I’ll admit it’s been quite a while since I thought about any writing implement other than fountain pens. I mean sure there are other freebie pens rolling about the house, but at my desk, it’s the fountain pens I reach for the most.
I’ve dalliances with gel pens in the past. I’ve always loved Sakura Gelly Roll pens. And I even reviewed a package of PaperMate Ink Joy Gels once upon a time. But in my day-to-day life I just don’t use them much.
What I haven’t done in at least 10 years is walk into a big box office supply store and come away with new pens. But a few weeks ago I went to Staples looking for some oversize printing. The kind lady behind the counter told me my print job would be done in 20 minutes and I should wander around and shop while I waited. And to my surprise, I did.
I came across a few 5-packs of Pilot G2 pens called Colors of Creativity ($9.99). The Purples collection came home with me! This set of G2’s features fine point nibs, 0.7mm in 5 shades of purple: Iris Blue, Grape, Purple, Metallic Purple and Pastel Purple. The last two came with little wax nib caps as seals.
I’ll be honest, I’ve probably written with a Pilot G2 before and haven’t noticed. What I noticed this time was that they were fun, and smooth writers. The thing I LOVE about gel pens is that they don’t do any skipping or messy blob situations that you sometimes have with ballpoint pens. For this reason, I find it infinitely preferable to use gel pens any time I have the choice.
I also just love the COLORS! When I was in school it was pretty much blue and black ink, with the occasional red or green mixed in. Now I can have pinks, purples, oranges… any colors I want. (and I may have a massive collection of purples from JetPens headed my way as we speak!)
I have mixed feelings about picking up gel pens at this point. On one hand, I hate buying disposable single-use plastic pens that I know will end up in a landfill somewhere, particularly when I have better options right on my desk. On the other hand, we all know that all paper isn’t created equal, and I mentioned that my Yarn Journal doesn’t do so well with fountain pen ink.
So while I test out a variety of different gel pens I can say they’re fun if you want to add color, a low entry free, and perfect for all kinds of papers and situations when fountain pens just aren’t practical! Stay tuned for more…
Yes, I do love the G2 too, but I love them in broad and at that in their navy blue, which is very hard to find, but I have been able to find them. Those colors you’re showing today are really nice. I may have to get the smaller point size because they’re so nice. Years back they would blob ink which is why I didn’t buy them for many years. They’ve also had other colors like pastel type in various points through the years. They’ve definitely improved through the years. I also use a lot of the Levenger True Writer rollerball pens and they take the G2 refills which is a huge savings versus buying roller ball refills for seven or eight dollars a piece or more. Thanks for the great list.