This is the Pilot Better Retractable Ballpoint Pen. Pilot's premium quality oil-based ink office staple.

 

 

The pen has a slim profile reminds me of a pencil including the hexagonal shape of the body which is made from a smoky translucent plastic that corresponds to the ink color of the pen.

 

At one end of the pen we see a stainless steel clip which is very sturdy, brings a lot of clipping power that can clip to multiple pages without losing it's grip.

 

The button of the pen is also made from metal and does not change the tension or force needed to extend the tip of the pen. It actually feels nice when you press down on the button. Smooth not scratchy, no mushy feeling when it bottoms out and the bounce back of the button is substantial. This pen was one of the first pens to start my pen clicking habit.

 

The grip section of the pen starts where the hexagonal body ends and it's ribbed for your comfort not pleasure though. The conical tip is also made from metal, to better protect the pen from cracks due to drops.  Or someone stomping down on the pen accidentally. Finally we get to the pen tip itself. it's a ballpoint pen made from stainless steel.

 

 

The pen measures 14.2 cm or 5.6 inches.

 

 

The pen comes in three colors black, blue and red. And in two point sizes, fine and medium.

 

The Pilot Better Retractable lays down a slightly faint black line with some streaks and blobs in them. These problems usually manifest during upstrokes. It's smooth enough, you can still feel the ball point moving across the grain of the paper you're writing on but it doesn't hinder the writing at all.

 

The line width of the pen is Fine But since Pilot is a Japanese brand their point sizes run a little thinner. The Fine line weight measures at 0.2 mm which is very thin for a ballpoint pen.

 

Next we'll test if the Better Retractable's oil-based ink bleeds through paper. It doesn't which is great for those long idle sessions between writing.

 

Then we get to the waterproofing test to see if the oil-based ink is still waterproof on the Better Retractable. There is no ink wash made and there is no feathering or details lost. I even expected some discoloration but there is none. It is a very waterproof pen like many oil-based ink pens.

 

 

Finally because I forgot it,  the drying time. Oil-based inks usually dry relatively fast and that doesn't change with the Better Retractable at 2 seconds. Relatively fast as I said.

 

If you like a slim but durable, retractable pen with a great click that writes smooth with a good drying time but also waterproof then the Pilot Better Retractable is the perfect pen for you.

 

 

 

This is my review of the Pilot Better Retractable oil-based ballpoint pen. If you like this review then please hit that like button and if you feel like pen reviews are things you enjoy watching then hit the subscribe button as I'll be uploading more. This is fallyinghigh saying thanks and until the next one. I upload new pen reviews on Tuesday and other things on Friday so stay tuned!

 

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