[Pen/Pencil Review] Return of the Pilot V7 Green
This is, indeed, a rerun… but a holiday-ish one. Yesterday got away from me – but this (like most Decembers) is all about the red and green ink. I actually used this one quite a bit today.
The last pen review of 2014… where does the time go? And DUDE who’d’ve thought we’d be here? This is Science Fiction years. But here we are. This last pen for 2014 was something I saw in passing on JetPens and then bought as stocking stuffers for Jimmy and myself. I give you the Pilot V7 Hi-Techpoint roller ball pen.
The Pilot V7 is one of Jimmy’s all-time favorite pens. He has used the red ones for years and years. And though we both prefer the V5, this V7 needed to be explored. I bought the red for Jimmy’s stocking and the green for myself – and should probably get the blue and black. Just for kicks.
This pen has a 0.7mm roller ball point in a needlepoint tip. The barrel and cap are plastic with a view port in the barrel to see ink levels. The barrel and cap color match to the ink. The cap posts fairly securely for plastic. The pen is just over 5.5″ long with the pen capped and just over 6″ with the cap posted.
So what makes this pen different from a typical V7? One, it’s part of the BeGreen line – which means it’s made of 71% recycled materials. Two, it uses a liquid ink instead of a gel or other type of ink. And three, the liquid ink comes in a cartridge, making this V7 refillable. The write up on JetPens says it can be refilled up to 10 times. The refillable aspect ties into the BeGreen line – because you have less waste than a non-refillable, it’s also more economical. The pen itself is affordable – about the same price as the non-refillable, and the 3-packs of ink refills are very affordable.
The ink dries very quickly for a liquid ink. The rollerball is smooth – though I had to prime my point a few times when it didn’t pick up ink right away – which may have been air bubbles in the liquid ink. But the green ink is dark and rich.
The refills are marked for V5 and V7 – which makes me hopeful that there WILL BE a V5 version of this pen. If there is? I’m probably buying two of each color. The V7 is nice, but I’m really looking forward to a V5.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 0.5 – It works really well – except for the fact that it did kinda skip on me a couple of times. I was able to prime the ink back into the tip, but it’s enough to nock a bit.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s a good length. There are no ergonomics, but the diameter it comfortable. It’s not bad for an inexpensive plastic pen.
3. Material – 1 – It’s a basic, plastic rollerball pen. The needlepoint feels sturdy so there is that. I don’t feel like I’m going to bend it.
4. Overall Design – 1 – I like it for the classic design with the refillable aspect. That makes it kinda cool and awesome.
5. Price Point – 1 – It’s a good price. The pen itself runs $2.75 on JetPens – which may be a bit more than what you’d pay for a regular V7, but it’s worth it for the cartridge design. The refills are $1.70 for three ink cartridges. If you lose it (or it’s swiped) you’re not out a huge investment, but you can also very economically use it for a very long time.
That’s 3.5 of 5 bronze pencils.
