Getting into the pen game

Dergyll

Dergyll

Gold Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2021
Messages
2,430
Hi folks,

I purchase a baliyo awhile ago (the 35$ one no less) and was severely disappointed by the quality and fit and finish. The pen tip twists open and closed and after a few weeks would not open anymore, so it now sits in my drawer.

Anyway, anyone recommend me a few good EDC pens? Looking for normal sized ones, light, durable, dont care about action, price tag not too crazy (below 100 would be great).

Bonus point for ones with flashlights. Dont really care about fidget factor.

Thanks for your time, apologies in advance if this is not the right forum.
 
Fisher bullet, a classic staple if the EDC game.
Theres also a pokka pen which people often consider to be like the Bic version of a Fisher bullet.
The Fisher bullet is $20 up to $24 if you want the clip ( I lost that $4 clip on mine ) and in many finish options.
The pokka pen you can get an 8 pack for that same price tag, lots of color options.

Both are small pocket friendly options that become full sized with the cap stuck on the back.
 
Help us with your preferences. Fountain pen, ballpoint, rollerball, or gel pen? Plastic, metal, or both? Refillable or disposable? If refillable, the ease of finding refills — in other words, will it be your hobby or just an inexpensive tool?

You want an EDC pen and a price "below 100 would be great." Is that in Yankee dollars? People borrow pens and walk off with them, and a great EDC pen for me would cost below 100 Vietnamese dong ;)

This is what I use.

Pilot_G2.jpg

I was taught to write in a 1950s public school and we had to use fountain pens for everything but math until 7th grade. A broad tip gel pen like this writes like a fountain pen that doesn't smear (much) or leak.

Amazon used to sell these for $12 a dozen but now they're $18. With the price that high, I'll probably start buying refills. It isn't the greatest gel pen sold, but it's good and cheap and and you can buy the pens and refills anywhere. (You may have to order online for the 1.0mm tip and blue ink.)

For a knife with a pen, I recommend Victorinox 58mm keychain knives. The Signature Lite, Manager and Midnight Manager have a retractible ballpoint pen that is pressurized and writes upside down. With the nail file extended they become surprisingly effective pens.

show_image.php


The Midnight Minichamp has the retractible pen, but it's too thick to be a comfortable writer. The Manager is the one to get if you don't want Victorinox's mini LED. The Signature Lite went out of production this spring and you can buy one as a closeout for $20.

victorinox-signature.jpg
 
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I go out of my way to get the uniball power tank. Which is kind of like a space pen but disposable.

Writes underwater and so on.

If I could post pictures I would have taped it to a dolphin torch so it becomes perfect.

 
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Piso Mojado said:
Help us with your preferences. Fountain pen, ballpoint, rollerball, or gel pen? Plastic, metal, or both? Refillable or disposable? If refillable, the ease of finding refills — in other words, will it be your hobby or just an inexpensive tool?

You want an EDC pen and a price "below 100 would be great." Is that in Yankee dollars? People borrow pens and walk off with them, and a great EDC pen for me would cost below 100 Vietnamese dong ;)

This is what I use.

View attachment 1616214

I was taught to write in a 1950s public school and we had to use fountain pens for everything but math until 7th grade. A broad tip gel pen like this writes like a fountain pen that doesn't smear (much) or leak.

Amazon used to sell these for $12 a dozen but now they're $18. With the price that high, I'll probably start buying refills. It isn't the greatest gel pen sold, but it's good and cheap and and you can buy the pens and refills anywhere. (You may have to order online for the 1.0mm tip and blue ink.)

For a knife with a pen, I recommend Victorinox 58mm keychain knives. The Signature Lite, Manager and Midnight Manager have a retractible ballpoint pen that is pressurized and writes upside down. With the nail file extended they become surprisingly effective pens.

show_image.php


The Midnight Minichamp has the retractible pen, but it's too thick to be a comfortable writer. The Manager is the one to get if you don't want Victorinox's mini LED.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the post Piso, honestly as long as it's not a fountain pen it's all good! Like I said I never gave two thoughts about a pen, but recently I found myself reaching for one constantly and with my baliyo dead, been left wanting.

Just wanted to see what everyone's favorites are for EDC, nothing crazy (like the siphon) and pick one out.

Appreciate it guys!
 
I was just reading up on the Olight Open 2, any thoughts on those?
 
For all-metal pens, either for looks and durability or for a "tactical" pen you can stab people with, check this thread:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/metal-pens-for-pilot-g2-gel-refills.1800285/

Lots of good suggestions which you can research at unsharpen.com and other pen forums. I can tell you right now that the cheapest good all-steel pen is Zebra F-701 for $10 — but if you don't like Zebra's ballpoint, you'll be searching for a compatible refill and that takes you into hobbyist territory.

https://unsharpen.com/pen/zebra-f-701-ballpoint-pen/

Check unsharpen.com to understand your options and the difference between ballpoints, rollerballs, gel pens, etc.

https://unsharpen.com/best/
 
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I've been using this Boker K.I.D. .50 Cal daily at work since I bought it in 2014. Great pen in my opinion and it has held up great so far.

The first pic was taken when I first got it 7 years ago and I just took the second pic about 2 weeks ago. I'm pretty easy on my pens. That's the reason I haven't lost it yet and probably the reason it still looks nearly new. I always put it back in my pocket when I'm finished using it and I never lay it down anywhere.

These can still be found in various finishes for around $55 - $70 depending on the finish you want. It's not normal size. It's a little shorter than that but I thought I would post it anyway.

IMG_2557.JPG
Boker Pen.jpg
 
I recommend the Parker T-Ball Jotter with the sliding cap (not a twisty). They were made in Gold, Gold plate, Silver, Titanium, Stainless, and Stainless and plastic. They handle a large variety of refills including the pressurized Fisher stuff. They rotate the refill 1/4 turn with every click to even the wear on the ball socket. They can be activated with one hand without regrasping.View attachment 1616330
 
There are plenty of good pens under $100 with various types of refills. Zebra F-XMD all stainless ballpoint pen, around $10-15, Zebra refills are very good, you can do simple mods and use different refills. Parker Jotter is an excellent, inexpensive option. These pens come in variety of colors and finishes, and there is also Jotter XL, which is slightly thicker than original pen. Another huge plus is Parker style refill, it is an extremely popular size, plenty of options! Tactile Turn make very good pens, I have their older model called Shaker. Very good pen and Tactile Turn customer support is excellent. You should definitely check Waterman, Lamy, Rotring, Pentel, Karas Kustom, Sunderland Machine Worx. Best of luck with your new pens:)
 
tiguy7 said:
I recommend the Parker T-Ball Jotter with the sliding cap (not a twisty). They were made in Gold, Gold plate, Silver, Titanium, Stainless, and Stainless and plastic. They handle a large variety of refills including the pressurized Fisher stuff. They rotate the refill 1/4 turn with every click to even the wear on the ball socket. They can be activated with one hand without regrasping.View attachment 1616330
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..........my mother gave me a set of three of these engraved with my name when I started high school.....!!!!! Despite the 4 decades that have passed since then they still work well, I just keep them on my desk at home now though.
 
Dergyll said:
Thanks for the post Piso, honestly as long as it's not a fountain pen it's all good! Like I said I never gave two thoughts about a pen, but recently I found myself reaching for one constantly and with my baliyo dead, been left wanting.

Just wanted to see what everyone's favorites are for EDC, nothing crazy (like the siphon) and pick one out.

Appreciate it guys!
Click to expand...
Working from home I just use a Pentel Gel pen. Very smooth writing and is comfortable in the hand.
2000_1010046533.jpg


If I go back to working at work (I may retire before they let us return) I'll go back to using a Civivi. Takes a Parker refill (which I recommend refilling immediately because the ones that they ship with are often bad). But the real reason I use it is because it has a bolt action.
I don't like twist pens.
I don't like pens with lids that must be removed and stuck on the back. I've never found one that balanced properly in the writing position.
And I don't like the pens with regular clickers on the ends if I'm carrying the pen in my breast pocket. Too many times I have crossed my arms while speaking to someone, activated the clicker, and stained my shirt. The Civivi is comfortable, is hard anodized 6061, and does not look like anything more than a pen. It can be used as more than a pen, but that's not why I carry it.

rN5IhfH.jpg
 
I had always used the Pilot G2 pens, had enough rewards points at DLT and grabbed a copper Tactile Turn pen, same refills - I love it. I am far from any type of expert on popular EDC pens, but it hits all my notes, and the patina it’s developed looks great.
 
Parker...now that's a classy pen, just bought one from the Zon!

Thanks for helping me shape my preference, I think clickers are definitely better for me (no twisties).

Gonna take my next month knife budget and nab myself one of those pens :)

Thanks everyone.
 
Dergyll said:
Parker...now that's a classy pen, just bought one from the Zon!

Thanks for helping me shape my preference, I think clickers are definitely better for me (no twisties).

Gonna take my next month knife budget and nab myself one of those pens :)

Thanks everyone.
Click to expand...
This is awesome, congrats on your new pen! Definitely try Uni Ball Jestream refill!!!
 
The Zebra F-701 with the Spacepen mod (also fits various plastic body Parker G2 style refills if you pop off the butt) makes for a solid, heavy, but not huge or overly "tactical" pen that doesn't cost too much.

I posted a lot of info and personal experience and research, as did others, in a recent thread here:

Metal pens for Pilot G2 Gel refills ?

Are they any metal pens that take Pilot G2 Gel refills ? I'm liking the free easy flow and pretty high reliability of the Pilot G2 gels I know the Parker G2 type is standard and common. Despite the gel ink not being waterproof, Pilot G2 Gel's handy for grocery lists Are there any metal pens...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com

Note that not everything in that thread is about Pilot G2 pens or pens that take the refill.

Like you I prefer a clicky, but I've found that most bolt pens are almost as convenient, with the tradeoff being perhaps cooler/more interesting, and fidgety. There's a number of quality machined custom/semi custom clicky pens, like Karas Kustoms and Darrell Ralph, but you're approaching or exceeding $100. One notable exception is a Twosun, pictured 3rd from the left.

20210719_064922-jpg.1602742


This one is sandblasted, but they now make a polished/satin (with a gold colored clip) and a sandwashed now as well. About $40 or a tad less, although it'll take a few weeks from China. The click mechanism is extremely smooth and pretty quiet - similar to the Schmidt SKM-88 mechanism that many expensive customs use, like Darrell Ralph (the Schmidt mechanism itself is actually only ~$5). Apart from certain internals it's all titanium, so it's extremely strong, more durable than aluminum or less expensive pens with metal barrels but cheap plastic internals (looking at you, Grafton Everyman), and a good heft that isn't overly heavy like copper or brass can be, or thick steel (weighs about the same as a Zebra F-701 in fact). Uses Parker G2 style refills (including Spacepen with the adapter). Don't confuse it with the Twosun 3rd from the right, which is junk (this one has a glass breaker built in, making it obvious which one is which).
 
The smoothest writing small pen I have found came with the “Troika lilipad + liliput” A7 notepad from Amazon. It’s just the right size for carrying and writing but will not do double duty for any John Wick type action.
 
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