Rolling Ball

Review: Inc R-2, Rollerball Pen, 0.7mm

by Andrew

Inc R-2 Rollerball

The Inc R-2 rollerball pen has a thick, sturdy look about it, and it feels like a permanent marker in the hand. It’s fully disposable, yet seems durable enough to hold up to the abuse of banging around in a backpack. I was excited to use the R-2, but when I finally had a reason to pull one out and write, I was quickly disappointed.

The R-2 has a decent grip, making it fairly comfortable to hold, but it delivers neither the smoothest nor the cleanest lines. It has a really nice dark ink, but it bleeds through the page. Worst of all, the flow is just no good – there is no consistency in line width, and the ink frequently skips out.

Inc R-2 bleed through test

The R-2 is an inexpensive pen – I bought a 2-pack for one dollar – but they’re still not worth the trouble. The writing is so inconsistent that they’ll only frustrate you. Instead, spend an extra dollar or two to get something at least a little better.

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Review: uni-ball Air, Rollerball Pen, 0.7mm

by Andrew

uni-ball Air

Between the name and the design of the pen, the uni-ball Air makes me feel like I’m writing with a Blackbird stealth jet. It’s a black, all-plastic rollerball pen with a faint hexagonal pattern on the barrel and a grey swoosh near the tip. It looks really cool.

uni-ball Air tip

The Air has a very interesting feel while writing.  It’s somewhat waxy on paper and is almost like writing with a crayon. The ink is very rich and dark, and it spreads out on the page so much that it feels much thicker than a 0.7mm tip. Though it doesn’t smear nearly as much as I expected, it does seem to bleed readily through paper.

One of the main advertising points of the Air is that it writes at any angle, and I think it actually produces a finer, cleaner line when writing upside down. If uni-ball offered the AIr in a smaller tip size, I’d probably jump to recommend it. At 0.7mm, however, it runs and bleeds enough that I’m inclined to pass it up.

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Review: Retro 1951 Tornado, Classic Lacquer Rollerball Pen, 0.7mm

by Andrew

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There’s something about the Retro 1951 Tornado that, even after you’ve only picked it up it for a few seconds, you know it’s a nice pen. Some combination of the sleek shape, the minimalist design, and a good weight and balance makes it a great pen to hold. But what really seals the deal for the Tornado is that it delivers a good writing experience too.

The Retro 1951 refill that comes with the pen is one of the smoother rollerballs that I’ve used, and the black ink has great vividness to it as well. It can smear a bit, but nothing drastic – probably even a little less than an average rollerball.

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One thing to note is that the pen retracts via a twisting mechanism protruding from the top. I have to admit that I’m a bit torn on this aspect of the Tornado. On one hand, it makes the pen a bit different and fun. On the other, it’s a bit gimmicky, and click mechanisms are really the more user-friendly design.

Regardless, I’m quite enjoying the Tornado whether I’m writing with it, holding it, or even just looking at it. Definitely $20 well spent.

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Review: BIC Triumph 537R, Needle Point Roller, 0.5mm

by Andrew

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With its bland black/grey barrel and a partially-transparent ink window, there’s nothing about the BIC Triumph 537R that really stands out. Still, this needle point roller pen draws surprisingly clean lines despite the fact that it drags a bit on the page. It’s a nice pen to write with, and it would make a decently good pen if not for the awful barrel and cap design.

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The main problem is that the cap has a tendency to stick, whether it is locked over the tip or posted on the barrel. There are times when removing the cap is literally a double-fisted endeavour. To make things even worse, the cap connects to the barrel in the same spot where the refill threads in. So sometimes removing the cap (or even spinning the cap slightly in the wrong direction) will cause the refill to become partially removed from the barrel.

If BIC were to keep the refill but fix and snazz-up the barrel, then this pen could be worth using. Until then, there’s no reason to bother with the Triumph 537R.

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Review: Pilot Precise V5 RT, Rolling Ball, 0.5mm

by Andrew

PilotPreciseV5RT

When I first laid eyes on the Pilot Precise V5 RT Retractable pen, it was at a convenience store (a national chain found all over the U.S.). Of course I had to buy it – I love fine-point pens, and how often do you come across a 0.5mm pen at a convenience store? I began using it in my journal, and I was impressed immediately.

The lines are fine but vivid, and it writes smoothly without skipping. For being a relatively inexpensive pen – it was about $4 for a two-pack – it also looks pretty good. It has a rubber grip and metal clip, and the barrel is a grey that looks almost like metal from a distance. It’s also fairly comfortable to hold, and I have to admit that I prefer the click-top pens over anything else.

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It’s a great pen overall, but I can’t say it comes without any issues. First, the rolling ball style ink can smear a bit with a heavy hand; a problem particularly for left-handed writers. Second, although it’s a reusable pen, it is hard to find the ink refills out at the store. The convenience store I originally bought the pens at certainly doesn’t carry any refills. And looking online, the refills are each about the same price as an entirely new V5 pen, which pretty well defeats the purpose of it being reusable.

These issues aside, the Pilot Precise V5 RT is a pretty great retractable pen. If you’re someone who likes a finer-point pen, you’ll definitely enjoy writing with it.

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