Guest Post: The World in a Ballpoint Pen, by Jack Labusch

My ballpoint pen . . . that’s my laboratory!

We have a lot to thank theoretical physicists for. They’re different, though, right? Well, maybe not so much. Here’s Physicist Richard Feynman on a new malady you may recognize that he first saw in one of his Manhattan Project colleagues at Los Alamos.

“ . . . [Stanley] Frankel eventually suffered from ‘computer disease’, a preoccupation with using the computer itself rather than running designated problems on it. This disease interfered so much with his functioning in the implosion program that [Hans] Bethe in March 1945 asked Feynman to take over the computation group.” (Credit: Critical Assembly, by Hoddeson, Henriksen, et. al.)

Above is Physicist Julian Schwinger in 1965, shown in his home after winning the Nobel Prize in physics along with Feynman and Shinichiro Tomonaga. I can’t identify the pen, and the body language seems incomprehensible to this onetime salesman. Anyone want to take a shot at interpreting the photo? (Photo found on Wikipedia. The original caption reads: “His laboratory is his ballpoint pen”.)

Rollerball Pen by Miquelrius

One of the items in my recent Lost Crates shipment was this flowery 0.5mm rollerball pen by Miquelrius with art by Joshua Davis. The design is lovely, lots of flowers in white, orange, and blue on the barrel of the pen, while the large dark blue cap has a spacious clear plastic window to check the ink supply.



This is one of the smoothest rollerballs I've used, the ink flow is sustained so there's no skipping. You can almost feel the ink coming down the cartridge that's how much flow this has, and the deep, true blue color of the ink is different.

The only negative I can think of to this pen is that it isn't reusable. Other than that, if you happen to see one at your stationery shop give it a try.

Waiting for Irene

Left work early yesterday to get to the store for the weekly groceries (there were people buying 8 and 10 cases of bottled water, my thoughts on that are not pretty).

The entire transit system shut down at noon today, it is very strange not to see any buses on the avenue. I live in Zone A, the evacuation zone, about a quarter mile from the East River. I'm confident the surge won't get over the promenade (10 to 12 feet above the river), and the cats and I will be okay. But if Irene actually came over NYC rather than near us my fourth floor apartment would be oceanfront property.

The above is of Irene on August 22, 2011 courtesy of NASA.

R by Rhodia No. 12 Notepad

Many thanks to Karen Doherty, VP of Marketing at Exaclair, for sending me one of the new R by Rhodia No. 12 notepads. It has the new soft touch cover with an orange front and black reverse for a great contrast. And I love the "depuis 1934" on the cover as well, really highlights the French origins of this notepad as well as the company's long history.



This is one of the cutest sizes, 3 3/8 x 4 3/4, which is perfect for purse or knitting bag. The paper is an amazing ivory color, really beautiful with a deep gray or violet line (can't quite tell). I'm thinking that I am going to love the larger sizes of this, and I am definitely looking forward to getting a few of them to try out.

BIC 4 Color Soft Grip Ballpoint

The original BIC 4 color was a staple of my school days, but I never really liked it. The barrel felt too big in my hand, and I wasn't fond of the blue and white color combination or the plastic ball on top. The revised version has a loop at the top so you can carry it on a lanyard or perhaps a key chain. At Easter the 4 Color turns pastel, which is a nice touch.

When Office Supply Geek reviewed the new version of the BIC 4 Color I did take notice of the black and grey combination, but didn't really look for it on my shopping trips. Then I saw on at Staples, and as there was a sale I thought I'd give it a try.

As the Geek mentions, the new BIC 4 Color touts a soft grip barrel that actually has a matte hard plastic grip on it. The prior versions had round, smooth barrels with no grip function at all. This actually is noticeable and makes the ballpoint feel better in my hand as I'm holding something that is easy to catch onto rather than sliding down my fingers.



Next to my Hi-Tec-C Coleto you can see that the BIC is slightly longer, and lacks the space alien profile of the former. The BIC ink refills are described as 1.0 medium tips, which for a ballpoint sounds about right. You can get fine tip refills for the BIC if you want to change the style, or try hacking a Hi-Tec-C refill.




As for writing, three of the four colors (Red, Black, Blue) wrote smoothly with a lot of flow immediately. The green was a bit on the pale side, and felt like I was pushing it through dried cement. Too much effort for that one, so I may either skip green or try a single refill and see how it works.

Like multi pens and want something with a sleek profile? Give the BIC 4 Color Grip a try.

Target Up & Up Retractable Gel Ink Pens

This pack of four rollerball pens from the Target Up & Up line of office supplies caught my eye and the price was especially attractive ($3.47), so I popped a pack in the bag for later use. Like the Pilot G-Knock and the Zebra Sarasa, these molded plastic pens have subtle curves and a large rubber grip for comfortable writing.



The Target rollerball has a 0.7mm width stainless steel tip, with a deep black ink that flows smoothly for a great line. In a comparison with the the Pilot G-Knock, there was no difference in the writing, as you can see above. The Target Up & Up is slightly longer than the G-Knock, and had slightly different design curves. But the rubber grip is the same, down to the cartouche on the side.

These Target rollerball pens do seem to be as good at the Pilot G-Knock, and at a lower price point. The only drawback is the color choices, blue or black. Would turquoise or burgundy be too much to ask? If you are browsing the supplies at Target, definitely add a pack to the carrier.

Uni-ball Alpha Gel Slim Ballpoint

The Uni-ball Alpha Gel Slim Ballpoint has a grip that reminds me of the Sensa pens, but it's made out of some type of springy rubber that springs back into its original shape like one of those stress balls.

I like the design of this ballpoint, it's slim only in comparison to the regular Uni-Ball Alpha Gel pen. Otherwise, there are lots of curves to this pen starting with the grip and continuing through the barrel and the clip.

It's also a big pen, measuring 5.75 inches with the plunger fully extended, about a third of an inch longer than my burgundy Zebra Sarasa.

(Just a note that while I adore JetPens, they are selling these Alpha Gels for $13.50 while Tokyo Pen Shop has them for $10. TPS offers free shipping on orders of $25 and up too, and they just added fountain pens to their lineup so do go over there and browse around. I've ordered several times from TPS and found them reliable and fast.)




I can't tell from the packaging if this is a 0.5mm or 0.7mm tip, while the pens are usually marked on the clip or plunger this one isn't. Nor is the ink refill above, so I'll have to guess that it's a 0.7mm (not a 0.5mm as I wrote above).

Something I hadn't noticed before that's a great little detail is the small piece of cotton at the end of the ink refill, which would keep ink from escaping the back. I'm not sure when this would be needed (high altitude?), but it makes you appreciate how much attention to detail is paid on all aspects of these Uni-ball pens.

The royal blue color accents are nicely place, with a darker blue on the tip of the clip and the end of the barrel as well as the top of the plunger and a more powdery blue coloring the grip. The pen is actually very light in the hand even with the metal barrel, and writing takes very little effort.

Looking for a ballpoint in the $10 to $15 range, something that looks good and writes well? Here's a great option for you.