Decent, cheap pen?

You younger guys probably never heard of this but you could make a quill pen. All you need is turkey or goose feathers and the you form the tip with your " PEN KNIFE" , remember ??
 
mete said:
You younger guys probably never heard of this but you could make a quill pen. All you need is turkey or goose feathers and the you form the tip with your " PEN KNIFE" , remember ??
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Now that's what I call decent if I've ever heard it.
 
Pilot P-500 (extra fine .5mm) & Uni-Ball Vision Elite .8mm. I'm a professional artist and use pens for my work and have done a lot of research into the subject. The P-500 is great for real precision, the Uni-Ball makes great, bold lines. These are the best affordable pens on the market now. They both have the very key characteristic of using an acid-free, pigment based ink which is completely lightfast and archival safe- which means that your scribbles will last for hundreds of years if on the proper paper. Important if you sell your scribbles for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Both pens give effortlessly smooth, consistent lines and won't smudge once dry.
 
Alright! Glad to see I am not alone with my opinion on the cheap Parkers.
I have or have had pens from 10 bucks to 200 dollar Mont Blancs and the parker beats most all of them. The only one I like more are the Retro 51 series from Rotring, IIRC.
 
i have a parker jotter with the gel ink refill and i use that more than any other pen i have. it cost about $10 IIRC,

as far as really cheap pens i like the old std med point blue bics.
 
No one has tried the TUL brand yet? Similar to the Sanford gels in my opinion, and I like the pocket clip better.
 
I like the Uni-ball Rollerballs. The G2 is okay but I think the Rollerballs dry faster. For drawing I like the old school Papermate disposables in blue, even though I have more expensive art pens. You'd be amazed at what they're capable of.

Frank
 
My favorites are made by Parker (Jotter). (Believe me, I try lots of different pens and have for years.) Real smoother writing ball point. (None better for the price.) No smear ink like the gels tend to, a traditional ball point design (retractable pt), and strong clip for a pocket or where ever you plan on sticking it. Best thing going for about $6-$7 at Walmart or big office supply stores.
 
A stainless Parker Jotter has been one of my favorites for several years now.

I recently discovered Pilot G-2 0.7 pens and have been using them for a few months now. However, if I have to get dressed up the Parker is usually the pen in my pocket.

One of my other favorites is the Pentel Rolling Writer. Not sure why I like them but I've always got one lying around the desk.

porkchop
 
Have to agree that Parkers are good pens, but about a two years ago, I discovered the Zebra F402. Good writing, fine point, reliable, and writes well through carbon copies. I use them every shift for report writing, and love them.

Good action, heavy steel barrel, middle of the road rubber grip, metal refills, and a clean, conservative appearance. Love 'em.

AN
 
rifon2 said:
I think people have become a little spoiled by the smoother writing gel ink pens.
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Ink from Gel Pens can't be dissolved with acetone like other types of ink. It makes signing checks and other documents safer. Gel Pens have the "Frank Abignail Jr." thumbs-up approval because it's harder to alter the documents.
 
RobbW; You beat me to it. Frank Abagnale Jr, who's early biography was dramatized on screen by Steven Spielberg endorses Uni-ball Signo gel pens because the ink can't be erased with acetone.

I find the pen to be handy, lightweight, ergonomic and the gel ink seems to last a long time.
 
Blades said:
Another vote for the Zebra's!! Have you tried the Gel Zebra's??



Blades
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No, not yet. I tend to use the standard ballpoints because I made a mess when I tried gels and never gave them a second chance. I guess I should give them a second chance, though.
 
It also depends on what shape pen you like

Uni ball vision elite is a great pen but the barrel is a bit thin for my liking

the Pilot G2 is a great pen but it runs out quickly because of the gel ink

I've been using a Uni ball power tank recently, its a normal biro not a gel pen so the refil lasts a long time, comfort is similar to the G2, and its pressurised like a space pen for the novelty value!
 
Great thread. I've been using Uni-ball Gel RT 0.7 (black) pens for the past 5 years. I really like the smoothness, but the lines are a bit too thick.

Went to JetPens and bought a few varieties in 0.38 and 0.5. Firstly, 0.7 is smoother, but it's a much larger point. Next, turns out I don't really like the Pilot G-2 0.38. It's not as smooth as the Uni-ball Signo RT 0.38. Also, I did a "water test" on both, and the G-2 ink ran while the Signo stayed in place.

Just placed a second order for a mess of the Signo RT and DX pens in 0.38 and blue-black (love the color). :D
 
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