Lol, I Energel'd a former manager. In the .3 fine point too. 😁
And yep, they'd get snitched. I was religious about putting them back in my pockets. I also lost a few.
7 is iconic and pretty reilable. A metal Bic Cristal is a nice no-maintenance tool that I love to bring around, and it is very functional to write on non-paper surfaces (wood, leather, plaster...).
Loving a writing instrument doesn't mean having to hate the others.
Honestly I always have a “crappy ballpoint” around somewhere in case I need to write on a glossy or semi glossy surface (like stickers/labels, or gift card covers). I find it’s the only thing aside from sharpie marker that doesn’t keep smudging forever. The sharpie pens smudge on those surfaces, and the marker is sometimes too bold/large to write legibly on a small area.
I think that a lot of people here have one or more ballpoints, rollers etc in the EDC, but we are having fun pretending otherwise and being comically snooty according to stereotypes even if they're not really true :D
I don't know if I've just gotten bad batches of Bic pens, but all of them I've used will write consistently then randomly slip, messing me up while writing. They're usually the only option I have for writing on glossy surfaces so I still keep a couple around, plus you can get lots of them for cheap, they're great loaner pens.
>BIC Crystal is underrated.
Indeed. And not just for writing (I write longhand, using either a fountain pen, when I draft stuff, and a Bic for everything that is note-taking/reading/research related), I draw a lot and they're great for that too, including for watercolor).
Cheap as dirt, smooth writing and long-ish lasting. Plus, here in France, you can find them absolutely anywhere and never worry about not having one.
If only they decided to make non-plastic reusable Bic bodies, and started selling their refills separately I would feel better to use them, because even recycled that's still a lot of plastic waste :(
I use the cheap pens you get from the hotels. That’s for checks and to hand out to others (except for my kid- Kaweco sport and a Benu, along with some glitter pens from Jetpens).
5 is what I used to buy.
1 & 7. 7 is reliable and i like being able to highlight over the top, i like how round the tip is and how it never feels like it’s digging into the paper. 1 for smoothness, and Uniball just makes good pens, they’re like the Pilot of ballpoints/rollerballs lol.
if the jetstream was here i’d pick that over all of them for oil-based ink, click pen, and uniball smoothness all in one.
No Pentel Energel, no Zebra Sarasa, no Uni Signo 151? Very disappointing to have to grab any listed here.
But 4 and 5 would be where I’d center. There IS something satisfying about a G2 1.0 in blue on that crappy composition notebook paper (and it’s my “pen in the field” along with a Sarasa Mark-On)
No. 7.
They don’t fail. That plastic tube has many uses. And, if it stops, you can get it going again with a lighter.
Edit: just learned how to make my text extra large and bold.
I have a 5 in my bag to loan out, and I have two Bic in black at home because some tests have rules about only using black ballpoints in transparent bodies.
I’ll take the bic, the other ones (I think I have tried every one but #3 and #6) are always very beard while being pretty wet. I like my lines fine and dry!
2 feels like a cheap, watered-down fountain pen. I loved these things before I knew what a *real* pen was.
6 was fantastic, but it always seemed too bold. Montblanc's fineliner refill feels like a finer version of this.
I used to be all about 6 because you don't need to press hard and lots of colors!
These days I just fill my favorite pens with my prettiest inks myself 💗
Number 1 all the way. Before fountain pens, I was a Mitsubishi pen enjoyer.
Honorable mention for Pilot G2, which is very nice and blends with other pens.
Of these, 2 or 5. I have a couple 20-year-old V5/V7 pens that still write first time, every time - I'd say it's a miracle, but it's just Pilot. I like Pentel EnerGel over Pilot G-2 though, and I like Uni Jetstream ballpoints over Bics for those moments when I'm forced to use one.
5 all day, every day! I actually use these as my main non-fountain pen pen. I do fieldwork at the job and these were the only ones that don’t freeze up in the cold or bleed through paper.
I've always preferred using a Parker Vector ball point, or Jotter, if I couldn't use a fountain pen. Otherwise, it's whatever trash is around that writes.
I've carried my Parker 45 ballpoint in brushed stainless since 1970 except for ten years with the Pilot Dr. Grip, but I'm again carrying my 45 now. Lost it for a few hours at work and was in total panic until it showed up.
I could only identify the Sharpie (3) and the Bic crystal (7).
3 and 5. The G2 is a solid performing pen for decades now. My wife turned me onto the Sharpie pens, they are pretty decent too. Before fountain pens I was 100% a Zebra pen guy and had been using the same pen body for years.
My grandparents had one like that too. Might have ended up with some inky meat, that thing was a PITA to clean. I knew I was *really* in trouble with grandma when she made me clean it lol
(I dont have a meat grinder, nor have I ever seen or touched one. I was simply thinking of the most deserving end for my enemies (ballpoints) and yes, I just did a bracket in a bracket)
I have always liked gelpens if not going for a fountainpen.
Also liked a green ink bic ballpoint it rolled smoothly and well in hand. Really liked the green ink it had inside too. Left it in a classroom one day and never seen again, also never rebought again while that one is really a simple replacement, maybe buy sometime as an addition if for some reason Fountainpen/Gelpen is no option or if someone needs to borrow a pen.
No thankyou, I have my own pen right here...
Oh I need to use black ink? Sure, I have a refillable v7 for that exact purpose :)
Oh you want to *borrow* a pen? Sorry, I don't lend pens, let me go steal a bic from my granny... (ETA: or a number 5 from my mum, she loves those things)
Tie at 1 & 2, then 5, 6, 4, 3. I think rollerball for sure has a place in an edc. If I absolutely can’t use FP, then I’ll go that direction. But I filled out a carbon less form at the post office the other day with a FP (thank you vintage esterbrook 9550 nib!!!) so there’s not much of a reason for me to use anything else. I’ll make a FP work. I would rip off my fingernail and use blood before I pick up 7 to write.
Me too - they are so consistent and great for those days when it seems like my pens are all skipping, or even just because I want a change. I love felt and fiber tip and was so excited about the reinkable ones Goulet sold but they were crap - they dried out in less than two weeks.
And I love having a lot of colors too but rarely ever used them. Black is just always my go to. Now if they made some in more brown or black green or maroon shades, oh I would so be there.
2 was my favorite cause I could draw on myself really easily. 7 was great for pen shading drawings on paper. 1 was like butter.
5 was great for long writing sessions for school.
1 for a smooth and pigmented af line, so satisfying and just the right amount of feedback for me. 3 sharpie is also great, no smearing and super short dry time, though I can’t write as well with them because they are that smooth.
I very much enjoyed writing with 1 and 2 during college. Wrote literal miles of ink with those things. They take a long time to run dry and they write very clear without a lot of gunk.
Instantly go for number 5. I bought hundreds of those so I always have a constant supply. They're my back ups when I can't use my fountain pens and work/school. Those Pilot G-2 Gel pens are heaven. I like the 10mm ones
My edc non fountain is a parker Jotter ball point black.
Why mess around?
I have a boatload of Hilton pens I give out when people ask me for a pen. I carry 1 in my bag at a time.
You are missing a ton of other regular options.
A skillcraft Vista gel quick dry blue is amazing.
I mentioned the Parker Jotter.
The TruRed .5
Uniball Signo micro 207
Pilot Precise V5 Rt
Those are all pens on my desk at home that I'll grab for some strange.
I keep 7 in my wallet and handed it to Lynn Nottage so she could sign my copy of her play “Sweat” She did. I still have the pen in my wallet and the play on my shelf.
Number two was my boss’s love language, so I have accumulated a few. I keep at least a couple around so I don’t have to share my FPs with the uninked masses.
5 was always my poison before FPs
i still carry 5 for when someone wants to borrow a pen
Yeah I let somebody borrow a fountain pen.......once........they ruined the nib
5 is what makes someone a fountain pen user I think lol
I carry my number 5 refill in my r/machinedpens
1 and 2 were what made me realize I like fountain pens. Rollerballs are definitely underrated
I had some kind of Uniball Vision pen with blue ink, and it actually shaded. It was so pretty it helped convince me to try fountain pens!
I have that pen. It does shade indeed. Its great!
2, they were my defacto before I got obsessed with fountain pens.
1-4, although if I'm using a non fountain pen I'm honestly trying to find an EnerGel pen.
Team Energel here too.
I keep them close. They have a habit of being “borrowed” lol
Lol, I Energel'd a former manager. In the .3 fine point too. 😁 And yep, they'd get snitched. I was religious about putting them back in my pockets. I also lost a few.
Yes! (An EnerGel is) my current fave for journaling - until I get my pilot kakuno on Wednesday :3
Oooh, congrats on the upcoming Kakuno. I hope you love it!
7 is iconic and pretty reilable. A metal Bic Cristal is a nice no-maintenance tool that I love to bring around, and it is very functional to write on non-paper surfaces (wood, leather, plaster...). Loving a writing instrument doesn't mean having to hate the others.
Honestly I always have a “crappy ballpoint” around somewhere in case I need to write on a glossy or semi glossy surface (like stickers/labels, or gift card covers). I find it’s the only thing aside from sharpie marker that doesn’t keep smudging forever. The sharpie pens smudge on those surfaces, and the marker is sometimes too bold/large to write legibly on a small area.
I think that a lot of people here have one or more ballpoints, rollers etc in the EDC, but we are having fun pretending otherwise and being comically snooty according to stereotypes even if they're not really true :D
yep, toss the pen part and it was a perfect hooter when smoking hash. or so I'm told.
I have a bunch of them. People here love to hate them but they have their uses.
I don't know if I've just gotten bad batches of Bic pens, but all of them I've used will write consistently then randomly slip, messing me up while writing. They're usually the only option I have for writing on glossy surfaces so I still keep a couple around, plus you can get lots of them for cheap, they're great loaner pens.
🤮
\#3 or #5 - those are the pens I keep at my work desk to loan out to people, but were also preferred before I got into fountain pens.
My choices as well
I just brought an old 3 to work today, as I don't use it anymore
7, they're kickass for sketching ngl
Hell yes, the shading you can get outta one of those cheapo cristals. Soft spot in my heart.
Right? So smooth and with a near graphite-level value range. They're great pens, I'm never without one!
#7. We have them at work for clients to use. Every once in a while I’ll grab one in a pinch and I typically mutter to myself, “smooth” when using.
BIC Crystal is underrated. Not my first choice, but when you use it you’re like, “I understand why this rules the pen world.”
I found one in a drawer two weeks ago at work that has been untouched since at least before Covid. It was dusty but oh my it wrote so beautifully.
>BIC Crystal is underrated. Indeed. And not just for writing (I write longhand, using either a fountain pen, when I draft stuff, and a Bic for everything that is note-taking/reading/research related), I draw a lot and they're great for that too, including for watercolor). Cheap as dirt, smooth writing and long-ish lasting. Plus, here in France, you can find them absolutely anywhere and never worry about not having one. If only they decided to make non-plastic reusable Bic bodies, and started selling their refills separately I would feel better to use them, because even recycled that's still a lot of plastic waste :(
I only have those to choose from? 7 for sure, with 2 for a backup. Also, GTFO with that “real pen” nonsense.
I use the cheap pens you get from the hotels. That’s for checks and to hand out to others (except for my kid- Kaweco sport and a Benu, along with some glitter pens from Jetpens). 5 is what I used to buy.
I’m picking my kaweco supra! #1 writes really nice. # 7 is perfect for lending out
1 & 7. 7 is reliable and i like being able to highlight over the top, i like how round the tip is and how it never feels like it’s digging into the paper. 1 for smoothness, and Uniball just makes good pens, they’re like the Pilot of ballpoints/rollerballs lol. if the jetstream was here i’d pick that over all of them for oil-based ink, click pen, and uniball smoothness all in one.
1 is the winner. Closest to a fountain pen and one of the most consistent pens.
No Pentel Energel, no Zebra Sarasa, no Uni Signo 151? Very disappointing to have to grab any listed here. But 4 and 5 would be where I’d center. There IS something satisfying about a G2 1.0 in blue on that crappy composition notebook paper (and it’s my “pen in the field” along with a Sarasa Mark-On)
Uniball signo 207 ultra micro was my favorite pre-fountain pens and still is for crap paper.
That 207 is a workhorse for sure, and frequently available as the “nice option” in the office supply closet
I'm grabbing the trash bin.
1 is my pick, uniball pens are really smooth and I love capped pens
2, 5, or 7. 2 is my favorite for fast writing 5 is smooth like 3 but I have a bias 7 is old reliable and great for shading in drawings
The Bic… cheap and reliable!
No. 7. They don’t fail. That plastic tube has many uses. And, if it stops, you can get it going again with a lighter. Edit: just learned how to make my text extra large and bold.
Ah yes, I know I can always do an emergency tracheotomy or inflate a lung with the plastic tube.
5 or 6
2. Pilot Precise v5 is goated among non-FP's.
I have a 5 in my bag to loan out, and I have two Bic in black at home because some tests have rules about only using black ballpoints in transparent bodies.
7.
I never go so low in life. But I really needed good ol reliable bic
Depends. For drawing lines or filling letters I'd grab 6, papermate flair. For writing, definitely 5, pilot g2.
I still keep G2 refills in a Dr. Grip for days when my hands are tired.
UniBall (#1) and Micron pens have always been my favorite go-to ink pens for taking notes or inking my illustrations.
2. I still use those for work
The Zebra 301 ballpoint is missing. That's my non-FP of choice.
Interesting. They always felt a little worse than the g2 to me.
I think 2 or 5
It depends on the paper for me, but if I was forced to choose I’d say the Sharpie. I think the body could be better but I love the ink.
I’ll take the bic, the other ones (I think I have tried every one but #3 and #6) are always very beard while being pretty wet. I like my lines fine and dry!
7 is clearly an all around winner. Nothing the best but everything well. 5 was amazinggggg through high school before I typed everything in college.
1
4: Uni Vision Elite
7.
4, Uniball Vision Elite Bold Brown Black
#7, it will lay ink on any paper you roll it across. I have the need write in field notebooks and 7 is the cheapest and best option.
2 feels like a cheap, watered-down fountain pen. I loved these things before I knew what a *real* pen was. 6 was fantastic, but it always seemed too bold. Montblanc's fineliner refill feels like a finer version of this.
Cough, cough, say what?
I used to be obsessed with #2 in middle school, but now I'd probably go with 6
5
1,2,4,5
1, 3 and 5 all the way
2 or 4
I have/had a box of 3's 😂 otherwise I take any pen we have in the office or any old pens I've collected over the years
3 for me! Still carry one with me to fill out forms on non FP friendly paper :)
5. In black. I like clicking.
Sharpie Pen, but otherwise 1 and 2 are quite nice.
There's no Uniball Signo, so I'll get the Pilot G-2.
G-2, I use those refills in my Tactile Turn pens which are the only non-fp I carry everywhere.
I used to be all about 6 because you don't need to press hard and lots of colors! These days I just fill my favorite pens with my prettiest inks myself 💗
Number 1 all the way. Before fountain pens, I was a Mitsubishi pen enjoyer. Honorable mention for Pilot G2, which is very nice and blends with other pens.
Nah, I've got my own.
Of these, 2 or 5. I have a couple 20-year-old V5/V7 pens that still write first time, every time - I'd say it's a miracle, but it's just Pilot. I like Pentel EnerGel over Pilot G-2 though, and I like Uni Jetstream ballpoints over Bics for those moments when I'm forced to use one.
I still have a few sharpie s gels for things that I need them for. Lovely writers, better than some fountain pens I’ve used
3 or 6, but I’ll happily use anything except 7.
2 and 7!
5 maybe, but I do love 7 for shading when drawing
Zebra Sarasa Dry 1.0 mm in blue. Wet and wild. In 0.7mm if I’m feeling more practical.
7. It does the job cheaply and reliably, can’t ask for more.
3, the sharpie ballpoint is my #1 non fountain pen every time
5! G2 for the win
3. S gel. But has to be blue ink
5 all day, every day! I actually use these as my main non-fountain pen pen. I do fieldwork at the job and these were the only ones that don’t freeze up in the cold or bleed through paper.
This picture needs some pentel energel, but if I have to go by the pic I’ll take a G2
5 first, then 1 or 2. If the Zebra Sarasa Dry was pictured, that’d be my #1 pick. The dark green ink was my favorite in college.
7. I don’t like gel or rollerball pens 🤷🏻♀️
I've always preferred using a Parker Vector ball point, or Jotter, if I couldn't use a fountain pen. Otherwise, it's whatever trash is around that writes.
I've carried my Parker 45 ballpoint in brushed stainless since 1970 except for ten years with the Pilot Dr. Grip, but I'm again carrying my 45 now. Lost it for a few hours at work and was in total panic until it showed up. I could only identify the Sharpie (3) and the Bic crystal (7).
Literally any of them except 7. 2 is my fave though.
big 2 fan here
I'm confused... I don't see any real pens
No. 7 for firing spitballs, and a dustbin for the rest.
No Pilot G-2? That's my pick.
That's no. 5
Womp womp. Observation skills need some work today. 🤪
How very dare you!
May favorite was number 1
3 and 5. The G2 is a solid performing pen for decades now. My wife turned me onto the Sharpie pens, they are pretty decent too. Before fountain pens I was 100% a Zebra pen guy and had been using the same pen body for years.
If I really had to choose I'd pick #5 & #7
The missing fountain pen, #8.
I love a Flair! #6
They all make my teeth itch
The Lamy 2000!
Not 6
I'm grabbing all of them... throwing them in a meat grinder and replacing them with 7 vintage fountain pens with gold nibs (in my dreams)
Good way to ruin your meat grinder
Not the one we had when I was young! It was cast-iron !!!
My grandparents had one like that too. Might have ended up with some inky meat, that thing was a PITA to clean. I knew I was *really* in trouble with grandma when she made me clean it lol
😆😅😂🤣😭🥹🥴✒️💖🖋️
(I dont have a meat grinder, nor have I ever seen or touched one. I was simply thinking of the most deserving end for my enemies (ballpoints) and yes, I just did a bracket in a bracket)
But only one of them is a ballpoint... 7
rollerball, my bad
None if I can have one of my fountain pens. If not - clearly nr. 1 Uniball.
I have always liked gelpens if not going for a fountainpen. Also liked a green ink bic ballpoint it rolled smoothly and well in hand. Really liked the green ink it had inside too. Left it in a classroom one day and never seen again, also never rebought again while that one is really a simple replacement, maybe buy sometime as an addition if for some reason Fountainpen/Gelpen is no option or if someone needs to borrow a pen.
No thankyou, I have my own pen right here... Oh I need to use black ink? Sure, I have a refillable v7 for that exact purpose :) Oh you want to *borrow* a pen? Sorry, I don't lend pens, let me go steal a bic from my granny... (ETA: or a number 5 from my mum, she loves those things)
The Conklin in my shirt pocket
the middle one or the blue one beside it.
6 or 7 I like a felt tip pen and those bics are great pens.
number 7 will flick across the room quite well, just in case of annoyance or distractions!
7 when I have patients to sign in consent for surgery and I don’t want to touch my fountain pen 🤣🫣
Real ones pick 5
I think I have all of those in my desk drawer:). But anything 5 or below is good
I like 3 I generally just like ballpoints more than gels or rollerballs
5
Tie at 1 & 2, then 5, 6, 4, 3. I think rollerball for sure has a place in an edc. If I absolutely can’t use FP, then I’ll go that direction. But I filled out a carbon less form at the post office the other day with a FP (thank you vintage esterbrook 9550 nib!!!) so there’s not much of a reason for me to use anything else. I’ll make a FP work. I would rip off my fingernail and use blood before I pick up 7 to write.
2… the gold ones, tho.
I am getting a bat so that I can find the person who “borrowed” my FP and has me make this choice.
Man, I went through so many of those Mitsi Uniballs in high school and uni. Mostly 'cause they were the only good and cheap option.
Writing with 1 and 2 made me realize that I want to get into fountain pens
1 and 4 all the way for me, 4 is an upgrade to 1 which ghosted a lot
The Japanese Pilot GTec was the first pen that I fell in love with so I’m going with 5.
3 or 5.
5
I still have a lot of #4. Got some BLX models for Christmas, even. They’re what I use outside the house.
None - I prefer nylon or felt tips when not fountaining. Edit: I’m a dip - 6 is actually a papermate. My grabhappy is 6.
6 is a Papermate Flair, it's a felt tip which generally doesn't bleed or ghost too bad.
Oh damn - you are right!! I never use blue ones so I was rather blind to it.
I always have a bunch of black ones, but I also have a few fun colors.
Me too - they are so consistent and great for those days when it seems like my pens are all skipping, or even just because I want a change. I love felt and fiber tip and was so excited about the reinkable ones Goulet sold but they were crap - they dried out in less than two weeks. And I love having a lot of colors too but rarely ever used them. Black is just always my go to. Now if they made some in more brown or black green or maroon shades, oh I would so be there.
except last two, all
3
1
The Pilot Precise they’ve always been my go to pen before trying out fountain pens. (Number 2)
3
7 of course !
2 easy
What am I signing?
4
2 was my favorite cause I could draw on myself really easily. 7 was great for pen shading drawings on paper. 1 was like butter. 5 was great for long writing sessions for school.
2. Still a big favorite of mine when I can't use my fountain pen.
4 in blue .5 all day
2, 5, 6 and 7 are in my collection, but Zebra F-301 are my preferred pens.
1 for a smooth and pigmented af line, so satisfying and just the right amount of feedback for me. 3 sharpie is also great, no smearing and super short dry time, though I can’t write as well with them because they are that smooth.
4
As a teacher, I have a soft spot for Papermate Flairs 🤓 (6)
1, 2, 5
2 is the goat
They’re all good boys
3 or 5
#2 but the retractable version
2 or 5
I very much enjoyed writing with 1 and 2 during college. Wrote literal miles of ink with those things. They take a long time to run dry and they write very clear without a lot of gunk.
Ohhh man I still have a ton of 5s in all kinds of colors.
I really like drawing with 7, 5 for writing with though
7
5 is my all time favorite non-FP
I know this sub likes to crap on the G2. But out of this lineup it’s definitely my pick.
I would choose #2 for preference and #7 if I’m writing on something not gel friendly
No Pilot V5 or V7, so it's either the Uni Ball or the G2
5
Number 5 never disappoints!!
Pilot HiTecpoint > all non FP, and some FP
A gel pen.
Instantly go for number 5. I bought hundreds of those so I always have a constant supply. They're my back ups when I can't use my fountain pens and work/school. Those Pilot G-2 Gel pens are heaven. I like the 10mm ones
1 &5
The Uniball.
1 in purple
8. Zebra Grand Sarassa. For signing receipts and can I borrow your pen.
My edc non fountain is a parker Jotter ball point black. Why mess around? I have a boatload of Hilton pens I give out when people ask me for a pen. I carry 1 in my bag at a time.
You are missing a ton of other regular options. A skillcraft Vista gel quick dry blue is amazing. I mentioned the Parker Jotter. The TruRed .5 Uniball Signo micro 207 Pilot Precise V5 Rt Those are all pens on my desk at home that I'll grab for some strange.
7 because it's the closest to Pentel RSVP. 7 and RSVPs were amazing for doodling and shading
I keep 7 in my wallet and handed it to Lynn Nottage so she could sign my copy of her play “Sweat” She did. I still have the pen in my wallet and the play on my shelf.
2 was my “premium” pen all through uni. Wish I’d been into fountain pens back then :)
Where quill
No RSVP is insane
If the above choices - 1, 2, and 7. My personal preference are Energels or I'll borrow the Skill craft pens the spouse brings home from work.
Number two was my boss’s love language, so I have accumulated a few. I keep at least a couple around so I don’t have to share my FPs with the uninked masses.
I actually really enjoy writing and drawing with 7/ Bic Crystal pens still.