Pen And Pencils July Giveaway

Hello, Tommy!

"Hello, Geezer!"

Hey, everybody! It's Tommy Turquoise!... Say, Tommy, what have you got there?

"It's a Pentel EnerGel 0.7 mm Needle Point Liquid Gel Ink Pen."

Oh, one of the ones I reviewed recently.

"Not exactly, Geezer. It's the unused pen that was in the package, remember? They came two to a pack and you only used one in the review."

Sure, I remember. What are you doing with that one?

"Well, I thought that it might be a good candidate for the Pen And Pencils July Giveaway, Geezer."

That's a great idea, Tommy! Why don't you tell the folks how to enter the giveaway.

"Gladly, Geezer! To enter this months giveaway and have a chance to win a brand new Pentel EnerGel 0.7 mm Needle Point Liquid Gel Ink Pen all you have to do is is leave a comment to this post, please, one comment per person, telling us what you think of me, Tommy Turquoise! The contest will stay open until midnight on July 5th when it will be closed. Between midnight and 1:00 AM on July 6th The Old Geezer will use the Random Integer Generator to generate a random integer between one and the total number of comments made, inclusive. The winner will be announced in the comments section to this post after 1:00 AM on July 6th so be sure to check back then."

"The rules are simple, just one entry per person. Duplicate comments by the same person will be ignored. If you sign in anonymously, please leave either a screen name that you use elsewhere or an email address (one that you don't mind the public seeing) so if you are the winner you can be identified! The prize can't be sent to an unknown person. Once a winner has been chosen they will have 3 days in which to contact The Old Geezer via email at theoldgeezer@live.com with a name and mailing address. If the first round winner has not contacted Geezer by midnight, July 8th then the count will be reduced by one and another winner will be chosen."

Thanks, Tommy, that was great!.. So hurry up and post your comment! Times a wastin'!

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!

Staples OptiFlow Liquid Rollerball Pens

After returning some pens to Staples the other day I ran across these house brand liquid rollerball pens. I figured that since they were a buck less than what I'd just returned and there were two more pens in the pack I figured that I couldn't do any worse than what I returned. The package read that they were 0.5mm rollerball pens and that the ink was acid free. So I thought that I'd take a chance on them. I opted for the six pack with the four colored inks, 2 black, 2 blue, a red, and a green.

Once home I couldn't wait to put them through a small test, the standard test that I derived from a test I found on Ruby's blog, Toying With Light. She graciously allowed me to use it in it's modified form. The test consists of writing a short sentence followed by a short line followed by a dot. For the dot the point of the pen is held on the paper for 10 seconds then removed. Then I look to see how many pages that the ink bled through. The line is used as a waterproof test. A single drop of water is placed on each line without smearing it and left to dry. The paper is from a standard Ampad 5x7 note pad.

The pens produce a 0.5mm line, which is as expected, so there were no surprises there. The package claims that the pens are smooth writing. I found them to be a bit on the scratchy side for a 0.5mm point, and a liquid ink pen at that. The scratchiness is no worse that some smaller tipped pens but I really did expect a little smoother writing experience. The package claims that the ink is fade-resistant, it's a good thing that it didn't claim that it is waterproof because it isn't. The water-on-the-line test shows that every color faded to some degree, the blue and green colors almost disappearing completely. All colors bleed through the paper, the black through 2 more sheets, the rest through 3 more. Why the black held up better that the others I don't know. Finally the spot test reveals that the ink is not bleed proof, probably being a dye ink instead of a pigment ink. All colors bleed through 2 additional sheets.

The pens are 137mm long, capped and 147mm with the cap on the back of the pen (writing mode) and 11.7mm in diameter. That makes them a fat little pen. The grip is smooth plastic but still it offers a good grip. They are also an attractive pen being clear, silver black and the ink color. The cap snaps on with a distinct "click" and it takes some effort to push the cap onto the pen. Hopefully that means a tight seal so the ink won't dry up. The point protector inside the cap is spring loaded, probably adding to the caps resistance to closure . Removing the end cap reveals that the ink supply only takes up about 1/2 the space available. I guess they want you to buy more pens sooner.

Despite it's slight scratchiness the OptiFlow writes nicely. The ink flows smoothly and fully without skipping and without blobbing at the loops. The fatness of the pen body is very comfortable to hold, a pleasing departure from the tendency of today to make pens as skinny as possible. While not archival quality the OptiFlow is a good pen to write with for everyday use. I would hazard a guess that one could write for a long time comfortably with the Staples OptiFlow. At $7.00 for 6 pens, either all black or in four colors, the OptiFlow liquid rollerballs are a worthy entry into the world of rollerball pens.

Frakenpen: Pentel EnerGel/uni-ball 207 Micro Refill

If you are looking for a review of the Pentel EnerGel Liquid Gel Pen then you should look somewhere else. This "review" is of the Pentel Energel body and the Mitsubishi uni-ball Signo 207 Micro refill. This type of set up is commonly called a "Frakenpen".

While reading the JetPens Forum I ran across a write up about the Pentel EnerGel Alloy RT and was intrigued. So I went to Staples looking for one, just to have a look. Well I saw one but didn't buy it. I was still intrigued though, wondering just how heavy the pen was. But I didn't want to spend the money on a pen that I might not like and one that I knew that I was going to replace the refill in straight away anyway. Still intrigued I went to the check out with my purchase (see my post "Staedtler Liquid point 7") and there at the counter was a display of pens on sale, with, to my surprise, a plastic Energel Liquid Gel Pen on sale for a buck! How convenient for me! Needless to say, I bought one.

Once I got my prize home I did just what I knew I was going to do. The JetPens post had read that the EnerGel would take a Mitsubishi uni-ball Signo 207 Micro refill so that's exactly what I put into it. It fit like it was made for it. So now I have another, yet non Mitsubishi, container for my beloved Signo 207 Micro refills. So why write up a "Frakenpen"...? Because I'm it's creator, Ha! Ha! Ha!... Eh, I mean, because someone might find it interesting.

The pen body is attractive being chrome, silver, black and black rubber. I think that the only metal on the pen is part of the pocket clip, the rest of the pen I believe is plastic. A common combination nowadays. The pen is 147.6mm long retracted and 11.1mm in diameter. The body is pretty much a straight line with a little flair on the rubber grip at the point where it joins the chromed tip. The screw joint is at the point where the grip and upper body meet. Once apart the grip slips off the back end of the chromed barrel. The push button is lightly sprung so it is always at the upper most position. When clicked the distinct sound of the spring in the push button can be heard compressing and uncompressing.

The Pen is very light, just how light I don't know as I don't have a gram scale and it's too darn late to scurry off to the Post Office to try and use their scale. Just take my word for it, it's light. But what should one expect from a plastic pen? Actually the pen is top heavy, I guess because of the metal pocket clip. But the rubber grip is more than adequate to hold the pen comfortably being a thin non-squishy rubber sleeve over a hard surface. This is the kind of rubber grip that I really like. Those clear, squishy silicone grips are just wrong on so many levels. There is also enough of the grip to allow for either a low or high hold. The pen is easy to control, partially because of the well designed grip.

The Signo 207 Micro refill speaks for it self (not really, because if it could I'd be on a TV talk show making millions!). It has received many write ups on as many blogs and forums so I won't write up anything about it here... Yes I will. I like the Signo 207 Micro refill very much, so much that I've put it into several other pen bodies. Up until now they have all been other Mitsubishi's even though the refill will fit a lot of other pen bodies by other pen makers. But this is not why I like the refill. I like it because it writes smoothly and smaller than the advertised 0.5mm ball size. The manufacturer claims it produces a 0.3mm line but I find it to be closer to a 0.4mm line. And that's just fine by me. It's also a pigmented ink, not a dye ink. This makes it truly waterproof. It is also claimed to be fade proof and acid free. All desirable qualities in a writing pen ink.

So what do I end up with? I end up with an inexpensive, very comfortable, well writing gel pen that if treated right will give me years of writing pleasure. It also gives me the information that I wanted to know: I would enjoy having a Pentel EnerGel Alloy RT, with a Mitsbishi uni-ball Signo 207 Micro refill. And it only cost me a buck.

A Test Of Four

While viewing blog Toying with Light, where Ruby did a short review on 8 blue gel pens, I got the idea to do the same thing with the 4 black ink 0.5mm RT gel pens that I have. I shamelessly copied her technique as I thought it a good one for a short quick test. I only hope that she is more honored that I copied her than she is miffed at me. We are members of the same pen forum so maybe she will forgive me.

Anyway... The 4 gel pens I used for this test were the four that I had on hand: The Mistubishi uni-ball Signo 207 Micro (top); the Pilot G-2 Extra Fine 05(second from top); the Pilot Precise V5 RT (third from top) and the Pilot V Ball RT Extra Fine (bottom). The V5 has a needle point with the other 3 having conical points. All the pens are supposed to be 0.5mm pens. But since different manufacturers label their pen nibs differently it's hard to tell just what size the balls in the points really are. The Signo 207 Micro is touted as having a 0.5mm ball but that it writes a 0.38mm line. I have read that to determine the size of line a particular size ball should make is to divide the diameter of the ball by 2. If that is the case then all four pens should make a 0.25mm line! But we already know that's not true in this case just by looking at the pic, not all the pens produced the same size lines. More on that later.

The paper that I used was common notebook paper 0.003" (0.076mm) thick. There was 1/4 of a loose leaf package under the top page. I wrote the first half of the holoalphabetic sentence, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog", followed by a short line then a dot. The dot was where I held the pen in place for 10 seconds with moderate pressure. After the ink had dried for a minute I used a drop of water on the end of my finger and placed it on the line. I did not attempt to smudge the line, I simply let the water do it's thing. After the water had dried up I began to examine the results of my test.

Though my aging eyes are just that, aging, I do wear corrective lenses (called glasses) and when I have to see something up close I add on a pair of reading glasses. with the reading glasses on I made the following observations: The finest line width was the Pilot G-2, followed by the Signo 207, then the Pilot V Ball and finally the Pilot Precise V5. I must say that I was a little surprised by the results that I got. I expected that the 207 would have produced the finest line not the G-2. And I expected the V5 to have produced a finer line than the V Ball. So much for preconceptions. The 207 has the lightest ink of the four with the Pilots all having the same shade. This was no surprise at all as I had noticed this before.

The results of the dot test was that all four pens bled through the first layer of paper onto the next. The G-2's bleed through was barely noticeable though while the 207's was a bit more so though their respective spots on the top sheet were about the same size. The V Ball's was 3 times that of the G-2 and the V5's 4 times as great. Both of the latter bled through to the third page. While the ink in the 207 is pigmented (meaning it penetrates the papers fibers instead of staining them) I was only able to find out that the Pilot's ink was "water resistant and smudge proof". Which brings us to the third part of the test, the water drop test.

With a single drop of water placed on each of the 4 lines the results are obvious. The Signo ink was the only one not to bleed through the paper and feather out. This leads me to believe that the Pilot ink is dye ink, not pigmented. Though all four pens passed the smudge teat, a test that I performed by drawing a line with one pen at a time then immediately rubbing my finger across it. The result was unanimous: all 4 inks did bot smudge. I half expected the Pilot inks to smudge in I did not think that they dried as quickly as the Signo ink. Again, so much for preconceptions.

The V5 wrote the smoothest of all four, not surprising as it was the broadest, with the other three tying for 2nd place. All four have thin rubber grip sleeves over the plastic barrels which offers a non-slip grip without being squishy, which is something I like in a rubber grip, firmness. All four pens are about the same length, the differences being to small to mention. All are attractive pens: the Signo with its stylish chrome and black pocket clip and chrome end cap; the G-2 with it's clear and black body; TheV5 with it's silver, chrome and black body and the V Ball with it's chrome, white and black body would all make stylish accessories on a desk top.

Dye Ink vs Pibmented Ink & Ballpoint vs Gel vs Rollerball

Dye ink will stain the paper in color, thus changing the color of the fibers. The dye ink can be removed by bleaching or washing the paper back to its natural color.

Pigmented ink doesn’t stain the color of the paper; it changes the paper itself. By weaving their way into the paper fibers, pigment globules embed themselves into the heart of the paper, making it impenetrable to many washing and bleaching techniques. Pigmented inks have vibrant colors and excellent fade and water resistance without sacrificing performance. Using pens with pigmented inks is one more step to help protect your identity.

BALLPOINT
The ink is closest to a solid. Think molasses. Ballpoints represent the old standard choice for consistent, dependable writing. SMOOTH and sure-footed.

GEL
The ink is thicker at rest and more fluid-like when agitated. Think ketchup. Gels offer consumers a smooth writing experience like a roller with the durability of a ballpoint. SMOOTHER.

ROLLERBALL
The ink is most like a fluid. Think water. Rollers are for consumers who demand the smoothest writing experience. The SMOOTHEST.

From the Mitisubishi uni website.