Yellow ballpoint pens

March 16, 2023 9:11 AM

Okay I have a challenge for you: find me true yellow ballpoint pens!

I can reliably get process magenta and cyan ballpoint pens just fine (generally in a pack of "fashion colours" with purple and green). But I cannot for the life of me find process yellow ballpoint pens.

Note! Sometimes there are orange pens that are called yellow, but I need real true yellow. Can you find me a source of such pens?

I'm looking for pens basically equivalent to Bic Round Stic M pens, which generally come in a box of 12 for a couple bucks.
Note: must be oil-based ink. Not "gel" ink, not a liquid rolllerball. Ideally available in Canada.

Thanks!

posted by seanmpuckett to Shopping (7 answers total)

Jetpens has this Monami 153 set with yellow and there are some more ideas here (via)
posted by zachxman at 9:16 AM on March 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: To clarify a bit, I'd like to buy them in quantities of 12 or more, and hopefully without a lot of extra colours I don't want. Like the Monami set seems like the right yellow, but at probably $8CAD per yellow pen, that's rather steep. I checked the Monami site and it doesn't seem like one can get the yellow colour separately.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:50 AM on March 16, 2023

Here is a pack of 10 for $20.76
posted by multivalent at 10:59 AM on March 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Just saw Canada part - here - same make also yellow and pack of 10.
posted by multivalent at 11:02 AM on March 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

I used to sell art & office supplies; racking my brain here and the only true ballpoint (in the Bic Stic ballpoint sense, not a gel or rollerball) that I can remember in an actual Yellow was an odd duck refill from Monteverde in a 1.4mm broad point. This is a Yasutomo TP18-style refill, that fits mostly multi function pens like the Cross Tech3, compact ballpoints like the Zebra telescopic pen, and is often used in smaller handmade pens made by pen turners (often sold at maker faires, farmers markets, etc.) It's a small-ish refill, but lasts a decent time. I really can't remember how close to Process Yellow the ink was, though.

Not a ballpoint, but the Uni-Paint PX-21 is a fine-point oil paint marker which produces a nice, opaque yellow.
posted by xedrik at 11:21 AM on March 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

multivalent: those Schneider Viscoglide inks aren't oil-based.
posted by scruss at 7:01 PM on March 16, 2023

Oomomo has Ballpoint Pen (Oil Based/10xCol/19x12x1.3cm (10pcs)). Sure, you only get 1 yellow plus 9 you won't use, but it is only $2.75 ...
posted by scruss at 1:51 PM on April 25, 2023