I'm no pen enthusiast, but I used to really enjoy Zebra. Build quality was good for the price point, and they were super smooth to write with. Unfortunately the quality went downhill maybe 5 or so years ago and they haven't been great in my opinion ever since. They still feel fine physically, but the ink will stop dispensing randomly while writing. Got sick of it and switched to Pilot. Been using Pilot Precise V5 0.5mm and find them great. The ink runs a little wet though, so the only downside is that if you rub your palm across the page too soon after writing it'll smear a bit.
The cheap white plastic bics with the colored rubber grips are some of the most consistent pens ever. The cheap black/blue all plastic ones are some of the shittiest pens ever. I don't understand how this is the case.
Parker, specifically the Jotter. I still have and use a stainless steel one that I bought in 1999 because I kept losing pens, and I thought that if I spent a little more on one I might take better care of it. It's my favorite by far.
I’m a big fan of the Tactile Turn machined pens. They are made in titanium, copper, and bronze, and they have microgrooves for grip. They make bolt and click pens in standard and slim width. They take either Pilot G2 refills, Parker-style refills, or (in the case of the mini) Pilot G2 mini refills.
Seriously, I’ve never lost one in the years that I’ve carried them. And the writing experience is drastically different than writing with a cheap plastic one.
I'm in the pen losing crowd. I can't tell if you guys are serious and I need a more expensive pen or not. 100 dollars is too rich for me though. But this logic sort of makes sense.
I’m dead serious about my pens. Some want expensive tennis shoes, some will get by with cheap ones. Some want the nicest, fanciest, sportiest cars, some just want basic transportation. Some want a mansion, others just need a roof over their heads. It’s all in what you put emphasis on. For me it’s pens, something I use all day every day during work. My wife will use whatever plastic pen with a broken clip that she finds on the floor, but I want something a little nicer that feels good in the hand.
And while you think $100 is a lot, it’s really not in the machined pen community. Fellhoelter pens can go for hundreds or even a thousand. The best thing that happened to me was for my wife to go with me to a pen show (yes, they have pen shows). Fountain pen prices can be insane, and she saw some for $20,000 and $25,000. It made my $100-$200 machined pens not look so bad! She’s still not happy about me spending money on pens, but after the pen show she knows that it could be SO much worse!
There’s a good sized market for metal machined pens that take standard refills like Parker-style or Pilot G2. If you use one once, you’ll either get it or think it’s stupid. If you get it, the rabbit hole can be deeeeeeeep.
I have no clue, I'm more utilitarian than fancy. I've tried fountain pens but found them to be too high maintenance. If it means anything, my second favorite pen is probably a G2.
The f701 is 8 bucks, a space pen refill is another 9 dollars or so.
So for 20 bucks you have a stainless steel pen that will last forever, while writing in damn near all conditions. Looks snazzy enough to trigger the "I better not leave this" for me, too.
I have a Plaisir Platinum fountain pen that's awesome. It was pretty cheap as far as fountain pens go but it writes really nicely and has a good solid feel to it.
For day-to-day disposable pens I like the Zebra Sarasa ones, or the Pilot P500 for drawing. I bought a big box of the P500s to keep in reserve in case they ever stop making them lol.
Zebra F-402 - I write really small and their fine tips flow great but don't run. Plus they're cheap enough that I don't care when my wife or kids steal them out of my desk.
The ability to use home-made inks, guache, and stick-inks makes Ackerman very special. Particularly since I get to use my favorite Brause Bandzug nibs. And of course there's the fact that they're a small specialty company helps make them "favorite".
If you're asking who makes my favorite pens for every day carry or low-maintenance with standard fountain pen inks, definitely Lamy. They will still stand out a bit in a business setting in a way that might be a bit uncomfortable for some, but not in the brute utilitarian way Ackerman's do. I love broad nibs, and frankenpens just aren't reliable enough for me at work.
Cheap enough that if it breaks or you lose it or some such, you won't be that upset, but writes wonderfully. It is nice to have a pen where you can choose your own ink, and it will accept either refillable cartridges or pre-filled cartridges.
The way the cap posts on the back of the pen is pretty unique as well.
Back when I constantly needed a pen I used to use a Parker espirit telescopic fountain pen, since it was the best small fountain pen that cost little enough that I wouldn't mind loosing, but it was still small enough and good enough for my tastes. More recently since I stopped needing an actual pen with any sort of frequency it just kept getting dry and I just decided to stop carrying one.
This days the only thing that I physically write with any sort of frequency are ttrpg character sheets and for those I just need a good pencil, so I moved to the wsd magnetic 2.0 mm lead holder. I just love it both as a great mechanical pencil and a fidget toy
I carry a Fisher Space Pen everywhere, but I switched its cartridge for Pilot Hi-Tec-C refills. It takes a little fiddling to get the refill in there, but once it's in it works great!
Pilot Hi-Tec-C is a gel pen with refills that happen to fit in the Space Pen. It puts down a crisp, fine line.
The problem with the stock Space Pen is that it's a messy ballpoint. I might be getting worse-than-typical results due to being left handed, but in general I find ballpoints don't write crisp lines, and the ink smudges on my hand much more than gel pens do. But with the gel swap I do lose the feature of being able to write upside-down.
I'll have to try it out! I currently use fisher space pens, and while the pen is reliable, I definitely notice that it's not guaranteed to write evenly.
Was there any hacks you had to do to fit the refill?
Yes; first pull the black plastic piece out of the end of the refill. I read that there needs to be a little airflow into the refill for ink to flow, and when the back of the refill is jammed into the pen that can cut off airflow so you might cut a little notch in the end of the refill where the black plastic piece was. I also sometimes trim about 4mm off the end of the refill, or put a tiny bit of wadded paper in the pen for spacing. But I do this a little differently every time I put a new refill in.
Those Zebras that are, like, 1/8 of the volume of what the median pen in this thread is gonna be. I'm not here to pinch hoses 5x their cartridge diameter, half of their length hanging out for nothing, I'm just trying to write. Any non-zero thickness works for that.
Bank teller w/half a dog tag chain.
I literally go to the bank to write my novel. The tellers are starting to suspect why I'm a depositing a single penny every ten minutes
I'm no pen enthusiast, but I used to really enjoy Zebra. Build quality was good for the price point, and they were super smooth to write with. Unfortunately the quality went downhill maybe 5 or so years ago and they haven't been great in my opinion ever since. They still feel fine physically, but the ink will stop dispensing randomly while writing. Got sick of it and switched to Pilot. Been using Pilot Precise V5 0.5mm and find them great. The ink runs a little wet though, so the only downside is that if you rub your palm across the page too soon after writing it'll smear a bit.
Does Pilot have any twisting pen options?
If you're looking for a satisfying twisting pen, the Faber Castell hexo ballpoint has been my favorite for a while now.
It uses a parker style refill, so I swapped it out for a Schmidt easy flow 9000 😙👌
I’ve used all kinds. My favorite is still the cheap Pilot G2. Writes effortlessly and has a great click to it.
Rotring. German company. Outstanding heft and quality. I like the 800, but if you prefer a click actuation to a twist, go for the 600.
Clickers are why my pants and pockets have ink all in them. Twist for life.
OP asking the real questions! Also just ducking glad to see something not news or politics related. My gosh it's overwhelming today.
:)
G2s are nice for pena. We also have some of the Sharpie ones.
I really like the Papermate felt tip marker pens.
Zebra F701 is also nice.
You can chuck a fisher space pen refill in the f701 if you want to spice it up
Bic
The cheap white plastic bics with the colored rubber grips are some of the most consistent pens ever. The cheap black/blue all plastic ones are some of the shittiest pens ever. I don't understand how this is the case.
Bic mediums are comfortable in my hand and I don't ever worry about losing them because their cheap and reliable.
Parker, specifically the Jotter. I still have and use a stainless steel one that I bought in 1999 because I kept losing pens, and I thought that if I spent a little more on one I might take better care of it. It's my favorite by far.
I’m a big fan of the Tactile Turn machined pens. They are made in titanium, copper, and bronze, and they have microgrooves for grip. They make bolt and click pens in standard and slim width. They take either Pilot G2 refills, Parker-style refills, or (in the case of the mini) Pilot G2 mini refills.
http://www.tactileturn.com/
Pens for $100. Reminds me of the Mitch Hedberg joke. "I bought an expensive pen because I was tired of not caring when I lost it."
When I pay $100 for a pen, I don’t lose it!
Seriously, I’ve never lost one in the years that I’ve carried them. And the writing experience is drastically different than writing with a cheap plastic one.
I'm in the pen losing crowd. I can't tell if you guys are serious and I need a more expensive pen or not. 100 dollars is too rich for me though. But this logic sort of makes sense.
I’m dead serious about my pens. Some want expensive tennis shoes, some will get by with cheap ones. Some want the nicest, fanciest, sportiest cars, some just want basic transportation. Some want a mansion, others just need a roof over their heads. It’s all in what you put emphasis on. For me it’s pens, something I use all day every day during work. My wife will use whatever plastic pen with a broken clip that she finds on the floor, but I want something a little nicer that feels good in the hand.
And while you think $100 is a lot, it’s really not in the machined pen community. Fellhoelter pens can go for hundreds or even a thousand. The best thing that happened to me was for my wife to go with me to a pen show (yes, they have pen shows). Fountain pen prices can be insane, and she saw some for $20,000 and $25,000. It made my $100-$200 machined pens not look so bad! She’s still not happy about me spending money on pens, but after the pen show she knows that it could be SO much worse!
There’s a good sized market for metal machined pens that take standard refills like Parker-style or Pilot G2. If you use one once, you’ll either get it or think it’s stupid. If you get it, the rabbit hole can be deeeeeeeep.
This kind of intrigues me. I may give it a shot. What is a good decent pen for say 20 dollars. Smooth, thin line. Say. 5 or so.
If you want to ball on a budget, you can get a steel f701 pen from zebra for $10, slap a fisher space pen refill in it, and call it a day.
What price range would this fall under in comparison to some of the moderate levels of pen craftmanship?
I have no clue, I'm more utilitarian than fancy. I've tried fountain pens but found them to be too high maintenance. If it means anything, my second favorite pen is probably a G2.
The f701 is 8 bucks, a space pen refill is another 9 dollars or so.
So for 20 bucks you have a stainless steel pen that will last forever, while writing in damn near all conditions. Looks snazzy enough to trigger the "I better not leave this" for me, too.
Uni jetstream edge .28 mm. Uses an oil-based ink that doesn’t smear if it gets wet. Feels good in the hand too.
Also, the rOtring ballpoint pens.
Jetstream is my favorite all purpose ink. I got the refills to put in some of my other favorite pen bodies.
You have some tiny writing with that 0.28! I find 0.5 to be my happy place.
Zebra F-301
Parker, usually. But Pilot is also good. Depends if I want a nice pen or a cheap pen. Kawecos are really nice, but I don’t currently own one.
Don't have an actual favorite. Just using bics forever due to convenience
I have a Plaisir Platinum fountain pen that's awesome. It was pretty cheap as far as fountain pens go but it writes really nicely and has a good solid feel to it.
For day-to-day disposable pens I like the Zebra Sarasa ones, or the Pilot P500 for drawing. I bought a big box of the P500s to keep in reserve in case they ever stop making them lol.
Zebra Sarasa. Bought one on a whim at a 711 in Tokyo a long time ago, kept coming back.
Brand? Bic.
I bought myself this beauty a year ago, metal body and refillable
Bic 4 colour ftw! 🇸🇸
Zebra F-402 - I write really small and their fine tips flow great but don't run. Plus they're cheap enough that I don't care when my wife or kids steal them out of my desk.
Sharpie.
Crayon,
TWSBI has been good, in my experience, for fountain pens. But I haven't tried many different brands, just a handful.
The ability to use home-made inks, guache, and stick-inks makes Ackerman very special. Particularly since I get to use my favorite Brause Bandzug nibs. And of course there's the fact that they're a small specialty company helps make them "favorite".
If you're asking who makes my favorite pens for every day carry or low-maintenance with standard fountain pen inks, definitely Lamy. They will still stand out a bit in a business setting in a way that might be a bit uncomfortable for some, but not in the brute utilitarian way Ackerman's do. I love broad nibs, and frankenpens just aren't reliable enough for me at work.
Kaweco sports, LAmy, rotring, and pilot vanishing point, opus 88, and one from montblanc but that wasn't a fountain pen.
Picked up a Rotring for my wife a while back and she constantly gets compliments on it. Really nice weight and feel to it.
Not the pen I was thinking of
i use Mitsubishi roller balls, real nice and inky, great colours. I'm a lefty so can't really use fountain types.
I like the Muji aluminum fountain pen.
https://unsharpen.com/pen/muji-aluminum-body-fountain-pen/
Cheap enough that if it breaks or you lose it or some such, you won't be that upset, but writes wonderfully. It is nice to have a pen where you can choose your own ink, and it will accept either refillable cartridges or pre-filled cartridges.
The way the cap posts on the back of the pen is pretty unique as well.
TUL pens. Super durable as I click my pens from anxiety and I havent had one break on me. Write very smoothly too
I'm surprised more people haven't said TUL!! they are, and have been, my daily for 6+ years. Got all sorts of colors too!
Back when I constantly needed a pen I used to use a Parker espirit telescopic fountain pen, since it was the best small fountain pen that cost little enough that I wouldn't mind loosing, but it was still small enough and good enough for my tastes. More recently since I stopped needing an actual pen with any sort of frequency it just kept getting dry and I just decided to stop carrying one.
This days the only thing that I physically write with any sort of frequency are ttrpg character sheets and for those I just need a good pencil, so I moved to the wsd magnetic 2.0 mm lead holder. I just love it both as a great mechanical pencil and a fidget toy
I've been using 0.7 point Pentel Supremes since I began high school
I carry a Fisher Space Pen everywhere, but I switched its cartridge for Pilot Hi-Tec-C refills. It takes a little fiddling to get the refill in there, but once it's in it works great!
I'm not familiar with the pilot refill, what about that swap do you enjoy?
Pilot Hi-Tec-C is a gel pen with refills that happen to fit in the Space Pen. It puts down a crisp, fine line.
The problem with the stock Space Pen is that it's a messy ballpoint. I might be getting worse-than-typical results due to being left handed, but in general I find ballpoints don't write crisp lines, and the ink smudges on my hand much more than gel pens do. But with the gel swap I do lose the feature of being able to write upside-down.
I'll have to try it out! I currently use fisher space pens, and while the pen is reliable, I definitely notice that it's not guaranteed to write evenly.
Was there any hacks you had to do to fit the refill?
Yes; first pull the black plastic piece out of the end of the refill. I read that there needs to be a little airflow into the refill for ink to flow, and when the back of the refill is jammed into the pen that can cut off airflow so you might cut a little notch in the end of the refill where the black plastic piece was. I also sometimes trim about 4mm off the end of the refill, or put a tiny bit of wadded paper in the pen for spacing. But I do this a little differently every time I put a new refill in.
Thank you kindly!
I commented this elsewhere, but I figured it deserves it's own top level comment.
You can take an affordable stainless steel zebra f701 and swap out the ink with a fisher space pen refill for a solid, utilitarian pen for less than 15 bucks.
Those Zebras that are, like, 1/8 of the volume of what the median pen in this thread is gonna be. I'm not here to pinch hoses 5x their cartridge diameter, half of their length hanging out for nothing, I'm just trying to write. Any non-zero thickness works for that.