When a pen colour/thickness doesn't work

This last little while I have been working on getting a to-do list written out in a journal book and I figured it didn’t matter what colour pen I used. Just moving  the list forward that was what was most important. Well, I found out that the colour of pen that I was using to write out my list did make a big difference. 

What happened was when I decided to start to rewrite my to-do list, because it has been a month since I did that I just simply grabbed a pen which I thought was similar to the one that I had been using to write out my list. I found it was black instead of blue and I figured it wouldn’t make a difference. Well, that is when things started to not go as well as I had hoped.

What I didn’t realized is that the colour of the ink does seem to make a difference, but I can’t explain what it is. It would be nice if I could figure out why I hated the black pen. It could be because it is a medium point and most of the time, I am either using a fine or a .38-point pen, so they are a lot finer than the one that I was using. What I did find was those letters seemed to be overwhelming me, and I just couldn’t seem to see what I was writing, the words just seem to take up far too much of the page and that didn’t help at all.

It ended up that I decided to step back and figure out what colour pen and what finest I wanted to work with, and I finally figured out that I needed to use a blue pen with a .25 point and that made me happy. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work but I ended up testing a bunch of pens and this was the pen that made me the happiest so that is what we went with.

I didn’t think a pen colour or thickness was going to make such a difference but what I did realize is that I need to use the pens that make me the happiest. Even if I think a pen is ok for a while, what pen do I want to use most of the time? I know that I am one of those that like the very fine pens and I am going to go back to using just those pens for most of the stuff that I do. Those pens make me happy and that is what is most important.

 

Using different pens

For someone like me trying out different pen types is a lot of fun and something that I do enjoy doing. I don’t do a lot of writing daily, but I do make notes in my planner and sometimes can write an entire blog or notes in my notebook that I normally have with me. Now being a lefty does have some challenges when it comes to some pens, but I think I have overcome some of those.

Here are some of the pens that I have used or am using and what I think of them.

• Pentel. R.S.V.P. (fine) – I have used this type of pen for several years but what I don’t like about it is even through it says fine it isn’t as fine a point as I would like. When you find the definition of that pen it says that fine is .7mm so not as fine as I thought it would be. (Staples)

• Uni-ball Signo DX (0.28mm) – here is a pen that I found, and I must admit that it is one of the pens that I love using. It is a nice fine tip and for someone that writes a lot they fit my needs. These pens are very enjoyable to write with especially if you write small like I do. Oomomo carries these pens, and they are reasonable and do last quite a while.

• Flex office (.38mm) – this is another pen that I use very frequently because it is a pen that writes smoothly, and it also have a nice fine tip. I have gone through several of these and thank goodness Oomomo carries these as I do go and pick them up on a regular basis, so I am never out of pens.

• Zebra Fountain Pen – (fine) – this is a disposable fountain pen and the fine comes in .5mm and .6mm and I have used it for a while, and it does write nicely but again being a disposable fountain pen they are a little pricey but at least they are a great way to find out if fountain pens will work for you. (Staples)

• Hongdian 2861 Stainless Stell Fountain Pen Extra Fine Nib – this is a recent addition to my pen collection as I wanted to try out fountain pens. This pen has a nice extra fine nib, and I have been enjoying using it for making various notes. The one thing that you have to be aware of is that you are going to have to load ink into the pen and that get a little messy if you are not careful. You can purchase ink cartridges for this pen. This pen now holds my turquoise ink, and I have been enjoying using it. (Amazon)

• Nicpro Fountain Pen .38mm Extra Fine Nib – this is another fountain pen that I added to my collection, and I have loved how it writes. This pen is a little heavier than some pens but that doesn’t bother me at all. Again, the precaution is you are going to have to load ink into the pen as it doesn’t come with ink cartridges, but you can purchase those. This pen now holds my black ink, and I have been also enjoying using it. (Amazon)

• Hongdian Dark Blue Forest Fountain Pen Extra Fine Nib .38 – here is another fountain pen that I have added to the collection and again whet the extra fine nib it is enjoyable to use and something that has been sitting on my desk and gets used quite often. This pen works with either bottled ink or cartridges, but I am using bottled ink, and this pen holds my teal ink currently. (Amazon)

Fountain Pens

 I just recently starting using fountain pens and I must admit that I have been really enjoying using them. I don’t think I would travel with them given I would have to ensure that I have enough ink with me. Being a lefty I was a little concerned about working with a fountain pen and would I smudge my writing, but I haven’t so far which makes me happy. I have only bought the standard fountain pens designed for “right-handed” people, but they have been working fine for me. I would like to see what the difference between a “left-handed" fountain pen and the ones that I own just to see if there really is any difference in how the pen writes.

Summary 

Yes, I do enjoy trying out different pens and seeing what they are like for me. Of course, everyone is different in what they like in a pen so these comments about the pens are just my opinion, and they might be entirely different that what you think. When you find a pen that you enjoy using make sure that you have a couple of them available because you never know when a specific type of pen will be discontinued or hard to find.

Edit: Since writing this blog, I was able to ask a pen shop about the different between the left-handed pens and right-handed pens and the difference is the angel of the nib. This only works for the medium nib so if you are someone like me that likes the 'extra-fine nib' you will not get any difference because as per this gentleman "the nib is just scratchy no matter what."