How Much Can A Pen Write? I Tested Top Pens

[@jayhoughton558]

Very cool. 😎 please test energels next! I’m most interested in 0.7, but comparing all the sizes of energel with each other would be really cool!

[@Sebastian-uk3cp]

I'd like the Fisher Space Pen to be tested as well

[@CRANEREVIEWS]

I wrote out two by hand, both failed to survive till the end xD

[@dralbora]

I love this quantitative comparison! Bravo!!! I was impressed the fountain pen laid down such a consistent line. Happy to know I own some of these!!!

[@cosmicnoodle]

This can easily go over 100+ episode series. Please keep including different types of ink in each episode ballpoint, gel, ink, fountain pen.

[@michaeljacobs7995]

This is exactly the kind of fever dream I've always hoped for to test longevity, but better executed than what I could have come up with. Thank you. This was really interesting.

[@unsharpen]

Thanks! More to come. Already finished the next pen

[@patrickubales3526]

Can you please try the Pentel Energel next? I'm just really curious because they are my go-to pen.

[@Real_LiamOBryan]

Yes, a lot more, please! I would love to see the most popular pens and inks (e.g., Energels) on this test.

[@inkfrogrfx]

That's dedication ! And a first. Haven't seen anything even approaching this kind of testing. EXCELLENT ! I've used the petit brush pens. Right in line with my experience.

[@faceurhell]

This was an awesome experiment. Thank you for showcasing the question you had, the process, the finality, and the reasoning behind it all. Would like to see a few more common pens tested maybe someday with a similar / the same process.

[@imanrasekh-p6x]

i have been writing with a bic pen for about thirty years i have never seen a bic pen run out they are usually lost or borrowed😄

[@michaeldonoghue9015]

So I like to write with the same pen in my journal until it runs out to see how many pages I can get. I just ordered some Bic Cristals, the old fashion 1.0mm kind, and wanted to see how many pages I can get of normal writing. It’s an A5 journal. I’ll let you know what I find out.

[@imanrasekh-p6x]

@@michaeldonoghue9015 good idea last week I bought 10 bic crystal pens and use two of them since the ink level not changed a bit so you have a difficult task ahead of you

[@imanrasekh-p6x]

@@michaeldonoghue9015 you have a difficult task ahead of you 😉

[@tacticalpencil]

​@michaeldonoghue9015 *comes back a couple days later* My bic dissappear from my room 😮

[@michaeldonoghue9015]

@@tacticalpencil I put a piece of painters tape at the ink level of the Bic Cristal. After three full A5 pages with NO spaces, I can see maybe a millimeter is gone. This pen is going to outlive me. Edit: it’s A5. I originally said A6 but that’s a pocket journal. This is a normal journal.

[@AcousticBoris]

I have the Floatune 08 and it’s a great pen. Really smooth and keeps on going and going. Love it.

[@mthw]

Add a microphone to that pen plotter and you've got an instant Unsharpen ASMR channel 🙂

[@unsharpen]

Brilliant!

[@jthunder57]

Great and useful analysis. Thanks! Joe

[@unsharpen]

Very welcome!

[@michaeldonoghue9015]

I’ve been wanting to do this test for YEARS. Thank you so much for taking the time to get this data!

[@brettdan]

That’s such a cool machine!

[@Logatog]

Love the concept! Would be very cool to have a leaderboard for each pen / refill type and tip size on your website!

[@Mythologos]

I've been waiting for you to make this video!

[@jakejito2123]

Very cool and unique video. Thank you for the hard work. More please!

[@unsharpen]

More to come!

[@jartecus]

This is an incredible test! Thanks for your work!!

[@darthblade2016]

I did enjoy this video comparing the writing lengths of each pen. This would be very interesting to compare pens within brands, especially ones that use different types of inks, to see which last longer.

[@TheThirdeYe1337]

Great video! I love tests like these and wish there were more of them out there.

[@unsharpen]

Thank you!

[@cognittie930]

Dude's got me groveling like a dog for pen videos

[@sillypinkmate]

Can't blame you, no other channel I see so far being as helpful

[@trishmarie7739]

Very interesting! Thank you for doing this test!

[@unsharpen]

Thank you!

[@kimberlyglover8906]

Thank you. Very interesting video. I would like to see more like this. I never tried the pentel floatune. Gonna have to check that out

[@paullanglois3768]

Super grateful for all the work you put into this! I've never seen anything like it, and I've always wanted to know how pens perform relative to each other. This is so cool, thank you! Would love to see more of these.

[@unsharpen]

Glad you liked it!

[@MrMqwe1]

I'd like see the Zebra G-301 tested. I really like the pen, but it seems to run out very quickly. I'm not sure if it's my imagination.

[@waywardformations5227]

more tests please! i really enjoyed this one.

[@Ali-in8xi]

Would have liked to see hybrid ink tested, but I'm guessing an average sized Acro, Jetstream, Surari, or Vicuna ink cartridge would not last as long as the BIC ballpoint but longer than the Sharpie gel. Thanks for the video!

[@unsharpen]

I’ll get into this soon but my concern was that it would take a long time because these are oil based inks, so I had to delay for logistical concerns.

[@tbayless8324]

Gel pens it seems will always run out faster before oil based (BIC Pens) they had students in mind and I remembered carrying one for several months, and the good thing is you could see the ink and it went all the way down to the core before running out. Thanks for such an indepth tests on these pens.

[@yoshi555king]

This is some true dedication for showing IRL performance per standardized test. That Pilot is per cartridge size more comparable to a Kaweco Sport. With M nib and syringe filled OEM cartridge (Kaweco Paradise ink). I get around 8pages of Midori MD A6 Notebook (it's a very wet Medium)

[@BullRunRoad30]

This is so cool. For years, I wished someone could do this type of pen testing. Please do more. I would especially like to see a comparison of popular gel pens. Of course, this would have to include the Pilot G2 since Pilot claims the G2 has longer lasting ink than the other leading brands.

[@unsharpen]

Many of the “long lasting” claims have to do with archival quality and color-fastness. I haven’t seen “most ink” or “most writing” claim as much. The language around much of this can be very unclear (myself included)

[@Diana21Dee]

If you have a gram scale, you should weigh the cartridges of the sharpie .7 vs. the 1.0. before and after you perform the line writing test just to see how much ink was actually used up. I have a suspicion that they actually give you less product to sompensate for the fact that .7 should last longer as you have predicted. Of course, this might be overkill. I just think logically you are right, but sharpie likely already knows all this in their testing as well.

[@unsharpen]

Yes consistency between pens of the same size and model is the second order problem set :/

[@bixby451]

Awesome stuff, thank you! Would love to see this with other popular pens like Pentel Energel, Uni Jetstream, Zebra Sarasa, Uni-ball Micro, Muji Gel.

[@unsharpen]

I’m on it.

[@boldschool6308]

Cant pay enough respect to you with the comments man!!! What a work

[@unsharpen]

Thanks for the kind words. Just glad people out there are getting some good info

[@selfthinker]

I wonder if instead of writing print letters or blocks of lines the AxiDraw could maybe write lines of curves? That would be faster than print letters and more realistic than blocks of lines. Although the type of writing doesn't matter if it's applied consistently between tests, it would be nice to have a result that is close to the number of pages for handwriting.

[@unsharpen]

I’m open to ideas a curve would be great but I’m not sure how I’d determine an optimum pattern. Lines have good density but are less than ideal for the ball as it can run dry.

[@iansmith3877]

This was awesome! I love the fairly objective comparison that this allows. Would love to see Fisher Space pen, Bic Cristal in the same size as the round stic, and some other fountain pens as well.

[@unsharpen]

Yeah, Cristal would be awesome, but I need to figure out some better solutions for this level of writing (50+ pages per pen)

[@amandar240]

I absolutely loved this. I was actually surprised how the Floatune and the Pilot Petite did. I thought there would be a bit more out of them. And I was super surprised the Uniball One went as far as it did, I may have to actually give that a try! For the direct size comparison test I'd like to suggest going with Uniball Vision rollerballs in 0.38mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm, and 1.0mm. And then throw in an Ohto Fude 1.5mm for giggles. The larger ink capacity a free ink rollerball offers should give a nice visual.

[@unsharpen]

Yes agreed - vision is in the next test batch. Did some initial research unsharpen.com/which-pens-are-sold-in-the-most-sizes/

[@ecksdog]

Great test. I’ve noticed that some gel pens in finer tips have less ink in the barrel compared to same pen with broader tip. It’s almost like they want all of the various widths to die after the same amount of pages written.

[@unsharpen]

Hm I haven’t noticed that but honestly I’ve never checked. This would be very interesting if true

[@user-oz3pq5bt5o]

Thank you so much, this was so informative. Loved this!! I commend your sheer dedication ❤️🤍🤍💚💚 This sure seems like it took a ton of time to do the testing, I appreciate you very much for this test brother. Would love to see more testing on other pens/refills as you said. 😊

[@unsharpen]

More to come, but yes it’s hugely time intensive so videos will be slow to be released.

[@user-oz3pq5bt5o]

@@unsharpen Take your time my friend. I can definitely wait. 🫡

[@ShawneeUnion]

Such a great project. I’d love it if you could use a dense grid as a test, I draw a lot with pens and some inks create blots of ink if you overlap strokes rapidly. This could be a wonderful resource for artists!

[@unsharpen]

yeah, I have a grid pattern ready, it's probably the best way to get the most ink down on the least paper. I'm a bit concerned about ink-on-ink and how it will affect some pens but we'll see

[@ShawneeUnion]

@@unsharpen that’s awesome. Excited for the tests

[@unsharpen]

Started the grid testing. Video soon. It really chewed up the paper

[@ShawneeUnion]

@@unsharpen oh that’s really interesting, thanks for the update. I think the only time that’s happened when I draw is on copy paper very heavy.

[@carbonsteeleheart]

Great video! Definitely answering lifetime questions thanks!!

[@StarKnightZ]

You should do the pilot varsity (v-pen) fountain pen. Would be interesting to see how it holds up. Definitely want to see more it's cool! Maybe the round stick is the same as the bic crystal but that would be cool to see. It would also be cool to see rollerballs which take fountain pen ink.

[@donr8191]

Great reviews and you always show new and different pens ...Thanks !! BTW....you sound like you're from Philly ...is that close ?

[@unsharpen]

Nope not Philly but tri state area is correct!

[@donr8191]

@@unsharpen Ahh...the Tri Valley Twang....I moved from Philly 45 years ago and people still ask me where I'm from...... it's a very distinct accent !

[@giacomo8875]

I love this, i need more, please make it a serie 🙇🙇🙇

[@X0MT0X]

Super cool video. For me, the single biggest selling point is if it writes consistently on a wide range of papers. Don't get me wrong, I love fountain pens and several temperamental designs but I'd not EDC them.

[@jasondrinks]

Interesting! Firstly, because the 0.7/1.0 was not as big a difference as I thought. Also, the fountain pen did pretty well relative to the gel pens. I was expecting the gel pens to be more than 2 or 3 times longer-lasting than a very highly liquid FP ink. Would be interested in a fountain pen only version... But the ballpoint just demolishes everything! I think the ink runs all the way to ball too, so one bottom of the range Bic probably = 10 Uniball Ones.

[@AlanGurling]

This was an awesome video. I was interested in the Floatune, but there aren't many of them in the UK. Big surprise on the BIC though! Thank you for making this video.

[@beaver6d9]

Oooh, fun! I'd love to see some others, like energel, sarasa, or maybe even some hybrid ink. I have my own ideas about some of these pens' longevities, we need answers lol.

[@ParkerBinion]

Just think how long the 0.8 Floatune would go!

[@unsharpen]

I think I’ll need more paper!

[@darcyasher2716]

Very useful, great video!

[@unsharpen]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rikoflishas]

I love this kind of video!!! Very interesting!!!

[@ebodaman]

Very cool way to test pen longevity. I’d like to see more tested!

[@franksalem8580]

I just read yesterday that a Bic ballpoint pen can write a line about 2 kilometers in length--roughly the height of 6 Eiffel Towers.

[@Higgler16]

Really great video! I'd love to see the Jetstream tested.

[@onceKilos]

awesome video, that was a very clever idea to test the pens

[@maximiliantomasoski4032]

I’d love to see some of your extra D1 ink cartridges, especially the big 1.4mm and 1.6mm from whatever companies you have on hand compared to say the jet stream D1 ink in their prime lineage of pens. You’ve caused me to become a multi pen nerd as of right now😂. I’m very curious how far the large l vs. small ball size D1 write for. Gel, ball point, hybrid, different sizes would be my main request.

[@freekezoid]

Great video. I've been wondering how long pens last in real life usage. Please make more. Maybe a Parker G2 Style or Uniball Jetstream

[@fugamundi5963]

excellent subject. thank you for taking your time; i tried parker style SXR-600 .38 and it lasted maybe two weeks to my great disappointment; considering they are anywhere from $4-8 a piece i did not bother to buy another one, but that said, my uni edge with that tiny refill has been serving me for well over a month - go figure

[@TONY19021965]

Thank you for another very cool & informative video. I found the Pentel R.S.V.P. to out last the Bic Stik. Besides, they're more comfortable to write with for extended periods of time. I went through roughly 1 R.S.V.P. pen a school year in college. I started out using my Cross pen that my Dad gave me. But it ran out of ink too quickly. I believe it was about a refill a week. I then bought a 2 pack of the Pentel R.S.V.P.s on a whim at Walmart. And that was that, until I discovered the Pilot G2. Then came along the Pentel Ener-Gel, & *SHAZAM!* They are now my go to gel pens. For non-gel ink applications I prefer the Fisher Space Ink pens and refills. Cheers 😊

[@ayhamabusalem9113]

very cool i'd love to see a similar test and review of LTT''s scribedriver pen!

[@casehaze2480]

Can you try to do a Uni Jetstream?

[@Noejjkkkj]

This is ur best vid!!!!! ❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😀😀😀😀

[@unsharpen]

Thanks!

[@bradleyberreth7540]

Schmidt easy flow and fisher space pen would be cool to see the bic surprised me on how long it can write.

[@ningcheng_shu]

Does the plotter have the function to record the distance the pen has written on paper? If so, using the distance the pen has written per page, the total distance that the pen has written on paper could be roughly estimated, without having to stare at the whole procedure all the time. The German manufacturer Schneider claims its Gelion+ 0.5mm gel refill could write 1,100 meters, whereas its trendy Japanese counterparts never make such claims about their cartridges, as I know. It would be very interesting to verify the company's claims independently and using the distance could make a fairer, uniform comparison about how much all kinds of trendy cartridges can really write.

[@unsharpen]

No the plotter/software don’t measure distance that I know of. That’s why I moved to the lines at the end. Each sheet was about 78 m of drawing. I’m working on maximizing time/distance in order to test claims like the 1100m you mentioned

[@ningcheng_shu]

@@unsharpen Thank you very much for the reply. Just as you said, the line-drawing-page method is indeed very interesting to verify the company's claims about how much their cartridges could write. If the user manual of the plotter software doesn't provide the distance the pen has covered on paper, per line-drawing page, the actual distance can still be measured, though a little bit tedious. The length of each line can be measured easily. To know the total distance of each line-drawing page, all we need to know is how many lines the plotter has drawn. Record a video of the plotter drawing a line page, then play the video fast forward at a comfortable pace to count the number of lines with a mechanical counter, might reduce the mental wearisomeness to a bearable level. I am sure there should be a cleverer, more convenient way to do it. Thanks again. looking forward to your results about the durability of all those trendy cartridges. Very interesting video.

[@unsharpen]

Ok you were right of course. plotter does measure distance. Next video will get into this

[@ningcheng_shu]

@@unsharpen Glad to hear that. Looking forward to seeing your next video.

[@mattcardarelli]

Whatever you want to call this one, call it 50 😂. Such an amazing video. Thank you!

[@beanie0026]

I will watch more. Very interesting.

[@Papa-Anvil]

I really enjoyed the video. 👍

[@andyx7013]

Awesome video! I have always wondered this. Can you please use the same test to test the Schneider 0.4 mm a classic Pilot G2 0.7, and a Fisher Space Pen

[@hawkeye454]

Are you willing to do the robot test on the Schmidt Capless rollerball? Its my all time favorite pen, ive been using it since seeing your video on it years ago. I seem to burn thru refills in M size fast.

[@John77744]

Cool idea. Please add Lamy M16 and M66 to your test.

[@epicmoo4830]

I’d love to see hybrid ink (e.g. Jetstream) put to the test

[@LostTheGame6]

Super interesting ! Really curious to see if here is a difference in, say, a Lamy safary M vs EF nib. Also the fisher space pen, but I'm suspecting that in normal conditions we wouldn't see much except the reduce cartridge size compared to a G2. Also : regarding your line test pattern in the end : can you program whatever pattern you want ? I'm guessing there might be some loop-based (or square-based ?) patterns that would properly test all stroke directions and be pretty fast

[@unsharpen]

Yes you can change the pattern. You just need an svg file. I’ll keep optimizing this, but it’s slow going and I’d need to retest previous stuff if I change the test pattern

[@GorgyCL]

The ultimate test: the Fisher Infinium

[@unsharpen]

Ha I’d need to figure out the auto paper feed first

[@Zyrix5160]

Can you do it with a f701 cuz the refill is thin so idk if it can last that long

[@cc_likesknives]

You could probably measure the length of those lines (used in the last 2 tests) and figure out the ink amount in feet or distance....that might be fun 😊

[@unsharpen]

This is exactly why I moved to the lines. I have some time and length measurements now.

[@ShubhamSingh-tt3kz]

Hey, Thans for the video. I also want to know which pens write the most and more value for money in each category with different prices. Like the best Ballpoint, gel, rollerball, fountain pens under 30,50,etc. I really want more of these tests videos as they are unique.

[@daviyen]

this is fascinating. Could you do a Jetstream?

[@halfsourlizard9319]

Wow. I come from a different universe. 'Top pens' had me expecting gold-nibbed fountain pens.

[@unsharpen]

Maybe i Should have said “most popular” or “top selling”?

[@halfsourlizard9319]

@@unsharpen Meh, I mean, I was being presumptuous / making assumptions because I'd been primed watching fountain-pen reviews ... always a bit fun to be completely wrong ;}

[@IReapZz95]

what about the traditional ballpoints vs the new hybrid ballpoints? Do you have any reference with those?

[@unsharpen]

This would be my ideal test to run but it would take forever. I need a new test pattern first.

[@IReapZz95]

@@unsharpen Honestly you might be able to simply do 10 pages of the tests you did just now and analyzing where the ink was before the test, where it ended after the 10 pages and how vibrant the color is. On top of that you could share the amount of pressure that you use on the machine for the ballpoint vs the new hybrids and get some nice conclusions from that

[@globofgreen]

Do you have any recommendations for a good build quality / metal pen that fits energel 0.7 refills?

[@bobneutron467]

Can the robot make pen reviews ?

[@unsharpen]

Ha maybe one day

[@epicmoo4830]

This video is great!

[@srnjnmedhi]

Hi, please review Uniball SA-R. It is probably india exclusive pen. It was one of the most popular pens in India about a decade back. It is an old pen and still popular in India. One of the best writing pens.

[@unsharpen]

I’ll try to find some! Only the SA-S seems available to me

[@andrewn7365]

Great video! I'd really like to have seen something from the Zebra F series and a comparison of Parker G2 refills. Hard to tell with most (all?) Parker G2 refills being metal. As far as test patters go, I've seen tests done using tight, overlapping spirals which get ball rolling in every direction. Not as realistic as text, but maybe better than lines?

[@unsharpen]

Ballpoints coming soon. They need a lot of time. And agreed on the spiral pattern - I’m testing one but it has issues with paper efficiency and tearing so far.

[@andrewn7365]

@@unsharpen Awesome, looking forward to it! Also, thank you for your entire catalog of videos, they're great! I recently got a Parker Jotter ballpoint because of your videos on it and on refills. Edit: Turns out it's not a Parker Jotter but a Parker 45 "flighter". Got it secondhand and it was mislabeled. All stainless and has some fine banding on the barrel for a grip.

[@freddenstman8773]

Fascinating

[@itsrash.17]

Want a test with pilot dr grip refills 🙌

[@premgunji]

What about Pilot G2?

[@unsharpen]

This is in the next test round

[@sambhavkapoor26]

also test uni jetstream and energel

[@Th3St01k]

nice content

[@HaftAsia1]

Just BIC😂😂😂😂 BEST

[@rm9sbg93zxjzg]

so ball point is the way to the future, the rest is cash cow for the companies...

[@michaelmessenjah]

You get ehat you payfor humbly.

[@justinkase1360]

You said not as much extra capacity out of the .7 over the 1.0 as you would have imagines, but we don't know how these lines corelate to pages of actual writing. Also, the 4th page between these two were not the same, it was pretty solid with the .7 and really too faded by the end to count with the 1.0 IMHO. Will you only be doing lien drawings from now on? It's unfortunate that you switched standards for the last 2 pens.

[@LaneNeshiem-yq7dy]

Also the 0.7 will have to write longer because there are more lines on the 0.7 mm pen to get the same picture as the 1mm. For this to work you would have to have them run the exact same code back to back

[@unsharpen]

I’m still in the proof of concept phase. If people are interested in this sort of stuff I will be doing more. As you noted the testing was imperfect but I will continue to refine

[@stardust6999]

first

[@harryt988]

Why am I getting a message to send you a monetized comment ? Not gonna fly with me and no I don’t want to send money to make a comment! Good bye ! Unsubscribed

[@mastluob2554]

@@harryt988 - doesn’t sound kosher - this guy must be trying a new “feature” from KZbin. Sad that everything nowadays has a price attached to it … 🥲

[@jcap8391]

😂👴🏼

[@unsharpen]

No idea what you are talking about

[@unsharpen]

Lots of people are commenting without paying me. Sounds like a KZbin feature, “super comments” perhaps

[@jcap8391]

@@unsharpen Yeah no offense but I think they accidentally pressed something. And yes must have been super comment😎

[@nilcesoares9708]

Where did you get the Pilot Petit1 fountain pen? Did you buy it recently?

[@freddenstman8773]

Fascinating