Shrub's Guide to Picking Good Pens
"Shrub," you may be wondering, "why should I care? They're just pens, if they write they're good enough." You should care because most pens you find are garbage, and no, they aren't good enough. I'm looking at you, generic grey Bic pens.
TL;DR- R2 Rollerball pens are my favorite by far because they use a thinner, well-pigmented ink that doesn't require pressure on the page and doesn't skip, but does take longer to dry. Pilot G-2 pens are a close second for the same reasons. Don't get generic gel pens, they suck.
What kind of pens are there, anyway?
Ball-point pens: These are the pumpkin spice lattes of the pen world. These are the Bic Round Stics (the aforementioned generic grey Bic pens), the Pentel R.S.V.P.s, and the Papermate Profiles that are always half-dried and look terrible on the page. Ball-point pens use an alcohol and oil-based ink that dries faster and can write on a wider variety of surfaces than most pens. The downside is that they tend to require more pressure to write with, which can make them harder to use for a long period of time, and usually the ink isn't as pigmented which just looks bad imo. Hybrid ink is a less-viscous ink that writes smoother than standard ink, but I have no personal experience with this.
Gel pens: Another classic pen type that every 12 year old with a sparkly notebook has. These include the Papermate InkJoys and the Pilot G-2 pens. They come in a huge variety of tip sizes, colors, quantity of glitter etc., and because they use a water-based ink they are supposed to write smoother, but the ink tends not to coat the tip very well and it always skips over the page. This is a common problem with gel pens, but the exception to this is the Pilot G-2, which I have never had skip (the true status of the G-2 is unclear, since they are often called rollerball pens as well, but I am placing them in the gel category due to the gel ink and the color variety available). Choose wisely.
Rollerball pens: Yes, they are different than ball-points. Yes, this is confusing. This category includes my personal favorite pen, the Inc R2 Roller. Rollerballs use a thin, water-based ink. They write smoothly, the ink is bold on the page, they don't skip, and they do not require pressure on the page in order to write. Because of the ink used, it glides across the page without having to press down (much like a fountain or dip pen), which can save your hand from unnecessary strain. If you write a lot, I highly recommend getting a rollerball pen. The major downside is that, because the ink is watery, it takes longer to dry and can smudge easily.
Fountain pens: This is the fancy pen category. This is the "wow, why does that pen cost 50 bucks" category, the "nice gift for your Business Relative" category... Or you can get the Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pens. Personally? I prefer a rollerball, unless you want to shell out for one of the good fountain pens. Fountain pens use an ink cartridge system that automatically feeds water-based ink to the pen nib. They are supposed to glide across the page without pressing down, but in my experience with cheap fountain pens the ink tends not to flow nicely, and getting the ink to start flowing again is a pain. Type of paper is also a factor, the Clairefontaine brand was recommended by my professor and is widely used.
Dip pens and Quills: The fancy, old-timey category. I'm not getting into brands or specifics here, if you're in the market for a quill you're probably not using it for general writing and note-taking. You're better off asking calligraphers about ink preferences, nib shapes/sizes, nib types, etc. I may have used a (very shitty) dip pen and carved my own quill, but I am not an expert. I do like quills, though, even if they take a little practice to make and use. These pens generally have the same ink and nib shape as fountain pens (or at least they work well with the same ink, idk I'm not a historian), but no ink cartridge. Same paper type, pen pressure, etc. as with fountain pens. Quills especially require blotting paper to get excess ink off the tip before writing, and I imagine this is the case with metal-nibbed dip pens as well. Blotting paper can also be used to get excess ink off the page to help it dry faster (which can be used with fountain pens as well). Regular paper towels work well in lieu of blotting paper.
Felt-tipped pens: The last category, if I keep going I'll start talking about markers and I don't wanna (felt-tips are arguably markers but don't worry about it). My personal favorite are the Papermate Flairs. Felt tips tend to write well on a variety of surfaces, usually have water-based ink, and come in approximately 10 billion colors. It's a good choice, but so many things can go wrong. Leave it uncapped and they dry out, the tips can get crumpled and possibly become unusable, writing over a different color can stain the marker tip forever, and once it gets half-dry it's basically unusable.
If you're looking for a pen that'll write on whatever, dry quick, and work well with transfer paper: use a ball-point pen.
If you're looking for a pen that'll keep your hand from cramping during long writing stints, and works with paper you already have: use a rollerball (or a Pilot G-2, whatever that is).
If you're looking to shell out for fancy pens and stationary: get a fountain pen.
If you're 12 and want a set for your sparkly notebook: don't bother with the cheap glitter gel pens. They will work for a week and then piss you off. I was you once, trust me. Save the trouble and just get the Crayola glitter highlighters and some felt-tip pens. I promise you they're so much better.
If you're looking to get into calligraphy: ask someone else, I dunno. India Ink is really good but I wouldn't use it in a pen, it'll probably dry weird and clog it.
"But Shrub, you forgot [X]!" What. What do you mean there's more pens. I can make an addendum if there's enough pens I missed, but I probably haven't used them and they're probably uncommon enough that most people haven't either.
"But Shrub, ball-points and rollerballs are basically the same pen!" I will fight you with my bare hands if you disrespect my beautiful wife The R2 Roller like that again.
"Shrub, why would you include quills on a pen list?" They're silly, I like them, and they're basically pens.
"Erm, actually, you were wrong about [...]" Okay nerd. (I'll correct things in reblogs if needed, I love you nerds <3)
✨I ❤️ good pens✨
