# What's your favourite pen?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [October 15, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364 "2005-10-15T15:57:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/21 "2005-10-16T12:47:28Z")
Zebra brand Sarasa 0.5mm Just the right size to be used comfortably, lines have a good, legible heft to them, and no skipping.
I once bought a 1mm by accident. It was like writing with a paint brush.
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### Author:  [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/22 "2005-10-16T13:22:09Z")
The Monte Blanc [Classique](http://www.executiveessentials.com/detail.php?id=1334&src=nextag&engine=nextag&keyword=1334) Roller Ball. Far too expensive for a pen, but writes like nothing else.
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/23 "2005-10-16T16:35:51Z")
> [@TokyoPlayer](#):
>
> The Monte Blanc [Classique](http://www.executiveessentials.com/detail.php?id=1334&src=nextag&engine=nextag&keyword=1334) Roller Ball. Far too expensive for a pen, but writes like nothing else.
Well, you wouldn’t expect it to write like a paintbrush. Or a pencil or crayon or sharp rock. 🙂
I have an Moan Blah or two handed down from my retired-executive mom, who was the recipient of numerous corporate freebies during the '80s. But it’s been years since I carried them anywhere. It was such a statusy brand that now, they just whisper of wretched excess. _Meisterstück!_ (You wonder if any clueless yuppie wannabe ever called them “MeisterSTUCK.” What great word-of-mouth _that_ would’ve been.)
BTW, if it’s too expensive to be a pen, it must be a Writing Instrument.
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### Author:  [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/24 "2005-10-16T19:52:25Z")
I lurv me some fountain pens. Have some nice ones, but I really like my cheap Lamy Safari. It writes nicely, never leaks or clogs, and since it cost me $30 bucks it’s not a disaster if I lose it or break it. I end up using it more than my other pens.
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### Author:  [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/25 "2005-10-16T21:38:41Z")
I use the Zebra [F-402](http://www.epinions.com/offc-Supplies-All-ZEBRA_PEN_CORPORATION_Zebra_F-402_Retractable_Ballpoint_Pen/display_~full_specs)
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/26 "2005-10-16T21:40:57Z")
I used to use Uniballs, but for the last few years I just use one of the team pens. I had a couple hundred pens made up with the school logo and “Speech & Debate” printed on them to give as “atta-girls” to my team. Now we all use them just about exclusively.
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### Author:  [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/27 "2005-10-17T01:04:28Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> Before I got this pen my favourite was a Waterman Philleas. Its barrel is marbelled blue with gold bands and clip. It’s a nice pen, and reasonably priced. (I think it was like a third the cost of the Levenger.) Only its ‘fine’ nib isn’t as fine as I really like.
I was going to post to this thread to say my favorite pen is my Waterman Phileas fountain pen (although I have the green marbled barrel and cap). Again, like you, my only real criticism is that the fine point is not very fine at all (I write absolutely _tiny_ when I write in my journal, and even my “big” writing for others is said to be pretty small).
Any recommendations for a decently priced fountain pen that is of similar quality but has a good extra-fine nib?
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### Author:  [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/28 "2005-10-17T01:38:40Z")
I use the uni-ball Vision Elite all the time. I have never had a problem with waterproof once the ink dries originally…and I work in a plant where my writing gets wet frequently. I like them because of the heavier lines. It is easier to read without my reading glasses and I am too young for reading glasses. And I can tell right away who stole my pen 'cause they start writing in heavy blue lines.
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/29 "2005-10-17T01:55:12Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#):
>
> Any recommendations for a decently priced fountain pen that is of similar quality but has a good extra-fine nib?
You may be up the creek here. FPs today are intended to be used mostly for signatures and ceremonial writing, like greeting cards. Thus the bold nib and thick line.
Different nibs are sometimes available, but you often have to buy the entire assembly (including ink collector), which can get pricey.
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### Author:  [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/30 "2005-10-17T14:42:24Z")
I have the ball point and the fountain pen from [this](http://www.executiveessentials.com/detail.php/id/1252/) line.
They’re nothign fancy, but good workhorses.
I use the fountain pen for my home, primarily crossword puzzles, and not taking.
I use the ball point at work. I have a nice little sheath for the fountain pen at home. It’s not the kind of thing you want banged around or have the cap come off.
I’ll tell ya what’s tough to find is a good inkwell. . .one with a screw on lid and a shallow reservoir near the top. There’s a store in Baltimore called “The Inkwell” that is all pens and pencils and I don’t even think they sell inkwells.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/31 "2005-10-17T15:01:40Z")
If you find a reasonable fountain pen with a truly fine nib, LET ME KNOW! I love fountain pens but I write small. I don’t use them at work, but for the things I write at home I’d love to have something with a finer nib.
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### Author:  [@archmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/archmichael)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/32 "2005-10-17T15:34:47Z")
[Pilot Vanishing Point](http://www.pilotpen-store.com/product_list.asp?SKW=NAMVAN&HDR=Vanishing%20Point%20Collection) for the cool factor of having a retractable fountain pen.
The **Rotring 600** for the heft, and in case I ever have to block a katana with a pen.
[Pilot Hi-Tec-C .25MM](http://www.jetpens.com/index.php?cPath=21_82_26) for my Hipster PDA. That’s not a typo. Point Two Five Millimeter.
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### Author:  [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/33 "2005-10-17T15:47:46Z")
> [@flamingbananas](#):
>
> Related to the [What’s your favourite pencil?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=333966) thread.
>
> Mine is the uni-ball VISION micro. I like the liquidy look of the ink and the sound the pen makes going across a piece of paper. It also lasts longer than other pens, I’ve found.
>
> So what’s yours?
Hey, that’s one of my faves too! I use it for drawing sometimes. I can mix & match writing pens, but I only use certain ones for drawing. The other one I have an addiction to are the Staedtler pigment liners. You can get a lot of different point sizes and they give pretty good coverage without being bleedy.
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### Author:  [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/34 "2005-10-17T15:51:09Z")
> [@E = mc²](#):
>
> uni-ball GEL IMPACT RT
>
> It’s perfect for doing xwords. Nice broad line and so effortless to use.
Hey, you took mine! I’ve been using that lately, and I really love it.
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### Author:  [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/35 "2005-10-17T16:27:08Z")
I prefer cheap ballpoint pens for my everyday writing, and recently have become enamoured of [Bic Round Stic Grip](http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1274131) pens, medium point with black ink (I prefer fine point, but they’re harder to find). The grip part comes a little loose after a while, but when I break one I just grab another one. The beauty of cheap pens. 😉
At home I have a variety of pens, ranging from the cheap to the not-so-cheap – including several fountain pens (some for calligraphy, most for just writing). I have one very, very fine point nib that I love, but it came as part of a set of nibs that go with a long barrel. I don’t use it very often, because of having to keep a pot of ink nearby to repeatedly dip the nib into (I like the smell of ink, but I tend to make a little bit of a mess). I got into the fountain pen habit as a student in England: I’d never used one before I lived there, but quickly found them to be the standard.
Inspired partly by **Lisa Ann** ’s post, what color do y’all write in? I used to be a blue person, but a few years ago I switched to black ink and haven’t looked back. I use blue to initial memos, and red when editing hard copies (never could get into the blue pencil habit).
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### Author:  [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/36 "2005-10-17T16:40:36Z")
The pen I use the most is the one I use at work, a red Levenger Gotham rollerball. I can’t find a picture of it on the web, but I love the look and feel of it. It’s very “Art Deco” in its steel curves. I refill it with sapphire blue ink, which makes a very cool-looking signature.
On another note, the very _worst_ pen I’ve ever used were some Sanford Uniball Gel Grips I bought in law school. Horrible, horrible pens. The ink ran out fast, and the pens would frequently just plain stop writing, even though they had plenty of ink left. It would take several stuttering starts and stops to make it through writing a single check! After going through about seven of those horrid things in a single semester, I chucked the box and bought a few boxes of PaperMate FlexGrip Ultras, which I still use today, for they have never failed me.
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### Author:  [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/37 "2005-10-17T16:42:18Z")
Pelican Bay.
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### Author:  [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/38 "2005-10-17T16:47:19Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> …I tend to use a Pilot Precise V5 Extra Fine…
Bingo. I buy them in bulk, just in case they ever decide to take them off the market.
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/39 "2005-10-17T16:51:11Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#):
>
> Bingo. I buy them in bulk, just in case they ever decide to take them off the market.
**Resolved:** That the Pilot Precise V5 hereinafter be referred to as **The Sheep Pen.**
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### Author:  [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-pen/326364/40 "2005-10-17T16:59:45Z")
I have a couple of Waterman fountain pens, and am saving up for a good fine-point Pelikan. But I tell myself that I’m not going to buy that until I finish my dissertation.
For everyday use, I’m in love with Zebra Jimnie Gel Retractables, .7 mm. They have a good, consistent, bold line.
For jotting, Uni-ball makes a nice hybrid gel ink (nice and thick like gel, dries fast like ballpoint) called a Jet Stream. Great, bright color & smooth writing tip.
For those of you looking for an inexpensive fountain pen with a finer tip, keep an eye out Pelikan’s line of “student” pens, Pelikano. A couple years ago, I got a set of three Pelikano Juniors from Levenger that have B, M & F nibs, and the fine nib is the finest I’ve seen on an inexpensive pen. Unfortunately, the only Pelikano Juniors I can find currently for sale online are a medium.
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