Review: Pilot Precise BeGreen Liquid Ink Roller Ball Pen 0.5mm Blue

This is a review of the Pilot BeGreen Precise V5 Liquid Ink roller ball pen 0.5mm in blue. This pen was sent to me by Jose (@noyolajose) - thank you for yet another great pen!

I was really excited to try this pen. I have been using the Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5 for years and then later added a few of the Hi-Tecpoint V5 Grip to my arsenal. Years ago, I was not as environmentally conscious as I am now. Given that pens are my hedonistic treat, I know I can never move away completely from them so I try to be as green as I can.

The Pilot BeGreen Precise V5 is obviously part of Pilot’s BeGreen line and is made of 89.2% recycled content! That is an impressive amount of recycled material. The label is printed directly on the pen, like most of Pilot’s stuff, so there’s no sticker to peel off (nor is there any adhesive to attract cat fur).

This pen has a tapered barrel that is made of solid colored plastic. That is, it’s not clear plastic with a layer of color coating it. I like this because the color won’t chip off (which happens to my Hi-Tecpoint V5). The blue pen has a blue barrel - I love when I can easily identify the color of a pen without having to look for the tiny color indicator on the tip of the cap. 

The pen is fairly light, even when posted. The metal clip has a nice rounded tip that allows it to slide easily onto your papers. I really like the shape of this pen. It’s not weird or unusual, it’s just a simple, classic design. The “grip” section is just the barrel with ribs. It’s not soft or squishy but with how well the ink flows, you don’t need to grip the pen tightly to write smoothly. Plus it’s clear so I can monitor my ink level (one of my favorite things about writing).

Now that my eco conscience is satisfied, how does this BeGreen pen perform? All in all, wonderfully. The pen writes very smoothly which is a result of both the roller ball tip and the smooth liquidy ink. The nib is a 0.5mm and is surprisingly smooth. It is considered an extra fine. It’s a sturdy little nib though and while I did not perform any abusive tests on it, I think it will survive the life of the refill just fine. In writing, this ink has never skipped and the ink almost hops off the nib onto the paper so you never have to press down on the nib to write - but this doesn’t mean it blobs! There’s no blobs! It just glides, producing consistent lines that are sharp and clean. My writing is easy to control and looks tidy and uniform. I love pens that allow me to write so neatly. Apparently this pen has a patented precise needle point technology. I’m actually not sure what that means, but it must be working because it’s not often you see a liquid ink pen without an ink regulator section where the ink trickles through.

Furthermore, because of the ease of writing, the Pilot BeGreen Precise V5 will write on almost any paper. That’s awesome. It did not bleed and there was very little show through in my writing sample, which only makes me love it more!

My only complaint, as is often the thing I complain about - not enough colors. Currently, this pen is available in blue, black, and red. It writes so wonderfully that I think Pilot should add a few colors to this line. I may be in the minority though. I suppose most people are contented with the ones available right now.

Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5 Grip Green & Pink, Pilot BeGreen Precise V5 Blue, Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5

Other reviews for this pen of goodness:
The Pen Addict (old site)
OfficeSupplyGeek

Price
JetPens - $1.85
JetPens Refills - $2.00/two
Shoplet - $22.65/dozen (~$1.89/each but you can get quantity discounts!)

Overall
This is a great liquid ink pen. I’ve always been a fan of the older, non-recycled content model but am thrilled that Pilot has released a BeGreen version of it that is refillable! Double plus! It is pretty cheap, especially if you are using the refills. This pen performs really well and is easy to use for any and everything, and you can feel a wee bit less guilty about your pen-acquisition habit (don’t deny it, we all know you’re here because you’re an addict).