Unsharpen

Pens and Pencils | Reviews and Data

Currently Viewing Posts in Explainer

Which Pens Are Sold In The Most Sizes?

If you want to use the same pen and ink combination in a number of sizes, what’s the best pen to choose? This is a niche question, but certainly an interesting one. This came up when we wanted to some pen longevity testing — testing out how long the ink in a pen will write — and we wanted to determine the impact on the writing tip size on how long a pen will write. The best way to do this is to get the same pen in as many sizes as possible… but which pen should we buy?

Continue reading “Which Pens Are Sold In The Most Sizes?”

The Best No-Plastic And Low Plastic Pens And Refills

Pilot S20 Ballpoint Pen

Many people are trying to reduce the amount of plastic they use in their lives, but this can be quite difficult, especially with small, affordable items like pens. While pens and plastic go hand-in-hand, particularly with lower priced pens, there are some choices you can make to reduce the plastic in your writing instruments.

Continue reading “The Best No-Plastic And Low Plastic Pens And Refills”

Pens, Ink, And The Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Form

If you have recently purchased a pen or ink from an international reseller or manufacturer there is a chance that you will be required to fill out a Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Form. This request will come from the shipper, usually Fedex, not the seller or a government agency.

So what do you do when you get this request?

Continue reading “Pens, Ink, And The Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Form”

Fountain Pen Cartridge Guide

In theory, using a fountain pen cartridges should be easy — you insert one into your pen and you start writing. In practice, they are rather confusing. Some cartridges only work on one brand of pen, some work on lots of pens… and they all look alike! Cartridges are rarely labeled well and the downside of messing up a cartridge installation can be a broken pen (bad) or a leaky cartridge (often worse).

This guide will answer most common fountain pen cartridge questions as well help you visually identify which cartridge is which.

Continue reading “Fountain Pen Cartridge Guide”