What do you write with?

[Darrell KSR]

We're all on computers here (or smartphones, or tablets, I get it)--and for some, I'm sure that's 99% of all they use.

For others of us, we still use writing utensils. What do you use?

I go through phases. I was in a "pencil" phase for awhile. I still enjoy the feel of pencil on paper, and particularly when I have a nice, $15 or $20 Pentel type vanishing point pencil, and/or when I "go large" with the 0.9mm lead, rather than the standard 0.5mm or sometimes 0.7.

For awhile I was in the "fountain pen" phase. I still love this, as impractical as they are. Give me a broad point fountain pen (notice the theme here), and I truly enjoy writing. Have one expensive Waterman fountain pen with a broad point I love. I also enjoy the process of filling the pen with bottled ink, as opposed to ink cartridges, which I do not like at all. I know, they're more convenient. Less messy. But if you're about convenience and neatness with fountain pens, why not go with a ballpoint, gel, or something else?

Currently I'm in a standard, near-disposable ballpoint pen phase. But I like the Bic Velocity 1.6mm bold point ballpoint, which sells for about $2.98 for a two-pack. Very smooth, although it will sometimes have "excess" ink, so if neatness is required, pass on this one. You can tell, I enjoy big, bold lines.

Speaking of which--I also have a phase, and I often use this simultaneously with others, of using Sharpie markers. Sharpie came out with a silver, metal, refillable one a few years ago, and I enjoy using it--although I do pick up a dozen Sharpie "fine point" markers (a misnomer if ever there was one), and use them. When I make "to do" lists and such, nothing better than marking out something completed with a big, bold, Sharpie.

What do you use, and what do you like?

[Darrell KSR]

I do have a couple of nicer ballpoints, too. But when I lost my Mont Blanc ballpoint, it kinda got me off of that phase. I have to take such care with the fountain pens, I don't worry about losing one as much as I do a ballpoint.

Anybody want to replace my Mont Blanc ballpoint for me? It was a going away gift from my old New Orleans firm. Man, I hated losing that.

Sent using Forum Runner. All typos excused.

[BigBlueBrock]

http://static.jetpens.com/images/a/000/000/244.jpg

[KSRBEvans]

My weapon of choice is the Uniball Vision Micro, black ink:

[Darrell KSR]

http://static.jetpens.com/images/a/000/000/244.jpg

Lot of folks like those. I think Evan Daniels of Scout often talks about his G2. Is that a 0.36 mm point?

[Darrell KSR]

My weapon of choice is the Uniball Vision Micro, black ink:

Is that a 0.3 mm point also? In a prior life (my old firm) we used to use the Razor sharp point pen, which may be similar. I think it was even a 0.2mm point. At times I liked the preciseness of the extra-fine point, but hated taking a page or two of notes (or more) with them. Felt like scratching to me; hence, I migrated to the bold, broad point pens, and even the bigger pencil leads, too.

[BigBlueBrock]

Lot of folks like those. I think Evan Daniels of Scout often talks about his G2. Is that a 0.36 mm point?

0.38. I love it, it's what I use to take notes with in class. Writes smooth and consistently.

[KSRBEvans]

Is that a 0.3 mm point also? In a prior life (my old firm) we used to use the Razor sharp point pen, which may be similar. I think it was even a 0.2mm point. At times I liked the preciseness of the extra-fine point, but hated taking a page or two of notes (or more) with them. Felt like scratching to me; hence, I migrated to the bold, broad point pens, and even the bigger pencil leads, too.

You know, I'm not sure what mm the point is. All I know is for that type of pen, it's the smallest point they have. The "Fine" version feels a little too thick for me.

I agree about the Razor points--they feel too thin. This one feels thicker than that.

I prefer blue ink to black, but I work for the military and they have this custom of using black ink so I'm stuck with that.

[Darrell KSR]

The one drawback even I have for the bolder lines is that they seem "slower" than the finer points. That may sound dumb, but if I need to "fly" on my notetaking, a finer point seemed to do the trick better than one that filled the page with broader strokes.

I'm a blue fountain pen fan, and a black gel or porous point pen fan. For ballpoints, I can go either way, but generally like blue there, too.

The only time I have ever liked black fountain pen ink is for the Namiki Vanishing Point fountain pen. Those I do enjoy having black. Their medium nib is like other company's fine; their broad, like a medium. Somehow black just works with that pen, and blue does not. It seems more precise, and black seems more precise to me than blue; blue more flowing and creative than black.

I'm weird, but it makes sense to me.

[Catfan73]

I'm a Uniball guy too. Well, at least where pens are concerned. :rolleye0013:

I hate ball point pens though. I love pencils but only if I'm at my desk with my pencil sharpener handy. Don't like the mechanical ones though.

One of my favorite 'cheapie' pens is the Liqui-Mark #4000 Hard Copy. Until they dry out, they're hard to beat imo.

[Darrell KSR]

Where do you get the Liqui-Mark #4000 Hard Copy?

Plastic point, liquid water-based ink pen? Sounds intriguing for the cheapy crowd (I am in that number.)

Reminds me, I used to like a pen that had a plastic point (I think--I don't think it was roller ball) and it was pretty unique. Back in the day, it was under $10, and was refillable. What made it unique is that the pen itself was just sort of the bottom half--the refill became the lower body of the pen, including the point.

If your refill ran out, you did not throw away the refill until you had another refill, because I seem to remember that the pen cap would not fit on the upper body by itself. Was it in the Pentel brand? I don't remember.

[jazyd]

Darrell,

I use my right hand, works better that way, never lose it, never have it leak, don't worry about the cap, the click, the battery life, the plug in, always with me regardless.

[CitizenBBN]

I write so little I have a hard time even finding a pen here in the office. By the end of college my profs were letting me type my essay exams. One let me just sit in the hallway next to the door with my laptop (one of the first ever) so as not to disturb the other students. That was in the 80s.

I almost can't write I do it so little. My fingers just don't have the muscle memory for it. Oddly I can still spin my pen around my thumb pretty well.

When I did I liked the Cross pens. Very thin but I liked them. I do like one of the Pilot pens, have one around here somewhere and when I use it I really like it.

[blue2ksr]

I write with my left hand and use whatever happens to be laying around.

[dan_bgblue]

Started off with a hammer and chisel, moved to charred twigs, found a pigeon quill one day and some ox blood which worked OK, then eschewed ox blood in favor of some new fangled ink with the pigeon quill.

Today I use cheap retractable ball point pens with black ink.

[Lfbj00]

I'm a pen kind of guy. Right now I'm using my "#1 Dad" pen that my 6 year old bought for me at the school Xmas shop. Never have liked pencils very much. I prefer blue ink to black ink, but have found that most places prefer you use black when signing things. I hate ink pens in different colors.

On a side note, when you write, do you print or cursive write? I'm a printer. I find that I can print faster than I can actually write. The reason why I ask is that my 11 year old son recently won his middle school writing contest. He's in 6th grade, and it was school wide, against all 6th-8th grade students. The boy can't print worth a crap, but writes cursively like a girl. I just don't get it. Plus, I don't understand how he writes so well, when they don't teach writing anymore. He had one small cursive writing course in third grade, and hasn't had any classes on it since. What exactly do they teach our kids today??

[bigsky]

Word. I write with Word, print it off and sign it with a blue bank or hotel pen.

Word so people can read it, and I mean people like me, too. Blue so I can tell original from copy. Hotel or bank because the free ones from the conventions vendor tables get used up first.

[Catfan73]

My cursive looks like a 6 year old's so I print. My printing kind of all runs together though so its sort of a pseudo cursive thing that only I can apparently as my wife and soon have so kindly pointed out.

[CatinIL]

Chisel & hammer

http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/740422/101612950/stock-photo-cold-chisel-and-hammer-101612950.jpg

[blueboss]

#2 pencil the challenge is to use up the entire pencil (within reason) and still have some of the eraser left.

[Darrell KSR]

Blueboss, I enjoy writing with a good, old-fashioned quality # 2 pencil. But I can't stand to write with it when it gets to a certain length. I never have to worry about it that much, as I always lose them or something before then, but if I even find one that's short, I don't like using it.

[blueboss]

Yep, when they get down to about 4" I'm about done with them, plus the eraser is usually gone by then anyway. I've also found you can trim away a little bit of the eraser holder to get a little bit more out of them.