I'm left-handed, so I like fast-drying ink. I prefer a thin, but dark line. Here are some of the pens I like using.
1. Pentel Energel needlepoints 0.5 (BLN75 or the BLN105); refills fit a Lamy Tipo. It's a great everyday pen.
2. Zebra Sarasa 0.5 - lots of variations of this pen with lots of pretty ink colors and cute body styles. I would use it more, if it were available in local shops. I don't order stationery.
I tried the often lauded Pilot G2, but wasn't a fan. It often would smear.
Do you have issues with other rollerball pens? I’m also left-handed, and really struggle with them (especially the G2). My issues seem to be that when I’m pushing the point across the paper, rather than pulling it across like a right-hander would do, they often dry up and there’s no ink coming out.
I like how quick drying gel pens are, but I haven’t been able to write with them consistently. If that happens to you with other rollerballs, I’ll give that Pentel Energel a try.
I had the same issue with the G2. I've always noticed some skipping with rollerballs, but none were as bad as the G2. It was astonishingly hard to write with.
The Energels and Sarasas are the best pens I've found: affordable, nice to use, reliable, and refills fit a variety of pen bodies. If there's skipping, wiping off the tip of the pen to remove any grime resolves it.
In case it's helpful: I place my hand under the text I'm writing, aka "underwriting" and use light to medium pressure.
If you're looking for something slightly more mass-market but with the best writing experience I've seen out of such a pen, try the Pilot G-2 gel roller pen, preferably with a wider tip size (say, .7mm). Very smooth writing experience and good grips – the only downside is how much pen cartridges are very conspicuously less filled than they could be, and perhaps the lack of weight.
Having gone through a pen collecting phase, i think you need to give some details.
1. A budget.
2. Writing preferences and handedness.
3. Preferred writing surface/media.
4. Body type
For 2, that would include:
a) tip type - rollerball, ballpoint, fountain, or 'marker'.
b) tip size/diameter (essentially contact surface area) e.g. 0.17mm-1.0+mm
c) 'ink' type - gel etc.
Handedness matters mostly because left handers typically want the fastest drying ink.
Writing surface (paper) is important because it can drastically change how a pen writes (especially for fountain pens).
The body type might include approx. thickness (compared to an average pencil maybe), body material (metal, plastic, wood), contoured grip (yes/no, material?), and retractability.
If you don't know any of those, I would say just try to define what quality would mean to you.
As someone who always carries a pen in my pocket when I leave the house, I've come to find this one surprisingly important. Retractable pens have a habit of accidentally engaging and scribbling over the pocket fabric. I exclusively use capped pens for my daily carries now.
> left handers typically want the fastest drying ink.
My favorite pen is the Uniball Vision Micro. Not the "Elite" model, but the base model sometimes called the "Eye" in some regions.
I've been using these for maybe 14 years? And I've got three dozen more in my desk cause you never know when something you like is gonna get discontinued.
I’m a fountain pen user (helped me tremendously with RSI), but the Pilot VP <F> is my daily driver for note taking — it’s retractable. Other frequently used pens: Kaweco Sport (Brass) <F> as a pocket pen and a Pilot Custom 823 <M> for letters / sit down writing.
These are all excellent fountain pens! I'll add the Lamy 2000 (Fine nib) to the list, as it's my personal favorite and is what I use all day every day. And I happen to also use a Pilot Custom 823 (Medium nib) for journaling every morning. Nothing beats a nice fountain pen with quality ink and paper. Speaking of inks, I've found Rohrer & Klingner's Schreibtinte Verdigris to be wonderful in the Lamy 2000, and lately I've been using Noodler's Sequoia Green for the Pilot Custom 823.
OK OK, let's get serious. My personal favorite : Lamy 2000 fine nib inked with Rohrer & Klinger Dokumentus. Most times to complement it there's at least one Parker 51 as a quick note taking pen / highlighter (puts out way more ink, so some cheaper papers don't really work with it) and one or two Montblancs (mostly inked with Rohrers Salix) just for the fun of it.
I haven't quite settled down on paper though. Rhodia wire-bound dotted A5 has the best quality paper, but I sorely miss the flexibility of free leaf notes. Latest discovery - Muji's A5 binder. It's a Japanese 20-holes-per-A5 spacing, so fairly rare in the EU. Also, the Muji's default paper isn't great for some wetter fountain pens... but hopefully I'll figure some way to make it work.
I like the Sharpie pens. I assumed they would be terrible but I actually like them. Ballpoints frequently just stop writing. I'm not clever enough for fountain pens. The Sharpie pen is just a tiny, stiff marker that seems willing to put out ink without any fuss.
1. Pentel Energel needlepoints 0.5 (BLN75 or the BLN105); refills fit a Lamy Tipo. It's a great everyday pen.
2. Zebra Sarasa 0.5 - lots of variations of this pen with lots of pretty ink colors and cute body styles. I would use it more, if it were available in local shops. I don't order stationery.
I tried the often lauded Pilot G2, but wasn't a fan. It often would smear.