Below are the features are posted by Pentil® regarding this pen.
- Archival roller system with smooth, pigmented ink delivered through the long-lasting ball delivery system
- Acid-free, archival safe ink is ideal for sketching, drawing, manga art and so much more
- The tungsten carbide roller tip guarantees a consistent line from the first to last drop of ink
- Pigmented ink is light-fast, bleed-proof, water-resistant and fade-resistant
- Available in four line sizes: 0.3mm (extra-fine), 0.4mm (fine), 0.5mm (medium), and 0.6mm (bold).
Since the ink is archival and acid free, I decided to try this pen. I purchased all the available line sizes. I particularly used the 05 nib on some parts of this drawing. Pentil states that this pen is a tungsten carbide roller tip, so I had high expectations. I have a Rapidograph tungsten carbide jewel tip that now costs around $50.00. The Pentil Hybrid Technica pen is a plastic, disposable pen that retails around $3.00 per pen. Pentil also sells the refills for $1.29 but the line sizes you need may not be readily available.
If you like drawing with ball point pens, you will like this pen. The rubber grip is comfortable to the fingers. I like that I can see the inkwell through the translucent barrel and therefore would be able to determine if the pen is done. Most disposable pens like the Micron, Faber Castell, some Staedtler technical pens, Unipen, Copic (Copic pens may be refillable) brands have opaque barrels. I have hundreds of half-used Microns because they still have ink but I am not pleased with the line quality at a certain stage or period of pen use, so I later use them for general purpose.
I specifically used the 05 mm nib. Pentil does not specify if the line width or point sizes correspond to the point/pica system of typographical measure. If you are into technical drawings and technical pens, you should read on this further and familiarize yourself with ISO128 standards. For this purpose however, I will use subjective and lay terms.
For my drawings, I normally use the finest nib of a pen brand for the details. I decided to try the pen on the background. Depending on the area, I either use stippling or miniature squiggling marks. I was alarmed because the pen had a little sticker that stated "Avoid tapping base." Hmmmmnnn. What is stippling? It is a continuous tapping motion. Granted I am not tapping the pen the way irritating officemates do during the meetings, stippling is still tapping. Okay, so I used miniature squiggles. I used the pen for squiggling and for gross stippling.
The secret of a pen is still in the ink. I draw for very long periods so I may use the pen continuously for an hour. After a while I noticed the ink flow started to skip. Actually, this is not unusual for pens. I have noticed this with all pen brands. I think it is the time I spend drawing. No pen can tolerate my long use. However, there is a certain characteristic manner in which I draw. I love drawing while reclining in bed or the sofa. This pen is very ornery. It does not like to recline with me. I have to hold this pen in a vertical position. The point output is not even. I think this is because it is a "gel" liquid ink. I also noticed that the pen sometimes make scratching noises even when I am drawing on the smooth Bristol Board surface. The sound reminds me of a fingernail scratching a blackboard. It goes away when I change the pen angle.
Will I buy these pens again? My answer is yes. The ink is acid-free, archival quality and it is INTENSE! Notice the output of the ink compared to the other pen brands I mentioned above. So, for intense backgrounds I will use this pen. It is comparable to Pitt pens which use India ink. Should I trust the pen manufacturer's labels? I will also find out if they have blue ink, so I can use it as a signature pen.
You know, there is a drawing I made when I was a teenager using a Rapidograph pen with India ink. It hangs on the wall of a brightly lit schoolroom in the Philippines. I doubt the glass is sun and fade-proof. It still looks great after all these years. We shall see 35 years from now if this drawing will still be intense. I will be in my eighties then.
Thank you for reading.
