Recommend me a pen

September 13, 2023 11:51 AM

Can you recommend a good, inexpensive pen that you've bought recently so you know it's still good? I had liked the uni ball jetstream, but the last time I bought a box they were all gloppy with lots of mess. I want something with a nice fine point for writing in a notebook.
posted by swheatie to Grab Bag (38 answers total)

If you're OK with a fine or extra-fine felt tip, I highly recommend the Sharpie pens. Very dark and consistent line.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 11:54 AM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

You haven't said whether you'd consider fountain pens; if you would, the Lamy "safari" model is affordable, and made me a fountain pen convert. My father gave me one for Christmas one year because he was under the impression I was into fountain pens; I'd never said I was, but he must have known something I didn't because that thing rocks.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:55 AM on September 13, 2023 [5 favorites]

I'm a fan of the Le Pen, it's cheap but it le writes beautifully.
posted by champers at 11:58 AM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm a devotee of the Zebra F-301 which has a lovely, fast, smooth 0.7mm fine point like the Jetstream. I didn't know they also make a gel-ink version, G-301 which might be worth a try if you want a closer match for the gel ink of the Jetstream.
posted by xueexueg at 11:58 AM on September 13, 2023 [7 favorites]

The Uniballl Jetstream is such a great pen. Papermate Inkjoy gel pens, retractable, are pretty good. But here's the thing that. took me a few years to realize: Some pens are amazing on cheap paper, and terrible on heavier stock, and vice versa. So what you want is not the best cheap pen ever, but the best system e.g. the pen and paper that work together in glorious harmony.
posted by mecran01 at 12:04 PM on September 13, 2023 [3 favorites]

Seconding Zebra pens. The F-301s are pretty inexpensive for what you get, and you can get replacement cartridges for them. If you want something a touch more solidly-built and with a rubberized grip, the F-402s are also excellent, and not much more expensive.
posted by Aleyn at 12:07 PM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlights are super fun and make me feel like I'm living out my best 7th grade dreams, and do a delicious tactile thing on the paper once dry, if you like to touch what you've written.
posted by phunniemee at 12:12 PM on September 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

I don’t really know pens but I recently got two boxes of Pilot G2 .7mm and have been happy with them.
posted by vunder at 12:13 PM on September 13, 2023 [3 favorites]

I actually really like the basic pens you can get at Muji. You can buy them on their website or on Amazon if you're not in a big city where there's a store.

I'm left-handed, so I prioritize non-smearing ink over all else, but I think these are nice even if you don't have lefty problems.
posted by catoclock at 12:17 PM on September 13, 2023

Last year I bought a bunch of Zebra F-301s and G-301s in different colors. I've noticed that I tend to not use the ball point version (F) and actively look for the gel point when I'm picking one up.
posted by rsclark at 12:18 PM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Pilot B2P is very good.
posted by parmanparman at 12:21 PM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

TUL Gel Ink Needle Point are my absolute favorite.
posted by Horkus at 12:37 PM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Another user of the Zebra F-301.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:43 PM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

When I was living in Qatar they had these Cello pens from India at the Lulu's hypermarket across the street from our compound--clean line, flows like butter, I really like them. LINK. I don't want to trash talk the venerable Pilot G2, but the .7 mm feels a little sloppy, a little loosy goosey on certain types of paper. Maybe you're comfortable with that sort of bleeding chaos, but I need to hit that sweet spot of a fine line that doesn't feel scratchy.
posted by mecran01 at 12:56 PM on September 13, 2023

I really like the Uniball Signo 307s. Also, you cannot go wrong with the Pilot G-2. I left one of those on my desk in March 2020, and it wrote without skipping 18 months later when we returned to the office. I was impressed!
posted by zoetrope at 12:56 PM on September 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

I have been using pilot drawing pen 0.3 or 0.4 for years and still really like them
posted by crocomancer at 1:02 PM on September 13, 2023

Over a decade ago I spent an afternoon in a stationery store testing pens, settled on the Pentel EnerGel NV 0.5mm, and have never looked back.
posted by dfan at 1:05 PM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

it wrote without skipping 18 months later when we returned to the office

I learned over Covid that the Pilot Precise VT's dry up after about two years, even if that little plastic ball on the tip has not been removed. It hurt to throw out boxes of those, and yes, I did try. multiple methods to revive them.
posted by mecran01 at 1:21 PM on September 13, 2023

I have some Uniball Signo DX pens an they are really nice - a bit finer than I usually write with but super neat, no glops. Come in lots of colors too!
posted by misskaz at 1:25 PM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm a Jetstream fan as well and as a nice, all-metal upgrade I've enjoyed the Zebra F-701, even more than the 301.
posted by sapere aude at 1:27 PM on September 13, 2023

Seconding the Muji pens that catoclock linked to above.
posted by number9dream at 1:31 PM on September 13, 2023

I recently bought a Pentel EnerGel Clena and liked it enough to order a box of 10 (for about $20 CAD).
posted by synecdoche at 1:41 PM on September 13, 2023

This is my favorite pen. It says .7 but it’s a smooth ballpoint that feels somewhere between a .38 and a .5 gel from Muji.
posted by dame at 1:43 PM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

I've just gotten some Uni-Ball Signo 207 Retractable Gel Pens, 0.5mm Micro Point a few weeks ago, and so far so good. I also like the Zebra F-301s mentioned above.
posted by gudrun at 1:46 PM on September 13, 2023

Response by poster: Wow, thanks, everyone. So many good suggestions. I'll buy a few different ones of these and see what I like best. Woohoo.
posted by swheatie at 2:13 PM on September 13, 2023

Pilot Precise V5 RT!
posted by happy_cat at 2:15 PM on September 13, 2023 [5 favorites]

I've been purchasing Pilot Juice Up 0.4mm pens and really like them. I have them in a few different colors. I especially like the blue-black ink.

A month ago, I was out and needed a pen, so stopped at the store and purchased a 10 pack of BIC Crystal pens for a dollar (not sure if it was a back to school sale). I wasn't expecting much, but the ballpoint pen is so nice and smooth! Plus, at 10 cents each, if I misplace them, I'm not very concerned.
posted by bCat at 2:30 PM on September 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

I use Fisher Space Pens - the refills will go into pretty much anything that will take a Parker refill, and they last forever. As in, I have had one as my daily driver since 2019 and it is not empty yet, forever. (I also got another one in 2021 and now apparently I am cursed to only be able to find one space pen at any given moment but that's neither here nor there).

They come in fine, medium, and bold and a few colours, they have nice dark lines, and I've never had an issue with them failing to start writing.
posted by ngaiotonga at 2:30 PM on September 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

My current favorite is the Zebra Sarasa Dry. Nice fine point and it does dry pretty much immediately so there's no smudging.
posted by Teadog at 3:04 PM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Depending on how many pens you're interested in trying, you could do worse than picking up a JetPens sampler. The Jetstream is in their ballpoint sampler and is compared to other ballpoints in their ballpoint guide. There are a bunch of recommendations in this thread for gel pens so the guide and sampler for those might also be useful. And here's an explanation of the difference between gel and ballpoint (and rollerball).

Personally I'm a fan of the Pilot G-Tec and the Pilot Juice Up.
posted by caek at 7:35 PM on September 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

The Schneider Slider has a nice rubberized body and a good ink line.
posted by yclipse at 4:16 AM on September 14, 2023

I really like Pilot Acroball.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 4:50 AM on September 14, 2023

I recently fell hard for the Morning Glory Mach 3 (which I think is now updated as the Pro Mach on Jetpens and elsewhere). A 0.38 rollerball with a thin but legible/dark line and zero scratchiness. I ordered a box, which I rarely do because pen nerdery means I'm always using different things.
posted by LadyInWaiting at 6:44 AM on September 14, 2023

Nthing the Zebra F-301 and the all metal version of the F-701 but the Zebra Sharbo X LT3 Multi Pen is also excellent.

My prefered everyday pen is a Ohto Rays with a Jetstream ballpoint 0.5 mm refill. It comes with dry gel which I don't care for so I swap with the ballpoint refill.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:13 AM on September 14, 2023

I'm left-handed, and besides the uniball Jetstream, I have more recently purchased and like uniball one and Zebra Sarasa Clip and Zebra Sarasa Dry pens. I either go to a Kinokuniya bookstore or put in a JetPens order to get them. The Sarasas tend to run out of ink faster, but I also like them better, fwiw.
posted by momus_window at 9:20 AM on September 14, 2023

A couple of meta-comments on pens:
#1 Do you generally use the same kind of notebook/paper? If yes, I would endorse the approach you mentioned to try a couple of different pens; the paper makes a difference.
#2 Some "disposable" pens take refills, some don't.
#3 You mentioned a pen in your question that is retractable. Depending on how you use your pens, a capped pen might write great but be annoying to use every day. My favorite gel pen to write with is the Uniball Signo, but the way I use pens, I really want something retractable with a clip for my pocket.
#4 I'm surprised no one mentioned Jet Pens here: https://www.jetpens.com. They have a huge selection of Japanese pens and if you like really fine tips or unusual ink colors, they have those too.
#5 Jet Pens also has a great blog, I might point you to The 42 Best Pens for 2023: Gel, Ballpoint, Rollerball, and Fountain Pens or The Best Fine-Tip Gel Pens
posted by BlueTongueLizard at 10:29 AM on September 14, 2023

Missed my edit window... just wanted to say that I now see that most of the hyperlinks above are pointing to JetPens, you can disregard my comment #4.
posted by BlueTongueLizard at 11:13 AM on September 14, 2023

The classic Bic Orange Original (fine tip) is fantastic. Everyone I’ve given one to loves them.
posted by Caxton1476 at 4:10 PM on September 15, 2023