The Pen Addict

Review: Pilot Precise V5 Extra Fine Blue

Classic.

I could end this review right here, and everyone would be nodding their heads up and down saying, "yep, that pretty much sums it up".  If you care about your writing instruments at all, then at some point in your life you have used a Pilot Precise.  It is one of the best writing, best looking, best all-around pens to have ever been produced.

This pen brings me back to some of my first pen addict memories.  When I first discoverd this pen, I knew it was the one for me.  Heck, it may have even been a life changing moment, from a writing perspective at least.  I'll never forget the ivory colored barrel and the little porthole in the cap that remains a key design element to this day.  My biggest challenge when I was younger was trying to find this pen in purple, especially since it was one of the few nice liquid ink pens you could get your hands on.  I'd check the bookstore shelves every chance I got looking for them, and made sure to buy at least two when I found them, not knowing when they would sell out and not come back in stock.

Fast forward to 2010 and this pen still rules the roost as far as liquid ink pens go.  I understand some people will never take a liking to the needle tip of the Precise V5 or V7, but you are missing one of the smoothest writers around.  Another plus - this is one of the best Moleskine pens I have ever used.  Moleskine paper is generally crappy, especially with a lot of fine tip gel pens, but this one just glides for pages and pages.

What more is there to say?  Pilot Precise - you had me at porthole.

(Thanks to Speedmaster for sending this one my way!)

Click here for the XL review.

A Letter to Pilot Pen

Christopher Jorgensen from jackassletters.com writes letters to companies of all types.  Some are positive, some not so much, but it is all done in fun and posted on Christopher's website.  Here is a recent one to Pilot Pen that readers of The Pen Addict might enjoy:

Dear Pilot Pen,

I must apologize for typing this letter. If you saw my handwriting you'd understand why it is necessary (my girlfriend makes fun of it and calls it "Christopher at 5" and I have to admit it looks like a doctor's or serial killer's).

Anyway, I do a lot of singing of letters. Sometimes three or four a day. Previously I used a Papermate Flexgrip Ultra Medium point pen to sign all my letters. That pen doesn't have the best flow, but the ink looks good on paper and it doesn't really smudge much. Recently, I ended up using one of your Pilot Precise V5 Extra Fine pens and I have to say, not only is it a more stylish pen, it also glides across the page effortlessly and doesn't smudge at all! I'm using it nearly exclusively!

This pen is great, but this got me thinking that there might be something better out there, so I started to do some research on the internet, and I had no idea there were so many pen nuts out there! There are whole sites dedicated to nothing but pen reviews. Before using the Precise V5 Extra Fine pen I would have never understood how a person could get so excited about a pen.

I love this pen and am going to use it to sign this letter!

Sincerely,

Christopher L. Jorgensen

And here is Pilot's response (click on the image for the full size):
Pilot even threw in four new Pilot Precise V5 pens to boot!  Thanks Christopher for sharing this.  You can check out his letter to Sharpie, as well as a ton more at jackassletters.com.

Top 5 Pens Off The Store Shelf

I get asked frequently my opinion on various pens, and one of the more common themes is that people want to know what is the best pen they can run down to the store and buy right off the shelf.  The way I am approaching the list below is not from the standpoint of which pens are my favorite, but more of which pens would I recommend to a newbie pen addict to try out first from their local office supply store or big box retailer.  I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to add your favorites in the comments section below.

The elusive Uni-Ball Signo 207 Needle Tip - where does it rank?

1. Pilot G-2 0.5mm Black
It literally took me years to try out my first Pilot G-2, but once I did, I was hooked.  I kept overlooking them on the shelves thinking that they looked a little weird, or maybe just too basic to be any good, but the performance of the pen really outshines the rest of the competition.  The line is clean and pitch black - something not every black ink can say.  To feed your true inner addict, you can grab the G-2 Limited Edition barrel, or if you are like me, load up on the 0.38mm version.

2. Pilot Precise V5 Extra Fine Black or Blue
The granddaddy of all needle tip pens.  It may not be the first, and it may not be the oldest, but in my book it is the pen that all other liquid ink needle tip pens must go up against, and not one of them has taken down the Pilot Precise V5 yet.  If you are a heavy Moleskine user, this is also one of the best performers for long journaling sessions.  Ink flow is important for liquid ink pens.  Too much means it will bleed easily through the page, but the V5 seems to have the flow perfected and I never have any issues with it.  It also comes in a retractable version (RT) if you are looking for more portability.

3. Uni-Ball Signo 207 0.7mm Black
Make note of the 0.7mm size recommendation.  That is not usually my forte, but with the Uni-Ball Signo 207 line, it performs better and more consistently that the 0.5mm version.  Every size will protect you from check washing thieves though, which has made this one of the most popular pens around.  There are many different colors and barrel designs to choose from, and even a needle tip version if you are lucky enough to have a store in your area that carries them.

4. Sharpie Pen
You didn't think I would leave this one out did you?  This is probably my personal favorite pen on the list (right there with the Pilot G-2 0.38mm anyway), but I will say it may not be for everybody.  It is a plastic tip pen, meaning that if you use heavy pressure to write, you may wear the pen out sooner than you would like.  But if you are used to using plastic or felt tips pens, this is easily the best one on the market.  If you are looking for not your regular everyday pen then the Sharpie Pen is for you.

5. Uni-Ball Jetstream Sport 0.7mm or 1.0mm
This is not the standard Jetstream that comes in the nice dark blue or black barrel with silver accents, but rather the line that comes in the fun, retractable barrel colors (and I believe cheaper to boot).  For some reason, I have terrible luck with the ink flow in the original Jetstream models, but the pens in the Sport line write like a champ.  If you haven't used a Jetstream before, the ink is different than what would might be expecting, and is more of a hybrid between a rollerball and a ballpoint.  Definitely worth a look.

I hope everybody finds this helpful, but realize this is just one pen addicts opinion.  We all have our favorites, so lets hear what yours are.

Review: Pilot BeGreen Precise V5 Extra Fine

Looks great, feels great, and writes great.  Not to much more I can say about the Pilot BeGreen Precise V5.  If you enjoy the original V5 model, then you will like this as well.

Labels: Pilot Begreen, Precise V5, Reviews

Current Favorite Pens

I have added a field to the right sidebar which I plan on keeping up to date with my current top 5 favorite pens.  Since I switch pens so frequently, I thought you may like to see which models are currently striking my fancy.

The current list is:

• 1. Pentel Slicci 0.3mm
• 2. Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.4mm
• 3. Pilot G-2 0.38mm
• 4. Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.28mm
• 5.  Pilot Precise V5 RT 0.5mm

The links go to the page where I reviewed the pen, or a model similar in the case of the Uni-Ball (the review was on the 0.38mm model, but I prefer the 0.28mm and will be reviewing it soon).  Also,  for the Hi-Tec-C, I very much prefer the Coleto barrel to the standard barrel, so that is what I am basing my ranking on.

Labels: Hi-Tec-C, Pens, Pentel, Pilot, Precise V5, Rankings, Signo DX, Slicci, Uni-ball