inks are not. It is also $60 for 60ml. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/71 "2024-12-07T16:17:21Z")
I haven’t bought a pen in 25 years. I get plenty of them free; there are always free pens at a place where people have set up booths for promotions. Or if you’re running a conference in a hotel. If they’re free, no big deal if they don’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/72 "2024-12-07T16:24:22Z")
We’ve been using [Pentel RSVP](https://www.amazon.com/Pentel-RSVP-medium-point-pens/dp/B09WW3DXBW/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3HVDC3YYRMHH2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fg5sFt4-xLQtKPdbzNt39OuXX_jxDYZB6Dcb4NA4yYM4E65LhYawxW3ssb8E032pN6hRT8dWMnYIV2S3fUbWA-LSdRdNmUwwm-SQrmE8SOE0xwQ8ysC3VKcKlGqUka_cEdTcsjBQzpUzQ2v7d1x6WZFQOZgfTkC7-JyF75WbH0bGHoZtIlZLpGzKqzP427G4SJaJDWeuNGFK3d_rYuq1WHgUfl7Rk31Om4yh63xXcb2AIng5LJn6TK0mczU8-6WxqjkWtAqRJUYO_WvoPZk_oZVZYvY8mvwHJkBA-An9kIo.C1V1kH1IJcVB3cQuB2fY4FzStAAFRjjJh6eHb7NJFCc&dib_tag=se&keywords=pentel+rsvp&qid=1733588545&rdc=1&sprefix=pentel+rsvp%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1) pens for many years without issue. They’re large enough to be comfy for arthritic hands, but not so big that they’re clunky to use. For about a buck apiece, it’s a good buy. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/73 "2024-12-07T16:39:28Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I don’t lose my pens, because they never leave my desk I’ve found having ‘unusual’ pens leads to better retention even in the workplace. In the rare occasions that I’ve left one sit, people call it out to me. But mostly I’m just inclined to be very diligent about putting them back in my bag (when traveling) or back in the loop on my notebook (at work). My two Rotrings have been with me 30 years now, and my M805 has gone all over the world in the 25 years I’ve had it. My Lamy 2000 is the outlier - I just ordered another one, hoping this will be my last. To the earlier point, fountain pen ink seems expensive but isn’t. I just looked this up, the average converter holds maybe .75ml of ink and and my large M805 holds 1.25ml of ink. So one of those bottles ism 50 to 100 pen fills. Maybe 25 cents per fill? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/74 "2024-12-07T18:37:21Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Iron gall ink is made from oak galls and ferrous sulphate. They come in greyish blacks and browns for the most part. The iron-gall ink I am familiar with, at least I am fairly sure that is what it was, came as a pale, nearly colorless solution but would turn black _on the page_. And it was most definitely not suitable for any kind of fountain or other capillary pen— the nib got clogged eventually and you had to keep it clean. So the acid-free, archival-grade, pH neutral, water-, light-, and chemical-proof vibrantly colored ink that flows well in every kind of finicky pen seems like a quasi-modern product, whose market share rose as dip pens became less popular. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/75 "2024-12-07T19:36:11Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > I voted “as good as ever” because I have not yet experienced any problems with new pens. > > Where the problem lies is I simply NEVER USE THEM any more. The occasional check (yes, I’m a dinosaur), Or filling out a form. But if I use a pen twice a month, that’s a lot. So, the pens we own have been sitting around for years, and ink does eventually clog things up. If I dig a “new” one out of a package we bought when the kids were in school, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if it failed. If I pull one out from a pen holder, heaven only knows how old it is (I’ve got some souvenir-type pens that are decades old). This. So much this. Back in 1990-1993 I owned a small paperwork oriented biz. Which had to shut down suddenly leaving me with a supply cabinet loaded for ~20 clerks who _ate_ pens, pencils, and post-its. So I brought all that home. Over the next decade or so a bunch of it got used by myself or my wife who still had a 3-person law office of her own. By early 2000s we were both operating nearly paperless, and her 3-person office was now just her WFH. So our consumption went to nearly zero. Here a couple years ago 2022 while cleaning out to downsize move I threw away the last 3 boxes of red Write Bros and 2 boxes of blue ones. And a bunch of other random paper-based office supplies. The supply cabinet legacy of that old business was finally out of my life. I have established by experiment that from an unopened box of 30yo Write Bros ballpoints that have been stored indoors under HVAC the whole time, about 1 in 3 can be started, and the ones that start die soon after. IME … New pens are fine. It’s the antique disposables that have become shite. Use 'em or lose 'em. But don’t let them get old sitting around. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/76 "2024-12-07T19:40:02Z")
Another person who does crossword puzzles in ink. I had bought a mega-pack of G-2 Pilot pens (fine point) and have been very satisfied with them. A few months ago a friend gave me a multi-color (black, blue, green, red) which I’ve grown rather fond of. I’ve been buying refills for the black and blue ink; still haven’t needed to refill the red or green because I don’t use them often. I can’t find individual refills for those, but I did find a four-pack with one of each color if I ever need to refill the red or green. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/77 "2024-12-07T20:28:18Z")
I have for years been collecting ballpoint pens that are given out at various events where many groups have displays about the group (company, college, agency, or a subgroup of such things). I have also collected them from the desk of the cashier, check-in clerk, front office, or such of businesses. Some stores sell pens relevant to their local area. Some charities give out pens with their letters to people they want to contribute to them. I now own over 300 different ballpoint pens. They count as different if any of the shape, color, or inscriptions on the pens are different. Ballpoint pens don’t last forever even if they sit around unused. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/78 "2024-12-07T20:48:01Z")
I get Uniball pens because I like the gel ink better than the conventional ballpoint, but they usually quite writing before the ink runs out. But they’re cheap at Costco so I just go with it. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/79 "2024-12-07T20:55:48Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > IME … New pens are fine. It’s the antique disposables that have become shite. Use 'em or lose 'em. But don’t let them get old sitting around. Probably this… there has been _some_ innovation in the last 50 years, and the new ones are likely better, or at least not worse. > [@LurkMeister](#): > > mega-pack of G-2 Pilot pens So many people have mentioned these… (but not the G-1, for some reason?) They are perfectly cromulent. Personally, when it was up to me I would always order the Gelly Rolls. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178/80 "2024-12-07T21:48:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I have established by experiment that from an unopened box of 30yo Write Bros ballpoints that have been stored indoors under HVAC the whole time, about 1 in 3 can be started, and the ones that start die soon after. The boxes in stock at stores may be a few years old. The demand for pens has probably gone down significantly. Word processors on computers are so popular. There was a point that I considered ordering custom checks that fit my printer. Use Quicken to pay bills. But, online payments became available and I cut back on using checks. I quit using Quicken a few years ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-modern-pens-basically-useless-junk/1011178.md?page=5)