Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions

Are ball point pens looked down upon?

more_vert
Is luxury writing the exclusive playground of fountain pens? Unfortunately, I am legible only with ball point pens, but I do enjoy the feel of a premium pen in my hand.  Some of my pens: Montblanc Slimline Nobelesse Cross Century Chrome/10K Gold/14K Gold Lamy Safari Vista Fisher Space Pen CH4 My thoughts: For those who like ball points, I urge you to try a Fisher Space Pen. This has to be the best I have ever used in terms of ink flow and smoothness!  The Lamy is cheap! $20, and smooth and precise.  The Montblanc is a mint pen from the late 70s, and it is made of gold, so I am very reluctant to carry it on a daily basis. Makes me feel like a (nervous) million bucks.  The Cross Century is an icon. Even non-pen people recognise/appreciate it. The poor bit is that the writing sucks compared to the above, which is why they don't see the outside of my pen case very often.  What are your thoughts? What am I missing in my collection? 
100% upvoted
1
32
remove_red_eye
209
NewDelhi
72

search
close
Margoljb
0
May 13, 2019
If anyone looks down on anyone for the type of pen they like to write with then that person’s opinion is worthless... I personally prefer how fountain pens write, but seriously the only people who would look down on a ballpoint are people who are new to the luxury pen scene who are trying to seem high-brow. That’s not representative of the community as a whole. The third option of course is a rollerball, which is sort of a middle ground. They write alot wetter than a ballpoint, but they have none of the upkeep that a fountain pen comes with. A lot of the refills can be put into a ballpoint pen. How do you feel about those?
(Edited)
MrSharkbait
479
Jan 15, 2019
Check out the Cross roller ball refills. I was ready to decommission my MontBlanc 149 RB because its refill is plain awful. Then I found out about the Cross refill and it has become my favorite RB. It even rejuvenated my interest in the brand’s pens. I have the Townsend fountain pen and it is an incredible writer. I also have the RB they collaborated with Fonderie 47, and contain recycled hand gun parts.
NewDelhi
72
Jan 16, 2019
MrSharkbaitI don't much care for roller ball pens, unfortunately. I find that the amount of pressure I put while writing ruins most roller ball tips. I checked out the Fonderie 47 pens though. They are so cool. Definitely adding to my wishlist.
stuartkoh
20
Jan 2, 2019
It's interesting how much the world has changed. When I was growing up, the only people from India I knew were some students and professors at the local university. Now I easily communicate with you and can even, with a few clicks of the mouse, find out who sells Fisher products in India and where they have stores there. It's a great feeling to talk to people from other countries and learn what we have in common. :-)
NewDelhi
72
Jan 2, 2019
stuartkohYup. That's globalisation for you! I assume the retailer you're talking about it William Penn. They sell everything from Mont Blanc to Lamy and more here.
stuartkoh
20
Jan 2, 2019
NewDelhiYes, William Penn is listed as Fisher's distributor for India.
stuartkoh
20
Jan 1, 2019
The ink in the Fisher pressurized refills doesn't dry very fast, so I find that it smears badly and leaves my hand and the paper quite messy. The pressure also forces out globs of ink on the tip if you don't use them fairly often. I don't use a ballpoint pen every day anymore, so this leakage at the tip is a problem for me. (There is a small gap between the socket in the tip and the carbide ball, and the pressure forces ink out and makes a mess.) I used to like the Cross Century pens and pencils, but now I find them to be too thin to be comfortable. This is true for writing instruments across the board now - I used to like very thin ones and now I prefer something a bit thicker.
NewDelhi
72
Jan 2, 2019
Cheers! Didn't know that! Will try and find the Fisher one. I've been recommended Schnider before but it is hard to come by in India.
stuartkoh
20
Jan 2, 2019
NewDelhiFisher lists their distributor for India:
 INDIA
WILLIAM PENN
Attn: Sushma / Shikha
No. 15, 17th A Main, 5th Block,
Koramangala
Bangalore - 560095
Tel : 011 91 80 62205538
Fax : 011 91 80 51216626
Mob : 011 91 9986 356 354
William Penn lists four stores in the New Delhi area. https://www.williampenn.net/storelocator Perhaps one of these will have the refills or can get them?
PetrosD
3702
Dec 25, 2018
It's rare to find a ballpoint that has a good writing feel. But I have found some good rollerballs. I have a Waterman rollerball pen but I use Montblanc refills in it, which I really like. I also recently purchased a Montegrappa Fortuna rollerball and like the feel of the OEM refill. Of course, fountain pens are my favorite in terms of the feel when writing. For disposables, I really like Uniball Sigmo gel pens.
russelltdog
8
Jan 22, 2019
I use the appropriated refills in any rollerball pens that will accept them.
russelltdog
8
May 9, 2019
I buy the Uniball signo 207 retractable pens with bold 1 mm points in boxes of 12 not 10. I was mistaken about quantity in the boxes.
My initial reaction was to say no. I myself own a few ballpoints and would not think of parting with them. However, the truth is they will always be 3rd tier to me. After fountain pens and rollerballs. I don't have much love for rollerballs either. The problem with them is this: how well the pen writes has almost nothing to do with the pen and all to do with the refill. While I do appreciate the efforts of Pilot, Schneider, Ohto and others in developing great refills, they still don't come close to a well tuned nib. That said, my Tombow XPA, Lamy Pico, Tornado Breakaway, Parafernalia Revolution, Lamy Dialog 1, Ohto Litz, Caran d'Ache 849..... will always have a place in my collection. Mostly because of good design, but also because they do come in handy sometimes.
(Edited)
NewDelhi
72
Dec 12, 2018
Thanks for the tip. When you say refills, you mean to say they are universal?
NewDelhiAlmost universal; they are available as Parker type refills https://www.amazon.com/Schneider-Slider-Ballpoint-Refill-175693/dp/B01LWJ6LUZ

Jacob__019
1
Dec 11, 2018
I have been known to write “death to ballpoints” in Sharpie on Bics, but I don’t mind decent quality rollerballs.
NewDelhi
72
Dec 12, 2018
Jacob__019The 1 mm Bics are my favourite throw away pens. :D
RayF
22210
Dec 10, 2018
Yes, I look down on ballpoints--even the ones I own. I call them names and taunt them with insults--I tell them they were adopted!!!
Piano.player
10
Dec 10, 2018
Parker, or any pen (which is a lot) that can hold a Parker gel refill.
Related Posts
Trending Posts in More Community Picks