PILOT B2P - Bottle to Pen Refillable & Retractable Rolling Ball Gel Pen Made From Recycled Bottles, Fine Point, Blue G2 Ink, 12-Pack (31601)

Pens made of recycled plastic bottles? What’s not to like? These are comfortable to use; have good ink quality; show the level of ink left in the pen, and refills are available. I like the feeling of not adding stuff to a landfill, and reusing recycled materials, plus I can extend the life of the pen with a refill. These are my favorite pens, plus they have different ink colors. Works for me!

My favorite pen

Good quality pen that writes well

These pens write very nicely with smooth ink and honestly I really like the look of the water bottle design! Highly recommended for not only aesthetics, but the pens just write so well.

I try to never run out of these pens, as they truly are my favorite pen of all time, with a smooth flow and easy grip. I do hate that they are disposable (and not like my mother's favorite refillable fountain pen) but they are made from recycled plastic bottles, so that's a plus.

I work in property management and I have bought a lot of pens in my life but this pen is by far the best!!! It writes so smooth and the best part is it doesn’t bleed! Take my word…it’s a must have in your job!

I've ordered this product in blue but decided to try a different color. Purple ink is fun to use and these pens are great.

Once the novelty of the pen looking exactly like a bottle of water, right down to the label wrapping around its middle, wears off, the only thing left is how well the pen actually functions.Depending on the pen's intended purpose--writing general notes and memos, quick sketching, inking final art projects, addressing mail, or lettering invitations, etc.--satisfaction can vary widely. So, I'll look at this pen from various angles: comfort, ink quality, longevity, and nib sizing.When writing and taking notes, I prefer pens with grips close to the nib (or no grip at all) and that's the first thing I noticed about this pen. I'm able to hold it very close to the nib, which makes me do a happy flip.The pen itself is made of hard plastic and has roughly the girth of a standard fine Sharpie marker. However, the pen is very lightweight. People who prefer heavier writing pens will certainly want to avoid this, but people who write often will appreciate it because the hand becomes less fatigued while writing.The ink is exceptionally smooth (the blue ink more so than black), gliding over the paper and laying down even strokes of vivid color. I'm thoroughly impressed by the black ink's darkness. I personally wish the shade of blue was a bit lighter, but that's a personal quibble and didn't take away from the pen's overall rating. I did notice that after writing for a while (a few pages), the black ink began to skip and I needed to scribble a bit to get it flowing smoothly again. But IMO it didn't happen often or long enough to become a problem.Writing on generic white paper yielded no bleeding, however, the ink was clearly visible from the other side, so although you can write on both sides of the paper, single-sided writing is optimal. Used on high quality vellum and other ultra-smooth writing papers (think Rhodia or Clairefontaine), I found that the ink was easily smeared within a few seconds of writing. This might be a nonstarter for left-handed writers.As with most gel ink pens, the supply of ink runs out faster than the typical oil-based ballpoint pen. However, Pilot put an ample supply of ink in their barrels and you can expect to get ~30-40 8.5"x11" pages (writing top to bottom) before needing a refill. For most individuals it's plenty, and for students and others in writing intensive professions, it's quite reasonable.My only complaint is with the nib sizing/labeling. It wasn't very long ago that this pen would have been classified as a medium ballpoint (and in my mind, it still is based on the line it produces). So for those who prefer fine nibs, do not be fooled by the "Fine" in the description. This pen is 0.7mm; it's best to get this pen for the comfort, but grab the 0.5mm or 0.38mm refills.Since times are changing, it's best to rely on the actual nib sizing rather than the textual equivalent offered. I've uploaded a writing sample to illustrate how the different nib sizes vary.Yesteryear's nib sizing based on my experience:Micro or Ultra Fine: 0.18mm-0.3mmFine: 0.4mm-0.6mmMedium: 0.7mm-0.9mmFat or Wide: 1.0mm+To finish up, the Pilot B2P is a multi-purpose pen best suited for writing notes and the occasional memo. Artists and sketchers should proceed with caution because although it's acid-free, it's not water fast and can muddy the colors if using watercolors or water pencils. Artists and others looking for precision (for inking drawings or invitations or addressing letters) should look elsewhere.*This pen is not recommended for signing checks or other legal documents because it is not water fast. Pilot, however, does sell G2 refills with pigmented ink specifically for this purpose.**If you don't need a dozen pens, consider purchasing a couple individual pens and then refill as necessary.