The
PaperMate InkJoy 100 stick ballpoint pen is the third set of PaperMate InkJoys I have added to my arsenal. I was obviously attracted to the fun colors and I couldn't resist, despite having a set of
700RTs and
300RTs at home already.
The pen barrel is loosely triangular which could be comfortable for some people to hold, and may drive others nuts. The barrel is translucent and has a solid colored cap that matches both the barrel and ink. There is no grip or anything. There are several "errors" and mis-moulded pieces on a few of the barrels - they are white bits and look unfinished. However, they were so cheap, I don't really expect them to be perfect. Just making note.
First, one thing that really drives me nuts about these pens is that when capping the pen, you have to push really hard to get it to cap all the way. It's a very snug cap, which is great, except for when you're trying to line them up all nice and uniform for a picture and you realize some pens are longer than others because the caps aren't equally seated. Not a huge deal, right? No. But I like uniformity because it keeps things looking nice in the pen world.
Second - the barrel is translucent but the refill cartridge is white. So you still can't see the ink level. I love being able to see the ink levels in my pens, so this disappoints me.
Third - the colors aren't quite what I was expecting. Actually, I sort of bought this pack because I wanted the mocha and the lime green colors, which do not come in any other pack. Unfortunately, the lime green is like a dull green, and the mocha is hardly mocha at all. How disappointing.
Nevertheless, I intent to use these pens for doodling and other such things. As I mentioned with other
blobby pens, the blobs are great for providing ink coverage quickly. Don't forget - blobs mean major smears and smudges. As a result, writing can be a bit tedious because you have to be careful, so don't count on an amazing writing experience from these pens.
On the bright side, the ink smells delicious. I love solventy ink.
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Stationery Review
Price
Office Max - $2.49
Overall
Don't buy these expecting a great pen. They've got some color, they're cheap, and they write. That's about it. Unless you really like blobby pens, I'd pass on these.
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12 comments:
I bought several sets of the Ink Joy pens with high hopes, only to have those hopes dashed with the ink blobs. The Pilot Acroballs were almost as disappointing, too. I have become a pen snob.
and you didnt get that from the first set you bought? and you bought more? heh. pen addict you truely is.
They were cheap. I had to know!!
Disappointing, huh? The Japanese Acroballs seem to perform better.. (the JetPens versions)
I too love the smell of these! :) I am too lazy to search myself so I might as well ask you, what's the difference with the InkJoy's 100, 700, etc? The barrel and tip (or is it called a nib?)?
Just the barrels, really. These are the 100s - stick pens, no grip, not retractable. The 300s are RT with little grip sections. The 700s are also RT with grip and a little more polished, but they all really write the same. The 100s and 300s have more colours than the 700s.
I finally found the Schneider Slider/Viscoglide XB refills at my local Office Depot..I brought 3 packs. I had tried some of the Rav pens in the store with the same refill in it they seemed fine..a nice broad blue. Alas, the 2 blue XB refills I tried blobbed everywhere..a short word or line resulted in ink on my hands and big blobs in the writing..I found after a little bit of writing I had to clean off the point. The point being so broad with the viscous ink doesn't help...perhaps these pens in a medium point would not have the problem. I usually like a broader point and can take some blobbing but these were horrendous. I went back to my Easyflow 9000 refills; I can see now why they don't make those in a broader point size...
I love the feel of these, plus there is no friction against the page when I write. Not keen on the triangular shape but this is meant to assist in handwriting apparently.
Thanks for your reviews - they are wonderful and complete and provide a fair overview! Thanks to you I found out that ink joy had more than four colours, did some digging and found them (in Europe not so easy to come across at all) but I personally love the blobs, I grade only in pink now and doodle with all the other colours. Love, love, love!!
Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoy them - means it's worth it :) I like the smell of the blobs... hahaha. Glad you found the colours too.. They're really fun, aren't they?
the colours are FANTASTIC - also thanks to you i have tracked down all the different models except the 500 rt (gave the 700s off to my husband who also loves the black and blue inks :) - unfortunately all the colours are only available on the 100 and 100 rt models :( oh well, but I did notice that not all the colours write equally well - did you notice that the black and dark blue are EXCEPTIONALLY smooth? the others are great too, but the orange and lime green write the "least" if I dare say, with the purple and pink coming in second and green and red behind them. A stand out for me is the mocha which is rare in a pen - and it also writes very well too!!! Anyway keep up the great reviews - you're gonna make me a pen addict yet :) hahaha...
My black pen of these Inkjoy is new (i used it like 3 times) and now it doesn't write, it's full with ink but i don't know what happened, it's like the total opposite of yours! i'm going crazy right now because i really like these pens and i need them to study.. in portugal is very rare to find other colors besides the classics: black, dark blue and red.
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