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Papermate PAP61301 Comfortmate Ballpoint Pen, Medium Point, Black Ink

1 rating: -3.0

Office Supplies

Papermate 6130187 [ PAP6130187 ]: ComfortMate Stick Ball Pen, Black Ink, Medium. Rubberized barrel provides comfortable writing not found in an ordinary ball pen. The super-smooth ink system assures smoothness & color vibrancy. Quick-drying ink won't … see full wiki

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1 review about Papermate PAP61301 Comfortmate Ballpoint...

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The easiest way to make a pen hoarder crazy: Give them a Papermate PAP61301 pen.

Oct 5, 2009

by PattyTherre

Rating:

-3

Pros: Cheap, easier to grip than slick stick pens

Cons: Ink cuts out all the time, annoying, blots and smudges

The Bottom Line: Papermate PAP61301 Comfortmate Ballpoint Pen, Medium Point, Black Ink are a big DON'T. They'll drive you crazy skipping and cutting out mid sentence.

I am a journal writer and a pen hoarder. I have pens that cost more than a pair of good shoes and ones that cost a few cents. I don't ask much from pens. I just want them to write evenly, not smudge, and not make me scribble to get the ink going.

Papermate PAP61301 Comfortmate Ballpoint Pen, Medium Point, Black Ink make me crazy. They're comfortable enough but I am CONSTANTLY having to scribble on a separate piece of paper to get the ink going even in between words as I write. I just tossed a whole box away. Can't deal with it.

About the Pens

Rubberized barrel provides comfortable writing not found in an ordinary ball pen. The super-smooth ink system assures smoothness and color vibrancy. Quick-drying ink won't smear when wet, keeping your document clean.

Manufacturer's CLAIMS

The Reality

These pens are are the color of the ink, in this case, black. They're very slim with a slightly rubberized barrel and a triangular shape for a better grip. They come with tops which I hate because I either lose them or bite on them. I don't know why. I prefer pens that click of twist to retract.

Generally found in a box of 12 for around $5.00 a box, these pens are very affordable.

The ink is dark and they are medium point. They do feel decent in my hand. The slight rubberized shaft helps me to grip the pen and write more legibly. However, that's where my praise for these evil pens stops.

When I take a new pen out of the box, of course it doesn't write. I have to scribble frantically to get the ink going. I wouldn't mind doing that once. But I have to do that constantly. I will be in mid sentence and the ink just ... stops. I have to get a sheet of paper, scribble like crazy, get the ink going, and try to trace over my nearly invisible letters and keep going. Nothing frustrates me more than not being able to simply write with a pen. That's all they do! If you can't write a few sentences without having to restart the ink, what the heck good is a pen?

As far as smudging, the ink does when wet. Ink sometimes comes out too fast and leaves a little blot on the page which soaks through. Sometimes not enough ink comes out and my writing looks faded in places.

I'm all for saving money and buying inexpensive stuff when I can but I will not allow Papermate PAP61301 Comfortmate Ballpoint Pen, Medium Point, Black Ink to drive me crazy any longer! Ironically, I have less trouble with the exact blue ink pens.

Typically one pen will last a while, running out when it feels like it, sometimes after a few days, sometimes after a few weeks. There's no way of knowing when the inevitable will happen and, every time my pens seem to die, I don't know for sure if they are empty or just being stubborn so I have to scribble like crazy to try to revive them. Eventually, my scribbling won't force the pen to write and I know the ink has come to an end.

The pens are disposable and you cannot buy refills for them. I wouldn't anyway. The pens are cheaply made and the tops are usually long gone after a few uses.

In all, I can say that not many pens have frustrated me like the Papermate PAP61301 Comfortmate Ballpoint Pen, Medium Point, Black Ink has. I am easy going, really I am. I use 10 cent pens and don't complain. But when I can't write a few sentences without having to struggle, I tend to get angry. These pens make me very angry.

Buying Info

You can buy these pens at office supply stores and many mass-market stores. As I said, they usually come in a box of 12 of one color for around $5.00. I have seen them for even less on sale. I think my last box cost about $4.00 on sale. Cheap, yes. Maddening, YES.

Conclusion

Most people just pick up a pen and use it and generally I do too. I have favorite pens, of course, but when I want to just scribble a note or write an address on an envelope, I honestly don't care what kind of pen I use. But when a pen can't even write two sentences without cutting out and making me scribble like a madwoman to get the ink flowing again, it gets frustrating. And these pens do that all the time. Not just the box I threw away but every time I buy them. I don't know WHY I ever bought them after the first time. I guess sales made me forget that I hated them.

My recommendation? Bypass the Papermate PAP61301 Comfortmate Ballpoint Pen, Medium Point, Black Ink and buy any other pen you can find. Even cheaper pens function better. I don't know what causes the ink to start and stop but it is just not worth the hassle to try to use these pens. Ever. 1 star. Yuck.

Recommended:
No

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