| The
gel pen is mightier than the ballpoint
By Justin Siebenhaar
November 15, 2006 | There are items
in all of our lives that we use all the time and they
always seem to be breaking down, failing, or simply
malfunctioning at the worst time; and yet we do so little
to find a solution. Well, at the beginning of last school
year I went on a bit of quest. I wanted to solve one
of these problems once and for all. I went out to find
the end to my writing problems. There are a number of
writing instruments and there's no way to nail down
one that's so much better than the other.
Of course there is an endless selection
of pens, so ruling this down can be pretty tough. Ink
is just ink, right?
There are a few things to look for
in a good pen. Price is actually a big factor. Yes,
a Mont Blanc pen will work great, but most students
don't have $150 for a pen. And seeing how they tend
to misplace things, it's understandable that we leave
that purchase until a later date. The second issue is,
of course, function. Does the pen write well or does
it clog up and bleed? All these things are to be considered
because all pens are not created equal. Finally, feel
can be a big factor. Now days, many pen manufacturers
are as much about making their pens look good as well
as write good. And research into ergonomic design has
helped them figure the most comfortable pen styles.
But pens are like shoes: one size does not fit all.
The way you write should be considered as well.
I have tried countless pens but a
few touch all the main pen types. For convenience, I've
narrowed it down to three.
Uni-Ball Vision Elite
The Vision Elite is Uni-Ball's primer Roller Ball pen
in their lineup. Roller ball means the ink is a little
wetter than the gel ink but it dries faster. Uni-Ball
does give three big perks to this pen however: it won't
leak in flight, it uses the Uni-Ball's ink technology
that prevents check fraud, and it has fade- and water-resistance
in the ink. They style of the pen is pretty sleek. There
are no soft grips however and for long writing times
-- anything over 10 straight minutes -- it can really
begin to hurt the fingers. The ink lasts about two months
for the average users.
If you're a heavy writer who scribbles
down pages per day, you'll go through these pretty quickly.
It writes very smoothly and doesn't really run. You
can get the pen in a bold .08 mm or fine .05 mm. The
pen comes in eight colors. Cost is $9 for a four-pack.
Uni-Ball Signo 207
This is a gel-ink pen, which means there is less chance
of bleeding ink but it does take a little longer to
dry. It writes smoothly. There are a number of perks
to this pen. The ink is said to prevent check fraud
better than the other ink. Uni-Ball claims it cannot
be washed -- a technique fraudsters use to alter amounts
on checks. The pen is very stylish and is refillable
(a feature the most roller balls don't have) and it
comes in the same eight colors. Also, this pen has a
textured grip that's contoured for the fingers, which
means a little more ease on the fingers when writing
for long periods. The one downside is that gel ink runs
out quickly.
Bic Round Stick
This is the basement of pens but commonly used. And
to be completely honest, it probably does the job for
most people. These pens are always failing and they
aren't comfortable. The one big benefit is they're cheap.
In fact, if you ever pay for a Bic Round Stick, you've
overpaid. These pens litter the pen mugs of offices
around the world.
There are many downsides. The ink
isn't very reliable. Ballpoints are the least fluid
pens out there. Sometimes the ink will blot and smear.
You have to press hard with the pen; this can cause
pain when writing for a long period and leaves an imprint
on any paper below it. If you want to pay for these
pens -- I can't imagine why -- you can get a dozen for
about $2.
NW
RB
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