I have compared about $400 worth of stationary supplies in the past two years, looking for office pens that work well for drawing. My conclusion is that there

I have compared about $400 worth of stationary supplies in the past two years, looking for office pens that work well for drawing. My conclusion is that there are basically three that I will gravitate to, and to get qualities beyond that I'll turn to fountain, dip pen, or felt markers: 1. Bic Cristal, the world's most popular ballpoint. They've had decades to get the ink feeling just right(and they do tweak it every year) and it produces a nice, gradual dampening on movements without being slippery or scratchy. In the 1.6mm bold colors, you can also feel a distinct difference between each color. Oil paste has nice qualities for texture and value and it doesn't smudge easily - there's always a reason to want it around, even if isn't suitable as an archival art supply. Bic's other ballpoint models are also fine, basically just alternate bodies for the same ink. 2. Uniball 207+ Plus. The "+ plus" model is a new version of Uni's permanent gel ink. It's a terrifyingly consistent gel pen: the line doesn't skip often, it doesn't feel soapy like the original 207, nor is it scratchy like many competitors. It's a "default all-purpose pen" that makes a bold and dark line. 3. Uniball One F. Uni scores another hit here, but in a more niche realm. The Uni One ink is designed to sit at the surface of the paper and not saturate, which makes it extremely dark, comparable to dark india inks. As a general tool it has issues with skipping and is rather demanding of the paper, but it can make some remarkably delicate lines in 0.38mm when working slowly. It also scrapes off easily since it doesn't saturate. The F model has a higher weight at the tip which adds a bit of extra control.