# Let's talk about amazing pens. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 25, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476 "2009-09-25T03:41:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/21 "2009-09-26T04:38:50Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Glad I’m not the only one who read it that way. Yeah, I should have known I wouldn’t be the first. 🙂 ETA: Although, “Let’s talk about amazing penis” would **also** be an excellent thread. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/22 "2009-09-26T04:56:30Z")
I was thinking about starting that thread, almost immediately after seing this one. Being a straight male though, I’m not sure just how well I’d be able to get the thread up. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/23 "2009-09-26T06:09:34Z")
I have no less then 4 pens that outlive my marraige, child and any job I’ve ever held. (3 of them are Cross) I have sunglasses (4 Oakley, 3 Ray-Ban) that are over two decades old. My razor (handle, Original Trac 2) is going on 32 years now, all over the world. I buy my wife diamonds? Lost in 6 weeks, tops. $100 Oakleys? They lasted nearly a week. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/24 "2009-09-26T08:03:09Z")
I go with Pilot G2 fine points. One black and one red. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/25 "2009-09-26T12:17:18Z")
While I can’t find any pictures of it online, a few years ago my sister gave me a Grifos made out of buffalo horn with the clip, ring, and endcaps made of sterling silver. She’s given me quite a few beautiful pens over the years but I’m not sure she’ll be able to top that one. ---
**Author:** ![silvermist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@silvermist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silvermist)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/26 "2009-09-26T12:25:08Z")
I always liked Parker ball points too, the balance is great. Only ran into one that leaked. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/27 "2009-09-26T12:42:35Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I love my [.jpg"]Levenger Mediterranean fountain pen]([http://www.sheaffertarga.com/Connaisseur/con%20images/blue%20levengerseas%20my%20picture2](http://www.sheaffertarga.com/Connaisseur/con%20images/blue%20levengerseas%20my%20picture2)[1). It looks good and writes well. > > But I really like my government-issue black Skilcraft ballpoints (NSN 7520-01-451-9178). Each probably costs 1/100 of what the fountain pen did, they work well, and they have the nostalgia factor. That is just a downright pretty pen. mrAru must have accidently brought home hundreds of skillcraft pens over the years he was in the navy [you know the drill, stuff a pen in your pocket, forget to take it out at the end of the day] I have a pencilcup full of them sitting on my desk right now =) We haven’t bought a pen in years. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/28 "2009-09-26T12:44:53Z")
> [@cdsilv](#): > > Let’s see - I have a parker-style ballpoint custom made pen w/a thick barrel that I love for the size & weight that I bought at an art festival, a gold Cross ‘ceramic tip’ likewise thick and I gave my daughter a Schaeffer Imperial Brass Fountain Pen for her college graduation. > > The ‘Imperial Brass’ is probably the highest end, as it is one of the ‘white dot’ Schaeffers that has a lifetime guarantee - not just warranty. Guarantee. Anything goes wrong with it, ship it back and they’ll fix or replace it for life. I bought it from a pawnshop… Isn’t [this Targa](http://www.penantique.com/Penantique/Pen/Sheaffer/Vintage_Sheaffer_Pens_1/Sheaffer_Targa_Tulle_Classic_Fountain_Pen/Sheaffer_Targa_Tulle_Classic_Fountain_Pen_2.JPG) absolutely beautiful? I would love to own something like this ---
**Author:** ![MissMossie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@MissMossie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissMossie)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/29 "2009-09-26T14:00:01Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > Might you link me to somewhere online that sells them? Or provide some sort of “official” name for such a pen. I’d love to have a cheapy fountain pen for random writings. I just checked the name. They’re Pilot Varsity pens. I get them at Staples where they’re sold in three packs. Staples also sells the as single pens [online](http://www.staples.com/Pilot-Varsity-Disposable-Fountain-Pens/product_SS996549?cmArea=SC1:CG821:DP1105:CL140735). ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/30 "2009-09-26T14:56:41Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > Pilot V5 Precise rolling ball. Blue. Loooooove my pen 🙂 This is one of the few liquid ink pens that a left handed person can use. Excellent pen. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/31 "2009-09-26T15:22:49Z")
> [@Orange\_Skinner](#): > > Not a fountain, but I also love the Precise V5 pen Pilot makes–they’re pretty cheap, flow evenly, and are comfortable to use. I do mixed media with ink over watercolor and it can really fuck up the ball point (especially when going over thicker deposits of paint), so I’ve gone through a _lot._ Heh, I’ve been reading this whole thread thinking “Yeah, but I bet they aren’t as nice as a Precise V5.” It’s a pen that makes me starry-eyed every time I lay down a word. It’s the only thing i ever want to draw with. They make me happy literally every time I use them. Such a simple inexpensive thing, but so awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/32 "2009-09-26T16:45:59Z")
[Lamy AL-star graphit](http://www.lamy.com/eng/b2c/al_star/026). I actually have two with 1.1 and 1.5 mm calligraphic nibs, which I keep filled with brown ink, like **araminty**. For the record, my pencils are a pair of [caran d’ache](http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Caran_dAche_Fixpencil_884.html) 2mm lead holders. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/33 "2009-09-26T17:18:31Z")
[Uni-ball signo micro](http://www.uniball-na.com/main.taf?p=2,2,3) for me. I have to have a very fine-point pen to like the way my handwriting looks and this is the best one for me. It’s a clicker pen which is good because working in healthcare you always have to have a pen available, and don’t always want it staining the inside of your pocket. They come 2 to a pack in drug stores and I have about 20 of them in various places around my home, car, and office just in case I have to write. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/34 "2009-09-26T17:20:46Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > mrAru must have accidently brought home hundreds of skillcraft pens over the years he was in the navy [you know the drill, stuff a pen in your pocket, forget to take it out at the end of the day] Dad ended up with a bunch of them from the FAA. (Probably Navy, too.) I bought mine from Ability One. I checked, and they were $7.47 for a box of 12. Not bad at all! And they really are pretty good to write with. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/35 "2009-09-26T17:27:04Z")
> [@MissMossie](#): > > I just checked the name. They’re Pilot Varsity pens. I get them at Staples where they’re sold in three packs. Staples also sells the as single pens [online](http://www.staples.com/Pilot-Varsity-Disposable-Fountain-Pens/product_SS996549?cmArea=SC1:CG821:DP1105:CL140735). Awesome post. Contained a name and a link! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/36 "2009-09-27T03:03:59Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > That is just a downright pretty pen. > > mrAru must have accidently brought home hundreds of skillcraft pens over the years he was in the navy [you know the drill, stuff a pen in your pocket, forget to take it out at the end of the day] > > I have a pencilcup full of them sitting on my desk right now =) We haven’t bought a pen in years. Oho, so _that’s_ where our pens keep going. We buy boxes of them (the cheap stick pens) to have around the house. I’ll get one out to use, put it in the pencil holder on the desk, and 2 days later it’s evaporated. And here I’d been blaming the kids :smack: I don’t have a specific brand in mind, but when I was using pens a lot more regularly at work, I loved a thicker-barreled ballpoint (the one I mostly remember was one that I bought with my Franklin Planner). Nowadays I write so little by hand, the cheap stick pens are fine. I do have a pencil-holder full of fun souvenir pens though. One is a wooden one that looks like a cardinal (the bird, not the cleric), another one is from Disney and looks like a profile of Pluto, etc. None of them are much fun to use, but they at least look cool. ---
**Author:** ![\_xiao\_wenti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b782af/32.png) [@\_xiao\_wenti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_xiao_wenti)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/37 "2009-09-28T23:25:44Z")
steadler mars drafting pens - 0.25 mm duraglide points. I used them from middle school through my second bachelors. Unfortunately technology has made them obsolete and I have trouble finding them on ebay. The ink was incredible! ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/38 "2009-09-29T00:10:23Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > There’s no “I” in pens. > > :smack::D:o I’m so glad I am not the only one. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/39 "2009-09-29T18:02:36Z")
I’m into multi-function pens – one instrument with a pencil and different color pens. Fisher makes the [Q4](http://www.spacepen.com/multi-action-2.aspx) which works great, but I carry around a less expensive [Zebra](http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Zebra_Airfit_2_S.html) that’s fabulous to use. I think you can tell a lot about a person by the writing instruments they use. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476/40 "2009-09-29T18:07:25Z")
Holy crap! A multifunctional space pen? Too bad it’s all bulky from that stupid grip in the front. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-amazing-pens/511476.md?page=3)