September 15, 2008

Review: Pilot VBall RT Extra Fine


I am pleasantly surprised with the Pilot VBall RT Extra Fine.  This is a pen that you should be able to pick up from just about any major retailer or office supply chain (Wal-Mart, Target, Staples, etc.), and at a decent price to boot.  The 0.5mm extra fine puts down a nice and solid black line, with really no resistance from the tip on the paper.  I had no idea I would be using this pen so much.

11 comments:

kataish said...

It looks really sharp, too.

Jenni said...

Love that! I have still yet to find one single pen you've reviewed. Jaysus. I cannot take it!! When I do find one, I am sure it will be like the time I went to Purl in NYC and saw the felted yoga mat bag from my Last Minute Knitted Gifts book. I was so excited, you would've thought I'd just seen Jude Law.

Mervin said...

I also picked up the pack with the extra pen in it. I initially thought it was blue but when I pulled it out to write with it a few weeks later, I was very disappointed. Maybe it was just me but the color of the extra pen looked very blue.

Nrepose said...

The fine points write quite nice also.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I got a 2 pack with a free Precise V5 inside (purple too, for some reason I'd prefer the turquoise one instead).

Something curious is that the ink is not stored in a tank like in the VBall, it is possible since it was done in the UB Vision RT, instead it has some gel holding the ink inside, and the gel does down together with the ink, while the normal VBall has a closed tank where the ink moves freely around.

Unknown said...

You need to get your hands on a permaball pen. The black is a very smooth pen, and best of all it's also permanent.


http://www.pilotpen-store.com/product_detail.asp?T1=PIL%20PBB-BLKM

dowdyism said...

Interesting edris - I'll keep an eye out.

mizm said...

On the strength of this review, but mostly (I confess) because the pen is neat-looking, I got a pack of the .5s on sale at Office Max. It is nice, but try this: on a smooth sheet of paper, compare the Vball to the .5 Tul retractable. The Tul is just so much more fluid; the Vball is hard work, by comparison. (Of course, I'm a lefty, so maybe that makes a difference.) So after a superficial fling, I'm reconciling with my Tul. -- Marilyn

dowdyism said...

If it is any consolation Marilyn, me wife laid claim to the second TUL you sent me. :) I think that says a lot.

mizm said...

:-) Mine tend to walk away if I don't keep a close eye on them. Now I'm leaving the VBalls out as decoys.