pen 140: papermate flexgrip write for hope

today's pen was intended to be featured last week, while it was breast cancer awareness month, life got in the way and i was sidetracked. while it would have been nice to dovetail this pen with the month, i figure that cancer is one of those things that really seems to be on peoples'minds regardless of the time of year.

this pen is basically a flexgrip elite, but has a pink body and a dime from the sale of each pen is donated to breast cancer research, treatment and awareness.

for a run-down of the performance check out pen 57: papermate flexgrip elite.

pricing:

cvs (retail):

$2.57 (two pens)

officedepot.com:

$3.19+s/h (two pens)
$14.29+s/h (twelve pens)

rakuten.com:$3.10+s/h (two pens)

amazon.com:starting at $1.70+s/h (two pens)

websites:www.cityofhope.org
www.papermate.com
www.officedepot.com
www.rakuten.com

what they say:

papermate.com
Feel great knowing that you are writing with a great pen and $.10 of every pen sold is donated to City of Hope for breast cancer research, treatment and education.

officedepot.com:
Paper Mate FlexGrip Elite Retractable Ballpoint Pens, Medium Point, 1.0 mm,
"Write for Hope" Pink Ribbon Barrels, Black Ink,

rakuten.com:

Refillable Antimicrobial Pen with Soft Grip and Lubriglide Ink, Pink

amazon.com

Soft full length grip provides comfort for any writing position.
Sleek professional styling with chrome, accented tip.
Smooth writing experience with dark lines.

pen 116: paper mate gel retractable 0.7mm

Today's pen is the paper mate gel pen retractable 0.7mm. this pen is a stylish black white and gray plastic retractable medium tip gel pen. the paper mate gel is a very basic pen, it writes okay, the ink is dark and has no value range, tends to skip and stutter, especially on longer lines, it doesn't ink over pencils well and really is just consistently inconsistent.

i know i usually have more to say about the pens i review but there just isn't that much worth saying. i really wouldn't recommend this pen, i can comfortably say that i doubt that i will ever use this pen enough to have it run out of ink, the only reason i haven't thrown it away is that it looks nice on my desk next to my cellphone.


pricing:

cvs: $2.99 (2 pens)

office depot.com: $14.99 +s/h (12 pens)
staples.com:  $13.99 +s/h (12 pens)
amazon.com: from $8.50 +s/h (12 pens)
                     from $3.99 +s/h (4 pens)

websites:
www.papermate.com
www.officedepot.com
www.staples.com
www.amazon.com

what they say:

    papermate.com

• Specially pigmented gel ink delivers a superior writing experience for writing so smooth it’s guaranteed!
• Won’t bleed through paper
• Quick drying ink to prevent smearing
• Never lose its exceptional brightness

     officedepot.com

• Pigmented ink glides across the page for bold, smooth writing
• Contoured grip adds comfort and control. 
• Retracting mechanism helps prevent ink dry out. 

    staples.com

• Stylish, attractive design.
• Medium point
• Black
• Pigmented gel-ink for bold writing
• Contour grip for comfort
• 12 per pack

    amazon.com

• Bold, gel ink writing system.
• Contoured cushion grip.
• Visible ink supply.

pen 110: paper mate liquid expresso

today's i'm going to talk about the paper mate liquid expresso. two things jumped out when i started to look up "official" information  on this, that in the several years since i bought the pen i am currently still using, they changed the design or look of the pen, and the other was that on the the paper mate company website there is no mention of this pen whatsoever.

so.

as i mentioned, i have owned this pen for at least five years, it's one of those pens that i see all the time in the various coffee-cum-pen holders i have on my desk. i cannot remember, however, where and exactly when i obtained this particular writing tool.

to start, this is a pretty good pen. it has a durable porous plastic medium sized tip, it had good flow, fair glide, and good bite. the liquid in the pen doesn't really bleed all that much including through the paper, unless you're really trying, i guess. the saturation of the ink is dark, with little range of values, it is basically all or nothing. the pen also lays down a lot of ink fairly quickly and takes a little bit of time to dry so this can be a pretty messy pen. it is ideally suited for tasks like writing and inking, it will cover pencil lines with no problem and because of it's heavier flow, makes inking in small to medium sized areas a breeze.

as for the drawbacks for this pen, there aren't really come to mind. it is a good pen, for whatever reason though it is not one that i really care to use and i don't really have a definable reason for this.


price: around $20 for an eight color pack, $27 for a dozen (one color) and $3 for individual pens. (these prices are from office depot's web site, you might find better deals on amazon.com

website(s):
www.officedepot.com

what they say:

office max

Exceptional ink flow — the feel of a fountain pen in an economical porous point

• Superior ink flow eliminates the mess.  The holding reservoir dispenses the perfect flow of liquid ink with every stroke. Ink dries instantly and permanently so your pages stay clean and legible.
• Bold, smooth lines make a statement.  This pen mimics the smooth writing experience of a fountain pen.
• Tips are reinforced to prevent damage.  The tips are collared to resist bending and fraying so you get crisp, consistent lines with every stroke.
• Translucent barrel for visible ink supply.  The colorful, extra-wide barrel is clear towards the tip to let you know when your ink is running low.
• Writing won't bleed through paper.  Quick-drying, water-based ink helps prevent smearing and bleed-through.
• Nonrefillable. 
• Assorted medium-point 8-pack comes in a convenient vinyl pouch and includes black, blue, red, purple, pink, orange, turquoise and green. 
• The extra-fine business 4-pack features 2 black, 1 red and 1 blue. 
• The extra-fine fashion 4-pack includes red, pink, aqua and turquoise. 

Item # 754911
Manufacturer # 28503
ink color Black; Blue; Green; Orange; Pink; Purple; Red; Turquoise
point type medium
point size 1.0 mm
grip type checkered fingertip
barrel color Clear
pocket clip yes
quantity 8
brand name Paper Mate
manufacturer Sanford

pen 109: paper mate expressions

today we'll be taking a look at one of the more stylish pens on the market, the paper mate expressions.
retailing between $3-$4 for a pack of five, these pens come in a variety of black and white designs, some cooler than others, still if you are trying to look, wait for it, awesome while doing whatever it is that you can with a pen, this might be the pen you have been searching for, that special pen that will finally fill that pen shaped hole in your heart... er that sounded kinda a little like you might try and stab yourself in the chest... i am not suggesting that you stab yourself anywhere... don't, repeat, do not do that. and if you do please erase your browser history i don't need any lawsuits.  


the expression is a retractable or capped pen, with a 1 mm. tip and comes in one glorious color, black. 

one of the funnier things about this pen is that although it is called expressions, on the website it's adjective is "panache!" while the pen directly below it, the flair's adjective is expressive... i don't know if that is funny to anyone else but i got a chuckle out of it.

these pens are fairly inexpensive, they look interesting, they write as well as they draw or sketch. the ink flows poorly, it needs to be warmed up and tends to skip and stutter, i found i had to periodically scribble on a scratch piece of paper to get it working again... annoying. it has fair to poor glide/smoothness, and a fair bite. this pen is rather clean, the ink dries quickly, doesn't build up on the tip and thus, does not leave deposits of ink all over whatever you are writing on. this pen is good to fair for detail work, has a good range in value between light and dark, is an effective choice for gesture or contour drawing and has a rubber comfort grip that makes periods of extended use a bit more tolerable.

these pens are a a middle of the ground pen, i doubt i would go out of my way to use one but if it is in my bag, i wouldn't be averse to using it. also, since the pen does look neat, you do run the risk that someone (read: someone like me) will use it and then walk off with it. but that is the price you have to pay for being an awesome person with awesome pens who is dumb enough to let someone (again, read: me) use said pen in the first place. if you are anything like me, i actually keep a few spare (read: cheap as hell) pens to loan out to those who are not prepared. this tactic has served me well over the years.

but enough of my digressions, should you buy these pens? i wouldn't again, there are better choices for the price. they are meh pens, really the only thing that they have going for them is that they look kind of neat.

price: $3.28 (5 pack) (papermate.com)

website:
www.papermate.com

what they say:

Trendy barrel designs that are as fun to look at as they are to write with.  Available in retractable and capped. 

pen 71: paper mate inkjoy 500 rt

today we're going to explore the inkjoy 500 rt, so far i've reviewed the 550 and the 700 models and have had mixed feeling about the product line. to begin, the inkjoy rt can be purchased online, at staples (where i bought mine earlier today) and probably a few other places like walmart or target. the only option i had when purchasing were in a box of six, priced at just under $8. the two choices were either all black or a variety of colors, i guess this is a good time to point out that these pens are available in ten different colors including black, blue, red, green(s) etc. if you want the full list go to the website - provided a link below.

the inkjoy 500 is a bit of an odd case, or perhaps i should say that the inkjoy line is odd. generally speaking one might assume that the higher the model number and price would mean that you were getting a superior product. in the case of the inkjoy line i have to say that some of the less expensive models seem to function better than the more expensive versions.

the inkjoy 500 is considered a medium tip at 1.0mm which in other pens is usually rated bold, not that important overall but it deserves noting. this pen is a smooth ride, it glides fairly well. the ink does seem to need a little bit of scratching before it warms up and starts flowing, but once it's ready, it doesn't skip or stutter much if at all, in fact this pen does seem to build up ink that it deposits in annoying blobs as you draw or write. it has a good range of value as far as darkness goes and while it does ink just fine over pencil lines i would say that this pen is better suited for writing than drawing, at least when it comes to anything more than a sketch or doodle. if you're looking for a good art pen there are better out there for the same price, or in some cases even less.

i've included below the manufacturer's notes on the inkjoy series so that you can compare my thoughts with their claims.

website:
www.papermate.com

what they say:

InkJoy 500 RT
The InkJoy 500 RT combines and hourglass shape with a rubberized grip to provide comfort and control. The pearlized materials and sleek design give the pen a stylish look while the metal clip provides long lasting durability.

The InkJoy Story: Our mission was simple: To develop a revolutionary ink system that would give you the best in effortless writing. We wanted to give you a pen that starts quickly without dragging, requires minimum pressure from your hand, and delivers crisp, clean lines every time. But most of all, we wanted to bring back the joy to writing, so it felt right to call it InkJoy. We hope that you feel the joy whenever you write with an InkJoy pen.

pen 62: papermate 1.2

today's pen is the papermate's version of the bic cristal. at $1.75 for a pack of ten at walgreens this particular pen is on the lower end of the pricing scale. this pen is not messing around, it is cheap it is basic and it does the job... if the job is putting ink on paper.

this pen doesn't have the smoothest glide, for me that's not really a problem as i do like a pen that interacts with the paper, resistance, that sort of thing. the ink is dark, when applied with force it has a velvety sort of sheen to it, which is just classy... the pen also has a full range of value between black and white and works well with tasks like shading, writing lightly (like for a crossword puzzle, and makes for a nice alternative, albeit permanent, to the mark one pencil.

i have to say that pens like these hold a special place in my heart, it may be nostalgia, of just that i had to make do with them for so long growing up not really knowing that there were pens that were specifically made for art (aside from makers) or it could be some sort of repressed childhood trauma where a ballpoint pen swooped down from out of nowhere saving me from whatever it is im repressing but was probably an overblown sense of peril or impending doom... impending... imPENding... just noticed that... huh.

anyway, this pen is a solid choice. its plain and simple, not may moving parts to break and these things will last you forever... i've also been told that these pens are sometimes used as the source of ink for all the underground tattooing that that take place in middle/high school and prisons... and the sad thing about that is that isn't the only thing those institutions have in common...

clearly my brain is broken and i am in desperate need of sleep.

pen 61: papermate ballpoint stick pen, fine

yet another example of a basic pen yielding unexpected and quality results. the papermate ball point pen (there is no other markings in regard to a specific model outside of the f, for fine point) is one of those workhorse pens that are reliable, solidly crafted, long lasting and inexpensive as hell.(edit: after a brief internet search i learned that the full designation includes: "ballpoint stick pen") on on the sam's club webpage they are being sold a dozen for a little over $1.50, office depot has a dozen for a little bit more but still under the $2 mark.

to begin the pen has a good interaction, there is a definite bite to this pen, you may need to warm it up a little, especially if you haven't used in in a while, but once its going, there is little skipping, stuttering, it will give you a consistent line and has a great range of values in the  color intensity.
the ink is fast drawing - it may smudge a bit, especially if your are putting a lot of ink in one spot, it may stain the heel of your drawing hand but you can fix that by putting something like a tissue or another piece of paper to rest your hand on while drawing or inking.

this pen is also good wor writing, its clear, precise, and capable of making those fine lines of detail you might want, especially if you write small.

should you own one? sure. as mentioned this pen is available pretty much everywhere, is cheap and tend to have a long career in regards to remaining usable over a period of time, i honestly can't think of any reason not to use this pen, especially when you don't have access to those fancier pens that we pen lovers tend to obsess over. all in all a good solid choice for making lines on paper.

pen 60: papermate kilometrico plus

today's pen is a blast from the past. the kilometrico is a pen that was purchased sometime in the 90's for back to school supply shopping. in some way i think it is a little fitting that summer vacation is coming to an end and everywhere i go i see people stocking up on their school supplies.

anyway.

i have no idea how this particular pen managed to survive being in my possession for at least 16 years, through several moves around the state and various purging attempts to streamline all the dumb crap i've collected over the years. it is a little amazing when i think about it.

after an exhaustive five minute search, the only place i could find that carries these pens were located in australia and won't ship international. these pens are discontinued in the united states as far as i can tell, and while they do have some good points i'm not entirely sure if that is any great loss.

the pen itself is more or less a typical ballpoint pen, much like the paper mate write bros. the body of this one is a real unfortunate magenta with a blue tip. the pen has poor glide, need to be warmed up, occasionally skips and stutters... oh and the ink has a particular smell that i cant really decide if its good or bad... its probably toxic and is giving me super cancer as we speak, er, read.

whatever.

the lack of glide isn't all that bad, i personally like pens that interact with the paper i like friction, i like feeling what i'm doing when i draw. another plus is that the ink is a really cool dark blue that i haven't seen in any other pen i've used over the years.

since there almost no way you can get your hands on this pen it doesn't really matter if i recommend it or not. as an oddity and having such a funny name it may be fun to use but there really isn't


that much difference between this pen and the other basic pens that paper mate still produces.

pen 57: papermate flexgrip elite

the papermate flexgrip elite is a great example of a pen that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and is still a solid product. these pens average around a dollar and change a piece, a covered in a soft rubber film for comfort, and has ink that is clean, consistent and lacks the skipping stuttering flow that some of the other pens in this price range sometimes have.

the ink has a great range of value, making it ideal for roughing out a drawing and then inking once you have the line the way you want them. this pen also inks over graphite with no problem as well. the body is of a solid construction, while light in weight it doesn't feel cheap. as illustrated this pen come in a regular and retractable tip, and is available in five different colors.

you really can't go wrong with this one, i comfortably recommend this pen to all you pen-o-philes... er, hmmn, i probably should rethink that name. pen lovers... better.

pen 44: papermate profile elite

today we're looking at the paper mate profile elite, which i suppose is that upgraded version of the paper mate profile that i talked about twenty pens ago... no that wasn't intentional, life is just funny that way sometimes.

i'm sitting here trying to think of the best way to review this pen, ill start with the cost, the package i bought held four of these pens and the price wall a little under $8 at safeway, so it's probably cheaper on amazon or wall mart, but $2 for a pen seems to run around average.

like it's mundane counterpart, paper mate extends the claim that this is the world smoothest pen, i'm not sure how that works, but i will say that it does write a bit smoother than the profile. the pean boasts a thicker tip, 1.44 mm, making the lines bolder and heavier. it lays down ink fast and dark. unlike the profile, there isn't the same range of value between all and nothing. more or less, you'd bet be sure that you like that line or have a bit of whiteout standing by, which looks like crap anyway so save yourself a headache and just be aware and conservative with your "strokes."  the ink itself is dark and good for things like fills and inking over pencils or another, lighter pen.

aside from that the pen is a bit longer, and the grip a little more comfortable than the basic profile. writing with this pen is fair, as long as you enjoy writing a bit larger than i tend to, it would be a good pen for simple signs or passive aggressive notes left throughout the house or apartment.

overall, i wasn't blown away with this pen, for the money, i'd just as soon buy something else next time... although i now have four of these that i'm probably never going to use...

i just had a minor epiphany, perhaps i should donate these extras to kids in need, the school year is coming up and i know that there a lot of children that need supplies.

pen 43: paper mate flair medium

another staple of american office supplies. the paper mate flair claims that the ink is quick drying, which it is, acid free on paper, ergonomic innovations that make long use more comfortable.

it has a felt tip that doesn't much gather ink around the tip while writing, the ink is good for laying down ink lines over paper, they claim that this pen is capable lines that are bold and expressive, mostly it stuttered when i was drawing fast, the parts of the paper that spent time on bled through in some spots . the price was around $4 for a pack of two.

this pen is neither amazing nor terrible, is a pen i probably won't need to buy again,  for just a bit more you could get your hands on the lumacolor pens i reviewed a few weeks  ago

pen 39: paper mate pro-fit m

this was a pen that i was planning on reviewing last week, before i had the "awesome" idea to to a "green" week in reviews.

i am so glad that's over.

anyway, the paper mate pro-fit is a basic ballpoint pen, i happen to have used the medium, there is a fine version out there as well. these pens seem to have good reviews on amazon, there are no glaring defects, they are solid, have a contoured profile, the have a comfortable grip and has a retractable tip.

this pen is good for taking notes and sketching, the ink is dark enough to cover pencils, has a good range of values, has a good flow: does not skip or stutter, and has fair glide. unremarkably unremarkable.

the only criticism i have is that the ink does build up on the tip and leaves blotches if you're not careful. that =mess, you are warned.

the online pricing on these pens seem to average around a dollar per pen, and is worth the price, i don't feel strongly one way or the other, i know i didn't buy this one, i think i walked off with one from somewhere.

for the cost of this pen, i would just as soon have five basic bic cristal or round stic.

just saying is all.

pen 31: paper mate eraser mate

after using today's pen, the paper mate erasermate, i feel like i owe someone an apology, pen 20: the sharpie liquid pencil. while i stand by most of what i said in that review, i will admit that i may have been a bit hard on that pen.

after finding the eraser mate in a box of pens i found in one of my old boxes i thought i'd give it a try and see if my memory of those  types of pens were accurate and not just something that i thought was lame fifteen plus years ago and is therefore still lame regardless if any improvements have been made..

what i came to was the conclusion that the sharpie wasn't all that, but it is a better choice between it and the eraser mate.

these pens can be found in different quantities, between one and four dollars online for a pack of three, i know that you can find them most places that carry a good selection of pens.

the ink, it does have a good variety of tone, although true or deep blacks are kinda hopeless, it doesn't dry very fast either, i don't know if thats why the ink is "erasable"" but whatever, the result was that i wound up with a ink stained heel of my hand and smudges all over the paper. the pen does have a tendency to stutter, it doesn't glide well although it does have a good bite, the flow was an issue like i said, it had to be scribbled on a separate piece of paper to get it flowing again several times during the sketching phase, the eraser seemed to wear out quickly and the lines ërased" would only mostly go away, especially if you pressed hard when writing or drawing. the construction is pretty   solid. equal to one of their generic papermate med pt. pens, a pen i haven't gotten to reviewing here yet.

okay, so, it's not as good as the sharpie, and the sharpie wasn't all that wonderful in my opinion, fir me its a waste of money and possibly a good drawing that looks like crap because it was done with inferior tools, would i ever buy one again? probably not, at least not until they improve the technology. (i'm not holding my breath.) 

pen 28: paper mate inkjoy 550 rt

	today's pen, the inkjoy 550 rt 1.0 mm, will set you back about four to seven dollars depending on where you buy them, this is for a pack of four pens. they can be found pretty much anywhere you can buy pens, and again, you can always order them online. since i dont know which pen went into production first (i'm being lazy and not bothering to look it up) it almost seems that this is papermates answer to to yesterday's pen, the bic pro +. it is roughly the same length with a similar rubber grip that covers most of the pen. the inkjoy 550 rt is slimmer, however, and for me, more comfortable to hold and use than the pro+. this pen also has an attractive hourglass profile that i did a poor job of  depicting above. when held next to each other the difference is obvious, a metal unobtrusive tip versus a bulky plastic clip low profile grip as opposed to one that bulges...etc. the tip sizes are the same size however, both being 1 mm.  so, all of that is what's going on on the outside, what we really care about is its performance, right? this pen has a smooth glide that maintains a bite on the paper, it is capable of both light sketch lines or shading build up and heavy black ones when pressed harder and several passes have been made, i tried to show this in the examples i've drawn for this entry, i don't know if i mentioned this before but the only alterations i've made in photoshop are sizing and any part of other sketched i decided to reject. the smooth consistent line this pen creates makes it good for gesture drawing, inking, or just sketching doodles while taking notes in class, this pen is a fine writing implement as well, it looks professional enough that you could use it to sign merger or tax documents and then use it to get the gum off your shoe at lunch and throw it away.

pen 24: paper mate profile

today's pen creates an awkward moment here on a pen a day. the paper mate profile is clearly paper mate's answer to yesterday's bic velocity. on the packaging is a bold yet less audacious claim that it is the the world's smoothest pen. now as well all know, the world exists in the universe and since bic has claimed dominion over that, the question must be asked: who is full of it.

now for one i respect paper mate's claim in it's scope, even if not true it does allow for other yet unknown civilizations among the stars to have come up with a smoother gliding pen.

i appreciate their restraint. but now i just have to know which of these is worthy of the world title, but i'll get to that a little later.

so i sat down and decided if i need to compare this to the previous post id have to do something similar, a darker style heavy on the ink. this pen is nice in that you can lightly sketch with it before having to commit to a line, i like that. it allows one to build up values by going over it a few times, it's much more flexible when it comes to laying ink on paper, it is definitely not an all or nothing pen.

the profile is also a clicky pen, which means that it doesn't require a cap that will eventually be lost, it had a nice comfort grip and in addition writes well.

so now we get into the "smoothe" issue.

without really knowing how to quantify smoothness (it kinda seems like it might be more than a little subjective) i decided to rubber band the two pens together and draw. below is just one of those tests.






in addition i did curly-q's, loops, stairs and scribbles, in all fairness i did notice a slight difference in the velocity, it seemed to glide better than the profile... BUT... while it may have the right to claim the title it doesn't necessarily mean that it is a better pen, ever hear of too much of a good thing?

the profile has more traction, more bite, it doesn't slip around so much which makes detail work a lot more precise, as i mentioned it doesn't gush ink with every stroke, and while it does have a tendency to build up ink on the tip like the velocity, it doesn't seem to deposit the excess like its competitor. as someone who hates getting things like ink all over my hands i see this as a huge plus!

so okay, it may not live up to the claim on its box, but it is a pretty good pen, and at between two and four dollars for a pair it really is worth the cost.