Zebra® F-402® Retractable Ballpoint Pen, Fine Point, Black, 2/Pack

The silky smooth F-refill w/ some heft

If you've had a chance to use the medium (about .5-.7mm) F-refill line of Zebra pens (F-301, this pen, F-402, and others) you'll know that they have some of...Read complete review

If you've had a chance to use the medium (about .5-.7mm) F-refill line of Zebra pens (F-301, this pen, F-402, and others) you'll know that they have some of the nicest tip feel available in ballpoints. The F-402 is a beefier case for this refill that has a fair distance between tip and rubber grip that may not be ideal for those who really like to hold really far down on the pen.

The rubber grip is a little larger than I'd use for really long writing sessions (3+ hour classes/meetings where you're the notetaker) where the lighter and slimmer F-301 *Ultra* really shines.

The pens do prefer to write with a few sheets beneath the writing sheet (or a good semi-firm leather writing pad) and probably would not be comfortable for any period of time if used on a single sheet on a standard clipboard. From time to time the ball in the pen can get a nick that can cause it to skip - but I have only been able to do this by abusing the tip (using it to open something, or push a recessed button, etc), but this is fairly rare and does not cause large gaps in most writing.

The refills do not fail gracefully - they go & go and then fade significantly where you might get another paragraph of text out of them before they are completely dead. I think this is advantageous because you can really use all the ink, but if you've used the pen a lot, be sure to have a spare as it doesn't give you real warning it's going to go. The refill is usually see-through, so if you unscrew the pen you can see how much ink is left.

So - if you want an incredibly smooth writing experience in a rubber-gripped, tough, metal-bodied pen, click the order button. If you want something a little slimmer/lighter that retains the rubber-grip and has a plastic clip, the F-301 Ultra is your pen.