Why Ballpoint Pens SUCK

Рет қаралды 7,505

Күн бұрын

Here is just a short rant on why ballpoint pens SUCK!
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Пікірлер: 167

@spiderwrangler4457 10 ай бұрын

A 'controlled leak' sounds marginally better than 'skidmark'...

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

LOL

@killers31337 10 ай бұрын

A stub nib makes a huge effect on my handwriting. It's not just line variation, the shape of letters is different. It's not just better looking, but way more legible.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Totally agree!

@brightonbabe2139 10 ай бұрын

After decades in IT my handwriting resembled a doctors. I had been gifted a fountain pen that I used for awhile but I put it away when I started to travel extensively. During lockdown I found my fountain pen and tried to write. My writing was truly awful but I persisted and found your KZfaq and Figboots and became obsessed. I now write pretty well, enough that someone at a conference leaned over to look at my writing and smiled. I love trying new (to me) pens and coloured inks. I’ve started writing my story for my grand children. I’m not yet journaling each day as my work life is still very busy. But I think that my clients love that I bring a pen and notebook (all cocooned in a Galen case) to a meeting instead of a laptop. For me that was one of two things good that came from the pandemic and the lockdown. No ballpoint pens now, all gone in the round file. One rollerball only but I’m not even sure where that is. So Doug, I agree with your rant.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@BlackthorneSoundandCinema 10 ай бұрын

What is funny about this is if one were to roast fountain pens it would be even more entertaining and multifaceted. The cost, the inconvenience, the potential mess, the overconsumption, the careful distinctions of minute differences, the requirement of special papers etc. I am into all of it and love writing with a flex nib and stub nibs in a unique script that I am proud of. When I am writing a draft though.... it's a .5 mechanical pencil with 2b lead on cheap paper. Purely practical use is completely perspective shifting. The unmatched smoothness of a fountain pen is actually too slick for me to write very very neatly at a reasonable speed, I need just the right amount of friction and pressure to write very neat at just the right pace. Fountain pens turn the act of writing into a meditation, an event. But other writing tools allow you to better exist outside of the pure act of writing for some uses.

@All4Grogg 10 ай бұрын

I use ballpoint pens at work. Machine logging on clipboards in occasionally wet manufacturing conditions. Pen is in and out of my pocket thirty to fifty times an hour recording mostly numbers in small spaces. A retractable fine point ballpoint is the ideal tool for this environment where it is the fountain pen that sucks (also most gel pens). I use a fountain pen for everything else.

@ermennda 10 ай бұрын

I got interested in fountain pens a few years ago and although I love them I still think that ballpoints are great. They don't care about the quality of the paper, they are very reliable and practically hasel free, virtues that do a lot to compensate for a bit of discomfort.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Fair enough!

@mechanicalman4531 2 ай бұрын

they are worse for the environment

@ermennda 2 ай бұрын

@@mechanicalman4531 As our general lifestyle goes very matginaly so. Using one that takes refills instead of discarding the hole thing solves like 80% of the problem. Your argument would have more weight i we all were one -pen men, but you forget the glorious consumerism most of us practise.

@mechanicalman4531 2 ай бұрын

@@ermenndayou dont need any refills. fountain pens just sick up the liquid ink through the nib.

@ermennda 2 ай бұрын

@@mechanicalman4531 I know how they work! What I am saying is that as our general lifestyle goes the amount of trash produced by ballpoint refills is really insignificant. I am also saying that fountain pen fans aren't exactly a good example, most of us have many unnecessary pens and unnecessary inks. There would be no pen forums nor pen youtube channels if we all did the ecological thing. Are you really a one pen guy?

@joanwerthman4116 10 ай бұрын

I'm 71 and I've always hated ballpoints, especially that recurring blob of ink you had to wipe off before it deposited itself on the paper. When I was about 14, Schaefer came out with their affordable fountain pen (or it became available in my hometown) and I jumped on it and never looked back. I particularly loved and still miss their Peacock Blue. (imagine inserted clip of Archie and Edith yodeling "Those were the dayyyys."

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

I agree 100%! Lamy Turquoise is close to the Skrip Peacock I find.

@joanwerthman4116 10 ай бұрын

@@InkquiringMinds Yes. I also like Pilot's Kom Peki as close enough to enjoy.

@Feynman_Fries 10 ай бұрын

@@joanwerthman4116lol I could totally relate with the "blob of ink" problem. It is just plain disgusting and I used to regularly wipe my Pen's tip on the back of the notebook after every couple of lines during college while taking notes.

@asfasfd7772 Ай бұрын

I enjoy using fountain pens, but most of my writing is done working on math problems and taking notes. I like the ballpoint because it's smooth, precise, and I don't have to think about it. Fountain pens can be messy in a scenario like this, and I often find myself thinking about the pen instead of what I'm working on.

@MrRufusjax 9 ай бұрын

They both have their uses. I love them both. Ballpoints are great to carry around in your pocket every day and write better than anything else on restaurant credit card receipts, carbon copy forms, etc. I would not hesitate to throw a ballpoint in a pocket for quick writing. The fountain pen is more for well thought out writing. I would not put it in my pocket because it would likely leak.

@paulmchugh1430 10 ай бұрын

While I was working, I used ballpoints and rollerballs exclusively. Back in the day, a lot of my writing was done using carbon paper to make copies or NCR paper which replaced carbon paper. It also tells you I worked during the dinosaur age... I had over 200 ballpoints and rollerballs. Hey, I wasn't a Bic person. They were stylish and gorgeous to look at. I usually avoided rollerballs as the ink did not dry quickly and smears across the page. Also, the refill did not liked being pressed as hard as I needed to make copies. Now, after retirement, I have gotten to enjoy fountain pens. I still use ballpoint pens when travelling. They are very convenient.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Pretty much the same story here!

@PenFriends 7 ай бұрын

Rollerball pens now have water based ink, which are actually quite good! As for ballpoints, they can be great for drawing, but again it mainly depends on the refill.

@vitzbig 4 ай бұрын

I actually love writing with ball pens cuz they are great to use a lot of force if you feel like an angry and fast writing session. I can't do that with my fountain pens.

@smartguy6243 2 ай бұрын

I am a pen enthusiast. The pilot g2 refill in a good metal body writes just as good as a fountain pen. I have both fountain and ball point pens. I love them both equally.

@wittwittwer1043 10 ай бұрын

I first encountered ball-points back in the late '50s. I lived in the Wash DC area, so those pens were cheap US Government-issue pens filled with black paste ink. The pens' ink wrote with swirl marks, and the tip often left blobs on ink on the page. These blobs didn't dry quickly, and left smears if your hand brushed them. Bic pens appeared at about the same time, and they were far superior as far as ink flow and consistency were concerned. They has blue or black ink, and were extremely cheap throw-aways. I was a high-school student at the time, and we were required to use fountain pens for taking tests or any work that had to be handed in. I used cartridge=fill Sheaffer pens at the time, available at the school book store for $1 @. The nibs tended to be scratchy, so I preferred the smoother and less messy Bics. I still use ball-points (primarily Pilot G-2 .07 gel ink) when I need to make duplicate copies. And I also have a vintage Parker ballpoint with a gel refill in it. Ballpoint paste refills really do suck; I won't use them. I don't like roller=ball ink; in my experience, it flows well, but dries out in the pen too quickly, besides which it tends to spatter.

@shastunos 5 ай бұрын

I have cross edge too, but different colors. I made an adapter to use parker g2 refills - it's just a simple wooden or plastic cylinder with proper length, that i dropped inside the pen

@Michelt007 3 ай бұрын

Totally agree. As a student, I took plenty of written notes (it was in the pre-laptop era) with ballpoints and I had to put a tremendous pressure to keep the ink flowing. My theory is that the ballpoint manufacturers were concerned about their products spilling inside shirt pockets and leaving splashed inks on paper, at random, so they decided to make their ink as thick as asphalt. Turning my page over, I could see that my writing was actually etching through the paper, giving it the look -and touch- of a Sumerian clay tablet. I ended my misery by switching to a fountain pen, a cheap one, but good enough to save my wrist!

@InkquiringMinds 3 ай бұрын

That’s how ballpoints were invented. They mixed ink with oil to keep it from leaking and make it stick to the page and dry instantly.

@greekveteran2715 10 ай бұрын

Only pen I like,is the Pilot Precise V5. That being said,I love mechanical pencils,way more than pens.

@arigvi101 10 ай бұрын

I guess they have their uses. I use fountain pens for long writing sessions since it's just less stressful to hold. When filling up documents, however, ball point pens take the edge since they don't often bleed through paper specially thin the thin and cheap papers that offices use.

@donbrownist 10 ай бұрын

The ghost @ 2:12

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

I taught the rollerball to roll over and play dead.

@Themmmmee 8 ай бұрын

Honestly, ballpoint pen do not suck, as a lefty, I struggle writing with a fountain pen and even gel pens because I smudge it a lot, ballpoint pens are also so much cheaper, even while drawing with a pen , ballpoint is way better than any pen (in my opinion) ,and during Exams, I write so much faster with a ball point pen , and yes my handwriting is better in a fountain pen, but as I said before, I am a lefty and the smudges make my notebook look soo dirty, so ball pens are literally the best for me. I can't believe you read the whole thing, you are definitely not a lazy person ,unlike me xd

@kookatsoonjan 7 ай бұрын

leftie here too. an overhander also.....some nibs...do the opposite for me...the Estie Scribe/architect...makes what a 1.5 stub nib does...and the stub 1.1...does the thick horizontal...like an architect nib..the opposite from a right handed person...yep...the smears...my shirt sleeves...

@jacquesdespadas 5 ай бұрын

Also a leftie, but fountain pens saved me. I did have to grind my nibs to a left oblique for many years, but that encourages (forces, really) me to bring my hand under the line I’m writing. (A stock nib will gleefully trick me back into an overhand position.) I’ve since branched out to architect grinds. In both cases, once the nib is the correct shape, you cannot help but write properly. Fountains pens are no different than anything else in this right hand-centric world-we have little choice but to adapt to the mediocrity of right handed culture. And herein lies the problem. At least the ink colors are to die for. 😁

@alexteichmann79 Ай бұрын

The pressure that writing with a ballpoint needs feels like an outlet for the creative anger of my mind.

@johnsomers8269 10 ай бұрын

Write on, Doug! Great rant, do more, please!

@shastunos 5 ай бұрын

there are situations at work where fountain pen can't be used, but ballpoint only with oily ink (not even gel or rollerball). because of that my setup is some ballpoint (good ballpoint just as that cross edge at your table) for such utility actions and fountain pen for personal fun

@paulherman5822 10 ай бұрын

The ballpoint pen designs still used today are the same that they have had troubles with since the earliest ones. They were just rushed into production and didn't get improved, to beat the competition. Some of the issues people have with a fountain pen (skipping, mostly) just have been accepted as all right in a ballpoint. Author Michael Jecks spoke about his brother giving him grief for carrying his modern Conway Stewart 58 "Indiana Jones" lever filler on their trip to Australia from the UK. Leaking and all that. Well, Doodlebud, in spite of the results of your tests with air pressure and fountain pens, a modern aeroplane is pressurised. Was the brother's ballpoint that exploded in his pocket during the flight. 😈 My sisters both ask why I won't use a ballpoint. Really? Because they are just painful for me to write with, more than a signature. And I have so many better options, using a fountain pen. Why should I use a ballpoint? I even picked up the 12 pack of el cheapo fountain pens (60¢ USD, each!) Chrisrap52 reviewed recently instead of having a ballpoint for others to use. I agree with the rant, Doug.

@cb7560 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for your video. You made some good points, but there is a massive variation in the quality of ballpoint refills these days. Things have moved on from the days of your 1950s Jotter. I'm old enough to have used crap ballpoints in the 70s, where you had to press hard etc, and the ink blobbed out. You should check out pens from the likes of Schneider, Uni, Zebra, Pentel and Pilot. Inks are much better now than they used to be, and some of my ballpoints with hybrid inks are way smoother than any fountain pen. Someone with decent penmanship can write well with anything. The other advantage is you can drop in a new refill and crack on with your work (on any kind of paper) and ballpoints cost a lot less than fountain pens, which is odd when you think about what a cracking piece of design they were. They are a lot less hassle to use - and I say that as someone who was forced to use a fountain pen at secondary school. As soon as I went to university, I never bothered to use one again.

@InkquiringMinds 9 ай бұрын

All good points!

@kookatsoonjan 7 ай бұрын

@cb7560 Yes....totally agree about the ballpoint evolving...but...so have fountain pens...I LOVE THE colour variations you can get with fountain pen inks...instead of the boring colours avialable. for the ball point and gell...though...it is getting more variant...you still cannnot mix your own colour of ink...which I guess most people ar e not interested in...except...the painter in me...I love mixing colours...

@davidnygard1817 10 ай бұрын

On a form with pressure sensitive copies, a ballpoint is the only option - fountain pens suck. The reality is that I must carry both. Maybe the best argument for ballpoints is that they are nice to have, just in case someone else needs to borrow a pen. There is no way in Hell I lend a nice fountain pen out to anyone!

@subaruford3344 5 ай бұрын

Dude you’re using a Parker Jotter, of course you think Ballpoints are bad! Go buy a Pilot Acro 1000 or a Uniball Jet-stream you WON’t be disappointed!

@KarlAdamsAudio 10 ай бұрын

The ballpoint pen is a very impressive feat of engineering - and I hate them with a passion. I'm well aware of their advantages in terms of water-fastness and tolerance for low quality paper, but life is short. If I can bring a little joy into the act of writing by using a fountain pen, I'm going to damn well do it whenever I can.

@Satoshi9801 3 ай бұрын

Sometimes I'll write with ballpoints just for the challenge of it.

@InkquiringMinds 3 ай бұрын

Masochist! :)

@johnnymontalvo5620 9 ай бұрын

I agree, but I always carry a ballpoint with me in addition to my fountain pen. Sometimes they are a good option, such as when I don’t want to worry about the pen, when I want to blend in, or when someone needs to borrow a pen.

@oteliogarcia1562 8 ай бұрын

For lefties, for people who write on glossy paper, or low-grade paper (crossword puzzles, anyone?), for people who just cannot afford fountain pens, even the entry level ones (you have to buy new cartridges at some point), ballpoint pens do not suck. granted, you still need to adjust your grip if you're a lefty while using a "wet ink" ballpoint or rollerball pen, or writing on glossy paper, but it's nothing compared to what you have to do to make a fountain pen work. and in some types of paper, the fountain pen won't work, no matter what you do.

@haroldmarenger3435 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the video Doug. While I prefer fountain pens to write with, ballpoint, rollerball, and felt tip pens have their uses-especially when the paper you’re using bleeds through and feathers worse than a Bounty paper towel. A lot of times I end up using a 0.7 mm or 0.5 mm Pentel Kerry with B lead for a darker line without pressing super hard.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

@0n0sendai 10 ай бұрын

Because I'm not handing my fountain pen to my covict clients to sign their name a couple times on court papers.

@fab006 10 ай бұрын

Ballpoints have their use when writing against a vertical wall or leaning over a table. Which is… very niche.

@marciomaiajr 10 ай бұрын

I don't know why but I love your sense of humor.😂 There's something special about the Canadian KZfaqrs that always make me laugth. Love your videos.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Oh thank you!

@kookatsoonjan 7 ай бұрын

@@InkquiringMinds yes...Canadian You Tubers...thank you...from the South Klondike Highway on the way to Skagway Alaska...@ Kookatsoon Lake...love your channel a LOT!!!!

@williamcatalano1762 10 ай бұрын

I try to tell people at work I can't even think about using ballpoints or rollerballs anymore and they just look at me dumbfounded lol Some people just can't understand it, or just good enough is enough.

@archivist17 10 ай бұрын

I think you need to explain capillary action to a couple of my nibs! 😂

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

😂

@BigHenFor 10 ай бұрын

The problem for me is the Ergonomics of most ball and gel pens are suboptimal for good handwriting over extended periods. The best non-fountain pen designs have been the Uni-ball pens that have a thicker than normal section and a silicone grip for comfort. But I honest found a wider range of fountain pens from China, whose ergonomics suited me better and were often cheaper than the best ballpoint and gel pens. Even the Jinhao Shark and Swan pens were quite comfortable yo grip and write with. So, it's really that I'm built for comfort and not speed. Anything with a section in the region of 12 mm and with a Number 6 sized nib is more often in my rotation than not. Much easier to maintain a steady, light, but comfortable grip, without cramping fingers or undo wrist strain. So my handwriting shows the benefit of that.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Excellent points!

@chazmena 10 ай бұрын

Sent to all family, friends and to be posted on my social media 🍸

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

😂

@chazmena 10 ай бұрын

I have a Cross Century, shiny and skinny for historical reasons: they were needed for bombers' navigators during the Second World War by RCAF and ASAAF. The ink didn't freeze at those altitudes. RAF had something similar.

@aniken6877 Ай бұрын

Why fountain pens are super expensive.

@johnnyragadoo2414 10 ай бұрын

There is something far worse, particularly for unsuspecting children in classrooms where safety is an expectation. The little ball in a 0.5 mm ballpoint draws barely more than 1.5 mm per full revolution. Draw a 20 cm line. The ball has to roll 127 times. Not much? With a moderate stroke, you can draw such a line in a quarter of a second. 127 revolutions in a quarter second is a rate of 508 revolutions per second, or a staggering 30,480 revolutions per minute. That's more than twice the currently permitted limit for Formula 1 race car engines. Your grip on the pen is less than two centimeters from a maelstrom the likes of which are seen on only the most challenging race courses. Like the gap between God and David's fingers on the Sistene Chapel's ceiling, almost nothing but faith separates your fingers from energies few stop to consider. It's chilling.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Boggles the mind!

@Noumenon4Idolatry 5 ай бұрын

I’m left handed. What’s the best pen for a lefty? Ok. I see what you’re saying. Now. What I’m wondering is what fountain pen is best for EDC. I go camping. Hiking. Tent camping. Do I want to take a fountain pen? I suppose I can carry a few pens. I often carry my Bullet Space Pen with my checkbook and wallet. It can write on wet paper. It’s not the smoothest but it does write fine.

@InkquiringMinds 5 ай бұрын

A Pilot Vanishing Point.

@Noumenon4Idolatry 5 ай бұрын

@@InkquiringMinds 🖊️ 😎 thanks

@alohm 10 ай бұрын

I spent the day, yesterday, using ball points. The cramps, the angle of use, and the speed and flow sucks compared to the fountain pen - my gel ink pens help...

@alohm 10 ай бұрын

I use a rubber grip I add to the pens, and medium point ink refills tend to make the writing angle less steep ;) less cramps and more fun. I mean there is enough work trying to encode our thoughts into words, then into ink scribbles on the page ;)

@scotttanner8043 4 ай бұрын

They all suck! I can't use a Fountain Pen because I'm left -handed; and smearing is an issue---I agree w/ what you said about the other types... back to crayons.

@tsherbs1309 10 ай бұрын

This vid is like a teenager stomping on a five-yr-old at the park: pick on someone yer own size, whydontcha?

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

😂

@AndyP126 10 ай бұрын

I love my foutain pens. But in 2023, I write so infrequently, it is not uncommon for a pen to sit unused for weeks at a time. This often leads to hard starts or dried up pens. I just don't write often enough to keep using a foutain pen. Even if I do use a pen, it's for things like writing a check or writing a grocery list. I don't keep a journal and I don't want to. So, I've compromised on using a rollerball. I also have a Parker Jotter with some Schmidt hybrid ink which isn't bad, and some Fisher Space Pens. Those things will write anywhere. The problem I have is that I HATE HATE HATE threaded caps. So, pens that can stay inked a long time without drying out don't work for me. Almost evety pen I use is either a slip cap (Parker "51") or a snap cap. And they all dry up eventually if I don't use them. I like the VIsconti hook-safe mechanism. But I just can't afford one. I also have this habit of inking up a half dozen pens and once. I find it very hard to control myself when it comes to inking fountain pens. I haven't had an inked fountain pen in probably 6 months now. I may ink up a Parker 51 and see how it goes.

@amyfeigt6715 10 ай бұрын

I can see benefits to all pens, just the right tool for the job. When I was an EMT & having to fill out dozens of call reports daily, I used a pressurized ball point since you never knew if you'd have a flat level surface to write on, sometimes that flat surface was the verticle side of the ambulance or fire truck! Now that I have an office job, I can relish an assortment of fountain pens & inks. Ballpoints certainly aren't my favorite by any means, but sometimes a fountain pen just isn't as practical (or feasible when pens are getting "borrowed" regularly by coworkers or accidentally left behind at a hospital ER because you got another call as soon as dropping off the current patient... Inexpensive ball points win the day in that scenario! Lol)

@Teddlesfilms 9 ай бұрын

Of course, in general, I agree with you - but.... 1: we don't just need a pen that suits us, we need paper that suits the pen. I think a lot of the paper produced today is designed to work well in printers, and a good deal of it makes a pen perform badly - skipping, thin lines, drying up can all be caused by the paper not the pen. 2: on envelopes, for example, an address written with a ball point is going to remain legible when one written with a pen can be all but washed away by rain. 2 is just a special case, but 1 a major irritant in my experience, and sometimes it's best to take the heat out of the situation and switch to a ball point (the psychological stress of a favourite pen performing badly can be considerable!).

@InkquiringMinds 9 ай бұрын

All good points!

@cesspresso 10 ай бұрын

I love how the orange pen fell over in defeat when you exposed the ballpoints inability to offer line variation. 😅

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

A trained rolleroverball!

@tdowling149 10 ай бұрын

Some ballpoints don't suck - they blow! But how did you get that Cross Edge to roll over in cue?

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Trained rolloverball.

@idipbananasintocoffee 10 ай бұрын

Don’t have to watch the video to fully agree

@gokhanersan8561 10 ай бұрын

Quality of ballpoint refills degraded in the late 90s. St DuPont refills that I bought around 2010 were the only good refills, but they came at a high cost. Today, Schneider makes the only acceptable refills, but they are the gel type ballpoint refills.

@rainsoakedpuppy 22 күн бұрын

My job necessitates loaning complete and random strangers my personal pen many times per day. This might be one of the only applications in which a rollerball pen is a better choice. I will say though that the one day that I took a Noodler Ahab to work and loaned it out was pretty hilarious, as I got to watch the utter catastrophe that is people unfamiliar with a flex nib fountain pen trying to write.

@nochipmunks8692 18 күн бұрын

You have a beautiful handwriting so no matter what you use it still looking great

@AlexD12345 9 ай бұрын

You are not wrong, just getting old. Fountain pens belong to the past, just like vintage cars, old furniture, and the Parker Jotter that you are using. Also it has to do with your penmanship. Modern ballpoint pens and inks go way beyond what fountain pans can do in terms of writing, comfort, and convenience. Look up the newest hybrid ink reffills from Zebra, Pentel, Mitsubishi pencil (some of them even offer line variation) and you will probably never question again why the majority of people use ballpoints, even the ones who get into fountain pens as a hobby. Regards.

@edwardstaats4935 10 ай бұрын

Rants are good. It is so true about ballpoint pens. You have to press so hard, hurting the hand. Nothing like a good fountain pen

@edanthony6 10 ай бұрын

Early ball-points were touted as being a method of creating additional copies through "carbon paper." I guess "manifold" nibs were designed to be stiff enough to do it, too. An early quip was that with the new ball-point pens, you were likely to get six copies and no original! Now that there are other ways of making copies, it seems hard to even find carbon paper. Q: What do they call a swanky party where nibmeisters dress in formalwear? A: A Pen-Point Ball.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

😂

@Zobeid Ай бұрын

"Tell me I'm wrong!" Okay. You, sir, are partially wrong. The ballpoint has its place. Your handwriting with the Jotter and the fountain pen didn't look that different to me. The main visible distinction is that the ballpoint line is much finer and weaker. I think most ballpoints are made with super-stingy ink flow to maximize the life of the refill. I find the best ballpoints are XB (extra broad) and produce a line similar to a Fine nib fountain pen. The Bic Cristal 1.6mm writes well, and so does the Schneider Slider 755 XB refill. I've been using fountain pens for decades, and I would never go back to large amounts of writing with ballpoints, for all the reasons you covered. To carry in a pocket, to carry in my vest, a ballpoint has advantages. I don't do pages and pages of writing away from home. With a ballpoint I can fill out forms on the worst copy paper. I can hand it to anyone, and they'll know how to use it and not damage it. I can jot down brief notes for myself, and they don't have to be beautiful. It's reliable, won't dry out or require any maintenance. I might even argue the ballpoint is a better replacement for the mechanical pencil than for the fountain pen. You can't erase, but hey… You can sign stuff with it.

@theprof_001 9 ай бұрын

Skid mark! LMAO! Love your humor. 🤣🤣🤣

@idvdump 10 ай бұрын

They do suck but I love 'em. There's a lot of ballpoints nowadays of much better quality. I find they're really great for art as you can build up many layers with them.

@jfescutia3644 5 ай бұрын

You should add to the title of the video “… to write with.” Ballpoint pens are great to draw with.They offer a lot of flexibility while drawing because the pressure can be manipulated and that adds line variety and intensity to the drawing. I enjoy both pens and find they are great for different jobs.

@InkquiringMinds 5 ай бұрын

Well, they make lousy can-openers too!

@Feynman_Fries 10 ай бұрын

I only started using fountain pens out of rebellion against "use and toss away" nature of ball point and roller pens. I am the kind that forms a very intimate relationship with my writing instruments and to have to think of dumping them after they run out, is simply demeaning and disturbing to me. Their nature of non-reusibility has since gotten under my skin. Not once was i not conscious of the ink running out of my pens when i used to use roller balls. Having said that, i have used roller balls throughout my school and college and as a result i had to completely overhall my handwriting to suit the strokes of a fountain pen, a transition I'm still going through. After a lot of struggle, I've fallen for the charm of fountain pens, and I'm glas i could be introduced to the sheer joy that pilot metropolitan brings to me that no pen ever could.

@joeldoxtator9804 6 ай бұрын

This is basically spot on. I study by copying textbooks verbatim and as you can imagine, that exposes me to a LOT of writing experience. I started with a Cross EF ballpoint and my writing was always hard to control, often over shooting lines in characters. I would also get wicked hand cramping writing with the ball point due to a combination of the pressure required and the small diameter of the pen. The Cross cartridges would also frequently clog, leading to furious air wagging of the pen to release clogs. The cartridges are also extremely expensive compare to ink bought in bulk. I then upgraded to a Lamy Safari. Not only did it eliminate all cramping in my hands over long writing sessions, but it never clogs and is much more controllable due to less required pressure and the feed back resistance of the nib on the page. The only draw backs are due to the design of the lamy safari itself. I don't like the contoured grip section on the safari, it is a bit too narrow still for my liking, it very quickly runs out of ink due to the small size converter and the overall plastic build feels very flimsy in the hands. Due to these complaints, I just recently ordered an Esterbrook Estie Raven as it seems to be a reasonable upgrade to all my complaints and I like that it has a textured matte finish for grip.

@InkquiringMinds 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing! Good luck with the Raven!

@joeldoxtator9804 6 ай бұрын

Just got the Raven today. I have done about 12 A4 pages front and back and this is what I have noticed so far. The feel in the hand is very natural and well balanced. I did my work today cap posted and the balance was just right for my grip. The textured matte finish does not disappoint. The material also feels solid in the hand, not fragile like the safari. Ergonomically, my only complaint would be the location of the cap threads. It lands right where I like to grip and if I grip too hard it can become uncomfortable. The writing is smooth and consistent. I ordered it with the EF nib and it has much less scratchy feel on the paper than what the Lamy Safari had with a western EF nib. The ink flow is constant as long as there is still ink in the converter. I ran it out once during the writing session and the behavior of low ink is the tip gets scratchy first, then it starts to miss strokes. This is a change over the Safari as it would just straight stop when empty. I am guessing this is the result of a larger volume feed assembly in the Raven. Filling the converter is less messy than the Safari. I like to remove my converter to fill it to reduce mess and the safari would always bubble and splatter when reinserting the converter. The raven converter goes in without any mess so far. The metal accents are a plus. The clip is strong and comparable to the safari and it is nice to have metal threads for the body of the pen. The safari would always audibly creek and crack if pressure was applied by my hand. No such issues with the raven. Posting does leave a mark on the end of the pen like others have claimed. Although, that is not really a negative to me as this pen is a work horse, not a show piece.@@InkquiringMinds

@InkquiringMinds 6 ай бұрын

@@joeldoxtator9804Awesome review!

@donaldgoerig6171 10 ай бұрын

TOTALLY AGREE!

@Darwriter 9 ай бұрын

There are some really good ballpoints. It all depends on what refills are used: I regard the Schmidt Easy flow 9000 as the best. One can write at the same angle and with the same pressure with a ballpoint as with a fountain pen. I sometimes think that those who have amassed large collections of fp's secretly resent their mainly useless hoard, so pick faults with other types of pen.

@InkquiringMinds 9 ай бұрын

LOL

@Darwriter 9 ай бұрын

@InkquiringMinds There's nothing wrong with having a hoard of largely useless fps - I do. I love them all and would never part with them. That said, their usefulness is quite limited; for instance, if I were to scribble down a phone number on a piece of card or write a shopping list, I would rather use a ballpoint than a fp.

@kookatsoonjan 7 ай бұрын

@@InkquiringMinds YEP LOL alright!

@johnpetrucellijr.8167 10 ай бұрын

Somewhat a fair assessment.,but I am sure there are applications where a ballpoint pen is useful. Case in point an outside field researcher would use a ballpoint pen for field notes. A Fischer space pen refill would excel in note-taking in outdoor environments, or the vacuum of space. First responders, cops firefighters, etc. would need a long-lasting reliable maintenance-free pen. Ballpoints fit the bill. Here in the US, there was a movement towards disposable wares. The ballpoint pen fits the bill, along with razors, Tupperware, quartz/ digital watches, etc. Ballpoint pens and these other products maximize profits with little or no residual value after their intended use. Basically, it was a product-maximizing profit trend in today's manufacturing. Apple computers with their Apple silicon chips are making their computers disposable/recyclable. Basically, they are not upgradeable and of little or no value beyond their intended window of use. This is a trend where the recycle value returns to the company upon depletion of useful life. I think manufacturers beat us to being bottom feeders. The old saying they got you coming and going. At least a fountain pen retains some residual value.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Thanks John!

@JosephDickson 10 ай бұрын

Officially my favorite Ted Talk. 😂

@oscarmedina1597 10 ай бұрын

That red ballpoint fainted at 2:11 when you mentioned the line variation. It knows it can’t win. By the way, I assiduously reviewed your video twice to find any error; despite your directive at the end, I was unable to find fault with your logic. Ballpoint pens do, in fact, suck.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

LOL right?

@hiltonprice2625 10 ай бұрын

You are wrong. Fountain pen ink takes longer to dry, most inks are not permanent and the uncapping experience is inconvenient in most cases but I love fountain pens for their tactile feel. Therein lies the rub.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Wrong. 😁

@TheOkazakiGuy 10 ай бұрын

I have always contended that ballpoints are responsible for the death of cursive. The pressure required to write with them encourages us to write print where we can have a little more control over the letters and let up the pressure between each of them giving our hand a mini-break. The timing between the mass adoption of ballpoints and the gradual decline in cursive and rise in print only writing seems very suspicious.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

I agree.

@slayerftwrongdoers8657 6 ай бұрын

Ballpoint pen is most preferred pen because it's convenient.

@ashotinthedark3182 10 ай бұрын

My writing is bad no matter the the implement,gel pens are the daily go to.

@ibpopp 10 ай бұрын

Yes, there might possibility be some uses for BPs, but... they're useless to store in the glove box of a car for occasional use. A pencil won't let you down with solidified ink or inability to write on a greasy brown paper bag. Just like our dear late Queen Elizabeth, I too will always say, "But it's a ball-point. No, thank you."

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

I agree 100%, @ibpopp!

@13noman1 10 ай бұрын

Man, ain't that the truth! I'm old enough that I had to (as in required) to use ball points since hospital orders were on some kind of cheap triple-duplicate paper....but I carried at least two pens -- the hated ball point and a fountain pen for record notes! Spared my hands some grief. I still have some fancy BP's -- don't ask me why -- and will use a gel pen at times but my default is a FP all day long.

@anon9290 10 ай бұрын

Spooky moment at 2:11

@KendallW 10 ай бұрын

Love a good rant, even if I don't 100% agree. This one I do 100% agree. It makes sense why ballpoints are so popular, most people want reliability and no maintenance / throw away vs caring about the writing experience. Convenience definitely comes at a cost for sure.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Right on!

@jamesdavis8021 6 ай бұрын

I am left handed so,my handwriting suck anyway

@rambaron 10 ай бұрын

I love ballpoints, if it wasn't for the ballpoint pen, I wouldn't look nearly as ridiculous to colleagues when I whip out my most austentatious fountain pen! or better yet, my civil war #6 Mabie Todd dip pen.

@kenblair2538 10 ай бұрын

Good one , Doug. I no longer use ball points , because they are boring. Your points are valid , too. Eight hundred plus inks, and cool resins, you don't have in ball points. I have yet to see a ball point as cool as my Visconti , or Pilot E95s , or anything else. KB

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Well said!

@MISTER_CEO 10 ай бұрын

I'm an English teacher in the UK, only just getting into fountain pens over the last few months, and I have to say I will be forever thankful that rollerballs exist. I'm a 26 year old man and the amount of mess I make trying to fill my fountain pens is ridiculous, I can only imagine the mess I would have in my classroom if I had groups of 30 11 to 16 year old writing with them all day 🤣

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

😂

@crouserm 10 ай бұрын

I will not and cannot tell you that you're wrong. I keep ballpoints for NCR paper that credit card receipts get printed on. Or carbon paper . . . as if.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

😁

@goofygame 10 ай бұрын

2:28 Please calm down 😂 First, take a breath....

@quali-vd3ud 3 ай бұрын

I'm left-handed so none of these work for me :^)

@MatthewJames556 10 ай бұрын

Ballpoint pens are only useful when you're a student using cheap Hilroy paper. I've never had any issues with rollerball pens, but fountain pens will always be my go-to.

@willemgroenewegen5934 10 ай бұрын

I'm left-handed, so your rant goes out my window, sorry to say. I grew up writing with pencils in primary school, so had no issues. But in secondary school the problems arose anywhere ink or paint were involved, I would smudge it all from left to right. The least ink, the fewest issues, so ballpoint pens were it. My dad had beautiful fountain pens for his engineering sketchwork, but I ignored them. Had to write fast in exams and small on forms and then the computer happened and all I would write in physically was my diary. So I never saw the need for fountain pens. Then I had a massive burn out after 18 years of hard work and somewhere along the way I was advised to start writing stuff down with a fountain pen. And the rest is smudgy history. But I do still love my ballpoints!

@deniseplasse5126 10 ай бұрын

I cant agree with you more, Ballpoint and rollerballs suck! Fountain Pens RULE!!! ❤❤❤❤❤

@robertb.7772 9 ай бұрын

Fountain pens suck for a number of reasons. The smearing... oh, the smearing! Then they break easily (better don't drop them). They require maintenance (mostly cleaning). They work well only on certain kinds of paper. They run out of ink a lot faster. They have a cap (I find that very inconvenient, compared to the simple clicking mechanism of a ballpoint. It's just an extra step, taking the cap off and on, posting it or putting it somewhere). The inconsistent ink flow, that scratchy noise when you try to write and no ink comes out for a second (I hate that sound)... And the elitist attitute of some fountain pen afficionados, who SCOFF at the mere thought of using a plebeian ballpoint.

@InkquiringMinds 9 ай бұрын

Very good!

@kookatsoonjan 7 ай бұрын

🙃🤓

@panostis1808 2 ай бұрын

Well, it really gets down to what you like best. I have fountain pens, but don't reach for them as frequently as my ballpoint ones. Sliding on the sheet like a skier down a snowy mountain hill isn't always a good thing. I find that I prefer control better most of the times. Fp favour certain types of paper or they'll just misbehave. You have to store them vertically, nib up. You have to use all the ink before you are allowed to store them away or just waste it down the drain (unless you only got one fp and devote to using it exclusively or massive quantities of ink and you don't care. I like using a different ballpoint every week). You can't hold them and point at something or someone unless you want massive ink coming out of the nib on them 😅. You can't just leave it on the desk uncapped for a while. You have to be really gentle on them lest you want to destroy that precious nib. Extra fine is really medium, fine is really large, medium is really extra broad (well you get the idea). You have to write big, I mean seriously, writing in small letters like most people and not using two whole lines almost always results in nonsense writing (you got to love the clarity of ballpoints, even gel ones). Ballpoints are more forgiving than fountain pens. If you mess up with a fountain pen say goodbye to the whole sheet (it's easier with ballpoints to get away with putting an extra "n" after you've realized you've misspelled. With fp that almost certainly leads to smudges). Always keep that index finger of yours at a safe distance (I bet only few people can honestly claim to have ended a writing session with their fingers ink free unless their life depended on that). You can't and shouldn't exert your anxiety on fps. Ballpoints on the other hand (bring it on, no problem). Be that as it may writing with a fp is a whole new experience. I enjoy writing with it just for the experience of writing, just not for my frequent everyday writing or thoughts i would want permanently on paper. Really enjoyed the video. Nice topic. Thumbs up.

@photogman390 10 ай бұрын

"nuff said"

@_quiara_ 10 ай бұрын

You’re not wrong!

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

😂

@santauxia 10 ай бұрын

2:12 You're not alone😳

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

😂

@santauxia 10 ай бұрын

Good Vibes, Good Vibes. Only Good Vibes.@@InkquiringMinds

@MohamedSamyAlRabbani 4 ай бұрын

morale of the video, the French ruined pens ,,,

@pcampbell17 7 ай бұрын

ballpoint pens are terrible, stuff never writes smoothing, skips, and just looks like hot trash.

@samyg123 10 ай бұрын

Just before watching this I was handed a bill with a ballpoint pen, only to find I needed to do the squiggly circles to get ink flowing. I wish fountain pens were more commonly used in the US 😥

@clc3897 10 ай бұрын

Ball point pens DON’T suck! Not unless you are trying to replicate a fountain pen. I was watching this video as I was working on a ballpoint pen drawing. In the hands of an artist a ballpoint pen is a tool like no other. I love BIC pens, but then I love using the cheapest kind of ballpoint pens one can find. The more drag it has the better. Why? Because this allows me to create the light to dark values one would need for shading. If you’re curious do a quick search for ballpoint pen drawings. You’ll be blown away by what one can achieve with a humble ballpoint pen. The interesting debate in the art world is whether or not ballpoint pen art should be considered painting and not drawing, since the ink is oil based. As for handwriting with a ballpoint pen, once again, it is the hand that holds it that makes or breaks the way the handwriting looks. Depending on the paper and the nib size, writing with a ballpoint pen can look spectacular, but I will agree that when in the process of learning calligraphy or any form of handwriting the best tool will always be a fountain pen. I am of the older European generation who learned to write using a fountain pen. You couldn’t show up to class without your fountain pen filled and ready to go. All homework HAD to be turned in using a fountain pen. During lockdowns I decided to expand my fountain pen collection and at the same time work on my handwriting. I am happy to announce that my handwriting has been changed to a more consistent and beautiful cursive, and that my fountain pen collection is ever expanding thanks to you and all the other pen enthusiasts. But I am also expanding my ballpoint pen collection. Don’t get me started on reviewing all my ballpoint pens. LOL

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Awesome! Thanks for your perspective!

@vasilis_k_97 10 ай бұрын

I agree to every point you make. Ballpoints don't suck. They have their disadvantages but fountain pens do too. I always prefer a fountain pen to anything else for writing, unless required otherwise, but if it is for drawing, I find even the cheapest ballpoint far superior.

@kookatsoonjan 7 ай бұрын

yes...ballpoints are AWESOME FOR SKETCHING... and underneath watercolour paint...they DO NOT BLEED...like a permanent document fountain pen ink...wish they would make a pale gray ballpoint ink in a pen...they are all sadly boring colours of blue or black...rather dark...a faint gray would sure be nice in a ballpoint ink pen for sketching lightly

@clc3897 7 ай бұрын

@@kookatsoonjan actually BIC makes a ton of different colors. I have a set with ten different colors ranging from yellow to black. I also like the Pentel RSVP color sets. When it comes to grays I found some ultra fine pens made in Japan that work well in the gray department. The thing about ballpoint pens is that they are oil based, so it’s hard to make them bleed. However, you have to be careful if you are planning on covering up the lines. I was trying to save a good piece of paper that had some ballpoint pen sketches on it by painting it with acrylics and could not get any of the ballpoint pen to disappear. In the end I painted the same color on top of the ballpoint marks and saved my paper that way.

@Javi_C 10 ай бұрын

😂 👍

@MrAndrew1953 10 ай бұрын

I think ballpoints are Awesome- I use a Fisher Space Pen to write on crappy paper,surfaces. This saves damaging my fountain pen nibs. Awesome 😎. Yup you are wrong about ballpoints- look on them as an evil necessity.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

Naww.

@MrAndrew1953 10 ай бұрын

@@InkquiringMinds Trust me Doug it’s a good strategy. Montblanc make them so you don’t have to damage Murray’s 149 Calligraphy nib.

@InkquiringMinds 10 ай бұрын

@@MrAndrew1953 LOL!

@tce4159 10 ай бұрын

My mom always said the worst thing we ever did was abandon our fountain pens ! She was born in the 20s

@dancinswords 10 ай бұрын

You're wrong. Not sure why you wanted me to tell you that, because you're _not_ wrong. I just realized I've never really used ballpoints. In school, I refused to write with a pen until I found a Pilot Precise V rollerball on the ground, not knowing how it was different from a ballpoint but loving it. I also refused to learn/use cursive, because everyone was aware of how everyone's cursive handwriting was illegible; why would I waste time learning an entire new writing system that's just going to make my handwriting _less_ readable? Until recently when I started using a fountain pen to write it