pen 117: target up & up ball point

today's pen is the target brand up & up ballpoint pen. i was given this pen when filling in some information on some form, and having never used one, asked if i could have it. i was told that i could so i took it home and immediately began to try it out and see what it could do.

i was initially impressed. i knew that it was probably fairly inexpensive, as a store brand, these things usually are, but i have historically had great experiences with those types in the past. if you've been following along here on a pen a day you probably know that i tend to like those basic pens. they usually are fairly solid products and if they don't perform well, well it isn't like i invested much in them in the first place, these pens are usually low risk.
 the usual problems i have with these types of pens are mostly with the individual pens themselves, and not always an indication that the model is particularly flawed, things like skipping and stuttering, poor flow issues, or maybe the ballpoint tip wasn't machined properly. sometimes it is just that the company really just made a bad product and the entire model should be avoided, often i stay away from brands that have these issues.

despite the fact that i liked that this pen has a very fine line, good flow, the ink dried quickly and had a good range of value, i soon discovered that this pen  had committed the ultimate deal breaker - i had left it on my desk and went into the house to get something to eat. when i had returned i discovered that it had leaked all over the paper that i had been sketching on, with a sigh i threw both the pen and the paper in the garbage.

even though the pen had done the one unforgivable thing that a pen can do, a few days later, i was back at the same office filling out another form with an identical pen and thought i would give it another chance. again i asked if i could have it, again i was told i could, so i put into a plastic pen case in my bag. when i got home i got distracted and forgot about the pen. later i was looking for a sharpie brush pen, i reached into that bag and when i opened the case and grabbed the sharpie, i noticed that my hand was covered in ink. at first i thought that the liquid ink sharpie stained brush pen had bled out but upon closer inspection i discovered that had been the up & up that was once again the offender. i had left the cap on, hadn't left in the sun, exposed to temperatures over 75 degrees fahrenheit, jostled it around, or exposed to changes in air pressure. still this pen had exploded covering not only the interior of the plastic case, but the dozen or so other pens that i had been storing in there as well - along with my hands and shortly after smudges on my clothes and face.

completed disgusted with this brand, once again threw this pen in the garbage and i will NEVER use one of these types of pens again.

period.

i recommend that you avoid them as well. 

pricing:
not available

website:
http://www.target.com
no information

what they say:
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