Review of the Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pen

Pilot Varsity Disposable FountainPen Assorted 7-pack

My history with fountain pens has not been great.  I love them, and I love the many colors of bottled ink that are available.  But I spill ink, and I smudge ink that doesn’t dry instantly, so I haven’t used fountain pens for a long time.

But, recently I received a gift card from Amazon, and while searching for things to make me buy, I happened on this 7-pack of disposable fountain pens. 

My photography is horrible, but if you look closely, you will see that one of the features is an actual metal fountain nib.  I was hooked and the pens were ordered.

When they arrived, I opened the pack and eagerly examined the pens.  They feel nice in the hand, and I found them comfortable to use. I have small hands, so that might not be the case for all.

The colors are bright but not remarkable.   A small pet peeve.  The colors have no name.  To me, part of the fun in fountain pens were the names of the ink colors—Pugnacious Purple, Rambunctious Red, Galloping Green.  Ink colors should have names! 

A point in favor--the pen tips were fairly accurate in matching the ink color.

The nibs are metal with no flex.  They have a small ball at the tip which doesn’t show up in my photo, and it is not possible to vary the line.

I wasted no time in using the pens on a zentangle.  My problems in the past centered around the drying time of the ink, and its ability to go down without skipping.

Alas, thess pens failed on both points.  They aren’t too bad.  The ink dries almost immediately.  That gives you a few seconds to smear it, and by gum, I did.  Once I knew how long it took, I was more careful and smudged no more.

The skipping seemed to clear up after a few moments of use, but re-appeared after setting the pen down and then using it again.  It was very apparent on some papers, but hardly noticeable on others.

The colors worked together well, but the skipping and smudge-avoidance didn’t make for a relaxing zentangle.  Fair enough.  Fountain pens are more associated with writing, so I turned my attention to that.

I grabbed a couple of journals that I have lying around.  Neither has any identification, but they are common styles, one lined and the other a textured blank paper.   You’d easily find these in a large department store, art store or craft store (another pet peeve—Manufacturers!  Why don’t you label your products, on the product?  What if I want to buy more, and don’t remember what it was called, long after the wrapping has been trashed?).

The pens performed better here.  There was almost no skipping.  I had to watch the smudging (I’m a lefty) but I find that to be the case with ballpoints and gel pens as well.  As I mentioned before, I found the pens comfortable to hold, and I think I could write quite a while without cramping.

I paid $13.47 for the pack at Amazon.  The description promised smooth writing.  And the writing was smooth, just not the drawing, lol.  I think the promise fails with some papers.

All in all though, given the price, my expectations weren’t too high, and I think the quality is about what you might expect.  I’ll just use them for writing not drawing.

I don’t think they would satisfy a true fountain pen enthusiast, but might be good for a beginner who can’t afford to buy different colored inks, or for someone on the go, who wants something different from the usual ballpoint or roller pen.