Whats the best pencil or pen that you can get for the lowest dollar around 3$?

Thanks For the help :!: :D 8)

You were not very specific about what you wanted so I took liberties. For a pencil you can get a Pentel Sharp P205, P207 or P209 for around $2.77 and up.

As far as the pen goes I like the uni-ball Signo 207 Micro. It can be found for a $1.37 and up.

I hope that this helps. :roll:

Thanks Gunman, that helped! :D

Thanks Gunman, that helped! :D

If you could list some preferences, you'll probably get more suggestions (=more headache) :lol: For example, do you prefer ballpens, rollerballs or gelpens? What size points do you like, very fine eg. 0.28, 0.38, medium 0.5mm or broad 0.7 to 1mm? Do you like average or larger pen barrels? Do you frequently write on cheap paper (eg lecture pads) or reasonably good quality paper? The last will affect the amount of feathering and bleedthrough you get, when used with various pens.

For a start, you can look at Penaddict's blog
http://www.penaddict.com/ or Onelonegunman's http://onelonemanspensandpencils.blogspot.com/. I have a few reviews too--check out my signature--but not much, and I'm now into fountain pens :)

thanks holgalee,
i like ball pens in size 0.38 to 0.5. i prefer average to skinny sized barrels.
i usually write on college ruled paper you can find anywhere, but for some school projects i would write on something like construction paper.

As for pencils i like a light-weighted plastic or a light metal pencil in 0.3 or 0.4 or 0.5. i don't know why, but usually the appearance of the pen/pencil has to look nice, nothing too fancy though. i like the looks of something like the kuru toga or 2020 shaker to anything like the uniball shift.

MY FAVORITE PEN MAKING COMPANY HAS GOT TO BE:
UNI-BALL/MITSUBISHI

I really like fountain pens to, haha, my cousin recently got me a pilot petit 1! :D

For $3 or less.....purely subjective, but these would be my recommendations:

fountain pen: Platinum Preppy - costs $3 from Jetpens and they are refillable....write a nice "fine" (not micro fine, just normal fine), but in a very smooth manner. Definitely a winner (and hard to beat) for $3!

liquid ink pen: Pentel Superball (I prefer the R204 Micro points, but the R206 Fine point is easier to find)....if you can find them, they usually run about $1.50 to $2.50 each
alt mention for liquid ink: UniBall Roller (again I prefer the micro point .5mm pens....they are similar in appearance to the Superballs, but a bit different too). These are easier to find, and can be had for around $1 each if you buy the 12 pack at OfficeMax or like places.
If I was desparate and could only find Pilots, I'd go with a VBall in XF point...they are acceptable if nothing else is available. Forget what they cost, but figure $1.50-2.50 each.

Gel Pen: Pentel Slicci - $3 here on Jetpens, in a load of colours, etc.
Alt mention: I haven't tried all the gel pens from Jetpens yet, but looking forward to trying the UniBall DX, RT, and the Zebra Sarasa in the near future. I'm hoping they will be good to recommend as well!

Ballpoint: Zebra F-301 or F-701. The 301 is easier to find, but the 701 is a little "upper class" if you must have those features. Both use the same F-series refills from Zebra. The 301 can be had for $1.50 to $2 each...and the 701 for a bit more.
Alt mention for ballpoints: some Uniballs are probably worth considering as well, as they do make good products.

Almost all those should be able to be had for $3 or less....some in your local stores, some only from Jetpens or like places online. But definitely some good selection out there if you look around.

Michael, I see some good suggestions! Here's mine, again, your mileage may vary:

Fountain pen: The Platinum Preppy doesn't have very good quality control, as you'll read on the fountain pen network. Some find it a very dry writer, some find it okay. I had problems getting the pen to start and that required lots of vigrous 'mercury thermometer shaking' movement. I would suggest the Pilot Varsity in Fine, since you like finer points. It's refillable if you know how to (just Google it). If you can get your hands on the Sailor Ink Bars, they're good too. The Pilot Petit 1 is very smooth but may be a bit too broad for your taste? :)

Ballpen: Not much of a fine-tip ballpen user, but I like the Uni Jetstream in black (blue is very dark and seems ultra globby). The Uni Laknock series is good too, but I prefer 1.0 as it's smoother than the 0.5 or 0.7.

Gel pen: Lots of choices here. The Zebra Sarasa is really nice and waterproof to boot, though I find the 0.5 a wee bit too fine and the 0.7 a wee bit broad. Yes, I'm having a Goldilocks dilemma thing... The Pilot Hi-tec-c series is really good. I like the 0.5 in Coleto; it's a multipen which allows you to choose your own refills. Because of the size of the refills--skinny--you probably won't get much mileage though. Many people like the G2 but it drives me up the walls because the ink is not consistent and I couldn't wait to give it away to my dad, who isn't particular about his pens and just likes retractables.

Liquid pen: Pilot v5 in cap or retractable version. The needle point is responsive and smooth. Been using it on and off since my undergraduate days.

Uni/Mitsubishi is my favourite pen company too, but I don't like every single pen or pencil that they make. There's no company that can fulfill that, which is a good thing coz I'll be broke (or rushing to work for them).

I've heard hit and miss on the Preppy pens too, but my experience with them has been top notch. If all of them were like the one I got, it's a top notch pen to introduce people to FPs. Maybe I'm lucky, but that's been my experience. As you noted, individual mileage may vary, and you're right that others haven't had as good experience as I have with them. I have only tried one Pilot Varsity out in a store, and it was quite nice. If they were refillable, I would have considered it (I mean refillable properly). But I also had the Preppy, so had no need for a disposable FP that seemed no better to me. But, again, mileage may vary. In that price range, it's worth trying a few too. :)

You also added some other good recommendations. I'm not a fan of Pilot for the most part, but I have both a V5 in RT and stick form, and they both write smoothly. I like the RT a bit better....as it seems a bit more "smooth" in how it writes as well. But I prefer other pens over these and doubt I'll buy any more. Again, that's my preference. These are fine pens for people that like needle style points. They definitely have their uses, and work well for what they are.

Hope to see more recommendations here....there's been some good suggsestions so far!