# Great pens **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 3, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225 "2013-02-03T16:39:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [February 11, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/41 "2013-02-11T03:21:48Z")
I feel so pedestrian compared to some of you. My everyday, go-to pen is simply the Bic medium-point, black ink. It works well for most everything I need: I take many notes in the course of my job, and is handy to do the newspaper crossword also. And they’re inexpensive enough that if I lose one (as happens occasionally), it’s no big deal. Of course, in the past, I have used Speedball dip pens too. Probably still could, if I needed to. 😃 (I learned calligraphy when I was younger, and did it for years.) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/42 "2013-02-11T09:36:07Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > My pen of choice is the Pilot Precise V5, Extra fine. It is a rolling ball pen with excellent flow, cheap and reliable. > > [http://www.staples.com/Pilot-Precise-V5-Needle-Rollerball-Pen-Extra-Fine-Point-Black-Dozen/product\_205112?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:205112&KPID=205112](http://www.staples.com/Pilot-Precise-V5-Needle-Rollerball-Pen-Extra-Fine-Point-Black-Dozen/product_205112?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:205112&KPID=205112) or the V7 for a thicker line. Ink dries fast, can be used by left handed people and will write without skipping until it runs dry if you don’t use it to punch holes in drywall. I’ve suggested these to artists and they love them. Very consistent pen. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/43 "2013-02-11T13:28:50Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > There are a lot of fine opinions here, and I really don’t have much to add, but I don’t think I could live with myself if I passed up the chance to direct you to Pen Island: [http://www.penisland.net/](http://www.penisland.net/). I was not expecting that. > [@JohnGalt](#): > > I always liked the Fisher Space pens, but I haven’t used one in years. When I was in college (a long time ago), they were the only pens I could find that reliably worked while sitting up in bed. I use just the insert tucked my bookbook iphone case. It doesn’t leak, and I always have a pen. > [@Yeticus\_Rex](#): > > [Uniball Signo](http://www.costco.com/uni-ball-Signo-GRIP-Stick-Rollerball-Pen,-Medium-Point,-Black,-12ct-SAN-65450.product.11251848.html) are at Costco for $16 for a 12pk…you won’t cry or be pissed off if you lose one. Great disposable pens that are great for the price. This is my go-to pen now. Does the Smith and Wesson tactical pen actually write nicely, or is it just for jabbing in people’s eyeballs? ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/44 "2013-02-11T20:21:25Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > My pen of choice is the Pilot Precise V5, Extra fine. It is a rolling ball pen with excellent flow, cheap and reliable. > > [http://www.staples.com/Pilot-Precise-V5-Needle-Rollerball-Pen-Extra-Fine-Point-Black-Dozen/product\_205112?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:205112&KPID=205112](http://www.staples.com/Pilot-Precise-V5-Needle-Rollerball-Pen-Extra-Fine-Point-Black-Dozen/product_205112?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:205112&KPID=205112) That’s my fave, too, and in fact I just ordered them online last month after not seeing them in stores in forever. However, how do you feel about the “extra fine” tag? It always seemed to me that .5mm was standard, .7 was large, and .3 or .4 was the real extra fine. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/45 "2013-02-11T20:31:58Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > That’s my fave, too, and in fact I just ordered them online last month after not seeing them in stores in forever. However, how do you feel about the “extra fine” tag? It always seemed to me that .5mm was standard, .7 was large, and .3 or .4 was the real extra fine. I think the .7 would most closely resemble a fountain pen. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/46 "2013-02-16T21:42:00Z")
I have used Parker ballpens for years. To me, they write very well. I use medium point, blue ink. I write in block letters and have found Fisher and others to get a little “goopy” at the tip. Several pen manufacturers will take the Parker refill. I’ve used a black Rotring 600 pen and pencil set fora few years and am very happy with it. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/47 "2013-02-19T18:31:32Z")
I also forgot to mention that the Uniball Signo pens have formulated ink that prevents check fraud…another bonus. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/48 "2013-02-19T22:36:57Z")
> [@Yeticus\_Rex](#): > > I also forgot to mention that the Uniball Signo pens have formulated ink that prevents check fraud…another bonus. What is this “check” you speak of and what does it have to do with pens?😉 ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/49 "2013-02-19T23:15:45Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > What is this “check” you speak of and what does it have to do with pens?😉 Well, when you run a business and pay all types of people/companies with all different forms of payment, checks will still remain relevant…gotta sign those things too. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/50 "2013-02-19T23:25:24Z")
> [@Yeticus\_Rex](#): > > Well, when you run a business… I hope you have a spell-checker, or review what your accounts people are entering into your system. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/51 "2013-02-21T22:11:20Z")
I am the judge, jury, and executioner in all things fiscal wrt my business…I know exactly what goes on in my system because I am the only one who is in the system. ---
**Author:** ![genuinejon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@genuinejon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/genuinejon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/52 "2013-02-22T00:32:52Z")
Current favorite cheapo is the Paper Mate Profile 1.4B which are about $0.75 each. Lots of good pens listed–had to find my Jotter I haven’t used for years, still love it. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/53 "2013-02-22T21:53:34Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > 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](http://www.amazon.com/Skilcraft-Government-Retractable-Point-7520-00-935-7135/dp/B0055KSNYK). 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](http://www.amazon.com/Skilcraft-Government-Retractable-Point-7520-00-935-7135/product-reviews/B0055KSNYK/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending) 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: With a Skilcraft ballpoint, a dime, and a bit of ingenuity, one can create a smoking accessory that can be quickly reassembled into normal pocket contents that attract no suspicion. Or so I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/54 "2013-03-19T04:23:23Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > I like the [Smith & Wesson Tactical Pen](http://www.amazon.com/Smith-Wesson-SWPENBK-Tactical-Black/dp/B0026W4ZW4) myself. > [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > Does the Smith and Wesson tactical pen actually write nicely, or is it just for jabbing in people’s eyeballs? Almost a month later now… I got an S&W tactical pen from Amazon recently. It writes very well, because it takes a Parker ball pen refill and I immediately put one in. I’m pretty happy with it. ---
**Author:** ![Beelzebubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/55 "2013-03-24T19:05:39Z")
I discovered the closest thing to a perfect pen that I’ve ever used several years ago. Now I order them by the dozen so I always have them on hand! Here are the specifics- Uni-ball Signo Gelstick 0.7 (medium point) I order them in [**BLACK**](http://www.samsclub.com/sams/uni-ball-uni-ball-signo-gelstick-pens/137045.ip) and [**BLUE**](http://www.samsclub.com/sams/uni-ball-signo-roller-ball-stick-gel-pen-blue-ink-medium-dozen/prod9010212.ip?navAction=push) for less than $8/dozen from Sam’s Club. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/56 "2013-03-24T19:59:18Z")
Ditto on the Pilot G2 7s. There’s no comparing them to the white plastic things you buy 15 packs of. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/57 "2013-03-25T00:42:30Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > I like the [Smith & Wesson Tactical Pen](http://www.amazon.com/Smith-Wesson-SWPENBK-Tactical-Black/dp/B0026W4ZW4) myself. Well, just to tie a bunch of thread threads together–[Why the $10 Jotter is my tactical pen](http://www.itstactical.com/warcom/accessories/why-the-10-parker-jotter-is-my-tactical-pen-and-not-buying-into-the-hype/). > [@tellyworth](#): > > 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. Noooo! Platinum Preppies are evil! Horrible things. Or at least the one I have is a horrible thing. I call it The Demon. I still shudder when i think of the Dragon’s Napalm incident. 😛 I know a lot of people like them, but they crack very very easily. Fountain pens are fantastic if you have to write a lot, though, because you don’t have to press down on them at all, eliminating hand fatigue. I’m a big fan of the (semi-) disposable Pilot Varsity as a starter pen. If you like it, you can get something MUCH better for a lot less than you probably think you’d have to pay for a good fountain pen. And bottle ink is cheap cheap cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/58 "2013-03-25T03:56:40Z")
I’m particularly fond of Reform pens with calligraphy nibs. No longer made, alas, so must be found on eBay or the like. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/59 "2013-03-25T04:09:08Z")
[Hand made craftsmanship.](http://s574.photobucket.com/user/glazer155/media/100_0957.jpg.html?sort=3&o=37) [A gift that’s enjoyed daily.](http://s574.photobucket.com/user/glazer155/media/100_0956.jpg.html?sort=3&o=36) [Thanks Harry!](http://s574.photobucket.com/user/glazer155/media/100_0958.jpg.html?sort=3&o=29) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225/60 "2013-03-25T05:10:08Z")
Three views of the same pen. Gee, thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-pens/649225.md?page=4)