What's the best pen you've ever used?

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NontradCA said:
I don't know the names/models of any pens. I didn't even know pens were this kinda thing amongst students. I don't think I've purchased a pen in years. No wonder the bitches haven't been flocking.
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That's cause you went DO.
JK Much love, bro.
5pnp6.jpg
 
Sanger Sequence said:
I spent an entire year meticulously testing and abusing various pens to find the best for me, and the results were:

No single pen is the best for all situations. The pen I use to take notes during cell bio is not the pen I use to collect data during ochem lab, and these are different from the pen I use to write cheat sheet note cards. Pens are all about personal preference, and what I will recommend is completely based on my preference, but hopefully you can grab some useful information.

I tend to go for capped pens, retractable pens seem to have loose tips which can become a small annoyance (again preference here) and mess with consistency. I also prefer finer pens (.5-.7) for better legibility and ability to write smaller.

BEST ALL AROUND PEN: Uni-ball Vision Micro Elite (.5mm) - I am literally using this pen as I write this. Although this is a rollerball, it writes more like an gel or ink pen - so I really dont consider it a rollerball. This pen has amazing and consistent ink delivery (no blotches or breaks) and the ink dries very quickly to decrease smudges and smears (great for left-handers!) Pen itself is quite light with great weight distribution and the micro fine tip gives the ability to write smaller for notes. For most the .5 is too fine so .7mm seems to be the casual and common size.

BEST PEN FOR LEGIBILITY: Pilot Precise V5 - as mentioned by multiple users above. I have written my most beautiful notes with this pen, this is my go-to pen when I know someone will be copying my notes or turning in assignments I can take a little more time for. This pen has a fantastic and QUICK ink delivery system but can get blotchy if writing too slow. Definitely my ochem pen, great for structure drawing. One downside with this pen is the heavy and dark ink seems to BLEED through papers quite easily and can smear. Don't expect to write front to back if your using cheap recycled paper.

BEST ROLLERBALL PEN: Uni-ball Jetstream .7mm - A lot of people tend to like rollerball pens (I personally dislike most of them) and many have raved about this pen. Rollerball pens are great for SPEED writing and smoothness. This pen can be a bit blotchy but is extremely slick to write with. I also used the .5 and it seems to be too fine for a rollerball and tended to scrape against the paper. Ink doesn't dry too quickly and can be smeared. Once capped and re-opened, can take a few seconds to disperse ink, but thats a small issue.

BEST BUDGET PEN: Pentel RSVP Fine - A lot of people borrowing your pen and you're too nice to say "get your own", then let them use these! Great heavy pens that last a long time. Excellent for note taking and ink rarely breaks when writing. These bad boys sometimes go on sale 10-pack for $2, so its hard to say no. I also love spinning my pens over my thumb and this pen is great for tricks like that.

Note: many people have mentioned the Pilot G2 - and these are excellent pens! However, they take forever to dry (you fold a paper and half your notes get copied to the other side) and get blotchy and inconsistent.

But ultimately, try all the pens you can get your nerdy little hands on. Its impossible to know what you like until you have something else to compare to. And unless you KNOW something special about a pen, I would never spend more than $10 on a single one. So for now... keep writing!
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Big fan of the Pentel RSVP fine tip, actually using that right now to write my grocery list. #wow #muchadult
 
PriamTRH said:
The best pen I've used so far is the Velocity 1.0 by Bic
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I used to use the heck out of the Pilot Precise. Black, the finer the better, it was my BPF (Best Pens Forever). However, Dr. Michelle Au wrote about these gel pens and it sounded like a good yet inexpensive pen and I tried them. Love them, so in the past few years I've given my heart/fingers to the Pilot G-2 in the 0.5mm nib. The nib on the 0.7 writes fatter than I like, while the 0.38 is lovely fine stuff but so precise that I find it drags when I'm trying to write quickly. I also like that you can reorder ink for it if you like instead of buying entire new pens.

Although I have a 6 yo and a 14 yo in the house, so it's not like I don't end up having to go buy more anyway. :/

Otherwise, we're talking things like:
blogger-image--1156121805.jpg


to do things like:
http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/calligraphy,scribe

And the girls have an innate sense of self preservation and have never touched those pens....
 
The best mechanical pencil I've ever used has been the Pentel Graph gear 1000 automatic drafting pencil.
 
Psai said:
s0036628_sc7

this is all you need
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The gentle grating noise normal pencils make gradually chips away at my soul. I would rather write on a blackboard with a rusty nail than use one of those.
 
The Pentel Sharp 0.9 mm is an excellent choice. It is strong enough to handle a difficult workload, but cheap enough to lose accidentally without panicking. Ironically, I bought a replacement pencil 12 years ago and I still use it daily.
 
But what's the best lead? The ones that come with my papermate pencils break allll the time. Most frustrating thing ever during a quiz/exam.
 
Kochanie said:
But what's the best lead? The ones that come with my papermate pencils break allll the time. Most frustrating thing ever during a quiz/exam.
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That's why you get the papermate with 0.7 mm lead, it does not break so much then.
 
As a major stationary enthusiast, I LOVE this thread. I usually use G-2 Pilot pens, but I am now obsessed with Write Dudes 0.7 mm roller gel pens. Write just as well as a Uni-ball, dries very fast, and is way cheaper. You can get a pack of four at Target for $3.50. Love them 🙂
 
I prefer Pilot Precise V5s- but beware, 1/2 of mine have exploded while flying. Otherwise, it makes beautiful, legible notes and comes in many colors.

Ballpoint pens, I prefer the Papermate Inkjoy 300 RT 1.0M if detailed drawings aren't involved and I'm just taking notes.
 
NickNaylor said:
It's because I'm an elitist and believe only rich, white men (#privilege) should have any rights. Amirite?
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I was going to say because you're going to be a shrink, but okay. I was picturing you sitting on a couch, listening to patients, and admiring your pen while you draw zoloft zebras and prozac unicorns.
 
The best pen I have used would likely be the ones the hospice I volunteer at gives out to everyone. I can't figure out the make and model to be able to buy them at the store and it consumes me. lol.
 
Pens, like your innocence, don't stay around long in the hospital setting. If you carry around anything that costs more than $1 you are nuts. I've had calls where I showed up to work with three pens and went home with two totally different pens, neither of which I could recall picking up nor could I recall misplacing the others.
 
Fountain pens and french bulldogs are the two expensive vices I gravitate towards. Neither will help me while I go through grueling hours of medical school and residency, but someday I hope to be able to afford one (or more) of each. I'm pretty flexible on the pen, it just has to be comfortable to hold and not too fat. But the ink MUST be pelikan and not cartridges.

In the meantime though, Pilot G-2s 0.7 mm or anything else that writes smooth and dark while not making my hand cramp will do.
 
TUL 1mm. You'll have the thickness, but it's worth it


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