Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen with Grip - 0.5 mm - Blue

These pens actually improved my otherwise atrociously illegible and embarrassing handwriting! Didn't think that was possible! I find the 0.5 nib hits the sweet spot. Not too thin so as to be scratchy and not to broad to be messy. My theory: the fine nib slows down the hand to allow more control over the handwriting, otherwise the hand slops all over the paper contributing to sloppy handwriting. Wish Pilot would make a 0.5 blue refill for the Cavalier! I have several 'go to' pens I use daily but this one tops the list. I agree with the comment that experimentation is needed with different nib sizes from the various brands because 0.5 for one brand is not the same as 0.5 from another brand. At least that's my experience.

I tried out both the 0.5mm and the 0.4mm Hi-Tec-C. The 0.4mm pen writes smoothly. The 0.5mm pen writes very smoothly. They both are fine pens.

The cap is tight fitting, and requires a bit of force to remove.

So I actually used one of these pens for day to day writing until it stopped working, and simultaneously used a Uniball Signo 0.28mm for the same purposes until it ran out of ink. I filled up one Doane pad, and two Clairefontaine pads with notes. I'll compare the two:

-The Uni-Ball pen lays down a thick, smeary river of ink, while the Pilot pen is far more sparing. I used both pens at about the same rate, and the Uni-Ball ran out when the Pilot was at about 2/3 expired.

-Both pens stopped working at around the same time. The Uni-ball ran out of ink, but the Pilot's tip just stopped functioning for some reason. There was no obvious mechanical failure, but with about 1/3 of its ink reservoir remaining, lines became spotty, faint, or not inked at all. I'm not very hard on these pens-- My writing style does not put very much pressure on the tip.

-The Pilot pen made the better line. Lines had superior definition, and smudged less overall.

-The uni-ball pen made a much more consistent line. It smudged more easily, and had poorer definition, but it performed in exactly the same manner until it ran out of ink. The Pilot pen sometimes took a few lines of writing until it started acting normally, and the quality of the line varied from day to day and line to line.

-Both pens were very nice to write with. The Pilot pen had a slight advantage, but both felt very good compared to other pens.

This has got to be one the best pens I've ever used. I was first introduced to this pen 6yrs ago and I have been in love with it ever since. the ink is smooth coming out and always even. A joy to work with.

This pen lays down an amazingly fine line. However, I usually write with the pen at a heavy slant (I'm a lefty) and the Hi-Tec-C doesn't like that one bit. When taking notes in class, the ink frequently sputters which is, needless to say, annoying. They work just fine for my girlfriend though.