Ballpoint pens experience from a fountain pen user
- My honest experience summed up as this: They are decent in writing and carrying, but they have nothing special and are kinda dull.
+) After getting a few fountain pens, I notice that there are a also a few ballpoint pens that are highly regarded in the community
+) I decided to buy a few that are generally highly regarded by enthusiasts in the Pic: Uni-ball: Zento <EF and F>, Jetstream light "<F>", One P, and Pilot G2. They all write kinda the same, with a few differences here and there.
+) But I do like some feature in each of these pens: I like the clip design of the Zento and One P, I like the for factor of the One P, The Zento ink are the smoothest in my experience with the <F> size, the Jetstream have the nicest grip section but write like an EF than an F which is strange, It said it's 0.5.
+) Out of all of these, I like the Zento <F> the most as it's the smoothest, and the close second is the One P because of the form.
- When comparing ballpoint and fountain pens, it's kinda like comparing apples and oranges, but the orange is way more interesting and fun for me.
+) I find that the cheapest fountain pen in my collection, which is the Kakuno, writes way more fun than all of these pens, and even though I praise the smoothness of the Zento line, they still are not as smooth as a Western fountain pen <F/M> nib that can be micromeshed to feel like gliding on ice.
And people often praise the ink of the One P as the darkest and most vibrant, but I can think of a few fountain pen inks that are darker and have a more fun effect, like Sheen.
- That said, I think ballpoint pens are decent for their purpose, for writing and bringing to places, and I can give a pen to my coworker and don't have to worry because they borrow mine for 6 months straight.
Feels good to have a great Japanese design ballpoint on the go and in the office in the sea of pens that could be bought for a nickel.
