You perfectly explained the reason I got into fountain pens. I was using one ballpoint refill ever 3 days and it was just causing so much waste. Being that I'm a Native American from a costal tribe, the eco system and especially the waters are important to me. I don't want to make more plastic in the ocean.
In my opinion, you explained perfectly well why gel pens and the like are nice writing instruments if you don’t write that much in one go (say, to note down appointments in a planner), but if you write a lot, fountain pens are the best option (also to protect your sinuses). Besides, there are nice fountain pens at a much lower price point than a Pilot Custom 580 - say, a Platinum Preppy - that you can also fill with bottled inks as much as you like. (Not intending to say anything against investing in expensive fountain pens - I recently got a gold nib pen from Sailor and it writes like a dream! Still - my point stands that there are inexpensive pens that write very well, too.)
The Pilot model is Custom 823 - I think you conflated it with the TWSBI Diamond 580, which is also a nice pen (except for the cracking issue, which is why I no longer own one). :) I totally agree with you about fountain pen price points. I have several expensive (to me) pens, but I also have several less expensive pens that I love - a Pilot Kakuno, several Kaweco Sports, and a couple of TWSBI Ecos (fingers crossed - they haven't cracked yet). I reach for these as often as I reach for my Custom 823. I've been using fountain pens since the late 90s, so I've amassed a bit of a collection. I'm curious, though - how does using a fountain pen protect your sinuses?
@@arguchik Thanks for pointing that out! The only fountain pen from Pilot I own is a Vanishing Point/Capless whereas I do own a Diamond 580 (that also hasn’t cracked yet-fingers crossed, too!) If you’re a heavy-handed person (like I am) and you write with pens that don’t have any give, such as ballpoint pens, that will strain the sinews in your hands (not sinuses, apologies - I must have been tired and conflated the words when I wrote my original comment, and also English is not my first language). That will make your hand hurt sooner rather than later whereas it’s possible to write with a fountain pen for much longer - also because the way you hold them is different from how you hold ballpoint pens (higher angle). Might be different for the individual person - if you’ve never had trouble with, say, tendonitis, it might not be as noticeable. I’ve been writing with fountain pens ever since I was seven years old. In Germany, where I’m from, you were (and, to my knowledge, still are) required to write with a fountain pen from your second year of elementary school on.
@@jessplansandwrites Aha! That makes perfect sense - sinews. I thought maybe either autocorrect had substituted "sinuses" for a different word, or that you might have typed a different word from what you meant. (I do that all the time, and English *is* my first language. German is actually the only other language I have learned, but I have at best an intermediate grasp of it. I have no idea how to say either "sinew" or "sinus" in German, haha.) And I 100% agree with you re: the more relaxed experience of writing with fountain pens. I do tend to hold my pens tightly, and the only ballpoints I can tolerate writing with are the ones with low-viscosity inks, like the Uni Jetstream or Pilot Acro. Tschüss!
@@arguchik Yeah, it was not an interference with German - the German word for "sinus" is "Nebenhöhle" ("sinew" is "Sehne", so - much closer 😅😂). Also yes, I like writing with the Uni Jetstream, too!
@@jessplansandwrites OMG "Nebenhöhle" is a fantastic word. I love compound words in German. I've never heard that one, but if I'm understanding it correctly, it means...like..."nearby holes?"
Great way to think about convenience vs. waste. My problem with gel pens is that I've found the experience can vary from one refill to the next -- even with a batch of refills purchased at the same time. My Pilot 823 -- provided I do my part and keep it clean -- is dependably brilliant, and how do we place a value on the time spent journaling with a pen that doesn't distract, but always enhances the experience? My kids and grandkids will inherit the pens I've loved, and nobody will fight over the rollerballs.
When you were discussing the cost and green cons for the pen I found myself nodding through the whole thing. It's good to think like that. I often think of my carbon footprint. Thanks for the video!!
When I restarted journaling several years ago I started with gel pens, specifically the Pilot G-2. Hated throwing away these whole pens and got a Metropolitan that used the refills but the refills made me feel guilty too. Despite being a lefty and unsure of using a fountain pen i went and got a Pilot Metropolitan fine nib and never looked back. Love all the ink choices and so much less waste. Still carry a disposable G-2 in my pocket for quick notes or to lone out. I only go through maybe one refill a year with it, so it's okay. May get that Uniball your using to replace it though. Looks comparable in size to my beloved Kaweco brass sport. I love a short and chunky pen.🙂
I know exactly what you’re trying to say. I love writing but it has a cost and the waste of it all is something to consider. In the end fountain pens produce less waste even if they have a high cost up front. Not all fountain pens have a hefty price tag.
I love that little pen too but I use mine more for quick notes or logging and because it’s so cute and compact, it’s always in my purse. I still reach for my fountain pens for long hand journaling.
I remember doing similar calculations to yours during college, comparing the dozens of Uni-ball "eye" rollerball pens I wasted against the cost of a couple of Pilot Kakunos and a few bottles of Parker Quink per year. I believe that fountain pens (and some rare rollerball pens that use bottled ink) are the only truly refillable options, as you don't have to dispose of a considerable part of the pen (tips and ink reservoirs) to get back to writing. Although I prefer fountain pens, some situations require ballpoint pens (the Uni multipens I bought after watching your videos have been used a lot...) so, there's no way to completely escape them, but you proposed a very interesting reflection. Thanks for the video.
Ohhh I also have this pen, I loved 3 of the colors and got the 3 (pink, blue, cream/chai). I adore them and definitely loved this video essay on pens and ink and the nature around us 🥹🤍 This is why I adore your channel, so authentic and beautiful and inspiring. Please be safe 🌷🤍
I have the mint Uniball1P. I keep it in a small case with a Wancai mini fountain pen and a Pentel Kerry mechanical pencil, for those times when I need that kind of pen. I love to hold and click too, and play with the clip. So many refills of gel pens we have around the house fit into the Uniball, that I’ve decided to use them for refills when the pen runs out. I’m not using it to write tons everyday, so mine will last longer, but I understand wanting to write with it all the time and wanting all the colors! When I used to use Pilot G2s exclusively, they would last me about 2 weeks. I used to buy refills, but I still had a lot of empty carcasses lying around. My spouse repurposed the springs to make spring loaded pegs for a workbench he made from reclaimed wood. Never found a use for the rest of the pen body, but I wonder if I could hot glue the tip closed and used it to store some small beads and beading components.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that's thought like this 🙂 TFS. I've been so tempted to buy this particular pen. I carry a small pen in my pocket everyday.
This is a very valid problem. The stationery industry is not environmentally friendly at all, but boy does it make cute pens!! Maybe we need to begin writing with the Uni Ball P, then swap to a fountain pen-might look nice. Feel free to go for the reducing waste line on your channel-someone needs to do it in the stationery community! If you order from many places, everything is packed in plastic. Everything. I’d love a cute pen in a biodegradable form.
I love fountain pens! I prefer their looks, feel, and quality to ballpoint pens. But I have to admit, it's hard to carry around ink with me everywhere I go, not to mention having to empty the ink from the pens when I fly...Ballpoint pens win out when it comes to convenience. I wish there were an easier way to travel with fountain pens
Even though I find my TWSBI Eco's, and all of my TWSBI's, for that matter, are great travelers... 😉 Lol... They hold a huge capacity of ink, they don't leak (For the most part... 😁) #ThePerfectCompanion However, I always carry with me my favorite Zebra Sarsa Vintage Clip in camel yellow, red black, brown grey & dark grey (Just in case I will need a pen with more durable ink, aka which writes on a nonporous surfaces)
I recommend an Opus 88 for travelling, huge ink capacity and the shut valve that makes it safe for flying. (Similarly but more expensive, the Pilot Custom 823 is also great for flying and for the ink capacity)
Thank you for doing the math. It appears environmentally and financially - the fountain pen has the upper hand. But, I understand the appeal of some regular pens too. Although, I really dislike the ideal of disposable plastic 😐
Well, remember the upfront cost of fountain pens. You have to buy very cheap to make fountain pens financially superior. I have several in the eight hundred dollar range, a couple in the over two thousand mark, one over four thousand, and on at the fourteen thousand mark. I even have fountain pen inks that cost a hundred dollars and last well under a year. So fountain pens will never be financially superior for me. I just love fountain pens and inks more than any other writing instrument, though manual typewriters are also a true love, as are metal dip pens. And feather quills. And pencils. Even gel pens. But I hate waste, especially when it puts more plastic into the environment. I think the most evil writing instrument on the planet is a disposable fountain pen. It's an abomination, the worst of both worlds.
its nice to see you again. i recently bought an energel navy blue ballpoint pen to match its ink color with a fountain ink. i used to write poetry with gel pens because the different colors flavored the poem in a way as i was writing it. when i got it in the mail two days ago, writing with it felt like i was coming back home. i have an urge to go sit at a fastfood restaurant or a Starbucks and write there again. the rollerball fountain pens were hard to find, and i don't like their clear plastic, i like brown and orange to red pens, or slate blues. if i could find a rollerball and gel like fountain ink, I'd use nothing else. in my research, over the past two weeks, people have demontrated that hooded nibs often dry out slower, have a wider sweet spot for writing angle, and with the thick jinhao 51a or hero 616, the size of the section is equal to or bigger that the wide gel pens. so i ordered a 51a. when my energel empties, i am going to try to refill it with fountain pen ink. it looks like the same cartridge your pen in the video uses. i think I'd have to use an air hose from a bicycle pump to get the soft seal pushed back out. but i still want to try it. there are rollerball pens for fountain ink on amazon, if you're interested.
I have the Uniball One P in white (milk?), which is very aesthetically appealing. But I use it as a purse pen, so I only jot occasional notes or write checks with it. A refill should last a lot longer than 12 days, and I'm glad. I don't like the thought of putting all that plastic in the landfill. Unlike you, I find the pen too chunky to be comfortable, so I'm not tempted to use it for longer writing sessions. It may be because I broke my hand last year and still have pain, but it hurts to use the pen to write more than a few words. It's so darn cute though!
Last semester in seminary we picked an item and followed the environmental impact it had. Which is what you did. We should be thoughtful about the environmental impact our things have. A fountain pen is more expensive than a disposable pen but as far as environmental damage the cost is less.
Those are the sort of sums i do too. And it is horrific to think of how many pens, refills and cartridges i must have thrown away over my half-century or so of ink usage. 😱
12 days?!? Oh noes! 😮 I took my cute li'l Uni-Ball One P with me on a recent trip and just loved how perfectly it meshed w/ my Nobuku + Traveler's Notebook passport size setup. And writing with it was really comfortable too. But now I'm afraid to look at how much ink is left in the pen, as I didn't think to order refills.🙀🙃 And your thoughts on single use plastics are so on point. What a dilemma!!
A cheaper compatible refill might be Muji's. It should have the same dimensions based on a quick check online. I think they're still made by Zebra, so they may feel different to write with to the Uni refills, and the colours will differ. If you ever use 0.5mm refills, I'd recommend Kaco gel pen refills [blue-black :)]. By the way, in case you haven't seen it, Waski Squirrel did a video a while ago about refillable whiteboard markers, and since you're returning to teaching, you might find that useful.
Thanks for sharing! Am intrigued to try this rollerball. I collected roller balls for decades before I got obsessed with fountain pens. Like you I rationalized that fountain pens were more “ecological” But 30 fountain pens and a hundred bottle of inks is hardly ecological 😅 Ah - but they make us happy so that’s that. These days am into assembling my own mechanical keyboards. It is sublime typing on a keyboard that sounds like glass marbles or pebbles 🥰 Since you’re into typewriters too you could look into custom mechanical keyboards (IMHO all the prebuilt keyboards are junk)
I've been enjoying the One P as well, but I wish the grip area has more texture to it, something similar to the texture found on the Pentel Calme and Zebra bLen.
@@adventuredenali Lol no need to thank me, I'm totally envious of your handwriting skills. I wish my hands didn't work like I'm using hooves to write. 🤣
I have the purple Uni-Ball One P. It is adorable. I use a few different ballpoint (Uni Jetstream is my favorite) and gel pens (Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coletto because I like the needlepoints) - but I only use them in my planners and when I'm on the go and need to jot things down quickly. Click pens are perfect for that usage, and I'd rather use a refillable pen body than a 100% disposable pen, I guess. For long-form writing (e.g. in my journal), I only use fountain pens - some spendy (Pilot Custom 823, Pelikan M400, etc.) and some not (Sports and Kakunos). Even inexpensive fountain pens write so much better than ballpoint or gel pens, and I love experimenting with the nearly limitless number of ink colors and properties. Weirdly, I have experimented with a bunch of different inks in my Custom 823 and my current favorite ink for it is just bland old Pilot Black. 🤣🤣🤣
P.S. Re: click fountain pens...I'm just not a fan of either the Pilot Vanishing Point or the Platinum Curidas - they just don't feel comfortable in my hand. I've never tried a Lamy Dialog, so it's possible I might like that one.
I can totally understand those math thoughts about pens and inks. I want to know that too. Since I am not so into everything with a ball at the tip, for ergonomical and technical reasons (it takes me a lot more power physically than a fountain pen, and I had one leaking, which I found not amusing, considdering it should be a refillable one with cardridges, and therefore comparatively expensive even if a fraction of even a cheap fountain pen), I concentrate on Fountain Pens and estimated that a Milliliter of Ink may be enough for about 10 Pages (A4 size, which is my fafourite) with a fluent but not too wet nib. And for sure I wondered too, how long I could write with a bottle of Ink. I Started using bottled ink in September 2022 and got first two and then a third bottle, so I can alternate my journal entries in different colours to safe a Line of blank Space here and there, since it should be compact for archiving. I used first notebooks, mostly 80gm, and switched then to 70gsm Noteblocks, which I plan to bind, once I get the machine. I want to use exclusively recycling-paper, and that is difficult to find in the Size I want it. Next, I will switch to 65gsm paper, which I had used during studying time with fountain pens and worked well. I use 75ml ink bottles from Graf von Faber Castell. Wonderful Writing ink. A bit expensive, but it is the marvellously classic design of the Bottles which I could not resist. I tried to use one of those every second day and for notes whenever doable, so I could see, how far I come with such a bottle. I have had so far 60 refills with a standard parker-converter and 6 refills of a Pelikan M200 and have about one third of the bottle left. And I wrote with it as much as practically possible. So, even as one who writes a lot, I can now estimate that such a Bottle lasts for about a Year or a bit more. The Second Ink that I used alternatingly for journalling with a very wet Kaweco Perkeo and a Kaweco Sport and a Pelican M200, is a Kaweco ink, 50ml bottle (Paradise Blue), I opened the 18th of October 2022 and used it roughly for every second Journal entry since, but not for Notes. Two Weeks ago I had to abandon the bottle, because it became difficult to fill the Pelican M200 Piston filler as fast and easy as I want it. So I filled two sample viols. I Spilled one or two ml of the Ink by doing so, and it had about a third to a quarter left in the bottle. So far, I got 43 refills for a standard converter out of it (giving me 6-8 pages with the very wet Perkeo), 2 Mini Converters for a Kaweco Sport (worth 5-6 pages) and 2 refills for a M200 with a broad nib. Didn't count the pages there so far, but it must be about 10-12. So, a 75ml bottle gives me a year or 1.5 years of use when not too excessively but as much used as I ever want. 50ml is about a year or even more when used in normal quantities, and not much other than fountain pens are in use as writing instruments. Have to add that I use only Medium and Broad nibs so far, and the refills for the Perkeo were for the converter only. I took it out of the pen to refill, so I didn't have to clean the nib every time... Can't get it more exactly, but you see, you're not the only one thinking in that direction. I calculated also (well, more a rough estimate), what it cost me to refill: When taking 1.2ml for a Pelican M200, I come to a little less than 70ct. per refill with the Graf von Faber Castell ink. The Kaweco I didn't calculate so far. Cost me short of 9€/50ml. Rather cheap, so I don't really care for details. 9€/year is nothing to write home about, even if it doubles when writing much. Even cheap notepaper is more expensive than that ink, and it is a good, well behaving ink similar to Pelikan, but not so wide spread and therefore not quite as boring (because everyone uses it... not because it really would be boring). When the first bottle of ink gets empty, I'll replace it with a saylor manyo yamabuki, which is more or less comparable in price to Graf von Faber Castell, when it comes to cost per ml. Pens cost a lot more though, even if I am relatively modest in price and prefer buying preloved to save Money. It is a Hobby, after all and because it is that, economics are not the most important. But compared to an Ink-based Printer for a Computer, that is theoretically not bad, given one is simply not able to use up as much paper and ink in handwriting as a Printer can and will. Yes, Paper and inks are not cheap. But fountain pen ink is relatively cheap compared to what ink for a Printer costs per ml. You use more of it per page on one hand when handwriting, but on the other hand it is impossible to write anywhere nearly as fast as a Printer would, so it gets cheaper by hand in the end... as long as we do not include Pens themselves, which I considder either as a nice hobby or necessary infrastructure, where cost is not the primary consideration.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It seems as if you are stuck between two feelings you get out of collecting these gel pens. On the one hand there is the joy of collecting these nice little pens and writing with it, on the other hand there's a nagging doubt that refills are a waste of plastic and way more expensive than writing with refillable fountain pens. You cannot fully enjoy using the gel pens as long as you have to suppress thoughts of responsiblity for the environment and your expenses. To get out of these emotionally ambivalent situation you have to make up your mind for either the gel pens or the fountain pens - or (!) to find a compromise you really can live with. You could for instance write with gel pens every second month or write with them only in the teaching area, while journaling with fountain pens. Or you decide to use gel pens until the end of 2023 and write with fountain pens again in 2024. I hope you will find the decision which suits you best so that you can fully enjoy writing again.
I think if my fountain pen collection came in at 5 or fewer pens, it would have been environmentally friendly... but at over 30 pens and 30 inks now (and storage for it all), I'm pretty sure I have used more resources and trash for shipping than I could have ever accumulated in tiny plastic pen refills for a lifetime. >.
I just don't like the Uni-Ball One line as much as I like their Jetstream and Signo lines. I don't know what it is. Obviously the Jetstream is a ballpoint and the One and Signo are gel pens. I do have a Uni-Ball One P (soda pop blue), and luckily it can take a jetstream refill. Still, I have considered all that waste as well. That's why I invested in a nicer fountain pen and pigmented ink, though I still have to use a ballpoint at times. Can't win 'em all, but I feel better about my choices.
That’s cool that the P can use the Jetstream refill! I may have to try that out and see how it feels. I’ve been enjoying the gel though, having a saturated line feels nice right now. Can’t win them all, but one can dream! XD
@@adventuredenali - My apologies! I clearly missed the part where you indicated that you were a member of Team Fine Line. Welcome aboard! I also use 0.38, but my preferred delivery method is the Uniball UM-151 Signo DX… the little clear pens with the snap on/off caps.
It is a really cute pen, but wow, the refills and waste would add up. I really like Pentel Hybrid Technica pens, but won’t buy them anymore. The reservoir is only half filled with ink.
I think you are using an inappropriate measuring scale. Your writing is so much a part of you and your psyche that in the final tally none of the economics matter. If saving money was important you would use a shark pen and buy ink by the gallons. The pleasure you receive from your pens and inks, and notebooks, paper, stamps, etc is why you invest in them and cherish so much. Please keep posting. Thank you for your insights.
I use fountain pens primarily because I love them immensely, as I do all the fountain pen inks available, but the waste factor is certainly important. Cost doesn't come into it because of the upfront cost. At fifty bucks per year, it would take 1,600 years just to pay for my Visconti Bronze Age. Or 28,000 years to pay for my Namiki Mak-e. Even with ink it would take two years to cover a bottle of my Montblanc James Purdey & Sons Single Malt. And even though I promised myself it wouldn't happen, Once again I have just under four hundred bottles of ink. Large bottles. It occurs to me that I would save an immense amount of money if I went back to get pens and found a good way to reuse those empty refills. Maybe the refills can be refilled? Surely someone, somewhere, sells gel ink??? I did read where some users tried refilling them with thicker fountain pen inks, but that was a while ago and I didn't read how well it worked.
Consider Ferris Wheel Press. They make a refillable ballpoint for fountain pen ink lovers . Try hacking the ink cartridge to fit the body of the Uni- Ball One P. I understand that its about the design of the pen that you like.
You perfectly explained the reason I got into fountain pens. I was using one ballpoint refill ever 3 days and it was just causing so much waste. Being that I'm a Native American from a costal tribe, the eco system and especially the waters are important to me. I don't want to make more plastic in the ocean.
You really must be writing a lot too. A ballpoint refill every 3 days is enormous.
In that case using fountain pens is also much better for your hand.
In my opinion, you explained perfectly well why gel pens and the like are nice writing instruments if you don’t write that much in one go (say, to note down appointments in a planner), but if you write a lot, fountain pens are the best option (also to protect your sinuses). Besides, there are nice fountain pens at a much lower price point than a Pilot Custom 580 - say, a Platinum Preppy - that you can also fill with bottled inks as much as you like. (Not intending to say anything against investing in expensive fountain pens - I recently got a gold nib pen from Sailor and it writes like a dream! Still - my point stands that there are inexpensive pens that write very well, too.)
The Pilot model is Custom 823 - I think you conflated it with the TWSBI Diamond 580, which is also a nice pen (except for the cracking issue, which is why I no longer own one). :) I totally agree with you about fountain pen price points. I have several expensive (to me) pens, but I also have several less expensive pens that I love - a Pilot Kakuno, several Kaweco Sports, and a couple of TWSBI Ecos (fingers crossed - they haven't cracked yet). I reach for these as often as I reach for my Custom 823. I've been using fountain pens since the late 90s, so I've amassed a bit of a collection. I'm curious, though - how does using a fountain pen protect your sinuses?
@@arguchik Thanks for pointing that out! The only fountain pen from Pilot I own is a Vanishing Point/Capless whereas I do own a Diamond 580 (that also hasn’t cracked yet-fingers crossed, too!)
If you’re a heavy-handed person (like I am) and you write with pens that don’t have any give, such as ballpoint pens, that will strain the sinews in your hands (not sinuses, apologies - I must have been tired and conflated the words when I wrote my original comment, and also English is not my first language). That will make your hand hurt sooner rather than later whereas it’s possible to write with a fountain pen for much longer - also because the way you hold them is different from how you hold ballpoint pens (higher angle). Might be different for the individual person - if you’ve never had trouble with, say, tendonitis, it might not be as noticeable.
I’ve been writing with fountain pens ever since I was seven years old. In Germany, where I’m from, you were (and, to my knowledge, still are) required to write with a fountain pen from your second year of elementary school on.
@@jessplansandwrites Aha! That makes perfect sense - sinews. I thought maybe either autocorrect had substituted "sinuses" for a different word, or that you might have typed a different word from what you meant. (I do that all the time, and English *is* my first language. German is actually the only other language I have learned, but I have at best an intermediate grasp of it. I have no idea how to say either "sinew" or "sinus" in German, haha.) And I 100% agree with you re: the more relaxed experience of writing with fountain pens. I do tend to hold my pens tightly, and the only ballpoints I can tolerate writing with are the ones with low-viscosity inks, like the Uni Jetstream or Pilot Acro. Tschüss!
@@arguchik Yeah, it was not an interference with German - the German word for "sinus" is "Nebenhöhle" ("sinew" is "Sehne", so - much closer 😅😂). Also yes, I like writing with the Uni Jetstream, too!
@@jessplansandwrites OMG "Nebenhöhle" is a fantastic word. I love compound words in German. I've never heard that one, but if I'm understanding it correctly, it means...like..."nearby holes?"
Great way to think about convenience vs. waste. My problem with gel pens is that I've found the experience can vary from one refill to the next -- even with a batch of refills purchased at the same time. My Pilot 823 -- provided I do my part and keep it clean -- is dependably brilliant, and how do we place a value on the time spent journaling with a pen that doesn't distract, but always enhances the experience? My kids and grandkids will inherit the pens I've loved, and nobody will fight over the rollerballs.
When you were discussing the cost and green cons for the pen I found myself nodding through the whole thing. It's good to think like that. I often think of my carbon footprint. Thanks for the video!!
When I restarted journaling several years ago I started with gel pens, specifically the Pilot G-2. Hated throwing away these whole pens and got a Metropolitan that used the refills but the refills made me feel guilty too. Despite being a lefty and unsure of using a fountain pen i went and got a Pilot Metropolitan fine nib and never looked back. Love all the ink choices and so much less waste. Still carry a disposable G-2 in my pocket for quick notes or to lone out. I only go through maybe one refill a year with it, so it's okay. May get that Uniball your using to replace it though. Looks comparable in size to my beloved Kaweco brass sport. I love a short and chunky pen.🙂
Fountain pens all the way for me! Thanks for sharing 💕
I know exactly what you’re trying to say. I love writing but it has a cost and the waste of it all is something to consider. In the end fountain pens produce less waste even if they have a high cost up front. Not all fountain pens have a hefty price tag.
I love that little pen too but I use mine more for quick notes or logging and because it’s so cute and compact, it’s always in my purse. I still reach for my fountain pens for long hand journaling.
I remember doing similar calculations to yours during college, comparing the dozens of Uni-ball "eye" rollerball pens I wasted against the cost of a couple of Pilot Kakunos and a few bottles of Parker Quink per year. I believe that fountain pens (and some rare rollerball pens that use bottled ink) are the only truly refillable options, as you don't have to dispose of a considerable part of the pen (tips and ink reservoirs) to get back to writing. Although I prefer fountain pens, some situations require ballpoint pens (the Uni multipens I bought after watching your videos have been used a lot...) so, there's no way to completely escape them, but you proposed a very interesting reflection.
Thanks for the video.
Ohhh I also have this pen, I loved 3 of the colors and got the 3 (pink, blue, cream/chai). I adore them and definitely loved this video essay on pens and ink and the nature around us 🥹🤍 This is why I adore your channel, so authentic and beautiful and inspiring. Please be safe 🌷🤍
I have the mint Uniball1P. I keep it in a small case with a Wancai mini fountain pen and a Pentel Kerry mechanical pencil, for those times when I need that kind of pen. I love to hold and click too, and play with the clip. So many refills of gel pens we have around the house fit into the Uniball, that I’ve decided to use them for refills when the pen runs out. I’m not using it to write tons everyday, so mine will last longer, but I understand wanting to write with it all the time and wanting all the colors! When I used to use Pilot G2s exclusively, they would last me about 2 weeks. I used to buy refills, but I still had a lot of empty carcasses lying around. My spouse repurposed the springs to make spring loaded pegs for a workbench he made from reclaimed wood. Never found a use for the rest of the pen body, but I wonder if I could hot glue the tip closed and used it to store some small beads and beading components.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that's thought like this 🙂 TFS. I've been so tempted to buy this particular pen. I carry a small pen in my pocket everyday.
This is a very valid problem. The stationery industry is not environmentally friendly at all, but boy does it make cute pens!! Maybe we need to begin writing with the Uni Ball P, then swap to a fountain pen-might look nice. Feel free to go for the reducing waste line on your channel-someone needs to do it in the stationery community! If you order from many places, everything is packed in plastic. Everything. I’d love a cute pen in a biodegradable form.
I love fountain pens! I prefer their looks, feel, and quality to ballpoint pens. But I have to admit, it's hard to carry around ink with me everywhere I go, not to mention having to empty the ink from the pens when I fly...Ballpoint pens win out when it comes to convenience. I wish there were an easier way to travel with fountain pens
Even though I find my TWSBI Eco's, and all of my TWSBI's, for that matter, are great travelers... 😉 Lol... They hold a huge capacity of ink, they don't leak (For the most part... 😁) #ThePerfectCompanion
However, I always carry with me my favorite Zebra Sarsa Vintage Clip in camel yellow, red black, brown grey & dark grey (Just in case I will need a pen with more durable ink, aka which writes on a nonporous surfaces)
I recommend an Opus 88 for travelling, huge ink capacity and the shut valve that makes it safe for flying. (Similarly but more expensive, the Pilot Custom 823 is also great for flying and for the ink capacity)
Thank you for doing the math. It appears environmentally and financially - the fountain pen has the upper hand.
But, I understand the appeal of some regular pens too.
Although, I really dislike the ideal of disposable plastic 😐
Well, remember the upfront cost of fountain pens. You have to buy very cheap to make fountain pens financially superior. I have several in the eight hundred dollar range, a couple in the over two thousand mark, one over four thousand, and on at the fourteen thousand mark. I even have fountain pen inks that cost a hundred dollars and last well under a year. So fountain pens will never be financially superior for me.
I just love fountain pens and inks more than any other writing instrument, though manual typewriters are also a true love, as are metal dip pens. And feather quills. And pencils. Even gel pens. But I hate waste, especially when it puts more plastic into the environment. I think the most evil writing instrument on the planet is a disposable fountain pen. It's an abomination, the worst of both worlds.
I ❤ fountain pens
They’re special, no doubt about it!
its nice to see you again. i recently bought an energel navy blue ballpoint pen to match its ink color with a fountain ink. i used to write poetry with gel pens because the different colors flavored the poem in a way as i was writing it. when i got it in the mail two days ago, writing with it felt like i was coming back home. i have an urge to go sit at a fastfood restaurant or a Starbucks and write there again. the rollerball fountain pens were hard to find, and i don't like their clear plastic, i like brown and orange to red pens, or slate blues. if i could find a rollerball and gel like fountain ink, I'd use nothing else. in my research, over the past two weeks, people have demontrated that hooded nibs often dry out slower, have a wider sweet spot for writing angle, and with the thick jinhao 51a or hero 616, the size of the section is equal to or bigger that the wide gel pens. so i ordered a 51a. when my energel empties, i am going to try to refill it with fountain pen ink. it looks like the same cartridge your pen in the video uses. i think I'd have to use an air hose from a bicycle pump to get the soft seal pushed back out. but i still want to try it. there are rollerball pens for fountain ink on amazon, if you're interested.
I have the Uniball One P in white (milk?), which is very aesthetically appealing. But I use it as a purse pen, so I only jot occasional notes or write checks with it. A refill should last a lot longer than 12 days, and I'm glad. I don't like the thought of putting all that plastic in the landfill. Unlike you, I find the pen too chunky to be comfortable, so I'm not tempted to use it for longer writing sessions. It may be because I broke my hand last year and still have pain, but it hurts to use the pen to write more than a few words. It's so darn cute though!
Last semester in seminary we picked an item and followed the environmental impact it had. Which is what you did. We should be thoughtful about the environmental impact our things have. A fountain pen is more expensive than a disposable pen but as far as environmental damage the cost is less.
Those are the sort of sums i do too. And it is horrific to think of how many pens, refills and cartridges i must have thrown away over my half-century or so of ink usage. 😱
12 days?!? Oh noes! 😮 I took my cute li'l Uni-Ball One P with me on a recent trip and just loved how perfectly it meshed w/ my Nobuku + Traveler's Notebook passport size setup. And writing with it was really comfortable too. But now I'm afraid to look at how much ink is left in the pen, as I didn't think to order refills.🙀🙃 And your thoughts on single use plastics are so on point. What a dilemma!!
I looked. The refill is almost empty. So essentially one travel diary worth of writing. 🧳✍️📖🤷♀️
Kiichin has 10 pack refills for 13$ CAD, so around 1$ USD per refill
A cheaper compatible refill might be Muji's. It should have the same dimensions based on a quick check online. I think they're still made by Zebra, so they may feel different to write with to the Uni refills, and the colours will differ. If you ever use 0.5mm refills, I'd recommend Kaco gel pen refills [blue-black :)]. By the way, in case you haven't seen it, Waski Squirrel did a video a while ago about refillable whiteboard markers, and since you're returning to teaching, you might find that useful.
Thanks for sharing! Am intrigued to try this rollerball. I collected roller balls for decades before I got obsessed with fountain pens. Like you I rationalized that fountain pens were more “ecological” But 30 fountain pens and a hundred bottle of inks is hardly ecological 😅 Ah - but they make us happy so that’s that. These days am into assembling my own mechanical keyboards. It is sublime typing on a keyboard that sounds like glass marbles or pebbles 🥰 Since you’re into typewriters too you could look into custom mechanical keyboards (IMHO all the prebuilt keyboards are junk)
I've been enjoying the One P as well, but I wish the grip area has more texture to it, something similar to the texture found on the Pentel Calme and Zebra bLen.
Thank you so much for this 😅 I went for a left-handed fountain pen instead
You have such amazingly beautiful handwriting.... I swear I wish I had that ability - would make me hand write much more
Thank you so much!
@@adventuredenali Lol no need to thank me, I'm totally envious of your handwriting skills. I wish my hands didn't work like I'm using hooves to write. 🤣
I have the purple Uni-Ball One P. It is adorable. I use a few different ballpoint (Uni Jetstream is my favorite) and gel pens (Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coletto because I like the needlepoints) - but I only use them in my planners and when I'm on the go and need to jot things down quickly. Click pens are perfect for that usage, and I'd rather use a refillable pen body than a 100% disposable pen, I guess. For long-form writing (e.g. in my journal), I only use fountain pens - some spendy (Pilot Custom 823, Pelikan M400, etc.) and some not (Sports and Kakunos). Even inexpensive fountain pens write so much better than ballpoint or gel pens, and I love experimenting with the nearly limitless number of ink colors and properties. Weirdly, I have experimented with a bunch of different inks in my Custom 823 and my current favorite ink for it is just bland old Pilot Black. 🤣🤣🤣
P.S. Re: click fountain pens...I'm just not a fan of either the Pilot Vanishing Point or the Platinum Curidas - they just don't feel comfortable in my hand. I've never tried a Lamy Dialog, so it's possible I might like that one.
I can totally understand those math thoughts about pens and inks. I want to know that too.
Since I am not so into everything with a ball at the tip, for ergonomical and technical reasons (it takes me a lot more power physically than a fountain pen, and I had one leaking, which I found not amusing, considdering it should be a refillable one with cardridges, and therefore comparatively expensive even if a fraction of even a cheap fountain pen), I concentrate on Fountain Pens and estimated that a Milliliter of Ink may be enough for about 10 Pages (A4 size, which is my fafourite) with a fluent but not too wet nib.
And for sure I wondered too, how long I could write with a bottle of Ink. I Started using bottled ink in September 2022 and got first two and then a third bottle, so I can alternate my journal entries in different colours to safe a Line of blank Space here and there, since it should be compact for archiving. I used first notebooks, mostly 80gm, and switched then to 70gsm Noteblocks, which I plan to bind, once I get the machine. I want to use exclusively recycling-paper, and that is difficult to find in the Size I want it.
Next, I will switch to 65gsm paper, which I had used during studying time with fountain pens and worked well.
I use 75ml ink bottles from Graf von Faber Castell. Wonderful Writing ink. A bit expensive, but it is the marvellously classic design of the Bottles which I could not resist. I tried to use one of those every second day and for notes whenever doable, so I could see, how far I come with such a bottle. I have had so far 60 refills with a standard parker-converter and 6 refills of a Pelikan M200 and have about one third of the bottle left. And I wrote with it as much as practically possible. So, even as one who writes a lot, I can now estimate that such a Bottle lasts for about a Year or a bit more.
The Second Ink that I used alternatingly for journalling with a very wet Kaweco Perkeo and a Kaweco Sport and a Pelican M200, is a Kaweco ink, 50ml bottle (Paradise Blue), I opened the 18th of October 2022 and used it roughly for every second Journal entry since, but not for Notes. Two Weeks ago I had to abandon the bottle, because it became difficult to fill the Pelican M200 Piston filler as fast and easy as I want it. So I filled two sample viols. I Spilled one or two ml of the Ink by doing so, and it had about a third to a quarter left in the bottle. So far, I got 43 refills for a standard converter out of it (giving me 6-8 pages with the very wet Perkeo), 2 Mini Converters for a Kaweco Sport (worth 5-6 pages) and 2 refills for a M200 with a broad nib. Didn't count the pages there so far, but it must be about 10-12.
So, a 75ml bottle gives me a year or 1.5 years of use when not too excessively but as much used as I ever want.
50ml is about a year or even more when used in normal quantities, and not much other than fountain pens are in use as writing instruments.
Have to add that I use only Medium and Broad nibs so far, and the refills for the Perkeo were for the converter only. I took it out of the pen to refill, so I didn't have to clean the nib every time...
Can't get it more exactly, but you see, you're not the only one thinking in that direction.
I calculated also (well, more a rough estimate), what it cost me to refill: When taking 1.2ml for a Pelican M200, I come to a little less than 70ct. per refill with the Graf von Faber Castell ink. The Kaweco I didn't calculate so far. Cost me short of 9€/50ml. Rather cheap, so I don't really care for details. 9€/year is nothing to write home about, even if it doubles when writing much. Even cheap notepaper is more expensive than that ink, and it is a good, well behaving ink similar to Pelikan, but not so wide spread and therefore not quite as boring (because everyone uses it... not because it really would be boring).
When the first bottle of ink gets empty, I'll replace it with a saylor manyo yamabuki, which is more or less comparable in price to Graf von Faber Castell, when it comes to cost per ml.
Pens cost a lot more though, even if I am relatively modest in price and prefer buying preloved to save Money.
It is a Hobby, after all and because it is that, economics are not the most important. But compared to an Ink-based Printer for a Computer, that is theoretically not bad, given one is simply not able to use up as much paper and ink in handwriting as a Printer can and will. Yes, Paper and inks are not cheap. But fountain pen ink is relatively cheap compared to what ink for a Printer costs per ml. You use more of it per page on one hand when handwriting, but on the other hand it is impossible to write anywhere nearly as fast as a Printer would, so it gets cheaper by hand in the end... as long as we do not include Pens themselves, which I considder either as a nice hobby or necessary infrastructure, where cost is not the primary consideration.
I use Noodlers Walnut in my Pilot Custom 823 and one full lasts a long time. And I write a lot every day!
I love noodlers walnut ink. Someone gave me a sample and now I need to get one for myself
@@kimberlyjeffers1623 it is a beautiful color!
That sounds like a great combo!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It seems as if you are stuck between two feelings you get out of collecting these gel pens. On the one hand there is the joy of collecting these nice little pens and writing with it, on the other hand there's a nagging doubt that refills are a waste of plastic and way more expensive than writing with refillable fountain pens. You cannot fully enjoy using the gel pens as long as you have to suppress thoughts of responsiblity for the environment and your expenses. To get out of these emotionally ambivalent situation you have to make up your mind for either the gel pens or the fountain pens - or (!) to find a compromise you really can live with. You could for instance write with gel pens every second month or write with them only in the teaching area, while journaling with fountain pens. Or you decide to use gel pens until the end of 2023 and write with fountain pens again in 2024. I hope you will find the decision which suits you best so that you can fully enjoy writing again.
I think this pen serves a specific purpose but definitely fountain pens all the way.
Have you tried the zebra sarasa vintage line of pens? I think you'd really get a kick out of those colours!
I think if my fountain pen collection came in at 5 or fewer pens, it would have been environmentally friendly... but at over 30 pens and 30 inks now (and storage for it all), I'm pretty sure I have used more resources and trash for shipping than I could have ever accumulated in tiny plastic pen refills for a lifetime. >.
That’s a really valid point! I’m unfortunately in the same boat. >.
12 days?! Wow that’s fast! You must write or draw a lot. I also wish the refills were filled up more. I don’t like all the empty space.
Have you ever tried a Smythson notebook? They're my absolute fav, the paper is fire!
unibal one pee 🤭 I love your pen/ink/journaling videos, thank you
Heehee 🤭
I empathise with your concerns.😅 Btw I noticed you’ve got the black 823, I hope your old brown one is still well! Take care! ❤
Hello! Actually, that is my brown one! The lighting just must be a little funky to make it look black. :)
@@adventuredenali Hah, right, it looks completely black to me 😁 Nevertheless, I’m glad it still works just fine!
Oh my I’m going down that rabbit hole too😖 ahhhhhh
Haha oh no! What colors have been your favorite?
Check out schmidt Fine liner
I just don't like the Uni-Ball One line as much as I like their Jetstream and Signo lines. I don't know what it is. Obviously the Jetstream is a ballpoint and the One and Signo are gel pens. I do have a Uni-Ball One P (soda pop blue), and luckily it can take a jetstream refill. Still, I have considered all that waste as well. That's why I invested in a nicer fountain pen and pigmented ink, though I still have to use a ballpoint at times. Can't win 'em all, but I feel better about my choices.
That’s cool that the P can use the Jetstream refill! I may have to try that out and see how it feels. I’ve been enjoying the gel though, having a saturated line feels nice right now. Can’t win them all, but one can dream! XD
@@adventuredenali (Late response. Sorry!) I know it can fit the SXR-7 refill for sure. :)
If you can tolerate using a finer tip, you can significantly increase your ink mileage.
They make a tip smaller than 0.38mm? 😮
@@adventuredenali - My apologies! I clearly missed the part where you indicated that you were a member of Team Fine Line. Welcome aboard! I also use 0.38, but my preferred delivery method is the Uniball UM-151 Signo DX… the little clear pens with the snap on/off caps.
@@BooksForever oh you’re fine! I may not have mentioned it at all, I often forget details like that. 😂
@@BooksForever I’ve also not heard of your preferred pen. I’ll have to check it out!
It is a really cute pen, but wow, the refills and waste would add up. I really like Pentel Hybrid Technica pens, but won’t buy them anymore. The reservoir is only half filled with ink.
Yeah it really does. :/
I think you are using an inappropriate measuring scale. Your writing is so much a part of you and your psyche that in the final tally none of the economics matter. If saving money was important you would use a shark pen and buy ink by the gallons. The pleasure you receive from your pens and inks, and notebooks, paper, stamps, etc is why you invest in them and cherish so much. Please keep posting. Thank you for your insights.
I use fountain pens primarily because I love them immensely, as I do all the fountain pen inks available, but the waste factor is certainly important. Cost doesn't come into it because of the upfront cost. At fifty bucks per year, it would take 1,600 years just to pay for my Visconti Bronze Age. Or 28,000 years to pay for my Namiki Mak-e.
Even with ink it would take two years to cover a bottle of my Montblanc James Purdey & Sons Single Malt. And even though I promised myself it wouldn't happen, Once again I have just under four hundred bottles of ink. Large bottles.
It occurs to me that I would save an immense amount of money if I went back to get pens and found a good way to reuse those empty refills. Maybe the refills can be refilled? Surely someone, somewhere, sells gel ink???
I did read where some users tried refilling them with thicker fountain pen inks, but that was a while ago and I didn't read how well it worked.
Consider Ferris Wheel Press. They make a refillable ballpoint for fountain pen ink lovers . Try hacking the ink cartridge to fit the body of the Uni- Ball One P. I understand that its about the design of the pen that you like.
Herbin used to make a refillable ball point too. Not sure if they still do.
@@gregorsamsa4580 the J Hebrin rollerball is still available
I write on the computer. It's fast and editable. I am not in love with my handwriting.