I’ve reviewed this pen once before, but it was in a sort of unofficial way. But since I have a backlog of gel rollerball and ballpoint pens to review, I figured that I’d start from this pen to have a baseline review. This is the Pentel RSVP Fine Ballpoint Pen.
I think most people have used this pen before, at least once. It’s pretty well the epitome of an office supply pen, and among the first images that spring to mind when someone says “pen.” I’m not surprised by this at all. I’ve seen it in office supply stores all over the place and it became one of my standard options for school supply shopping very early on. Simply put, this pen seem like it’s everywhere.
The RSVP Fine is a plastic-bodied pen that is clear, allowing users to see the refill inside of it. It’s cylindrical, slender and long, especially compared to many of my fountain pens. Weighing in at 10 grams, its among the lightest of my pens. The cap is clear, showing both the tip and grip section, and bears a plastic clip that works well enough. The grip section is rubberized and matches the colour of the refill, and the size of the pen barrel. the RSVP Fine is available primary in blue, black and red, though I have also seen pink, green, light blue and purple variants as well.
There’s no way to fairly critique the looks and design of this pen like I normally would. As much as fountain pens can be meant to be practical, this is a whole other level. It’s not meant to be looker, and is meant to be tossed at the end of its refill’s life. However, the pen does feel sturdy, despite it’s light weight, and I do enjoy the length of the pen. However, the diameter of the pen body poses a problem for me. It’s too thin for my liking, and while the rubberized grip is good for keep my fingers on the pen, it’s not comfortable to me.
When it comes to the writing experience, it’s really not something to write home about. It’s not horrible, but not stand out either. The pen writes rather smoothly, and lays a thin line that is perfect for my small handwriting. However, it’s also a bit inconsistent, and the ink will die off a bit at the start of a line or in the middle. Of course, it’s also not the richest line I’ve seen either, with liquid inks beating the ballpoint ink out easily. I will note that the ballpoint ink, as expected, dries very quickly and it great for left-handed writers.
Overall, this pen serves a purpose, and does so adequately. It doesn’t blow me away. It didn’t when I used it as kid, and it doesn’t now. But it’s not meant to. It’s meant to write, and when you can get it for something like a dollar a pen from the local office supply store, it’s does alright. I have quibbles with this pen and would lead me to make some other recommendations in this category, and I’ll never see it as a great pen, but it does alright, and sometimes that’s all you need.
This pen was purchased with my own funds.
The Pen Lover's Nook 