pen 55: papermate comfortmate

today's pen is the papermate's version of yesterday's uni-ball jetstream 101. they are similar in shape, same point size, in this case 1.0 mm, and cost roughly the same, a little over a dollar a pen.

this pen is not as smooth as the jetstream 101, it has more bite, the ink sometimes takes a bit of work to get flowing and once it's warmed up, lays down a bold, dark line. the jetstream 101 is capable of a fair range of value depending on pressure, but it is limited, at least that is the experience i've had. the ink doesn't build up on the tip but it does take a bit longer to dry, especially if you're drawing dark, despite its claim to the contrary, making this pen apt to smear and smudge, getting ink all over the heel one's hand making this pen considerably messier than its uni-ball counterpart, and i am a righty, god help a lefty. the body of this pen is covered in a soft rubber coating and does have a neat triangular-ish body that is pretty comfortable to hold and helps keep it from rolling off the table. the comfortmate is probably better suited for writing than drawing although it will ink over pencil lines without any problem, just sayin is all.

overall, i am a bit disappointed with the results that i have gotten with this pen, nothing really stands out as an overwhelming reason to use this pen as opposed to another... if it wasn't so inexpensive i wouldn't even bother.