# Pencil, ballpoint, rollerball, fountain? Blue, black, or other? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795 "2008-03-18T16:58:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/1 "2008-03-18T16:58:04Z")
Pencil, mechanical pencil, rollerball, ballpoint, or fountain pen? Blue, black, or red ink? Don’t say purple, damn it. Fine, medium or heavy line? #2 pencil, or something else? Less than $5, less than $50, or more than $50? * * * I’ll start - #2 mechanical pencil, less than $50 and a ballpoint, (barely) more than $50. Blue ink, generally. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/2 "2008-03-18T17:00:37Z")
Wut? Usually a bic from a pack of lots at something pounds something pence. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/3 "2008-03-18T17:01:04Z")
Pencil: 2.5 normal yellow wooden pencil. Pen: Black ink, medium point; rollerball, though I’m not unwilling to use a ballpoint; expensive enough disposable to have an ergonomic grip. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/4 "2008-03-18T17:05:29Z")
Pentel 0.3 mm mechanical pencil I bought in 1981; Pentel stopped making 0.3 mm pencils sometime in the early 90s, so I guard mine with my life. Harder than hell to get lead for, but a single lead can last for weeks – last time I bought leads was about 5 years ago. I bought an entire box, so I should be set for life. For pens, I use a super-fine point black Uniball rollerball, $9.50 for a box of 12. ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/5 "2008-03-18T17:08:51Z")
black 0.2mm rollerball (a few bucks for a box of 12), 0.5mm HB mechanical pencil (uhh, don’t remember, I’ve had it for 27 years), #2 wooden pencil (free; I got _thousands_ of half-used pencils from work about 30 years ago, they were throwing them away and I still have hundreds of them left) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/6 "2008-03-18T17:14:30Z")
Pen: The Paper-mate Write Bros. ballpoint stick pens that come 10 to a package. Red for grading, other colors (most commonly blue) for other things. Pencil: Lately I’ve been using Bic Matic Grip pencils, 0.5 mm. For crossword puzzles, it’s gotta be 2B leads: they write dark and smooth on newsprint and erase easily. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/7 "2008-03-18T17:16:03Z")
Black ink, fine line, ballpoint. I’m partial to the Pilot EasyTouch at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/8 "2008-03-18T17:19:03Z")
Depends on context. If working in the shop, #2 pencil. If drafting, an assortment ranging from 2H up to 6H. If drawing, 2B and 4B. I used to use a thin nib calligraphy pen, black ink, but I haven’t seen it in years. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/9 "2008-03-18T17:20:21Z")
Fountain pen. Levenger (Schaeffer) ‘Mediterranian’ (transparent blue) with a fine nib. About $100. I like to mix a little black ink in with blue ink so that I get a very dark blue. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/10 "2008-03-18T17:24:24Z")
Pencil - Staedtler-Mars mechanical pencil Pen - Lamy 1.1 mm calligraphic nib fountain pen (under $50.) Brown ink. Makes the physical act of writing a pleasure. For especially artistic writing, a peacock wing-feather, and home-made ink based on red wine. I’ve also mucked around with lots of weird stuff, such as linguine, a syringe, twigs, etc. Anything that will hold ink for 2 seconds can be used, and sometimes the struggle with the medium is part of the calligraphy. And anything that leaves a mark on a page can be used for ink. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/11 "2008-03-18T17:37:45Z")
Ballpint pen or mechanical pencil, fine point, blue or black ink. Cheap pens, a little more on pencils, still under $5 though. My actual preference cycles between pen and pencil every couple years or so. I find calligraphy pens annoying for normal writing habits, so that’s a special occasion thing for me. I prefer mechanical pencils because the point never gets dull and I don’t have to sharpen it–0.5mm is the preferred size but apparently I’m in the minority because everytime I need a new one (or even just new leads) I mostly find 0.7mm. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/12 "2008-03-18T17:57:36Z")
Pencil for calcs - Pentel mechanical pencil with 0.9mm lead (I snap the skinny leads) Pen for everything else - Pilot Precise V5 Rolling Ball, Extra Fine, in red ink No idea what they cost, I get 'em at work. ---
**Author:** ![peekercpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@peekercpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peekercpa)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/13 "2008-03-18T18:01:42Z")
Anything cheap. I have the habit of chewing on pens. I don’t think I’ve ever had a pen that ran out of ink before I “consumed” it. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/14 "2008-03-18T18:08:00Z")
Pencil - #2. Regular old pencil with an eraser on the end. Ticonderoga maybe? Pen - ballpoint, blue, medium line. Can usually get a dozen for under $5. Prefer papermate. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/15 "2008-03-18T18:08:18Z")
Lamy 2000 Extra Fine nib fountain pen, inked up with some variety of Noodler’s ink (currently Old Manhattan Black “bulletproof” fraud-proof ink) a nice flexy semi-hooded gold nib plated with platinum, fiberglass-reinforced nylon “Makrolon” body, piston fill mechanism, and the most unassuming looks of any fountain pen, it looks like an oversized Flair felt-tip marker when capped, it’s the epitome of “anti-bling”, and it writes like a dream it’s off at Filofax getting fixed right now, so i’m currently using a Lamy Al-Star Extra Fine loaded with Noodler’s Baystate Blue ink ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/16 "2008-03-18T18:27:25Z")
[QUOTE=tremorviolet] Pencil for calcs - Pentel mechanical pencil with 0.9mm lead (I snap the skinny leads) [/QUOTE] I hear that. I use either a Bic or Pentel 0.7mm mechanical when I use a pencil. My pen is usually a Pilot G2 (G4?) gel-ink, 0.5mm (or is it 0.3mm?) ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/17 "2008-03-18T18:54:28Z")
When I was a newspaper reporter I quickly learned that a pencil is the only thing that will write under almost any circumstances. I’ll never forget covering a homicide scene with a ball point pen that kept freezing up every time it touched the paper. After that I kept no fewer than six #2 pencils and a pencil sharpener in my field bag. I still use a mechanical pencil more often than any kind of ink pen. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/18 "2008-03-18T19:03:37Z")
Since I lost my Levenger Gotham Rollerball, I’ve been using gel retractable pens by [Tul](http://tul.com/), blue ink. I suppose the fact that everyone keeps stealing mine is a testament to how good they are. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/19 "2008-03-18T19:06:34Z")
Pilot Precise V5 Rolling Ball – Extra Fine preferred, but in a pinch, Fine will do. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/20 "2008-03-18T19:17:00Z")
Pencil: [Staedtler Mars drafting pencil](http://www.villagesupplies.net/staedtler_mars_draft_pencils.htm). I have all of them but my natural writing is incredibly small, so I prefer the 0.3. When I find them in stores, they’re between $5-10. Pencil: Hate ballpoints. I’m on a quest for the perfect fountain pen (my preference) that has a super-fine line without feeling scratchy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795.md?page=2)