this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2026
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Pens & Paper

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I used to not really care about stationery. That changed when my uncle showed me his fountain pen. I had never used one before. I couldn’t believe how smooth it was. He suggested I went to stores and tried different pens. That way, I’d find what I like. And that’s exactly what I did in the last couple of weeks.

I found out exactly what I like at a price that is reasonable for me. When I now have to write something by hand, I get excited about it!

Everyone will have different tastes, but here’s what I learned for myself:

  • Lamy Safari Rollerball sucks. I thought I was getting a pen for life, but the ink flows inconsistently. This same problem has been reported by other people online. This pen was not designed for rollerball. It was designed as a fountain pen.
  • InkJoy Gels are alright. They’re an improvement over normal ballpoint pens, but they’re not as good as other gel pens, such as the G-Tec-C4.
  • G-Tec-C4 is my new go-to. They’re relatively cheap and the experience of writing with them is amazing.
  • I rediscovered mechanical pencils. I tried one that had buttery-smooth lead. I fell in love. I won’t buy any yet, because I have pencils at home, but I know what I will eventually buy (a metallic mechanical pencil with Uni lead).
  • Point balls are not my thing. I haven’t found one I like. Unfortunately, they are probably the most environmentally friendly pen that is both convenient and cheap. If someone has a good recommendation, I’m open.
  • Fountain pens are amazing for writing, but they’re not resilient. I need pens that will survive my life. I fling my backpack around. I don’t want to have ink spill all over. A fountain pen is an amazing writing experience that doesn’t fit naturally in my life. I could be wrong. Are there resilient fountain pens?
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[–] Broadfern@lemmy.world 4 points 13 hours ago

Pilot G2 .7s have been my go-to since I discovered them. I’ve gone through so many packs I’ve lost count by now, and going back to classic non-gel ballpoint is disappointing every time.

Sharpie S-Gels are also pretty decent, but the ink flow is a bit thick for my personal taste. They do have decent refills though.

I also have a sketch set of mechanical pencils that comes in widths from .5 to 1mm, and color leads. I haven’t tried the color leads yet but replacing the regular leads and the erasers has been smooth.

[–] bearboiblake@pawb.social 4 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

IMO the best value pen experience you can get is a TWSBI Eco. More or less as versatile as a rollerball, but it's a nice fountain pen. Lots of nice features and really well priced.

[–] snek_boi@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

This sounds amazing. It seems to me as the most environmentally friendly way of writing. It also probably can be quite cheap, if the cost of the pen is amortized over a long-enough period and the ink isn't crazy expensive.

I'd be scared of taking it with me when traveling in the city or on a plane. In the city, I'd slosh it violently. In the plane, the air pressure would suddenly change. I don't know how likely these worst-case scenarios are, but for now I'm okay with using fountain pens at home! In fact, I like the idea of getting this pen. Thanks for the recommendation!

[–] bearboiblake@pawb.social 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

It's pretty much completely sealed with the cap on, you can carry it around in your pocket and slosh it around all day, no problem. I've never flown with one because I'm too poor to fly really, but I bet other people have, who have shared their experiences online. It's a very popular pen.

[–] rescue_toaster@lemmy.zip 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I'm a big fan of the simple bic ball point round stic. I think it writes great. Though I likely haven't tried a too large variety of pens.

[–] snek_boi@lemmy.ml 2 points 12 hours ago

They're solid. They last a long time and they're super cheap.

They're so good I actually have a bag of them. I use them in reading groups or meetings where people don't have something to write with.

The thing is, I tried other pens, and I liked those others more!

[–] makingStuffForFun@lemmy.ml 3 points 14 hours ago

Lamy Safari.

Bullet proof. Used by Urban Sketchers all over the world for this exact reason.

Throw it in with your art supplies. Go to location, and know it will work. Throw it back into bag when done

[–] TankieTanuki@hexbear.net 1 points 13 hours ago
[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 1 points 14 hours ago (1 children)
[–] snek_boi@lemmy.ml 2 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

I've used fineliners in the past, when I briefly tried DrawABox. I like them for the purposes of drawing, but I didn't particularly like them for writing. It felt too delicate. It also felt awkward to push the tip instead of pull it. Do you write with it?

[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 1 points 12 hours ago

Yes it's all I use