Review: Schneider Tops 505 M Ballpoint

I was introduced to the Schneider brand by a few readers of this blog, and being the fortunate blogger that I am, I had a few of them sent my way as well.  This particular Schneider Tops 505 M was sent to me by my good pen friend Carmen, who bought this and several other pens I have reviewed in the past on a trip to Europe last year.  Sorry it has taken so long for me to post some of these Carmen!

Based on the previous Schneider pens I have reviewed, they make a good, consistent product.  The inks are nice, and they do a nice job with their barrel design.  This particular Tops 505 model appears to be on the lower end of their ballpoint spectrum, but it does an admirable job.  One thing I have noticed about Schneider pens is that all the ones I have tried have a longer barrel than normal.  I didn't take an exact measurement, nor did a photo comparison (genius - that's me!), but I bet this pen is at least an inch longer than a standard Bic ballpoint.  The Scheinder Sliders I have reviewed are in the same ballpark as well.

Like I mentioned in the written review, I imagine this pen is the mass produced workhorse of the Schneider line, filling up office supply cabinets, bank counters, and anywhere else you would find a disposable pen.  It is a bit of a scratchy writer, but the line is clean and the tip stays generally mess free.  You can't say that about every entry level ballpoint.

Click here for the XL review.

See also:
Review: Schneider Slider Medium Blue Ballpoint
Review: Schneider Gelion

Review: Uni-Ball Signo Broad UM-153 Gel Pen - White Ink

I have had the white gel Uni-Ball Signo UM-153 in my posession for the longest time, but being the non-crafty type that I am, I didn't have any good non-white paper to test this pen out on.  It wasn't until I finished up my latest Doane Paper writing pad that I realized the cardboard backing would serve as a good backdrop for this review.

So, why a white gel ink pen?  Me personally, I don't know, as I don't really have a use for this type of pen.  But for the more artistic and creative types out there, this pen is considered the best of breed for white ink pens, so I thought I would see what all of the fuss is about.  The non-white Uni-Ball UM-153 broad gel ink pens are some of the best wide tip gel ink pens around.  Whenever someone is looking for a 1.0mm tip size or larger gel ink pen, I always point them towards this model and they are rarely disappointed.

The white gel ink doesn't perform quite as well as the darker colors, but maybe it isn't supposed to.  I don't have another white gel ink pen to compare it with, but a lot of my lettering was a bit streaky, but then other times it would stay relatively solid.  I found that the less pressure I used to write with, the better the pen performed.  Maybe someone with more experience with this pen can relate their experiences in the comments section?

Overall, it is a nice pen, as you would expect from Uni-Ball.  If you are looking for a white gel ink pen for any project you may have, this would be a good place to start.

Click here for the XL review.

(See what I did there?)

Ink Links

-- 11th Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper  (Tiger Pens Blog)

-- Uniball Kuru Toga High Grade Mechanical Pencil  (Office Supply Geek)

-- Sanford Sharpie Ultra Fine Point – 12 + 1 Colors  (Pens'n'Paper)

-- Big Brush Pen Review  (Anton Emdin)

-- Featured Pen - Wahl Ringtop Sterling Silver  (Whatever)

-- Bic, Edding55, Paper Mate, Ball Pentel: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  (Palimpsest)

-- Notebook Review: Monologue Platinum Notebook  (Rants of the Archer)

-- Review: Leuchtturm New "Ink Proof" Journal - Blank  (Spiritual Evolution of the Bean)

-- Pentel VICUNA 0.7mm Gel Ink Pen  (Pocket Blonde)

-- Green Muji A5 notebook  (Bleistift)

-- My Addiction (Review)  (Trapperhoney's Blog)

-- Project: Moleskine iPad case  (Moleskinerie)

-- Pilot B2P  (Toying With Light)

-- Summer Pen Care  (Goldspot Pens)

-- Let the Pen Case Tell You Where It’s Been  (Does This Pen Write?)

-- New Pen Stand  (Greasemonkeyhands)