[Pen/Pencil Review] Pilot Petball Ball Point – 0.7mm
We return to Pilot this week with another pen from back at Christmas. This is the Petball ballpoint pen with a clear plastic body. These are part of the BeGreen series and the B2P series – which means the barrel is made of recycled plastic from water bottles.
According to the literature – these pens have a 90.4% recycled content level. The clear barrel is actually molded to have waves in it like a bottle design. The waves actually give the pen some grip, but there are no ergonomics. This pen is about 5.6″ long – which is pretty standard for a retractable. The barrel is slightly wider than your typical retractable giving it a heftier, more comfortable feel. The plastic clip is fairly sturdy.
The ink comes in a metal conical tip with a smooth line. The 0.7mm point makes a decent line. I’m not seeing the actual contents of the ink, but it feels like the low viscosity ink that comes in the Acroball. There’s a lot let blobs and smearing with the Petball than I found with the B2P gel inks. But the rest feels similar.
This pen is available on JetPens and is very affordable. It’s also refillable with the Pilot BPRF refills in the four most common colors – black, blue, green, and red. I LOVE that this comes in a 0.7mm – and ONLY in a 0.7mm. And according to some of the comments – these refills also work in the B2Ps if you don’t care for the gel ink – which means I may just revisit those.
To the numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It’s good. It feels like it has the low viscosity ink for a smooth writing experience. The retractor works well. The tip is solid and smooth.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s a relatively inexpensive, plastic pen. There’s texture to the barrel but no ergonomics.
3. Material – 1 It’s a basic plastic, retractable pen. It is what it is, but it works like it should.
4. Overall Design – 1 – I like this design. The clear body lets me see ink level and the design in the barrel doesn’t get in the way much.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s an okay price point for plastic retractable pens – but you can find them on sale. They run $1.65 on JetPens. The refills run $1 a piece. You can only get these online, they’re not in US stores.
4 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
