ClipClick Inc. (Blue)

This pen was something of a mystery. I have done web searches on it’s name, but could not seem to locate the company that makes it. Thanks to the folks who informed me that this pen is made by Peachtree Playthings.

Ink

• A little on the pale side but easy on the eyes.

Line

• The ink is not being delivered consistently, leaving you with noticeable fading as you write. It looks like a pen going dead.

Design

• Press clip to retract point. I don’t like this, I can not be bothered to think about whether I need to press the top or side of my pen when I wish to put it away. Pressing the top is automatic, don’t confuse me.

• The clear barrel craze has a real purpose here, allowing us to see how the retractable side notch works.

Features

• The grip on this pen has deep grooves, which do manage to keep your fingers in place.

Smear-Proof

• For a cheap pen, it will not smear! The ink dries immediately. No matter how I tried, I could not manage to smear this ink.

Pooling

• Like most ballpoints, there is very little pooling when you hold this pen stationary on your paper.

Writing Time
I was able to write a long passage with this pen, having no skipping. The fading issue is due to the quality of the ink and does not get better nor worse with use.

Pilot V Ball Fine (Blue)

Ink

• This is a liquid ink rolling ball pen in a classy navy blue.

Line

• A strange definition of a Fine point, this pen is more like a medium. Since the rolling ball lets out a lot of ink, the line is not sharp but bleeds into the paper.

Design

• I like this pen’s monochromatic color scheme and low key silver-tone clip. The effect is subtle, not cheap.

Features

• See-through barrel to keep an eye on ink level. For those like myself who are easily amused, it is fun to slosh the liquid ink, sort of like one of those “ocean in a bottle” novelties.

Smear-Proof

• Amazingly, despite how much ink this pen puts out, I have had no trouble with smearing, even when running my fingers through a relatively thick patch of scribble.

Pooling

• When held stationary against the paper at an angle, the Pilot V Ball pools a lot of ink but almost none when held straight up. Perhaps this is a pen most suited for those who hold their pen at a 90 degree angle when they write, the line did seem a bit cleaner and sharper when I tried it just now.

Writing Time
You can write long passages without skipping or having the pen die on you. However, my V Ball makes a squeeky sound that may drive you or those you love a little crazy.

Pilot G-2 .38 (Green)

Design

• Personally, I find the design of the G-2 line to look cheap. Something about that colored top, clear barrel and colored grip appears amateurish.
• The rubber grip is only slightly wider than the barrel and has “barely there” grooves on the lower half of the material. This suits me just fine since I do not like fat pens nor do I like a heavily textured grip.

Ink

• A true grass green, a nice change for casual writing and to match your greeting cards.

Line

• Gives a nice clean line that is easy to read, even helps makes sense of the scribble put out by those with sloppy handwriting.

Features

• Retractable
• Refillable
• Available in many colors
• One of the narrowest tips available, which is great for lefties and those who write fast and with many flourishes.
• Rubber grip

Smear-Proof

• This ink has only smudged on me when I ran my finger through freshly-laid ink. The narrow tip allows for quick drying time, faster than you would find with most other gel inks.

Pooling

• The ink does pool quite a bit when resting on paper. This is bad if you like to hold your pen stationary while considering what awesome words of wit to next commit to paper.

Writing Time
The G-2 allows you to write long passages without skipping or dying out.