While SKB’s Soft Ink and Click Ball pens showed some promise, SKB’s V6 gel pen mostly gave me trouble. With a classic silver-on-black color scheme, its design is nice enough. The cap secures and posts very well, and the clip is sturdy enough for daily use.  And though it lacks a soft grip, it still manages to be somewhat comfortable to hold.

That’s all for nothing, unfortunately, when the pen has a bad refill. The V6 tends to skip out quite frequently, and it is one of the roughest writing experiences I’ve had – it feels like I’m scratching the paper with every stroke. And while the ink doesn’t seem to bleed at all, smearing is still a problem.

In Taiwan – where SKB primarily sells their pens – the V6 costs 15 Yuen (about $2.35 US dollars) for a 12-pack (or about 20 cents per pen). So in Taiwan, you get what you pay for. In the U.S., however, I paid $3 for a 3-pack, which is overpriced considering almost any other gel pen will give you a much better writing experience.