Pentel EnerGel Times Three

Sometime back while on the JetPens Forum we were discussing the Pentel EnerGel Liquid Gel Ink pen. The topic centered around the EnerGel Alloy pen in particular. Since I had as of yet experienced writing with the EnerGel I had little to add to the discussion. That prompted me to go out and buy a Pentel Energel, the non alloy version as the budget was and is tight. Then a gentle soul named Austin, emailed me asking if I'd acquired a Pentel EnerGel Alloy pen yet. I wrote back telling him that I had not. He then replied with the offer of sending me one! How could I refuse such a generous offer! Soon the Alloy arrived and I was impressed with it's weight and feel.

Since I now had 2 different versions of the same pen I decided to do a side by side review of the 2 pens. But before I could do so I came across the needle point version of the pen! So now it has turned into a side by side by side review of the 3 pens. So just to clear things up the review/comparison will be of the Pentel EnerGel Alloy, the Pentel EnerGel Metal Tip and the EnerGel Needle Tip. The point size for all three pens is 0.7 mm.

Now for some stats. The EnerGel Alloy measures 148.2 mm long, 10.9 mm in diameter at it's widest point. It weighs 21.2 grams and it's balance point is 76.2 mm from the push button. The EnerGel Metal Tip and the EnerGel Needle Tip have the exact same measurements. They measure 147.2 mm long, 11 mm in diameter at their s widest point. They weigh 12.6 grams and have a balance point of 73 mm from the push button. The EnerGel alloy is made from aluminum while the Metal Tip and Needle Tip are made mostly of plastic.

All three are attractive pens. The design on the Metal tip and Needle Tip are the same except the Metal Tip is black and silver while the Needle Tip is black, silver and light metallic blue. The Alloy on the other hand is all silver, both bright and satin, and incorporates most of the design features of the other two pens. In shape it differs from the other two pens in that the push button end is shaped differently as is the pocket clip. While the Metal Tip and Needle Tip have removable rubber sleeves in the grip area the Alloy does not. All have the same wavy design. Aesthetically the Alloy to me is the most pleasing both in shape and color.

The Metal tip and Needle Tip both feel light as a feather and rest comfortably in my hand. Their balance point being nearly in the middle of the pen, they feel perfectly balanced. The rubber grip, a feature lacking on the Alloy, is Latex free and provides an excellent gripping surface. With a length of 37 mm it will accommodate just about any grip style, weather you hold your pen near the tip or use a high hold or hold the pen anywhere in between. The grip on the Alloy is possibly the worst that I've ever encountered! It is all but impossible for me to write with the pen as is. I simply can not get a good grip on the pen! As I write my hand slides down until I have to readjust my grip and start over. However I do prefer the weight of the Alloy to the other two pens. With my "fix" in place I can write with the Alloy as well as any pen that I have.

BTW my "fix" is a sleeve of clear heat shrink cut to length then heat shrunk over the grip area. With this "fix" I can grip the pen quite well for as long as I need too. It's like giving the pen a very thin rubber grip, only transparent.

I found the EnerGel family of pens pleasant to write with (once the "fix" was in on the Alloy). The Metal Tip and Needle Tip are both very light and fit well in my hand. I like the girth of the pens, they are just at the upper limit of my comfort zone size wise. I'm torn between liking lightweight pens and heavyweight pens. The lightness of the Metal Tip and Needle Tip is nice giving the feeling one could write long hours with out fatigue. But the weight of the Alloy gives the writer a sense of power, that they are in command of the paper and ink. When it comes down to it, I prefer the Alloy with my "fix" on the grip. Not only is it a heavier pen but a quieter one as well. The Alloy has a soft touch push button and is very quiet when compared to the loud "pop" of the Metal Tip and Needle Tip.

I preformed a standard pen test on the refills of both types of pens. The test consisted of writing a short line of text followed by a short line then holding the point down to the paper using normal writing pressure for 10 seconds. I found that the needle point "wobbled" a bit within the tip of the pen. I could feel the point move within the end of the pen. The Metal Tip was rock solid. Both pens wrote smoothly producing a bold 0.7 mm line though to these eyes the Needle Tip seemed a wee bit wider. A single drop of water was placed on the line and allowed to soak into the paper. The results were that the ink from both pens feathered proving that the ink is not waterproof. Lastly the dot test showed that the Needle Tip bled through to the next page while the Metal Tip did not. This seems odd to me as I would expect the same results from both pens as point size and ink formula are the same.

Speaking of ink formulas, Pentel claims that the ink in the EnerGel line of pens is a "Liquid Gel Ink" and they call the pens "Rollergels". This is a combination of liquid ink and gel ink which would make the pens hybrids similar to the uni-ball Jetstream which is a cross between ballpoint pen ink and gel pen ink. The ink does dry quickly so there is no smudging, good news for all you south paws. However the ink is not archival safe nor does it appear to be acid free. However it is nice and dark, very opaque.

The difference in the tips can be seen in the photo to the left. for a short distance the diameter of the tips are the same but in an instant the needle tip tapers off to a thinner, needle like tip. Pentel calls it a "light flex needle tip" so I assume that the tip is supposed to flex to a small degree. If it does I did not feel it flex.

Last words, the Pentel EnerGel Liquid Gel Ink Pen, in any form, is a very nice pen. The rubber grip of the Metal Tip and Needle Tip is very effective just as the grip on the Alloy is not. Both refills are bold and smooth, skip and blob free. While the ink is not waterproof nor archival safe it is rich and dark. All three pens are well balanced and rest well in the hand. So it seems that with the EnerGel Pentel has tried to give just about every body a pen that they like.

Uni-ball Vision Elite Bold 0.8 mm Rollerball

Recently I was approached by a rep. from Weber Shandwick, the PR firm that apparently handles the uni-ball account. She had this to say, in part:

"I see that you are a fan of uni-ball pens and thought you may be interested to know that this tax season, uni-ball has partnered with the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) and identity and security theft expert Robert Siciliano to raise awareness about identity theft and uni-ball’s specially formulated ink. Uni-Super Ink is a specially formulated ink that won’t wash out and protects against check washing. And because tax time is a key period when there is a spike in identity theft given the large amount of sensitive documents and information in circulation, an affordable solution, such as a $2 pen can help." The rep. also offered to send me some samples of some uni-ball pens with the super ink technology for consideration of doing a review of said pens.

Naturally I agreed to spread the word and to do a review of some uni-ball pens. A short time later a package arrived from Weber Shandwick with some uni-ball pens inside. Among them was a carded pack of 4 uni-ball Vision Elite Bold 0.8 mm Rollerballs in four colors, Red, Green, Blue and Violet. I wasted no time in opening the pack and having a look-see as I had never seen a uni-ball Vision Elite before. I was in unknown territory, wadding in uncharted waters, peering into the depths of the unknown... OK, enough melodrama!

When I got one of the pens into my hot little hands and removed the cap I noticed right away the textured grip. Unlike the plain clear plastic grip of the Vision Micro, the clear plastic grip of the Vision Elite is textured in a large diamond pattern. This gives the fingers a little something extra to hold onto besides the non-slip plastic. I found the grip a delight and kept running my fingers over it as I examined one of the pens. It also adds a bit of visual interest to the pen as well.


I also noticed that while neither the packaging nor the Sanford uniball web site mentions anything about the Vision Elite being refillable the entire business part of the pen, the tip, grip and ink supply are all one piece but unscrew from the body proper. I find that generally this means that for just a shade less than the cost of a new pen, a refill is available. I did not do a thorough web search for refills though. While having the pen apart I had a good look at the ink supply. It seems to be quite generous and the ink looked
to be rich and opaque, always a good sign.

I also took a gander at the pen's tip, a 0.8 mm ball in a conical shaped tip. A bit wide for my taste but it seems that I'm in the minority when it comes to favoring fine and ultra fine tipped pens. However the Vision Elite also comes in a 0.5 mm version that I would like to try out one day.

While the set I was sent had the four afore mentioned colors the Vision Elite also comes in Black, Orange, Pink and Blue/Black. Not a bad starter set of colors I do say.

According to the packaging the ink in the Vision Elite:

• Won't leak in flight
• Helps prevent check washing
• Fade- and water - resistant ink

The ink in the Vision Elite, as in most uni-ball pens, is a pigmented ink, not a dye ink. For a good explanation of the difference go here and click on "Learn More". Also, to learn more about identity theft and what uni-ball is doing to help prevent it please see this article on my other blog, The Painted Telephone. It's informative and enlightening, a "must read" for tax time.

So just how does the Vision Elite perform? I thought that you'd never ask! I did my standard test for ink pens. Using an Ampad "efficiency" ruled note pad I first wrote a line of text. That was followed by a short line for the water resistance test. That was followed by the bleed through test which consists of me holding the pen tip to the paper for 10 seconds using writing pressure.

The Vision Elite writes with a smoothness only available from liquid ink pens, aka, rollerballs. According to uni-ball this is due to the thinness of the ink used in rollerballs, about the consistency of milk. The thinner the ink and the wider the ball, the smoother the writing experience. But since the ball is only 0.1 mm larger than a o.7 mm ball, such as is on the uni-ball Signo 207, I did not find a perceptible difference between the 2 different ball sizes when it came to how smooth they write. I guess a silly little millimeter is just not enough increase in size to be noticed tactility. However, the Vision Elite is a smooth writing pen.

However visually I am able to detect a noticeable difference in the line width between the Bold 0.8 mm Vision Elite and the Fine 0.7 mm Signo 207 (hey, what happened to medium?). The 207 lays down a slightly thinner line, but not by much. I noticed that the ink in the Vision Elite does not dry as quickly as some other liquid ink pens. This could be because of the ink formula or because of the 0.8 mm tip laying down so much ink.

The water test consists of me putting a single drop of water on each ink line, using a cotton swab, and waiting for it to dry. Once dry I check to see if the ink has bleed, or feathered, when subjected to water. In the case of the Vision Elite the ink did not feather at all. This is primarily due to the fact that the ink is pigmented.

The bleed through test was a bit more telling. Despite having to run the Blue pen through it twice, to make sure that I used the same pressure on all four pens, my results are conclusive. All four colors bled through to the next page when the tip was held to the paper under normal writing pressure, mine that is, not yours! But when the tip of the pen was rested ever so lightly upon the paper's surface a barley perceptible dot is made. So it appears that the ink needs to be in relatively strong contact with the paper in order to leave a mark. Is this a good or bad thing? I guess it all depends on your point of view.

The Vision Elite feels comfortable in my hand, especially unposted as the pen is top heavy when posted. As mentioned earlier it writes very smooth and it's free flowing, an easy writer. It makes big bold lines, easy enough for this old geezer to see with his aging eyes. The pen is quite attractive, the bright colors contrasting nicely with the white and silver gray colors of the barrel and cap. The chrome metal pocket clip adds a nice visual touch as well.

The cap snaps in place with quite the audible "snap" and presses on snugly, almost with a snap, when posting the cap. But as mentioned earlier I find writing with the Vision Elite more comfortable when the pen is unposted, something I don't normally advocate.

All in all, the Mitsubishi uni-ball Vision Elite is a nice pen delivering quality at an affordable price. Plus it comes in 7 colors plus black. So if you are interested in a bold tipped pen that not only is a pleasure to use but will also help protect you from identity theft and check fraud then get yourself a uni-ball Vision Elite or two, or four, awe heck, get all eight!

A Rebuttal (Needle Point vs Conical Point)

Very true that there are uses and preferences for both needle and conical points. But it should also be added that the fragility factor comes into play in not only heavy handed writing, but if a pen is dropped, or otherwise not handled cautiously. This does not always have to be the fault of the user....things happen, pens hit the floor, etc. It seems the needles are far more likely to be damaged in those situations, but it also depends on the overall pen construction and so on.

Michael

You are so right! I completely overlooked that little detail. Chalk it up to old age, my friend!

The Old Geezer

Needle Point vs Conical Point

Generally speaking by design a conical point is going to be stronger than a needle point. A cone is stronger than a rod (unless that rod is very, very fat). Generally a conical point is made for writing while a needle point is made for mechanical drawing where a straight edge is used. The conical shape allows for writing at various angles while remaining strong. A needle tip with it's thin sleeve allows the nib to get very close to the straight edge for more accurate lines. Also needle points are usually the ones made in the smallest diameters for thinner lines. For free hand drawing it's my guess that it's whatever suites the artist best.

Ink flow depends more on ink chemistry than pen point, to a degree. Some needle points flow better than some conical points and vice versa. It's a matter of trying out the one that flows best in the point style of your choice. Of course nib size does play a factor in ink flow. Generally the broader the point the easier the ink flows, but not always. Again it's a matter of trial and error to find the right combination of point shape, size and ink chemistry that best suites the user (hey, if we were all the same then we'd need only one pen! How boring would that be? ).

While a conical point is stronger than a needle point this does not mean that one is overall better than the other. Purpose has a lot to due with the point shape chosen, as discussed. However there is some cross over of purpose between the 2 styles and either can be used for either purpose. But some posters have written that needle points are fragile and that they break easily. I'd like to address that point (pun intended) this way, don't be so heavy handed! Literally.

When I first started using the then new 0.5mm drafting pencils I busted the sleeve right off of 3 pencils before I learned not to be so heavy handed while writing and drawing, something I've had to relearn a time or two. HB lead in a modern pencil makes a dark enough line one shouldn't have to press hard to make a perfectly legible mark. The same goes for the modern gel/liquid ink pen. The only reason anyone needs to press hard when writing is when making carbon copies (and copy machines have almost freed us from that). BTW a medium or broad point ballpoint pen is best for carbons, less tearing of the paper.

So my final thoughts (in this post anyway) on the subject is pick your point wisely. Consider all the factors involved in your choice. If possible, try as many pens as you can before buying. Lastly, write softly and carry a BIG pen!