Papermate Inkjoy Gel Pens - I'm Seeing Them More And More

[Blue_Moon]

I started a topic on these pens last year. I've begun seeing these pens being used more frequently out in the general public - more than the Pilot G2s. Whereas, in the past, the G2s would be the more commonly used pen, that seems to be changing - at least in my neck of the woods. The Injoy Gel Pens seem to have replaced the G2s, and have also become my personal pen of choice. Now that they've been around for a little while, what are some of your thoughts?

 

[Oranges and Apples]

I think that they are great pens and if you get the chance, you should try them out as well. They are ballpoint/gel hybrid inks and are the latest generation of inks to be advertised (best of both worlds). They are along the leagues with Uni Jet Stream and Pilot Acroball.

 

My favorite are as follows: Pilot Acroball > Uni Jet Stream > Paper Mate Ink Joy

Edited April 18, 2017 by Oranges and Apples

[milkb0at]

Still haven't seen any in physical UK stores, so I haven't tried one. I keep looking.

 

Cult Pens don't have them either. I wonder why PaperMate still won't sell them here. I think I can get one through Amazon (I don't want multipacks), so I might try that at some point.

 

I prefer the G-2 to the JetStream, so I'm curious how the InkJoy fares.

[Mike 59]

Hi, It must be about a year ago that these were first seen in the USA, but in the UK, as milkbOat says, none seen here, and I check in several well known stores that are most likely to have them in, every couple of weeks.

Edited April 18, 2017 by Mike 59

[bearcat1]

I will have to look for them.

[Misfit]

amazon.co.uk has them. The smallest pack I saw just now was a 4-pack. They are advertised on TV in the US. I find this to be good because even though I don't want them, it's good to see pen ads.

[throwaway3776]

Still haven't seen any in physical UK stores, so I haven't tried one. I keep looking.

 

Do you want to try these?

 

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/search/default.aspx?searchBox=inkjoy&icid=tescohp_sws-1_inkjoy

http://www.cultpens.com/i/q/PP41371/paper-mate-inkjoy-4-colour-ballpoint-pen

 

The latter has hybrid ink; I tried one.

[Mike 59]

Hi, The links in #7 by 'throwaway3776' are for the Inkjoy 100, 300, 550 RT, and Quatro pens that have been in most of our (UK) supermarkets and papershops for at least the last 3 years.

I've tried most of them, they are smooth, rich ballpoints, possibly a hybrid ink, they write well.

On the back of the packaging it advertises the Inkjoy GEL pens, but so far, April 2017, none have been seen in the UK shops, where I live.

Edited April 19, 2017 by Mike 59

[sciumbasci]

Available here in Italy in some stationery shops. I'm hesitant to try one out, as I have a nice stash of Pelikan Stick Pro ready at hand and don't feel like adding some other pens yet.

 

Nonetheless, I'll be buying at least one black ink to see how well it fares: the G2 is an archival pen (I have some writings from 2010 that are still going strong, even if they have been archived in a rather humid place such as the box auto).

 

Any left handed with sweaty hands can confirm if these are at least not affected by your moist palm rubbing over your writing?

[milkb0at]

 

Do you want to try these?

 

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/search/default.aspx?searchBox=inkjoy&icid=tescohp_sws-1_inkjoy

http://www.cultpens.com/i/q/PP41371/paper-mate-inkjoy-4-colour-ballpoint-pen

 

The latter has hybrid ink; I tried one.

 

I've tried the ballpoint and I thought it was a bit rubbish.

[flatline]

I bought the 14-color 0.7 tip set for the kids when they first appeared at Target and a 3-color 0.5 tip for myself.

 

Up until I discovered the Inkjoy gel pens, I had considered the Energel to be my favorite gel pen with no real competition, but now there's a solid competitor.

 

I don't like 0.7 since it forces me to write larger than I would otherwise, so this comparison is only for the 0.5 pens.

 

The Inkjoy writes wetter than the Energel and leaves a thicker line.

The Inkjoy pen body is more robust and has much better feel in hand than the plastic Energel.

The Inkjoy has a conical tip instead of a needle tip.

The Inkjoy has less feedback.

 

The refills are so close that I'm happy to use either one. If pressed, I'd give a slight edge to the Energel for the needle tip and more feedback.

 

There's no contest between the pen bodies. The Energel body has a cheap rubber grip and thin plastic walls. I've never liked it. The Inkjoy body is very robust and feels great in my hand.

 

So I've been using Energel refills in my Inkjoy bodies just because I had a stash of Energel refills already. Once I'm out, unless Inkjoy refills become available, I'll probably continue using Energel refills simply because I can get Energel refills for about $1 each, whereas the only way to get Inkjoy refills is to buy a whole new pen. Perhaps that'll change before I'm done with my stash.

 

--flatline

 

[sidpost]

Try an Engergel Alloy RT. I get them on Amazon for ~$4.50 as they beat the heck out of a plastic pen and are cheap enough I don't cry much if I loose one.

 

Locally, I can buy the plastic Energel's cheaper than the refills.

[flatline]

Try an Engergel Alloy RT. I get them on Amazon for ~$4.50 as they beat the heck out of a plastic pen and are cheap enough I don't cry much if I loose one.

 

Locally, I can buy the plastic Energel's cheaper than the refills.

 

I've got 2 alloy Energel. I like them and use them regularly (at least when they haven't ended up in my wife's purse...she likes them, too). However, I tend to prefer lighter hosts like the Inkjoy or the Pilot B2P host (the one made from recycled 2-liter bottles).

 

My current stash of Energels came from clearance at the local grocery store after the back to school rush last year. I paid about $0.30 per pen, but they're all 0.7 tip. Now that I'm older and wiser, I'd rather pay $1 to get a 0.5 tip refill. Hopefully next year the grocery store will stock the 0.5 tip pen for the back to school rush.

 

--flatline

[Mike 59]

Hi, For anyone in UK interested in the Inkjoy Gel pens, they have just today appeared in 'Wilkos'.

Only one choice, a 2 pack of black pens in 0.7, price £3.00

They are as described by other writers, very smooth, dark lines and fast drying too.

I tried an 'Energel' refill in the body, it's a good fit, but the Inkjoy's spring must be used, the Energel's spring becomes coil-bound.

In use it seems just right, the grip runs all the way up the back of the pen, so that it would all be in contact with your hand.

The join in the barrel is down at the tip, 10mm up, so that makes the pen stronger overall.

 

[MYU]

I wonder if the refills are of a standard type where they'd be compatible with other pen bodies. Can someone post a photo of the refill and include a measurement?

 

EDIT: Curious. On JetPens the specification page reads "Ink Refillable = No". Now I could understand that for the capped version... but the retractable seems to have some kind of movable refill inside, similar to a Pilot G2:

 

 

Yep... I just discovered that they do sell the refills separately (IMAGE, LINK).

Looks like only Blue and Black are being offered, at least on Amazon. They don't appear to be 100% Pilot G2 compatible, but they just might work...

 

Papermate is an underrated brand. I recently picked up a box of their refills to try fitting into a variety of ballpoint pens that went dry on me, having a peculiar refill type that can't be purchased any longer. The refill is their "Lubriglide" series, where the end piece is a small plastic dowel. Turns out that the dowel can be trimmed and then the refill can fit in a variety of pens. They write really well! They're better than your typical ballpoint, while not being as liquid as a gel pen refill.

Edited April 24, 2017 by MYU

[milkb0at]

Hi, For anyone in UK interested in the Inkjoy Gel pens, they have just today appeared in 'Wilkos'.

Only one choice, a 2 pack of black pens in 0.7, price £3.00

 

Thanks for spotting that. Hopefully I'll be near a Wilko tomorrow so I can try an InkJoy at last.

[Mike 59]

Hi, The PaperMate Inkjoy GEL refills are the same dimensions as the Pentel Energel and the Uniball Signo 207.

The Inkjoy ballpoint pens, eg 100, 330, 550, and 700 are thinner refills, very different to the GEL refills.

The Pilot G2 refill is the same size as the PaperMate Inkjoy GEL, BUT it has an extra sleeve near the tip that prevents the 'nosecone' section from going on properly.

It's possible that if that plastic sleeve was carved off it would fit, not tried that here.

(See the image, 2 posts up from here, #15, by MYU, on the Pilot refill, just to the left of the word GKnock & B2P, then compare to the 2 PaperMate refills to the left of the Pilot ones, in the same image, the extra sleeve is obvious.)

Edited April 24, 2017 by Mike 59

[MYU]

By the way, JetPens responded to my inquiry and they tried to test-fit a Pilot G2 inside an InkJoy pen... and it didn't fit. I suspect because of the "shoulders" on the G2. But I asked them to try it the other way around, see if an InkJoy refill would fit in a Pilot G2 compatible pen. Hopefully I'll hear back some positive news on that.

[milkb0at]

Well, my local Wilco doesn't have the InkJoy gel, so I'm still waiting to try one.

[Mike 59]

Hi, For those in the UK, I noticed that Sainsburys have these pens in various packs on their website, but I don't know if they are in store yet, will find out when I can.

(Edit) Thurs 27 Apr 2017, Sainsburys do now have them in store, 2 x black, 3x 'fun' colours & blk/blue/red pack.

Edited April 27, 2017 by Mike 59