What do you know about pens?

Well, hideee ho... welcome to my amazing world of pens. I intend to have some pics up soon, but for now, you'll just have to take my word on it that most of the pens critiqued here are aesthetically pleasing.

When it comes to pens... there are a few things that you have to consider. .. are you left or right handed??? Do you enjoy the way the ink sits on your paper... do you notice that your writing is dependent on the combination of writing surface and the ink flow of your pen? Well. Writing and the pens you use to write with are extremely personal details that you want to consider before you go out and purchase that 12 pens for 1.19 at Office Depot or Staples. Not that those pens aren't good. I myself use those pens on a regular basis. But you shouldn't limit yourself to only the economical pens... allow yourself the luxury of a smooth flowing Gelly Pen. The following analyses are personal thoughts on my own quite healthy collection of pens, maybe you'll consider them before you go out and buy a pen.

• GEL PENS - Gel pens are fairly new to the pen market. They just appeared in the last few years ago. This new type of pen doesn't use traditional ink, but a gel-like ink. Gel pens are very classy. I find that there is a very smooth delivery onto the paper. A great many of them are of archive quality, which means that they don't fade as much and are fairly waterproof after they dry. The beauty of these pens, and the central concept is the way they flow like an ink pen, but it doesn't soak as readily through the paper, if at all. The ink flow is uniform and makes writing a pleasure. They can also be used for temporary tattoos because they don't wash off right away with water, but come off pretty easily with a little soap. (But I have no idea if it's medically sound. Try at your own risk!) Since the ink doesn't soak into the paper, but dries on the surface of the paper, you can use them as contrast. A light pen colour on dark paper. There are a few drawbacks though, they can get pretty pricey, and not all makes offer refills. The ink runs out fairly quickly, and may take a second or two to dry, so I don't recommend them for lefties.
  A few brands you might want to try.....
  • PENTEL is one of the most popular makers of gel pens as far as I can tell and offer a few different types:
    • HYBRID - these are the first ones they came out with, and are normal gel pens, they also came out with the extremely popular gold and silver Hybrids. Some of these are in the neon range of colours.
    • MILKY - The second generation of the hybrids, they came in pastel colours with a white base, they were featured as being able to write on black paper. My favourite so far.. these are great for the tattoos, and for writing in general for special occasions.
    • METALLICS - Now these are the newest, and follow up on the gold and silvers popularity. They feature darker colours with a silverish base to make sparkly colours. I have not bought one yet, but from what I can tell, they seem very good. But if they're anything like the original gold, the colour has a tendency to rub off when not dry, to reveal the silver base. This was not a problem with the milkies.
  • ZEBRA Gellyrollers are cheaper than the Pentel pens, but are generally of a lower quality. The one that I bought backed up on me and rendered the last half of the ink unusable.
  • Sanford GELLY ROLLER is a bit more expensive, and doesn't offer the range of colours that Pentel offers, but has a really nice barrel design and the ink is a bit darker and waterproof than Pentel pens
  • SAKURA Gelly Rolls, like Pentel, but as an import, is a little more expensive and hard to find. They also offer a wide range of colours, though some of them are neon. I heard that they also make metallic ones, but produces a more sparkly effect than a metallic effect.
• INK PENS - I don't have that much experience with Ink Pens, since I don't usually like them, it's a personal preference on my part since I tend to leave my pen on the paper too long, resulting in blotchy writing. Also, the nibs are too delicate and tend to flatten in the non-metallic nibs. The metallic nibs I find are much too sharp and create too deep a ridge in the paper.
  • STAEDTLER SILVERBALL - I found these pens to be my favourite out of all other ink pens that I have written with. I guess they are technically ball point pens, but I call it an ink pen because of the way they ink flows. In any case, this was a really cranky set of pens, they required a specific angle of writing, but once you get the hang of it, produce a nice flow. Staedtler recently came out with a new set, and made it easier to get an even flow, but it still is too much for me. Leaving the cap off causes the ink to dry up immediately!
  • ZEBRA MILLIPENS - These little pens feature the 1 mm nib diameter in a variety of colours, including grey. I like them, but sometimes I like a big-boned pen.
  • PILOT - These pens are classic, but I find that the nib on a pen slowly gets widened after a few uses, so it can cause some inconsistency in line width.
• BALLPOINT PENS - The cheapest of pens, less cantankerous than ink pens and cheaper than gel pens. They have a much more viscous ink.
  • PAPERMATE - These are probably the best buy for your money. You can get 12 for a little over a dollar. They come in black, blue, red and green. They write very well if you get a good one. I sometimes get the odd one that just doesn't flow very well, or too much, but those are relatively rare. There is a good amount of ink in the barrel. Personally, these pens provide me with the correct pen-paper friction.
  • STAEDTLER - These ballpoint pens are a little too dark for me, and the pen an odd octagonal shape that doesn't sit too comfortably on mine, but they do write very nicely and the ink doesn't blot.
  • BIC - my least favourite of pen. They seem to run out of ink too quickly for my tastes and most ink flow is much too weak or sporadic. They seem to require a "warm-up" scribble before flowing properly with each use.

Okie.. i think i went a little overboard.. but that's enough for now.... Back to main!