# Preferred Ink Pen Brand?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [November 12, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410 "2014-11-12T03:09:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/41 "2014-11-12T22:15:09Z")
I too favor the Pilot G-2 gel pens. I do a lot of puzzles, etc. It’s the only type of pen that writes clearly and doesn’t skip on basic things like palm prints.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/42 "2014-11-12T23:08:39Z")
Zebra ZEmulsion LX is my pen of choice, but for work I use the Zebra G301.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/43 "2014-11-12T23:09:56Z")
> [@jayrey](#):
>
> Yep. I love the Pilot G-2 (10). Good color, smooth ink flow, thickish line.
Add me to the list of Pilot lovers. I finally convinced my department chair to order them as part of our yearly supply order at school.
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### Author:  [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/44 "2014-11-12T23:28:26Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> Add me to the list of Pilot lovers. I finally convinced my department chair to order them as part of our yearly supply order at school.
Damn. We ought to start a club or something. We could have a secret handshake. 🆒
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### Author:  [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/45 "2014-11-12T23:58:51Z")
TUL!
TUL pens from Office Depot are seriously the best cheap pen I have ever written with. Specifically the .5 or .7 mm gel pens (whichever you like better).
(I don’t like their ballpoint so much–kind of sticky where I prefer slick.)
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### Author:  [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/46 "2014-11-13T02:06:29Z")
> [@Shoeless](#):
>
> Pilot G2, 0.5 or 0.7. I keep one black, one blue, and one red on my desk at work.
Me, too.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/47 "2014-11-13T02:08:30Z")
> [@Frylock](#):
>
> TUL!
>
> TUL pens from Office Depot are seriously the best cheap pen I have ever written with. Specifically the .5 or .7 mm gel pens (whichever you like better).
>
> (I don’t like their ballpoint so much–kind of sticky where I prefer slick.)
TUL pens are ok but a little too thick IMO. Pilot pens are okay as well. When I was in high school I favored the Papermate pens with the removable caps. Now I favor clickers. \
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### Author:  [@The\_Lurker\_Above](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lurker_Above)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/48 "2014-11-13T02:40:45Z")
> [@bump](#):
>
> I’m partial to the Uni-Ball Vision Elite and Jetstream RT lines of pens, and in particular to their BLX inks- supposedly “Black ink infused with color”, but in actuality just really dark versions of normal blue, green, red and purple inks.
I love the Uni Ball VIsion Elites. Once I used one I went online and bought a whole box of the blue-black ink version and one mixed-colour package. I do have to never let them out of my sight or co-workers will ‘borrow’ them.
A real advantage is the ink colour is a bit unusual so I always can tell which markups on documents are mine.
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### Author:  [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/49 "2014-11-13T02:55:25Z")
My favorite is a very fine black TUL. It’s an Office Max product. It must be the clickable kind.
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### Author:  [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/50 "2014-11-13T05:14:57Z")
> [@The\_Lurker\_Above](#):
>
> I love the Uni Ball VIsion Elites. Once I used one I went online and bought a whole box of the blue-black ink version and one mixed-colour package. I do have to never let them out of my sight or co-workers will ‘borrow’ them.
>
> A real advantage is the ink colour is a bit unusual so I always can tell which markups on documents are mine.
This. I used to steal my father’s Uni-Ball pens in a color I think was called “antique blue”, because it was not quite like any of the other blues commonly used in ballpoint pens. My papers always looked like my papers.
The thicker ones are especially nice on something called stone paper, which is made of calcium carbonate in a plastic base. Swap out for a ballpoint pen with waterproof ink, and you can take notes in the pouring rain.
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### Author:  [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/51 "2014-11-13T13:23:08Z")
Pilot G2, it is the best pen for writing in Moleskines
or a Parker fountain pen with black Parker Quink…
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### Author:  [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/52 "2014-11-13T16:58:09Z")
> [@Frylock](#):
>
> TUL!
>
> TUL pens from Office Depot are seriously the best cheap pen I have ever written with. Specifically the .5 or .7 mm gel pens (whichever you like better).
>
> (I don’t like their ballpoint so much–kind of sticky where I prefer slick.)
Thirded. I buy them by the 12-pack in 0.7mm blue gel ink retractables. They get stolen all the time.
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### Author:  [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/53 "2014-11-13T18:23:16Z")
PaperMate InkJoy (black, medium point) seems to do the job pretty well.
I also have a black, medium point Zebra Z-Grip retractable that is comfortable to hold if I’m going to be writing a lot.
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### Author:  [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/54 "2014-11-13T19:13:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> Pilot G2. Once you use one, you’ll never go back to the cheap ones that work “good enough”.
But I started this thread because I’ve been using various Pilots and Pentels, the ones with clear plastic so you can see the ink level, for years, and have recently threw most of them away in disgust. They just don’t seem to put the ink on the paper as smoothly as a cheap Bic or Papermate. The more expensive pens write like they’re running out of ink when I can clearly see their ink level isn’t running low.
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### Author:  [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/55 "2014-11-13T19:20:13Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#):
>
> As an aside: Did you need to say “ink pen” in the title? What other kind of pens are there? Epi?
>
> ETA: Not trying to be snarky or anything, it just struck me as an ATM Machine/GPS System kind of phrase
Sorry about the redundant verbiage. :rolleyes: There are clothes pens, play pens, etc. I just put “ink” in there to clarify the topic, I guess.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/56 "2014-11-13T19:27:35Z")
> [@GreenElf](#):
>
> But I started this thread because I’ve been using various Pilots and Pentels, the ones with clear plastic so you can see the ink level, for years, and have recently threw most of them away in disgust. They just don’t seem to put the ink on the paper as smoothly as a cheap Bic or Papermate. The more expensive pens write like they’re running out of ink when I can clearly see their ink level isn’t running low.
You must not have had a G2. I don’t know if it’s the ink or the pen but the reason I switched to them is because they never skip. It’s the smoothest line I ever got from a pen.
Back when I was working (my job required me to do a lot of writing by hand) I could get free pens from the supply locker. But I would buy Pilot G2’s just because I didn’t want to put up with pens that might skip.
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### Author:  [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/57 "2014-11-13T19:33:34Z")
My go to pen is the Zebra F-301. I discovered them back in the days of handwritten receipts in triplicate. The write smoothly and all three copies came out clear.
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### Author:  [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/58 "2014-11-13T19:39:18Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> You must not have had a G2. I don’t know if it’s the ink or the pen but the reason I switched to them is because they never skip. It’s the smoothest line I ever got from a pen.
>
> Back when I was working (my job required me to do a lot of writing by hand) I could get free pens from the supply locker. But I would buy Pilot G2’s just because I didn’t want to put up with pens that might skip.
I’ve indeed been using the Pilot G2 pens for years, and it frustratingly skips when I’m writing on note pads, etc. I’ve used it for work and home, and am switching to basic Bic and Papermate because they’re the only store-bought ones that seem to properly work. Pens issued by pharmacy companies for advertising also tend to be dependable.
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### Author:  [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/59 "2014-11-13T19:40:35Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#):
>
> You should try upgrading to a Parker Sonnet.
They’ve made a few improvements… 😉
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### Author:  [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-ink-pen-brand/704410/60 "2014-11-13T20:10:12Z")
Another vote for Pilot G2. Keep an eye on them at work. Have a habit of wandering off.
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