Herbin J Refillable Rollerball Pen

So first off, I bought this pen and the Monteverde short converter (yes it works!) at the same time so I can use my favorite fountain pen inks. I filled it with Noodler's X-Feather and WOW!! It writes smooth as wet ice! You have to remember it's fountain pen ink so it will write wet. That's kind of the whole point. Use halfway decent paper and you won't have any trouble at all. That being said, I was using it at work last night on cheap copy paper and it seemed to do decently well. The pen is short, but if you post the cap it fits perfectly in my large hand. After a full night of writing, I noticed at one point that the feed had run dry and the pen acted like it had run out of ink, so I pushed more ink in from the converter and it went back to working perfectly for the rest of the night so the trick is to keep the feed system full (should be obvious, but you can't count on common sense these days). The pen doesn't actually use much ink at all compared to my fountain pens. It functioned perfectly and never skipped or was hard to start once the ink was flowing the first time. I am frankly amazed at how smoothly it glides across the page as fast as I like without ever skipping. It's not a fountain pen so obviously there is no line variation to be had. I haven't tried it with any of my inks that offer shading, but as smoothly as it lays down ink, I'm dubious about any real shading prospects. I'll try and update this if I remember once I try it with my shady inks. I'm hesitant to use shimmering inks because I don't think it will clean very nicely. I may give it a try once I buy a few more of these (which I plan to do soon!). So there you have it: A beautifully executed rollerball pen that uses fountain pen ink. It is especially useful in situations and on paper qualities where fountain pens are at a disadvantage, it doesn't stand out like a fountain pen does (I suppose if I had fancier ink in it it may since its a demonstrator) and it writes ridiculously smoothly without any skipping or hard starting. In short, it does what it's supposed to do and it does it well. If you are new to fountain pens, you may struggle slightly with inking it and cleaning it, but these are not hard to learn with a little patience and the reward is the ability to use the whole world of ink options that are only available to fountain pen users without most of the disadvantages of the fountain pen (obviously, you still have to ink it and clean it as that's the whole point of the pen). The pen is plastic but doesn't feel any cheaper than any other demonstrator pen. I wouldn't put it places where it's likely to suffer a lot of abuse (like in a pants pocket full of keys and such) as it's not likely to hold up well to that. Think of it as a more expensive pen that you want to take care of and it won't let you down and will likely last so long you'll save money on it in the end since you're not replacing your disposable pens all the time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!!

These pens write well and consistently. You also need to purchase pre-filled ink cartridges, a converter, or silicone grease for fountain pens (and fountain pen ink). The J. Herbin rollerball pens are a bit difficult to clean between inkings, but are a great option for those who want to use fountain pen inks, but don't care for fountain pens. Because these use the same inks as fountain pens, there's a huge variety of colors and special ink attributes at your disposal. However, you'll run into the same problem with ink feathering, bleeding, and "ghosting" on some papers as with fountain pens. This is a great way to introduce someone to the variety of fountain pen inks, or for a fountain pen user to keep on hand for colleagues who ask to borrow a pen. It's also a great option for people trying to cut down on waste who still need to use a pen. Unlike other "refillable" pens that rely on replacing the entire 'guts' when the ink runs out, this pen can be refilled in ways that dramatically reduce the amount of waste. It can also be cost effective. Those dollar store pens are less of a value when you consider how many don't write consistently (or at all). Very little pressure is required to apply ink from pen to paper, so they're comfortable to use. Unlike fountain pens, which have not been in common use in North America for a long time, rollerball pens are familiar and less intimidating to many people.

It's not an amazing pen, but for the price it could be worse I guess. The material is good, it's just clear plastic like any other. It's definitely really small and light, it needs to be posted to write of you have large hands. The big issue with it is the writing experience. Writing with the pen straight up and down makes a weird noise and makes for inconsistent ink flow. Writing at an angle mostly avoids this, but it's still not the smoothest writing. It's also pretty much only designed to use single use cartridges of ink, which by the way it does not come with. It's just empty and doesn't really come with instructions for people who aren't experienced with pens. If you want to fill it with an eyedropper to avoid cartridges, you'll have to seal the holes at the bottom with apoxy. Not a big inconvenience for me, but it's an added step. It's also pretty much impossible to clean the feed. You'll have to clean it as best you can and then write a few sentences on scratch paper to get all the old ink out if you switch. In summary, just get a similarly priced fountain pen like Platinum Preppy or Pilot Kakuno. This pen is hardly worth the purchase, but to be fair it's the only pen like it that I can find.

I received the J. Herbin refillable rollerball pen today. It was a bit smaller than I expected. When capped, it's 4.5" long. Somehow, I expected it to be the same size as it's fountain pen sibling, but that's okay. When you post the cap, it's a standard size. I can use it posted or unposted but it is a bit short, even for smaller hands when used with the cap unposted. I put a Monteverde short international cartridge with purple ink in the pen. The ink flow is good through the ink feed and the pen started writing within a minute or two. It writes very smoothly without skips or ink blurps. Since it does use fountain pen ink, depending on the paper you use, you may get some bleedthrough or ghosting. I haven't seen any feathering yet with testing the pen on different papers. Some of that may be due to the ink. I like that I can use a variety of different inks. The pen uses a standard short international cartridge. If I want to use an ink that I don't have in cartridge form, I can use an empty international short cartridge and fill it with my ink of choice. I would NOT recommend using any shimmer ink with this pen because the glitter in the ink can clog up the roller ball itself. Just about any other ink should work. I know that the converter that comes with the J. Herbin fountain pen is too long to fit in the rollerball pen. The Monteverde mini converter fits perfectly. That gives you an option of a converter if that is your preference. Like other rollerball pens, this does not require much pressure to write with. That is good, especially during long writing sessions. For those who may ask, it cannot be used as an eye dropper pen unless the holes are filled with epoxy. I have been having a lot of fun writing with this pen today. I'm going to use it and put it through its paces. If you are looking for a rollerball pen that is refillable with fountain pen ink (especially for those times when a fountain pen is not the best choice), this little pen may be just what you are looking for. I just ordered four more of these pens so I can have them filled with different ink colors.

The first Herbin Rollerball pen arrived in a padded mailer --- it was cracked. I had wanted to use it as an eyedropper pen and --- the ink went very quickly out the crack. Either the product was defective to begin with or, more likely was fine - until it was shipped without any added protection, inside a padded mailer where it had zero protection against crushing. So it was cracked. Fine. I arranged to return it and get a replacement. The replacement had exactly the same problem!!! I had ordered a converter to use with the pen so I have to do that instead of the eyedropper route I had planned to go, which would have given me a LOT of writing before I had to refill - plus it just looks cool so see all your ink in the barrel. It wasn't to be. The pen is fine -- except for showing up cracked TWICE!! THE PEN ITSELF is on the small side so you have to post the cap to make holding it comfortably possible. I have, no offense to anyone else perfect hands... I mean normal sized hands. Bigger hands -- this pen might not work for you. It posts well so that's nice. And the converter works so that's nice too though it doesn't come with a converter, I bought that seperately. Writing - puts down a decent line - scribble away, it'll never go dry (until you run out of ink that is). It's a bit on the scratchy side. I'm now looking for a rollerball that can work as an eyedropper and gives me a smoother writing experience. ONE THING THAT IS GREAT about this pen --- you can leave it uncapped and it won't go dry. I don't leave it uncapped overnight --- but on my desk during the day... it won't dry out and give you a hard start like fountain pens will. Bottom line - the pen is decent for the price and MIGHT even work as an eyedropper --- but only if the pen is shipped in CRUSH PROOF PACKAGING --- like inside a box inside the padded envelope. WARM SATISFACTION - from knowing I'm not littering the landfill with tiny plastic ink cartridges.

I love the concept of this pen. A rollerball that takes a regular ink cartridge. I loaded up the pen with a cheap one that I got from a department store, and it works just fine. The rollerball mechanism is a little 'scratchy' to write with. In all honesty it's not enough to bother me, but it's noticeable and it's not as smooth as a regular rollerball. I do think it could be improved: the pen is small, I would prefer it to be a bit longer in length. I don't have particularly big hands. it is very light. Obviously as it's made from clear plastic, but I'd like some more weight to it (personal I know). The improvements are personal to me, but a heavier (metal?) version that was about an inch longer would make this a very good product. I've edited my review and downgraded it. The pen has cracked around the screw thread to the point where I have wrapped sticky tape around it to keep it tightly secured, and also to prevent it from totally falling apart. really disappointing on the longer term quality.

Writes like a rollerball, but its ultra smooth and takes very little pressure to put ink on paper. Interesting little pen. Overall (What I think of the product): For someone who already uses a fountain pen, ask first. This pen is a downgrade from a fountain pen. For someone who's never used a fountain pen, or someone who write pages of text (i.e. journal or diary) using a regular pen, this would be a very nice gift/upgrade from a regular pen. If you buy this as a gift, buy one of the J. Herbin Ink Cartridges in the little metal tin. It's the ink they recommend and it comes in a few colors. This way you don't have to worry about getting the right ink converter or buying bottled ink (or the wrong kind of ink). The pen plus the ink cartridges make a complete gift. Picture: First line is a Pilot Red Frixion ball point pen; used as a reference since everyone can get one. Second line is from the J. Herbin pen, using Monteverde Ruby Red ink (a "wet" ink), and an ink converter. Third line is from a regular fountain pen, EF (extra fine) nib. Most interesting part of the picture is the color difference between the rollerball tip and the EF nib fountain pen. Exact same ink, but the rollerball is less intense. If I go over the same line a second time, the rollerball will match the red from the fountain pen. That means the rollerball is putting down *less* ink than my EF nib pen; ink doesn't feel or look thin on paper. Expected (stuff I knew/planned on before buying): No replacement rollerball tip available. Take care of the rollerball tip you get. Shorter and skinnier than most fountain pens, so easy to carry everywhere. Its $10 for the pen; this pen is all about function, and not even a little bit about fashion and it shows (there is a nicer metal version). Its $10 for the pen, the least expensive on Amazon for this type of pen. Short barrel means you can only use the Monteverde mini ink converter for bottled ink. Regular converters are too long. They recommend their own ink cartridges. No stars taken off for not working with standard cartridges --> **Standard international cartridges seemed to fit** I used the Jinhao blue cartridges which work fine with other pen brands. When I kept the pen pointing down for a few days, I saw blue ink leaking inside the barrel (one of the benefits of clear pens). Apparently the cartridge doesn't fit anymore; its used to be friction fit for the sides of the cartridges near the opening and now it's not. Not even sure how that happens. Added a thin layer of rubber cement to the cartridge, now it fits fine. It may due to size tolerance between the brand of cartridge and the pen. I'll try again with a different brand ink cartridge and will update the review (may be a while, this isn't a high priority). Writes like a rollerball; no variation is line width. This is expected because... it's a rollerball. Writes smooth like a rollerball. This is expected because... it's a rollerball. No fancy inks that shimmer and glitter since they *will* clog up inside the rollerball tip. And there is no was to clean a blockage out from behind the rollerball tip. Limiting myself to Monteverde inks (they lubricate), Noodler Eel line of inks (they also lubricate), and Pelikan 4001 to prevent issue with dried ink. Pros (good stuff I found out after I got the pen): Writes with very little pressure like a fountain pen--really wasn't expecting that. Even rollerballs require some downward pressure; on this pen the tip just needs to touch the paper like a fountain pen which is just odd because I keep pressing down by habit. You can write with hard pressure when writing to make carbon copies, like a typical rollerball. Writing pressure doesn't make any difference in amount of ink on paper. Lingering the pen tip in one spot will cause bleeding, same as a fountain pen. *should* work with International standard cartridges (2.6mm bore size, I use a JINHAO cartridge), although they recommend the J. Herbin cartridges. Had an issue, not sure if its the pen or the cartridge; will update review later. Only maintenance is flushing the feed and changing inks, so easy to care for. Rollerball tip is stingy with ink. Not so stingy that it skips, but compared to a fountain pen EF nib, the rollerball tip saves ink and will last a *long* time. Rollerball tip is stingy with ink. Allows you to write on almost any paper with minimal or no bleeding (depending on if you use "wet" or "dry" inks) Cons (negative stuff I found out after receiving the pen): Metal spacer ring between barrel body and rollerball tip is easy to lose, Watch for it when inking up the pen. Rollerball tip is stingy with ink. Colors may not be as intense. See picture. For some people, this isn't a negative thing. No way to clean ink out of the feed/rollerball. You don't want to force water into the feed since the pressure may pop out the ball tip. Switching from the Ruby Red to a blue cartridge, it took a page of dense scribbling to clear out the red from the feed and rollerball. This is *after* I washed the rollerball tip under tepid running water until it was clear.

Just got it, seems nice in initial testing. Looks good and feels well-made for a cheap, plastic pen. It's short, especially the body, so you definitely will want to post for anything more than a quick jot; make sure you push it on firmly so it doesn't pop off. The girth is normal, not skinny like a Vector or a Bic, so it's comfortable to hold. And it's light as a feather. Certainly seems to write smoothly enough, not gel pen smooth - a little scratchy on cheap paper, maybe, but ok on better stock. Lays down a nice, consistent line, no skipping or hard starts. Flushed a short cartridge and filled it with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo for this initial test. I'm really impressed, so far; if it continues to perform well, I will definitely order a few more to have a variety of ink colors at hand to use. One word of caution - there is a flat, metal, decorative O-ring that sits between the section and the barrel; it's not attached and easily falls off when you unscrew the barrel to replace the cartridge.