<story><title>The cheap pen that changed writing forever</title><url>https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-history-of-the-ballpoint-pen</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>godelmachine</author><text>&amp;gt;&amp;gt;&lt;i&gt;pentel energel 0.7mm.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for mentioning this&lt;p&gt;I am currently on the lookout for new pen to make my standard usage pen.&lt;p&gt;My prime requirement is that it should be 1.0mm, or at a minimal 0.7mm, since I love the thickness. Secondary requirement is that it should be smooth.&lt;p&gt;I bought Baoke gel from Amazon and while I loved it a lot, was greatly disappointed to find it was of Chinese make.&lt;p&gt;Am now searching for something that’s of non-Chinese origin. So far, I have zeroed in on Uni-ball impact 1.0mm gel pen, and am shortlisting their 0.7mm gel pens as well. I would also give uni-ball 1.0mm and 0.7mm ballpoint pens a try as well in case I feel gel pens get used up faster, since always carrying a backup refill can be an inconvenience.Also, TCO with gel pens is always more than ballpoint pens.&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any suggestions in mind?&lt;p&gt;Please proffer</text></item><item><author>m463</author><text>My favorite pen is the pentel energel 0.7mm.&lt;p&gt;It will write smooth dark lines just the right thicknes without blobbing or cutting out, and is the most effortless pen to write with.&lt;p&gt;But yes, it does write at a higher angle than a fountain pen.  I had a fountain pen years and years ago, and it was something you had to want to use.  I can&amp;#x27;t help but think of it like vinyl records, straight razors and film cameras.</text></item><item><author>kaonwarb</author><text>One side effect not discussed here: how the shift to ballpoint pens increased hand strain [0]. Writing with a fountain pen is relatively effortless - not to deny it has several other drawbacks. I imagine this is part of why, as an elementary school student in France, I was required to write with only fountain pens.&lt;p&gt;[0] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&amp;#x2F;technology&amp;#x2F;archive&amp;#x2F;2015&amp;#x2F;08&amp;#x2F;ballpoint-pens-object-lesson-history-handwriting&amp;#x2F;402205&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&amp;#x2F;technology&amp;#x2F;archive&amp;#x2F;2015&amp;#x2F;08&amp;#x2F;ballp...&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>debunn</author><text>I really like the Pilot G2 pens - they use a nice flowing ink and are available in larger 1.0mm and 0.7mm sizes.  They are also pretty easy to find (Amazon has them, I&amp;#x27;m sure other stores would as well), so you shouldn&amp;#x27;t have troubles picking a pack up!</text></comment>
<story><title>The cheap pen that changed writing forever</title><url>https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-history-of-the-ballpoint-pen</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>godelmachine</author><text>&amp;gt;&amp;gt;&lt;i&gt;pentel energel 0.7mm.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for mentioning this&lt;p&gt;I am currently on the lookout for new pen to make my standard usage pen.&lt;p&gt;My prime requirement is that it should be 1.0mm, or at a minimal 0.7mm, since I love the thickness. Secondary requirement is that it should be smooth.&lt;p&gt;I bought Baoke gel from Amazon and while I loved it a lot, was greatly disappointed to find it was of Chinese make.&lt;p&gt;Am now searching for something that’s of non-Chinese origin. So far, I have zeroed in on Uni-ball impact 1.0mm gel pen, and am shortlisting their 0.7mm gel pens as well. I would also give uni-ball 1.0mm and 0.7mm ballpoint pens a try as well in case I feel gel pens get used up faster, since always carrying a backup refill can be an inconvenience.Also, TCO with gel pens is always more than ballpoint pens.&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any suggestions in mind?&lt;p&gt;Please proffer</text></item><item><author>m463</author><text>My favorite pen is the pentel energel 0.7mm.&lt;p&gt;It will write smooth dark lines just the right thicknes without blobbing or cutting out, and is the most effortless pen to write with.&lt;p&gt;But yes, it does write at a higher angle than a fountain pen.  I had a fountain pen years and years ago, and it was something you had to want to use.  I can&amp;#x27;t help but think of it like vinyl records, straight razors and film cameras.</text></item><item><author>kaonwarb</author><text>One side effect not discussed here: how the shift to ballpoint pens increased hand strain [0]. Writing with a fountain pen is relatively effortless - not to deny it has several other drawbacks. I imagine this is part of why, as an elementary school student in France, I was required to write with only fountain pens.&lt;p&gt;[0] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&amp;#x2F;technology&amp;#x2F;archive&amp;#x2F;2015&amp;#x2F;08&amp;#x2F;ballpoint-pens-object-lesson-history-handwriting&amp;#x2F;402205&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&amp;#x2F;technology&amp;#x2F;archive&amp;#x2F;2015&amp;#x2F;08&amp;#x2F;ballp...&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>ChuckMcM</author><text>My go to pen for years has been the Sarasa Zebra 1.0. I liked it so much and was frustrated when office supply stores didn&amp;#x27;t carry it that I bought a carton from a distributor (288 pens!) I doubt I&amp;#x27;ll run out, but they do dry out eventually.</text></comment>