<Geek Guidance: The following entry is not approved for all audiences.>
I am the kind of person who buys pens and notebooks for no particular reason. I generally like school supplies and often linger in stores to browse through nifty products like clip dispensers or fabric glue. But pen and paper are always the staple (no pun intended).
I'm always looking for pens. Not necessarily expensive ones, just those that write well. In fact, both Parker pens I have were given to me as gifts. Admittedly, how well a pen writes is relative to the person using it. People have different criteria for writing instruments and I find it interesting to find their preferences. And sometimes, if I hear a good recommendation, I set out to find and buy the pen myself.
My minimum criterion for a pen is that it does not skip. The other factors really depend on the paper, because different textures of paper absorb ink from pens differently. I also prefer those that are refillable.
I keep pens of different millimeter line widths. When I take notes and have the time for it, I sometimes use a thicker width (0.5 mm) for headings to simulate a bold style and use a finer width (0.3 mm) for the body of the notes. In school, I used different colored pens for this purpose, but I grew out of that. All my personal pens are now black.
The following are the current roster of my pens. I have a number of others among my things, but these are the ones that are easily accessible and often used.
Pilot G-Tec-C3 ultra-fine rollerball
This is my go-to pen. I've been using this pen since college, although I started with the 0.4mm width. I switched to the finer 0.3mm in senior year and have always had one in my possession ever since. I buy refills for this pen until the barrels are worn out and cracked. It's a pleasure to write with them, especially on smooth paper. The thing with G-Tec is that the fine tip can be sensitive and when it snags, it can be a pain to get the ink flowing again.
Pilot Ballpoint Pen Stick Type (BP-S) Fine
The one I have now of this was actually issued by the office on my first day. I remember using this pen in high school, but I often lose them so I would buy the cheaper Panda. Pilot BP-S is a good ballpoint. Reliable, smooth and easy to write with. The pen's plastic barrel is brittle, though. I actually broke mine at the end tip and had to tape it together.
Uni SX-210 Jetstream Rollerball
This was a very good recommendation to me. This is definitely one of the smoothest pens I've ever used. It glides through paper as if without friction. The barrel is lined with rubber, making it an easy-to-grip pen. I like this pen for jotting down quick notes during talks because I get to write faster and the ink dries fast. But my handwriting looks very inelegant with this pen, because of the line's thick width and because I find that I have less control with my strokes.
Parker Vector Standard Fountain Pen
This was a gift from my friends Jayjay and Karina. I like the fact that I have a fountain pen, but alas, I am no Butch Dalisay. I had to read about fountain pens before I got to use mine. I bought a Parker piston converter and a bottle of ink. I learned to assemble and refill this pen. I also found out that I sometimes had to wash the nib through running water. I actually like writing with a fountain pen. I like the quality of the lines and the difference of the effect with holding it differently and with varying degrees. I would use this more often if I had a proper desk.
Parker Insignia Chrome Ballpoint Pen
My old company gave this pen to me as a sendoff present. I haven't actually used this much and have kept it in its fancy box and its fancy case. They had my full name engraved on the pen and it nearly occupied the length of the cylinder. I like the weight of this pen in my hand. The writing is Parker-quality, but I don't think I'll carry this around. It seems to belong to the desk.
Faber-Castell 1401 Gel Pen 0.5
I saw this pen at the store, made a few tentative strokes, liked it enough, and bought it. This is my "bold" stroke pen for my notes. Some notes: the ink on paper dries a while but the ink on pen dries out the tip quickly, so better keep it capped.
Zebra F-301 Compact Ballpoint
This is my newest find. I read a forum where the Zebra F-301 was highly rated, almost to a cult following. I went to several bookstores to find this pen before finally getting it from the small school supplies section of the mall, of all places. I actually found the compact edition, but I bought it anyway. It is only 97mm in length when closed, but when the cap is placed on top, it extends to 133mm. It is very handy to carry around or to clip into notebooks and planners. I like the stainless steel cap and it writes smoothly and with a fine line.
And after all that long-winded rant, this brings me to the point of this whole entry. If any of you come across the following pens, please let me know where I can find them. Or if you're feeling particularly benevolent, just buy them for me and I will be glad to pay you for them. Thanks!
Zebra F-301 Deluxe Stainless Steel Ballpoint
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