I’m a returning student and I’m finding that my usual pens are not working out for me. Regular ball points don’t seem to have reliable flow. I’m constantly having to scribble to get the ink flowing again. Ultra fine sharpies are fantastic but some of the things I need to take notes on are double sides and they bleed through. What’s a good pen for reliable flow but no bleed through?
I’ve tried a lot of pens for taking notes on both sides of a sheet of notebook paper, and the ones I really like to write with bleed through the paper. They also tend to run out of ink too quickly, IMO.
I grew up with government-issue Skillcraft retractable ball point pens. Dad used them in the FAA when I was a kid (late-'60s/early-'70s), and I assume he’d used them for 20 years in the Navy before that. No doubt you’ve seen them in the Post Office. Old school, eh?
I’ve found the Skillcraft pens to be reliable. The SO tried one, and she said she couldn’t get the ink to come out. I’ve never had a problem. I think it’s a matter of scribbling when it’s new, and then they work fine after that. I’ve never had a problem with them. They’re not as ergonomically designed as new pens, and some people might find them a bit narrow. They’re about the diameter of a Bic Stick.I have not observed smearing of the ink, and the ink doesn’t bleed through notebook paper.
Check out the reviews at the Amazon page I linked earlier.
These pens are cheap ($5.74 a dozen – I think I paid less through a government site, although they had a minimum order requirement and I ended up with a clock as well), reliable, ‘guaranteed to write over a mile’, and are made by Disabled Americans. As one reviewer put it:
Oh… pens.
Never mind.
Fisher makes goofy pens but their ink cartridges can be used in other brands of pens as well. I started using them when I was working in hot environments and regular ink would leak. The space pen ink cartridge is sealed and pressurized and the ink flows well until it is empty (“even upside-down in whipped cream!!!”).
When I heard they were going to quit producing their Futura Elite pen I bought twenty of them to last me a while.
When I was in school, I’d use Parker Jotter ballpoint pens, with black medium-point ink and a black barrel. (And just to confirm that there seems to be a Wikipedia page about everything, here’s the one for this pen.)
For inexpensive and reliable pens, I like the Pilot G-2 gel ink pens. They have large capacity refills, and the gel ink seems to flow smoothly right to the end. I think they come in 7mm (fine) and 5mm (very fine) but there might be more sizes. They have black, blue, red and green ink available, and you can also get a variety pack with other colors like purple. And they are readily available at places like Walgreen’s as well as Office Depot type places.
And no, I have no financial stake in the Pilot pen company, which I think is Japanese.
Roddy
I loved those! I preferred the earlier ones with the non-recessed button. I still have a couple packed away someplace.
Edit: My fave had a grey barrel. Those seemed to disappear early on.
Edit 2: Looks like you can get a grey one in assorted colours package.
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My pen of choice is the Pilot Precise V5, Extra fine. It is a rolling ball pen with excellent flow, cheap and reliable.
Have you tried a fountain pen? A fine nib will rarely bleed through (though that does depend on the paper and ink).
A Platinum Preppy is a good way to try - they cost about $4. Or a Pilot 78g, $10 or so on ebay.
I routinely use a Levenger Mediterranean. I’ve never had it bleed through paper (I use Waterman ink), but it does take a little time to dry.
Waterman and Parker inks are pretty good. Noodler’s makes some fast-drying inks, like Bernanke Black and Blue. I use Heart of Darkness in a Preppy for general note taking - it’s very well behaved, no bleedthrough.
Another vote for Pilot G2 gel pens. I do a lot of crosswords, etc. and they’re perfect for them. You know, small, fine, careful writing but still wanting to write fairly quickly.
They do smudge easily when signing credit cards and you don’t let the ink dry first. So you’ll have to constantly deal with that.
I still like Parker Jotters. Staples doesn’t always have them (but they do have the refills).
It has a nicely sized reservoir of ink and writes well if kept out of the wash.
Definitely my favourite pen.
My second-favourite is the Zebra F-301.
I know, right? I should start wearing my flight jackets more, so I can carry a couple in the sleeve pocket. 
Cross Classic Century
Parker Jotter
And the F301 - especially the compact, I love how easy that is to stash places
Another vote for the Zebra.
As a result of this thread, I’ve bought a couple of ‘Celedon’ (pale jade-green) Parker Jotters.
I like the Smith & Wesson Tactical Pen myself.
The Pilot G-2 is the pen of pens.
If you like the ultra fine Sharpies, try the Sharpie Pen. Its ink won’t bleed through. It’s a good fibertip pen, similar to Pilot’s Razor.