# 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:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/41 "2008-03-19T20:40:58Z")
Fountain pens, alternating between blue and black ink. I prefer a medium nib. I have a few different ones, ranging from my cheap Lamy Safari (which I love) to an expensive Waterman that was given to me as a gift. When I was coerced into being secretary of the University Senate at my last job, it was the only thing that made two hours of note-taking tolerable–being able to write with one of my nice pens. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/42 "2008-03-19T21:36:14Z")
Uniball fine point in blue, black, and red. In my back pocket. All the time\*. \*when I’m wearing jeans, which is 95% of the time ---
**Author:** ![micro-dust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@micro-dust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micro-dust)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/43 "2008-03-19T21:42:54Z")
Click-top free various colors ---
**Author:** ![InappropriateHumor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eb8c5e/32.png) [@InappropriateHumor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InappropriateHumor)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/44 "2008-03-19T21:46:46Z")
I have children, so in practice I use whatever I can find. I draw the line at Crayons, though! Er, mostly. By preference, I use Pilot Precise V5 extra fine rolling ball, black ink. I also like the the Bic Ultra Round Stic Grip, black ink. #2 pencil, assuming the rotten little monkeys (term of endearment) haven’t stolen my (poorly) hidden sharpener again. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/45 "2008-03-19T22:02:03Z")
It’s been the Pilot Precise V7, black, for me since I was about 16. For a while, I was in vigilant search of a better pen, in the belief that anything I loved at age 16 couldn’t \*really \*be any good. Wrong. There’s still nothing that comes close. These days it’s the only thing I can write with comfortably. It’ll be me and my Pilot until the day I die. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/46 "2008-03-19T23:40:40Z")
I like the G2 pens as well. Blue, preferably, but black will do in a pinch. I used to prefer black, though, so I guess pen colors change with moods and there have been time’s I’ve preferred purple! My favorite pen at the moment is Zebra GR8 Gel in blue. Lightweight, but wide barrel is very comfortable to hold and, yes, I use it on newspaper crosswords. For pencils, I prefer mechanical, but tend to break them easily. What weight graphite should I be looking for? Whatever I use to write with, I mostly prefer thicker barrels as my hands tend to cramp with narrow ones. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/47 "2008-03-19T23:51:35Z")
Parker Jotter with either blue or black ‘medium’ refill. More ink per cartridge and its narrow enough to be comfortable to write with. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795/48 "2008-03-20T00:07:40Z")
at home i have an odd collection of pens. peeps, lego darth vader, bast, red sox bat, scooby doo, eeyore, etc. the pencils are an odd collection of characters as well, my fav. being the pinwheel pencil. i prefer medium point, love fountain pens, have horrible hand writing with ball points. at work i use sparkly glittery pretty pens, they tend not to get stolen. for some reason the men and some of the women will use almost anything but my pens, and of course the dallas cowboy pen of my coworker. we have found the theft proof pens! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pencil-ballpoint-rollerball-fountain-blue-black-or-other/441795.md?page=2)