Some day I have to evaluate every single "plain" black or blue pen there is for smoothness to crown the ultimate writing pen. The other day I grabbed a few I thought might be fun to compare, to see what ranked better than others. I wrote a few short sentences, several words with each pen. I guess in theory I should write the exact same thing on the same piece of paper, that way there’s absolutely no variation in even the words chosen.
Here were my preliminary impressions:
Top picks included Sarasa bold 1.00mm blue-black retractable, and Pilot precise V7 Rt. Clicky top, not quite as bold, but very smooth. I believe I discovered both at Kinokuniya bookstore. Also right at the top was the uni-ball vision elite (yes, I admit it).
Still very close, but barely a step down were the uni-ball vision fine. Hmm, didn’t even realize that’s what it was until recording the results. Maybe it’s the barely less premium or pre-elite version. Also a runner up was the Pentel Energel metal tip 1.0.
Next best was the Pentel 24/7. The funny thing about this pen is it’s smooth most of the time, but occasionally feels like a squeaky marker on marker-board. Just for a moment, as if the ink is re-adjusting, and certainly not that often. Huge pen body, disposable, which kind of sucks. But a good solid writing pen. Also discovered at Kinokuniya.
Honorable mention goes to Bic gelocity. If not a pen connosouir (or wanna be) and not comparing to all these other pens, it’s a nice smooth pen with no complaints. Also comparable was the Uni-ball Signo 307.
It didn't occur to me until the following day that I didn't include the Pilot G2 or Uni-ball Signo 207. I wonder if subconsciously I didn't think they would be the very top pens anyway.
The more I think about it, The Uni-ball Vision Elite seems like a smaller point version of the Zebra Sarasa 1.00mm. The Sarasa 1.00mm has long been one of my favorites. Ironically the Sarasa .7mm is not nearly as smooth and usually not worth mentioning. See, all these pens that get smoother as they get bolder? On the ball-point front, the Uni-ball Jetstream 1.00 is like a finer point version of the Bic 1.6mm. (anything less than 1.6mm in Bic positively sucks). I have been using the Jetstream for notes at work, as I admit there are times when bold is just too bold.
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