Review: Stabilo pointVisco Fine 0.5 mm

This is a review of the Stabilo pointVisco 0.5 mm fine gel rollerball pen.

Features:   
- Rollerball with a completely new gel formula: Moves faster over paper.
- Smudge-proof, blot-proof, dries quicker.
- Non-slip grip zone and pocket clip.
- Robust tip.
- Available in 2 wallet sizes: 4 standard colors for the office, 10 colors for private use.

Pros:

- This is a very unique looking pen with its pencil-ish look! I think it’s really cute.

- Comfortable rubbery grip that doesn’t wiggle around or spin around the barrel. It’s very comfortable and doesn’t feel sticky or attract cat fur like some other tackier grips (sticky). I figured I’d toss this tidbit in because a lot of stationery lovers seem to also love cats and dogs!

- A vivid, intensely colored ink! The purple here is really beautiful. I had to restrain myself when I was picking colors and had narrowed it down to light blue and lime green but I ended up picking this purple.

- Ink dries quickly. Surprising given how inky this pen is. This is a plus on premium papers which tend to be so smooth that it takes all inks a smidge longer to dry. I was impressed how fast it dried in the Habana I was writing in.

- Nice variety of colors available for both professional and “fun” use! Although my dad uses purple pens for professional use and doesn’t seem to care.

- I usually expect hand fatigue when I write a lot with a thin barrel pen or a light pen but I was surprised to find I had no problems writing with this one. Despite being light and on the thinner side, I was pretty pleased with the writing experience.

Cons:

- I hate that I can’t see the ink level. I haven’t figured out how to take apart the pen without wrecking it so I’ll just have to wait and see what the ink is like. Judging by how heavy the ink comes out, I’m going to guess it won’t last very long.

- Tip feels much thicker than 0.5 mm - feels more like a 1.0 mm bold tip. I compared the line of the pointVisco to those drawn by three other 0.5 mm tip sizes: Pilot Hi-Tec C, Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5, and a Dong-A-Miffy.

- Very low precision because of how thick the tip feels. Not very good for detailed work but great for filling in big spaces with color. Though this will seriously deplete your ink level.

- Very wet and inky writing - ink feels very free when it flows. This can be good but it will go through ink quickly and can bleed through your paper (even on premium paper!)

- Expensive for a simple gel rollerball-type pen. I’m a bit disappointed by the price because I otherwise like this pen - it’s fun and cute. I bought mine for $2.25 at Paper Place in Austin, Texas.

Overall, this pen is fun and cute but not particularly outstanding in any way. I have other pens that have beautiful ink and write nicely... However, if you’re the type of pen addict who likes to try pens regardless of what others say about them, it won’t put you out too much. I’m one of these - I just like to test different pens, feel how they write and see what the ink is like. At least it’ll make some pretty doodles!