ballpoint

Review: uni-ball Power Tank, Pressurized Ballpoint, 0.7mm

by Andrew

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With its clear plastic body and black trim, the uni-ball Power Tank might look like an average “premium plastic” pen, but there’s actually a bit more going on inside the barrel. The Power Tank uses a pressurized ballpoint ink refill, similar to the Fisher Space Pen, the Pilot Down Force, and the Tombow Airpress. This means that, like these other pens, the Power Tank can write upside-down or on rough, wet, and dirty surfaces. But unlike these other pens, which typically cost around 10 dollars, the Power Tank can be easily found for about $2.50 per pen – the least expensive pressurized ballpoint on the market.

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The Power Tank may not be the fanciest or most colorful pen in its category, but, frankly, you get your money’s worth. The ink is relatively smooth and dark, and though the clip and grip aren’t the best, they are certainly adequate. Overall, it makes for a good and inexpensive alternative to other pressurized ballpoints.

If you’re looking for a pen that you can use anywhere – one you can take traveling, for example – then the uni-ball Power Tank is a good option, especially if you’re concerned about losing a nicer, more expensive pen. For two or three dollars, you might treat it better than a ten-cent BIC Cristal, but it wouldn’t be a big deal to misplace it either. And even though I enjoy my Fisher Space Pen, it’s also nice to have a few Power Tanks lying around for whatever grab-and-go situations come up.

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Extra Links

  • A funny review at The Ruminator. A positive review overall, but he doesn’t like the name. On the contrary, I think the Power Tank is a really cool name for a pen.
  • A review at Pen Paper Ink Letter with lots of pictures. I agree with the overall opinion here – I don’t think it would have a place as my “everyday” pen, but it’s definitely a no-brainer if you feel the advantages of a pressurized ink cartridge would be useful.
  • So, uni-ball originally made a capped version of this pen? Legomac has some info on it, but they are apparently very difficult to find. I’m okay with that, as I’d rather have a retractable model anyway.

Review: Zebra F-701, Ballpoint, 0.7mm

by Andrew

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The Zebra F-701 is a stainless steel ballpoint, similar to the Zebra F-402 and based on Zebra’s popular F-301. And if you find Zebra’s numbering system as confusing as I do, here’s an easier way to think about it: the F-301 is the base-model (~$2 per pen) , the F-402 is the mid-grade (~$3 per pen), and the F-701 is Zebra’s premium pen (~$6 per pen). And while I believe the upgrade from F-301 to F-402 is definitely worth the money, the premium upgrade to the F-701 is less clear-cut.

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The F-301 (top) has a hard-plastic grip, the F-402 (middle) has a rubberized grip, and the F-701 (bottom) has a stainless steel grip.

While the F-701 is a much more substantial pen than the F-301, it’s about equal to the F-402 in terms of size and weight (though all three pens share the same mediocre ballpoint refill). What distinguishes the F-701 is its knurled, stainless steel grip, which looks nice, feels extremely durable, and is surprisingly comfortable. The F-402, on the other hand, has a soft, padded grip, which is a little more comfortable but will wear down over time.

There are two other, less substantial differences as well. First, the F-402 definitely has a thicker, sturdier clip. And, second, the F-701 has a plastic retracting mechanism that makes a quieter “click” noise. Both these differences, unfortunately, make the premium F-701 feel a little cheaper and less hardy.

Still, if you feel the need a tougher pen, then the F-701, with its all-stainless steel body, is still the clear winner of the group. However, at half the price, the F-402 is a better value for people who are less hard on their pens, such as those who do most of their writing at a desk. Meanwhile, you can probably skip the F-301 altogether.

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Extra Links

Review: BIC Cristal, Ballpoint, 1.0mm

by Andrew

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With over 100 billion pens produced since 1950, the BIC Cristal is the most popular – or, at least, most common – pen in the world. It’s the king of the office supply closet and the original economy pen, manufactured and sold worldwide. The Cristal even made it into the Museum of Modern Art for being a classic example of efficient, industrial design. It’s inexpensive and available everywhere, but, in terms of performance, the Cristal is a mixed bag.

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It’s a reliable pen that always writes when you pick it up, but the thin, plastic barrel becomes very uncomfortable to hold after writing more than a few sentences. For a ballpoint pen, the ink is nice and dark, but it’s also very sluggish. It often feels like writing with syrup. But for the price – a dozen pens for a couple bucks – it’s difficult to complain too much.

Whether you love it or hate it, the BIC Cristal is an icon that’s here to stay. It’s easy to find a better pen by pending a few extra bucks, but it’s impressive that BIC can deliver a functional product for such a low cost. The Cristal may never be my go-to pen, but it has my respect nevertheless.

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Extra Links

  • A history of the BIC Cristal, produced by BIC at the Cristal’s 60th anniversary. It’s an interesting read, especially if you want to see Salvador Dali holding a Cristal.
  • A review at Scribomechanica summarizes the Cristal really well: you can do better with other pens, but that’s not the point. The point is that the Cristal is really inexpensive, yet reliable.
  • The review at The Pen Addict is very positive towards the Cristal, with his primary complaint being the white-space within the lines of ink.

Review: TGL BB-8 Pen, Ballpoint, 0.5mm

by Andrew

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If you hadn’t figured it out from my review of the InkWorks Projector pen, I really liked Star Wars: the Force Awakens – especially the adorable, new BB-8 droid. And, shortly after writing that review, I stumbled across another BB-8 themed pen, one with a large, molded-plastic clicker to go along with its orange and white paint job. I just couldn’t resist.

This BB-8 pen, however, is produced by TGL, a company that seems to make a lot of similar pens for Disney. Unfortunately, they only seem to be available in Asian and European markets, so it took some hunting around online to find one I could purchase in the U.S. Eventually, eBay came through, and $10 and 30-days later, my BB-8 pen arrived on my doormat directly from Malaysia.

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The pen, flat-out, looks great. It’s surprisingly detailed, with BB-8’s antennae and eyes protruding from his head. But it’s also immediately clear that this pen is not very functional for anyone with adult-sized hands. The barrel is just too thick, it doesn’t fit in a pocket, and, it probably goes without saying, I feel rather ridiculous using this pen in public. And poor BB-8’s head constantly bangs into my hand whenever I write with it.

Obviously, it’s a novelty pen, most of which look nice but function poorly. In this instance, the size of this BB-8 pen might be best suited for children’s hand. But in my case, I’m happy just to prop it up on my shelf next to my Rey bobble-head.

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Review: BIC Round Stic, Ballpoint, 0.8mm

by Andrew

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For better or worse, I’ve probably used the BIC Round Stic more than any other pen. It’s usually the pen you’re handed to sign checks at restaurants, the pen you’ll find in office supply cabinets, and the pen your friend is likely to have knocking around in her purse or pocket. And the reason for the Round Stic’s wild success is no mystery; these pens are incredibly inexpensive.

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About as close to a “dime-a-dozen” pen that you can get.

Really, I’ve seen sixty-count boxes of Round Stic pens on sale for under five dollars, which is less than 10 cents per pen. This is why the BIC Round Stic is the darling of office managers around the country. But how well do these pens actually function?

Well, the ink smears a little, and it feels somewhat sluggish on paper. The thin, plastic barrel is uncomfortable to write with for longer periods of time. It also looks and feels cheap and flimsy. But what can you really expect from a ten-cent pen? At this price-point, nobody is buying these pens for the quality. Still, they manage to get the job done.

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