Writing utensils

[v-girl]

With all you nerds, I'm sure I'm not the only one who is completely anal about writing utensils. Since starting med school, my obsession with good pens has only gotten worse!

For pens, I have been using black Pilot G-2 .05 (extra fine) and love them. The only thing they are not good for is glossy paper. When I want to use multicolored pens, I use my 10-pack of Staedtler fineliner (3mm) porous tip pens. For me, the finer the tip, the better.

I also highlight. A lot. I like pen-style highlighters the best because they feel better in your hand and the tip isn't so wide. My favorites are Bic Brightliner Grip. However, I went through a 5-pack and a 12-pack in about 4 months and they are always seeming to go out on me, so I bought some Sharpie tank-style. I don't like them as much, but hopefully they will last longer! The next time I buy highlighters I might go for the Sharpie pack with 10 colors, just because more colors means less boredom for me!

I rarely use pencils. I only use them on quizzes or tests, though about half of our tests are on the computer. When I do use a pencil, it's a Bic 5mm grip mechanical pencil.

Okay, I should really study now. At least my good writing utensils make it slightly more bearable, and that's really the point.

[Rei]

If you want to develop an obsession with using good writing instruments, work at a pen store. Seriously. I thought it was bad before when I knew that I liked certain types of disposable pens better than others. Then I started this job and learned the difference between ball points and roller balls and began working with fountain pens a lot more. Now I use my Lamy Safari fountain pen for pretty much everything, and I wish I had the money to buy a Sailor pen because of their excellent nibs.

[Luet]

I'm kind of in between the voting options. The pen I use at home is a cheap one but I like it a lot, the Bic Atlantis Stick Pen. I bought a pack of ten black and ten colored that will probably last me years. I actually just used up my first one. Obviously, I don't write a fraction as much as you do, Cath.

But my guilty pleasure pen is not for it's writing ability but it's nifty factor. The Cross Tech3 Multi-Function Pen which has black, red and a mechanical pencil all accessed by continuous turn (like, you don't have to go back and forth), also has an eraser under the twist off cap. I thought I lost it at one point so I bought another one but then I found it, so now I have two. I love them! And no, I didn't pay full price. You know me and ebay.

[powerfulcheese04]

I loved (loved loved loved loved loved) the Bic Z4 0.5mm pens. But they stopped making them. I was really, really, really sad. I did move on to Pilot V4 (I think it's a 4 anyway, I'm not as attached to them yet). They're a pretty good substitute.

For highlighters I love the PostIt highlighters that have the pop up flags in the back of the pen. So useful!


I also only use pencils on tests and quizzes. And even, actually, only on tests that have scantron portions. Just writing tests I do in pen.

I love pens!

[v-girl]

Pilot V5, maybe? It's sad that I know that. I have tried those pens, but don't really like them. I like the precision, but after awhile it seems like only one side of the tip will write. Do you find that you have to write so that the tip is perpendicular with the paper? I do like the purple pen in the multipack though! Pilot G-2 05 packs usually have 4 colors. Clealry not enough.

[BonitoDeMadrid]

A simple blue Pilot V7 is all I need, though the fancy ones are also nice.

[Jayelle]

I've never been all that fussy about pens- maybe it's because I suck at using them. Any of the fancy types with the... flowy kind of ink, I just end up with it all over my hand and all smudged on the page (and I'm not even left-handed!). I'll take a simple Bic any day, as long as it isn't out of ink, I'm happy.

[Dr. Mobius]

What kind of port do these pen thingies use? USB? FireWire? I don't really understand the need for them though. Good old fashion keyboard works just fine for me.

[eriador]

I fall into two categories: ALL of my pens come from the floor, just what people leave around, but I hold onto the ones I like, I'm very attached to them, and I have about 10 pens that I REALLY like in my bag at all times, with another three in my pocket. Currently I'm carrying around (and using) a green Pilot V5, some sort of bright pink ink pen and a regular black sharpie (for writing on the back of photographs).

[locke]

i can't use fine tipped nibs because even writing as lightly as I can I just crush and squash them. I do like some of the pens I have but I don't know the difference between ball point and roller ball and fountain. I did buy my best friend (who's just as obsessed as many of you) a pretty nice fountain pen from The Pen Store for christmas once.

[Eaquae Legit]

I'm actually far pickier about my pencils. If I use anything other than a Bic 0.5mm clicky mechanical pencil, it's under duress. Fancy pencils weigh too much, and they're usually too thick and bulky. Regular wooden pencils need sharpening too much. I like a fine, precise line.

As to pens, I'll use whatever's around, and I almost always have a cheap pen or two at hand in case my good one runs out or someone needs to borrow one. Because I do have a good one, a Faber-Castell fountain pen. It's not their top-o-the-line, but that's okay with me because I tried a LOT of pens out before picking that one, and they were all enormous. Most fountain pens seem to be bulgy and thick. I think I just like delicate instruments. I have tiny hands, what can I say?

And all this reminds me I need to refill my pen, because I am out of ink!

[Syphon the Sun]

I tend to just buy quality refills (Mont Blanc has some really nice refills for about six or seven dollars a pop) and use them in a pen my grandfather carried around longer than I was alive. I get the best ink (without paying the hundreds of dollars for the "official" Mont Blanc pen) and get to use it in a pen that has a special meaning for me. (Mont Blanc's ink can be used in most pens, though sometimes with minimal adaptation [eg. cutting part of the plastic top of the refill a few millimeters])

EDIT: Because someone has to do it...

I think I just like delicate instruments.

*giggles*

[Eaquae Legit]

Of all the innuendo I knew someone could make out of that post, that was not what I was expecting to be picked up.

As to ink, I have a bottle of black Perle Noir and a refillable pen. Can't remember the term for it, though I'm sure Rei probably does.

[Rei]

The company is Herbin, and Perle Noir is the colour name. And you have a converter in the pen, as opposed to a cartridge. *by far prefers bottled ink to cartridges*

And it isn't that the pens are huge and bulky, it's that your preferences are absurdly small It's almost not physically possible to make one that you would be properly happy with.

I've found that I just don't enjoy writing with ball-points, and if I have to use something other than a fountain pen, I favour rollerballs. Ink on my hands doesn't bother me and really is something of a permanent state, for me.

[Dr. Mobius]

black Perle Noir

And you call yourself a language geek.

[Noodle]

I like medium priced pens, but I don't really use them that much anymore. Ultra Fine Sharpies are about all I use any longer. (there are 4 black and 3 multicolored ones sitting on my desk in plain sight right now,)

When I was writing by hand more often, I loved my parker pen, but I can't remember the exact model any more.

As for mechanical pencils, I think that the Paper Mate Clickster Grip was the epitome of perfection. I went through so many packs of those pencils it's not even funny.

[zeroguy]

With pens, I just use whatever's handy. Pencils, however, I am more picky about. Currently I'm using some of those cheap plastic mechanical ones, and some old drafting pencils that my grandfather used (from Norway, I think).

I'm actually far pickier about my pencils. If I use anything other than a Bic 0.5mm clicky mechanical pencil, it's under duress. Fancy pencils weigh too much, and they're usually too thick and bulky.

Hmm, I've actually been looking for a heavy thick'n'bulky "fancy" mechanical pencil. Can someone recommend one?

[Rei]

Thick lead or thick pencil body? The Faber-Castell E-motion is pretty good, although it has a 1.4mm (I think) lead. It is quite a thick pencil, though, and is not too expensive. It runs for around 66$, give or take depending on where you are. It's also got a lot of different finishes.

[Luet]

I'm actually far pickier about my pencils. If I use anything other than a Bic 0.5mm clicky mechanical pencil, it's under duress.

Those are my favorite regular mechanical pencils too. Once I bought a really cheap pack of mechanical pencils on clearance somewhere and they were CRAP. The lead broke all the time. I ended up throwing most of them out and going back to my Bic. Granted, since I'm not in school or anything, I mostly use them for puzzles and such.

The other multifunction pen I used to have was a Faber-Castell which I actually liked the look of better than my Cross one but it just had black ink and a pencil and didn't have an eraser. So, I'm sticking with my Cross.

Zero, this is a nice Faber-Castell mechanical pencil for $13. And you can check this link for mech pencils in all price ranges. If you have a pen type store nearby, you can go in and try them out. The place I found locally is actually a high end "luggage" store that sells pens and travel supplies too.

[powerfulcheese04]

Pilot V5, maybe? It's sad that I know that. I have tried those pens, but don't really like them. I like the precision, but after awhile it seems like only one side of the tip will write. Do you find that you have to write so that the tip is perpendicular with the paper? I do like the purple pen in the multipack though! Pilot G-2 05 packs usually have 4 colors. Clealry not enough.

You're right... Pilot V5. Though, I haven't run across that problem. I think I tend to rotate my pens around in my hands a lot between times that I'm writing so it keeps the tip pretty varied. That or I write so much that the tip doesn't have time to do that before it empties.

I do love the multipacks. I color code everything so I need as many colors as possible. That's part of why I miss my old pens. They had black, blue, red, dark green, bright pink, bright blue, bright green, purple and orange.

[Rei]

If you have a pen type store nearby, you can go in and try them out. The place I found locally is actually a high end "luggage" store that sells pens and travel supplies too.

I cannot stand behind this enough. It's way better if you can go in to a proper shop and test the pencil out and then go from there.

Luet, you know they make a trio multi-function as well as the twice, right? Although I don't remember if there is an eraser in it.

[Luet]

Yes, but I believe it only came in pen/pencil/stylus trio form; not pen1/pen2/pencil which is what I wanted. I have no need for the stylus. But thanks! I do like the one I have from cross except that it's a little slippery. The F-C one had a non-slip finish on the grip section, which you can kind of see in the pic.

[Rei]

I'm pretty sure (almost 100%) you can swap the stylus out for a pen refill. Either way, if you're happy with the Cross, go with that!

[zeroguy]

Thick lead or thick pencil body?

Body. I'm pretty flexible on lead; I use some .5mm's and something which is much larger than .5mm (not exactly sure what it is; certainly much larger than .7mm, though).

Thanks to both Rei and Luet for the links. Faber Castell GRIP 2011s look like they may be what I'm looking for. Although I don't like too much of that grippy stuff... maybe one of the multifunctions... I will look around.

(Looking at the Ambition designs... gah, over $100 for a mechanical pencil?!)

[Rei]

I could have pointed you to some pencils that are over 300$. Actually, their cost in the States is notably less than here in Canada.

[Oliver Dale]

I like Pilot Precise V5 rolling ball. And I use Papermate's Flexgrip Ultra Fine for glossy paper.

[Dr. Mobius]

This thread is more fun to read if you give Rei a gay lisp.

[Rei]

[Syphon the Sun]

Don't we already do that with all his posts, Josh?

[eriador]

Wow. That really does improve it. How do you see these things?

[Rei]

Yeesh, just because I happen to deal with these things whenever I'm at work

[Eaquae Legit]

Geez, eri, where have you been? You may be the only person on pweb who's never read Rei's posts in a feminine voice.

[Syphon the Sun]

It comes with the territory when you pretend you're a girl, I'd suppose.

[Dr. Mobius]

Oddly though, I've never given Sir Linus a masculine voice.

[zeroguy]

Geez, eri, where have you been? You may be the only person on pweb who's never read Rei's posts in a feminine voice.

"Gay lisp" is a lot different than "feminine". It's hard to imagine giving Rei (the Evangelion character, not the Pwebber) a gay lisp, for me.