Most Hybrid Pens Are Too Smooth For Me

[throwaway3776]

Hello!

Lately I've been experimenting with modern hybrid ink pens. Their reliability and colour density looked really appealing to me. But what I can't get over is their excessive smoothness. I find hybrid ink pens difficult to control on any paper. My strokes become much less precise with them and I have to switch to much larger handwriting. It is almost a pain to me. This applies to:

* Uniball Jetstream 1.0

* Caran d'Ache 888 (with Swissride refill)

* Paper Mate Inkjoy

* S. T. Dupont Jet 8

* Platinum hybrid ink refills (though not that much)

This also applies to the gel pens:

* Pentel Slicci 0.7

* Zebra Sarasa

Does anybody else have the same problem as I? Is anything wrong with me that I feel these are too smooth? Do I need to adjust my handwriting? I know that these pens and refills are really popular and I guess it's for a reason.

Many thanks!

[Pickwick]

In order for any member to give you advice, you will need to provide more details. Are you already acquainted with using fountain and dip pens? If so do you find a difference with regard to your handwriting? How do you hold your listed pens which may prove a key factor? What do you mean by excessive smoothness? After all smoothness is an inherent design with your listed pens. Photos of your handwriting would also prove useful. Personally I have no problem with writing using any type of pen, and found it relatively easy transitioning from pen and ink to ballpoint pens when they became reliable. As a matter of fact I found it made writing much easier for me.

[dgcom]

Actually, I almost completely agree with throwaway3776.

 

My handwriting is not perfect. I often resort to printed letters, but still enjoy handwriting (and in two languages).

Recently I started using fountain pens more and more (I am not a novice here, I used FP at school in early age).

But I prefer fine and extra fine nibs - they allow much better legibility in my writing.

I am ok with fine or some mediums, but bolder it writes - smoother it becomes, requires larger letters and what comes out is very bad looking

I also tend to write too fast, that's another (but related) issue...

 

I did not test all listed refills, but have Jetstream, InkJoy, Schmidt EasyFlow and Zebra ESB series with hybrid inks and they are often a pain to write with...

Thinner nib is - better, it adds some resistance, but still...

 

But I do not like too much resistance either - that's why I am not a big fan of old ballpoints like standard Parker or Fisher SP.

 

There are better hybrid inks which are usable for me - new Parker QuinkFlow offers good balance.

But I find that fine gel refills or most rollerballs work for me better - Zebra Sarasa 0.5 is one of the best, Schmidt P-8126 in Retro 51 feels great...

 

Lots of this is very subjective and also depends on paper type - I still love how Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 writes on regular copy paper...

 

So - yes, too smooth is bad for me, be it ball point or FP...

 

[Thornton]

You make a really good point. While Zebra Sarasas have become my go to non-fp, I find Uniball Jetstreams and Papermate InkJoys (bp not gel version) to be too slick, and I end up holding a tighter grip on them than I would a regular ballpoint. For a regular ballpoint the old school Papermate stick pens work just fine for me.

[Mike 59]

If you are used to some 'drag' or resistance on the paper, then some of the hybrid inks will seem to be far too slick.

It might be worth trying a fine fibretip pen such as the Uniball PIN fineliner, I have one in 0.4mm, where there is a consistent amount of 'drag', and I use them quite often, as it suits me too.

These are made in 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 at least, mine is a medium/light blue ink.

https://uniball.co.uk/products/write/write-quickly-comfortably

Others similar are the Staedtler Triplus (0.4mm) and STABILO point 88 (0.4mm)

Edited April 1, 2017 by Mike 59

[throwaway3776]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

 

In order for any member to give you advice, you will need to provide more details. Are you already acquainted with using fountain and dip pens? If so do you find a difference with regard to your handwriting? How do you hold your listed pens which may prove a key factor? What do you mean by excessive smoothness? After all smoothness is an inherent design with your listed pens. Photos of your handwriting would also prove useful. Personally I have no problem with writing using any type of pen, and found it relatively easy transitioning from pen and ink to ballpoint pens when they became reliable. As a matter of fact I found it made writing much easier for me.

I've been using fountain pens for many years. Tried writing with a dip pen but found out it's not for me. I hold all writing instruments I use with a 'tripod grip', usually at about 45 degrees. My handwriting with the listed pens becomes really chaotic. I don't have this problem using ballpoint pens with traditional oil-based paste.

 

Schmidt P-8126 in Retro 51 feels great...

 

 

Interesting. I've had the same 'too smooth' problem with the P-8127. I chose it for its capless time, put it into a Lamy Tipo and found out it's inconvenient for my writing . Granted, it's wider than P-8126 (which I never tried)

 

If you are used to some 'drag' or resistance on the paper, then some of the hybrid inks will seem to be far too slick.

It might be worth trying a fine fibretip pen such as the Uniball PIN fineliner, I have one in 0.4mm, where there is a consistent amount of 'drag', and I use them quite often, as it suits me too.

These are made in 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 at least, mine is a medium/light blue ink.

https://uniball.co.uk/products/write/write-quickly-comfortably

Others similar are the Staedtler Triplus (0.4mm) and STABILO point 88 (0.4mm)

I'm not sure drag is exactly what I need for better control... I actually don't like some Platinum pens (the Desk Pen and the PTL-5000) for their 'drag' on the paper.

 

The Triplus is very convenient and Stabilo 88 Brown was my go to pen for years because of its price. However, my favourite liner is Sharpie Retractable Pen: so smooth I don't feel the fibres, allowing for a low writing angle, and of course retractable.

[flatline]

Add the Zebra ZMulsion LX to that list. It doesn't give enough feedback and it takes forever to dry.

 

--flatline

[throwaway3776]

I've had issues with the ZMulsion: the pen would just stop writing for a while and then continue again. I threw it away.

[Sasha Royale]

A late family friend, who was chef at a renown Washington DC restaurant, taught me his lamb with black truffles. He said that I do it very well. I will prepare it for family (or hot girl) upon request. However, I prefer fried chicken & rice with brown gravy.

 

I think smoothness , beyond functionality, is overrated. There are people who don't use fountain pens ! The heart wants what the heart wants. I am not going to tell you what you SHOULD like.

What gives you joy ?

[Bo Bo Olson]

This is a dangerous place....being as far behind as modern golf balls with BP's. I found my self reading about ..Schneider and Schmidt and Parker and MB re-fills.

 

The next thing, I was out in the living room looking the re-fill of the ball pens my wife 'uses'...separating out the top of the line from the free ones....many quite good. No names that would have been wonders in the '60-70-80s, with rubber grips. Others with thicker ends that make them more comfortable to write.

 

3 Parker's (two new), three Lamy's all resent, a gift, and one for taking the factory tour, including a multi-cartridge pen....and a lost '70's MB.

 

The real low end were tossed. When I 'returned' to fountain pens, I went around the house, and collected 200 free pens. Some were sold at the flea-market...others tossed. With out even trying ended up with some 12 or so free pens.

 

For a few minutes I even moved a 'no name' gel pen from my pharmacy ..no name on the gel cartridge either into my room, but it writes too high. It wrote easiest.