Can You Add Alcohol to a Frixion Pen or Marker to Make the Gel Flow Again
If well-baked, fine lines are what you crave in an everyday writing instrument, nothing beats a fine-tip gel pen. Ballpoints and rollerballs have their place, but as certified pen fanatics who have tried everything from Bics to Montblancs, fine-tip gel pens are at a completely different level when it comes to precision.
Fine-tip gel pens permit yous fit more writing onto every page and notecard. They make your handwriting neater by creating sharper, more consistent lines. And because they don't put equally much ink on the page as broader pens, they dry faster, are less prone to smudging, and fifty-fifty last longer.
For the best fine-tip gel pens effectually, nosotros need to look to Asia. Here in North America, a 0.5 mm gel pen is considered fine or even actress fine. But in Japan, fine-tip gel pens range from 0.iv mm all the way down to 0.25 mm. 0.5 mm doesn't fifty-fifty make the cut.
In this guide, we'll share some of our best favorite fine-tip gel pens and give you some tips on how to choose the all-time one for you. Read on or lookout man the video below to see our picks.
The Uni-ball Signo uses a solvent-resistant, pigment-based ink that comes in dozens of colors.
A perfect blend of high-cease performance and workhorse reliability, the Uni-ball Signo is easily our pinnacle fine-tip gel pen. Its ink is delightfully smooth and comes in dozens of vibrant colors. We're especially fond of the distinctive, off-black colors like Green Black, Lavander Black, and Bordeaux Black. All Signo pens use a pigment-based ink. Sunlight and chemical solvents are powerless to remove your precious notes and drawings from the page. Water will barely budge the ink, though the slight amount of lifted paint prevents it from being truly waterproof.
The Signo is available in several different versions, including capped and retractable ones. The UM-151 has a slim, lightweight trunk that is well balanced, and a cap that attaches with a reassuring snap. For a more convenient option, the RT1 has a sleek profile and a retractable mechanism. It likewise features a rounded "edgeless tip" design that minimizes friction and scratching against the folio. Larn more about the Signo'southward different body styles in our comprehensive guide.
Fine-Tip Gel Pen Recommendations
Our pinnacle recommendation for those who prefer retractable pens is the Sarasa Prune. Its pigmented ink is smooth, vibrant, and water resistant, and it comes in about every bit many colors equally the Signo UM-151. The Sarasa Clip as well features a comfy rubber grip section for long writing sessions and a sturdy folder clip for easily attaching it to a pocket or notebook when you're done. Learn more well-nigh the Sarasa lineup—which includes pens with unique ink formulations similar the Marker On, Dry, and R—in our comprehensive guide.
Pentel EnerGel pens are a keen option for left-handed writers thanks to their quick-drying ink.
EnerGel pens are widely loved for their delectably smoothen flow and richly saturated ink, but they're likewise amazingly fast drying. Lines dry out almost instantly, which makes them a perfect choice for lefties and anyone else who is constantly frustrated by smudged ink. EnerGels come in a broad variety of body designs and styles, so you're sure to discover one that y'all'll love. Read our Pentel EnerGel guide to learn more than about these different versions.
With a 0.25 mm tip, the Pilot How-do-you-do-Tec-C is one of the finest-tipped gel pens you can get.
The Hi-Tec-C was the outset pen nosotros always carried, and it still has a devoted post-obit thanks to its smooth writing and crisp, precise lines. And with a 0.25 mm tip size, it is one of the finest-tipped gel pens yous can get. The Hi-Tec-C has a special tip design that minimizes contact between the ball and the surrounding tip material. This reduces friction and makes the pen impressively smooth, even at such an ultra fine-tip size. Learn more about this gel pen in our comprehensive guide.
The Pilot FriXion uses a thermosensitive ink that "erases" cleanly and can be written over.
The Pilot FriXion is a veritable unicorn in the world of pens: information technology'south an erasable pen that actually writes and erases well. The secret backside the magic is Pilot'due south special thermosensitive ink, which turns invisible when exposed to heat. Rubbing at the ink with the included eraser generates rut from friction and causes the ink to disappear. FriXion pens wait and feel just like any other gel pen. You tin can write and "erase" your notes over and over again without needing whatsoever special tools.
One important thing to keep in mind with FriXion pens is that, considering the ink is erased by rut, leaving your writing in a hot auto or under direct sunlight tin can cause your words to disappear. If this happens, you might be able to get them back by putting your newspaper or notebook in a freezer for an hour or and so. Read our comprehensive guide on the Pilot FriXion to see the entire lineup.
Add a subtle hint of colour to your writing with the Sakura Ballsign iD. This gel pen comes in 5 off-black shades, plus a saturated blackness ink. The pen's uncomplicated body allows the quick-drying, water-resistant ink to shine, but information technology would be a shame not to mention some of its features. The butt has a rounded hexagonal shape with two flat sides that is comfortable to hold. Additionally, a portion of the pen's clicker is tinted to match the ink inside, so it's easy to tell which color y'all are reaching for while excavation in a pen cup.
The Uni-ball One brings vibrant colors to the pages of sketchbooks and coloring books. This gel pen is particularly formulated with large pigment particles that stay on the surface of the newspaper instead of soaking into the fibers. As such, dark inks look darker, and bright inks look brighter. Yous can add together pocket-sized details that will stand out, or fifty-fifty fill in a whole page with only a set of gel pens. Additionally, the ink resists bleeding through the paper, so you lot won't have to worry about ruining a masterpiece on the previous folio.
The Best Fine-Tip Gel Pen for Art: Pilot Metallic & Pastel Juice Up Gel Pens
The Pilot Juice Up'due south metal and pastel colors work well on black or colored paper.
The Pilot Juice Upwards comes in a prissy variety of colors, only the metallic and pastel colors deserve extra attention. For those who work on black or colored newspaper, these Juice Up pens are the perfect option for fine writing and details. The pigmented ink is waterproof and lightfast, ensuring that your work will last a long time.
While the Juice Up pens are impressively opaque for their fine tip size, information technology'due south important to continue in heed that when it comes to opaque ink, broader is typically better. Assuming pens with a tip size of 0.7 or ane.0 mm create thicker as well as wider lines of ink, ameliorate blocking out the color of the paper underneath. With a 0.4 mm gel pen—and any opaque gel pen, actually—await to get over your writing a few times if you lot want to get the well-nigh opaque event possible.
Some other unique feature of the Juice Upwardly is its "Synergy" tip: information technology's a hybrid tip that combines the precision of a needle point with the immovability of a conical signal. We detect the writing feel to be similar to writing with needle-betoken tips.
Machined from solid titanium, the Ti Arto EDC Titanium Pen is nearly indestructible and compatible with dozens of different refills.
Do you love gel pens but detect yourself wishing that they were a trivial less plasticky? The all-metallic Ti Arto EDC Pen is machined from titanium, and so its lightweight body is nigh indestructible. Information technology comes with a 0.iv mm Schneider refill installed, but it'southward compatible with dozens of other fine-tip gel refills, also. The secret lies in the clutch mechanism that is built into the pen's tip. It tightens equally you screw downward the grip department, so information technology can exist adjusted to the size of the refill.
Though the Ti Arto is by far the most versatile machined pen, information technology'due south non the only one that tin can utilise fine-tip gel refills. Cheque out other splendid machined pens in our comprehensive guide.
Fine-Tip Gel Pen Considerations
Tip Size
Fine tip sizes are very precise, but some can experience scratchy.
Ultra fine-tip sizes of 0.3 mm and beneath offering the finest detail possible, but they can also feel a bit scratchy. This is especially true on rough or textured newspaper. Pens with tip sizes from 0.35 to 0.four mm offer nearly as much precision and a much smoother writing feel, so we recommend them for people who aren't certain which tip size to get.
Many people prefer retractable pens because they let you get directly to the writing without having to dabble with a cap. They also don't accept any loose parts for y'all to lose, and the clicker gives y'all something to entertain yourself and annoy your neighbors with when you get bored.
Capped pens, on the other hand, offering security. They're less likely to come open accidentally and stain the within of your pocket or pen case. They also give y'all a satisfying niggling ritual to marking the start and end of each writing session.
Conical and needle betoken tips mainly offer an aesthetic deviation, though needle-tip pens give you lot a slightly better view of the writing surface.
For most people, the choice betwixt conical and needle signal pens is mainly aesthetic. Besides their precise, loftier-tech appearance, needle-tip pens give you lot a slightly less obstructed view of the writing surface. They're as well better for using with a ruler or template. They're quite delicate, still, so if you tend to drop your pens from time to time, a conventional conical tip might exist your best bet.
Smoothness
Smoothness is a quality that's easy to understand just hard to quantify. It depends on a number of factors, including tip size, ink composition, and the specific blueprint of the pen tip. For the smoothest-feeling writing experience, we recommend the Sakura Ballsign Knock, Uni-brawl Signo UM-151, and Zebra Sarasa Clip.
Darkness
Because ink formulations differ, not all pens will accept the deepest, darkest black ink possible. We swatched all of our fine-tip gel pens beneath to compare them. Some of the darkest inks included those institute in the Iconic Color TwinPen, Uni-ball One, and Zebra Sarasa R.
Click hither to see the results of our darkness testing.
Click here to meet the results of our darkness testing.
Drying Time
A fast-drying ink is useful for left-handed writers and anyone sho finds themselves accidentally smearing their writing.
Click hither to see the results of our dry time testing.
Click here to see the results of our dry time testing.
Waterproofness
Drawings made using waterproof ink (left) and non-waterproof ink with a water castor (right).
All of our fine-tip gel pens accept adept water resistance, and so you aren't likely to lose critical content if you lot get caught out in the rain. Merely if you lot want your writing to come up out completely unscathed, we found the Sakura Ballsign iD, Uni-ball Signo RT, and Zebra Sarasa Clip.
On the other hand, many artists enjoy using more than water-soluble gel pens to create subtle shading furnishings in their artwork. A h2o brush tin can pull dyes and pigments from lineart for grayscale tones. The Pilot Hi-Tec-C is ideal for this use.
Click here to see the results of our waterproofness testing.
Click here to run across the results of our waterproofness testing.
Fraud Resistance
Many gel pens claim to be resistant to solvents and other tools used by forgers and cheque washers. We tested this ourselves using rubbing alcohol and acetone. These two substances represent ii basic types of solvent—polar protic and polar aprotic—and they can dissolve just near whatever ink that isn't solvent-resistant in a thing of minutes.
Later recovering from the fumes, nosotros were pleasantly surprised to notice that well-nigh all of our gel pens performed perfectly. The FriXion ink was badly degraded by the acetone and slightly degraded by the rubbing booze, but none of the others seemed affected at all, regardless of whether they were advertised as being fraud resistant.
Of course, at that place is more to check washing than soaking ink in acetone for v minutes, but it's dainty to know that even almost regular gel pens have some staying power.
Click here to see the results of our fraud resistance testing.
Click hither to see the results of our fraud resistance testing.
Railroading
Have yous always noticed while writing that some lines were darker at the edges than at the center, making them look like sets of railroad tracks instead of prissy, solid lines? We call this consequence railroading 1 , and it occurs when the ball in the pen tip pushes ink to the sides of the line equally it rolls.
Thicker, slower-drying inks are more prone to railroading, but whatsoever gel pen will railroad if yous write as well hard or fast. The pens that were least likely to railroad include the Pentel EnerGel, Airplane pilot G2, and Zebra Sarasa Dry.
Click here to see the results of our railroading resistance testing.
Click here to meet the results of our railroading resistance testing.
Conclusion
Fine-tip gel pens are modern miracles of writing technology. Cipher else comes shut to offering the same combination of precision, smoothness, and color. If you've never tried one before, nosotros hope nosotros've convinced you lot to redress this tragic oversight as before long as possible.
Practice you already have a favorite fine-tip gel pen? We'd love to hear nearly information technology in the comments below!
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Are you still not sure which pens to endeavor? Bank check out our Fine Tip Gel Pen Sampler for some of our favorite and most pop gel pens. Feel the well-baked, precise writing of Japanese gel pens with tip sizes ranging from the standard 0.5 mm to the extra fine 0.iii mm and see which brands and pen types are your favorites! The samplers are available in your option of blackness or blueish gel ink pens.
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Notes:
1 The term "railroading" is by and large used to describe an outcome with fountain pens that causes a like effect, only we find the term to be a fitting description for this phenomenon too.
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Source: https://www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Best-Fine-Tip-Gel-Pens/pt/876
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