pen 137: foray gelio

i would like to begin this review for thanking one of my favorite grocery store clerks, beth, for letting me borrow today's pen, so i didn't have to go out and spend money that i don't have on one.

the foray gelio is a medium ballpoint retractable tipped gel ink pen. these pens are available from office depot (internet and retail) as well as online resources like ebay, amazon, or other supply websites.

the gelio is made of a clear,tough plastic, with a rubberized grip and metal clip. it's contoured hour-glass shape makes for a fairly comfortable grip, but still feels a bit thicker than i personally like when it comes to pens. i associate those thick pens with children's art supplies - cheap and made for clumsy fingers. the ink is a light gel ink that dries moderately fast, although if you aren't careful you can smear the ink if you don't let it have a few seconds to dry. the ink is also not extremely dark, it is all or nothing, no real range of value, but it seems to be fairly translucent. this pen has a fair flow, it does skip and spot a bit, has poor glide but good bite. it can be a bit messy as it can pool up a bit on the paper, which, along with the slower drying time can cause problems. this pen is good for things like writing (unless you're a lefty) it can be used for moderate detail work and inking over pencil lines, but if i really had to chose a good fit i would say exercises like gesture drawing come to mind.

as for a recommendation, i am going to say that i would pass on this pen, there are other gel pens out there that are cleaner and have a better quality of ink. this isn't a bad pen or anything, it just isn't all that great.

pricing:
officedepot.com: $10.99+s/h (dozen)

website:
www.officedepot.com

what they say:

Controlled comfort meets smooth writing

• Our most popular style for making a bold statement. 
• Contoured rubber barrel and grip for feel-good performance. 
• Great choice for extended writing and heavy-duty note taking.