Last night I discovered that there is a refillable version of my favorite pen available outside of the US and I am heartbroken. Because I can not? Yo do you have nice things?
I have been writing with him Precise Pilot V5 and the Pilot Precise V7 for at least the last 25 years, possibly more. They are great pens! (Alex Cranz also assured me that pens count as devices. They are, at the very least, technology, even if it is old technology.) Anyway, Pilot Precise pens are available at most drugstores and are cheap; I usually buy them by the dozen. They are very smooth, even on bad paper; I don't have to pressure them to write.
That last part is crucial. Look, there are days when I take extensive handwritten notes (many courts don't allow electronic devices) and so I need to be able to write for several hours without my hand hurting. That rules out all pens – absolutely rubbish! If you need quick-drying ink, use a Dry Sarasa Zebra – and many others besides.
Looking at the blogs written, it seems like a version of this may have existed in the US at some point in the past? (How did I miss this?) So it seems possible that it failed and was taken off the market.
Unfortunately, the Pilot website does not have a press section. So I sent a note to customer service to ask about my new obsession. I will update if I receive a response.
Obviously, I know Amazon exists and I can get someone to buy the pen in Europe and ship it to me here. (You may have already done this.) But I'm not really sure why I need this solution. I'm happy to switch from disposable pens to refillable ones. Also, I think it might be fun to experiment with other inks.
Because the only thing I see as the real drawback of the Precise line is that the ink smears if it comes into contact with water. I'm right-handed, so I don't tend to get ink on my page when I write, but I've spilled water on my page before. The refillable version is compatible with other Pilot refill cartridges, meaning I could try other inks and maybe load my own perfect pen.
Now, I do know people who write, and I've spent a significant amount of time reading their blogs, so I have some guesses, someone will read this and say, “Just use a fountain pen, you lunatic.” But here's the thing: I already know that Precise pens work great for me. And I already know that there is a rechargeable version. Switching to a fountain pen would require some guesswork about what will cause my hand to cramp if I'm going to write for hours. Pilot Precise pens, on the other hand, are a safe bet. Something I know I love.
It's been a minute since I've had a real white whale to chase, but I'm pretty sure it's this: the Pilot Hi-Tecpoint cartridge system. could perfect my favorite pen! I just live in the wrong country to do it.
