pen 38: uni-ball rollerball stic micro eco

 the uni-ball rollerball stic micro eco is a perfect example of what a recycled version of a pen should be, and that is virtually indistinguishable from its counterpart. in fact, if you didn't see the packaging the only way to tell one from the other is a tiny little leaf etched into the metal clip, and you really have to look to see it.

this pen is made from 80% post consumer waste, which lands it in between the bic reaction (74%) and the pilot b2p (89%) and it doesn't advertise that fact on the pen itself like those other two do. i think that they figure that the pen speaks for itself and doesn't need to announce to the world how awesome it is because its good for the environment.

rather than going on and on about this pen, and how much i love it, you can just go here and read all about it.

pen 37: pilot precise v5 go green

i actually have had this pen for a little over a year now, i only realized that it was a "green" pen last week, go figure.

the pilot precise v5 be green is recycled, refillable, doesn't feel like a cheap piece of junk and looks pretty spiffy. it is the eco-friendly version of the precise v5 extra fine point.

i am about to type something that i honestly never thought i would. this pen, is superior in every way to the original.

it glides, it's precise, it doesn't bleed. it has a strong consistent flow, does not skip or stutter. the ink is dark, its pretty much all or nothing but it rocks at true blacks, not the best choice for a filler pen, unless you're hatching, cross hatching, stippling, or some other neurotic shading scheme. the in also dries immediately. a very, very clean pen.

it. is. awesome.

the prices vary, they can be a little expensive if you can find a pack of two for around $8-$10, go for it, theres a price break at three and another at packs of twelve, those running around $20 or so. these pens are also refillable, a pack of two reservoirs go for a few bucks.

if you are a fan of the v series i highly recommend this pen. it is good for writing, things like forms and crosswords, the tip is strong enough for triplicate forms - bonus, good for jotting down notes, sketching and inking over pencil lines.

this is one of those few times that i rate a pen a five out of  five.

go, buy one, now.

pen 36: pilot b2p (bottle 2 pen)

today's pen is the pilot bottle to pen gel roller. this pen is the second recycled pen that i have intentionally brought. depending on where you get them, these pens average around a dollar a pen, they are "clicky" and have a see through bluish body.this pen lacks a rubber grip, sporting indentations in the plastic, although i'm not sure if it is form or function, either way its made from unforgiving plastic.

on to the ink. good news, it dries instantly - very clean, but, well, it is a gel pen and although i am not the biggest fan of the gels i have to say that the ink dispersal is consistent, with no skip or stutter, its not the smoothest pen on the market, there is quite a bit of bite, which i personally like... otherwise i might as well do all my drawing on a tablet. the body doesn't have that same cheap plastic feel, it has a bit of weight and the fact that you can clearly see how much ink you have left is helpful.

this pen is good for writing and sketching, it doesn't allow for all the pretty grays in between black in white so if yourré freehanding it you probably should be confident that you know what you want, if not, lay some pencils down and you'll have no trouble inking your lines with this pen afterwards. i found that this pen made for a not bad filler pen but also useful for not only inking but gesture and contour drawing as well.

overall this is a versatile pen that happens to be made mostly from junk.

pen:35 bic reaction

this was the pen that inspired this "event"

i was shopping at the drugstore, cruising the pen aisle as usual when i saw a big 74% on a package. intrigued i looked a bit close and noticed a snazzy looking pen that was all blacks and grays and neon green.

"what is this?" i asked myself.

this was the reaction (ugh, i didn't see the pun until i typed it) to the bic reaction.

next to this pen on the rack there were several other "green"pens and i found myself wondering if they were any good, recycled always seems, rough, not clean, or something, they probably make all pens with recycled plastic and have for years but only recently realized that it could be a marketing perk...

 still, for whatever reason i still felt like i had already paid for it twice.

anyway, i bought the pen, took it home, and began drawing.

first, it looks pretty slick, however when i was holding it, it seemed insubstantial, the pen is light, the plastic feels cheap and i was in danger of breaking it if i squeezed too hard, there is one feature that i applaud and that is that the tip is on a spring that acts like a shock absorber, so you can press down while writing or drawing and there is a little bit of give.

this pen lacks a rubber comfort grip and the ink is pretty light, it is difficult to achieve true black, even after several passes, i found that as an inking pen, there were better options, but, as a sketching pen, because of the lightness and the give, i found it was great for gesture drawings and roughing out ideas.

the glide is so-so, there is a bit of drag, the ink, while light, was consistently so, and it didn't stutter or gap. also the ink didn't build up on the tip and would dry quickly so it is a very "clean" pen.

these pens can be a bit pricey, at a bit over $10 for three (amazon.com) or 12 pens for around $15 (amazon.com and wallmart) you might want to save your money.

there are other pens out there that can do the same job for less; however, if the whole recycling thing is important to you then go ahead and get a few, they aren't all that great but you can feel good about "making a difference."

pen 34: sharpie pen stylo (green)

i don't think that today's pen is technically one of those recycled pens that i've been seeing around in stores lately, i tried looking it up and didn't see anything about whether or not it was constructed out of recycled materials and the powers that be over at sharpie didn't bother letting us know about it on the packaging.

anyway, the sharpie pen stylo has a stainless steel body with a tip and reservoir that can be replaced.

this seems to be one of the new trends, or sales model that pen companies like sharpie are trying out.

but is it eco friendly?

the initial cost of this pen is between $3 - $10, not cheap but not bad when you consider what sharpies cost anyway, the refill replacements cost around around $5 for two.

neat.

the parts that you keep, the cap and the body are heavy duty stainless steel, this pen has a nice weight to it. one of the reasons i bought pen was that looked cool, with the added bonus that it would take a LOT of effort to damage this pen, it makes a great traveling pen, it's a beast. the refillable portion is a reservoir connected to the grip and tip of the refill unit. also the tips themselves seem more durable than the fully disposable units such as the sharpie ultra fine point other than that, the one drawback that i've noticed is that the ink is not as dark as its disposable counterpart . it may however that the pen has a new type of ink advertised not to bleed through the paper. overall, i am happy with this pen and it has definitely earned the right to be called a sharpie.

let's face it, art historically hasn't been the most eco friendly pursuits. we require materials, wood, metal, stone, our supplies as well,  and other things that we use, like paints and chemicals, acids and all sorts of other hazardous materials that need to be handled with care. we mess with mercury, lead, acetone and asbestos. all the pencils and pens the latex and paper, plastics and... well you get the idea.

while i may not care the way that some people do in regards to the environment that doesn't mean that i go out of my way to make things worse, and when i can, do something positive for it if it isn't too much work.

sadly most of my experiences with recycled materials have not been positive, it was only recently that i noticed that there were pens on the shelves with  the little green arrows on them and i thought to myself, does the quality of my tools have to suffer if i want to do the the "right" thing by switching over to "green" materials?

over the next few entries i will try to answer that question. 

a pen a day summer crossover event but without all those chromium foil variant issue covers.