Talk:Gel pen

Resistance to analysis

From article: A tremendous advantage of gel pens is that they resist laboratory analysis.

I imagine some people see this as a disadvantage. In the interest of NPOV, I have changed the sentence to Another trait of gel pens…

--Ryanrs 05:26, 13 February 2006 (UTC).

TLC is a very simple method of analysis. I'm sure that gel ink can be analyzed using any number of other methods, and that normal inks are analyzed with other methods as well. That the ink doesn't dissolve in a solvent doesn't qualify in any way as 'resisting laboratory analysis.'

Gel pen quality

Why is there no mention of how inferior they are to traditional ink pens? The only advantage to a gel pen is the colours of available "ink" and the visibility on dark paper. Gel pens do not write smoothly and scratch the paper with their metal tips instead of allowing smooth flow of ink. They do not last as long as ink pens and often leave over three quarters of the gel in the pen with virtually no way to re-start the flow. I have always been confused as to why companies bother manufacturing gel pens at all (I have tried many different brands as I have access to discount art supplies and there is no difference between them). Try colouring a square 5cm by 5cm with a gel pen, you will end up with scratched paper and a high percentage of bare patches where "ink" didn't come through onto the paper, it's virtually impossible to colour solidly with one. They are far worse than regular pens and in my mind are the most useless and pointless of all man's inventions. Why replace something that works with something that doesn't and only holds novelty value? Something ought to be in the article stating their disadvantages. Mr.bonus 16:05, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Opinions matter but... Yes I'm sure that you are right in saying this, but it is your opinion and wikipedia is a neutral source of information. if you have any evidence on this matter, and you can verify this, by all means, edit and insert your section into the document. until then, try and maintain a level of neutrality, even on talk pages. Random articles 18:29, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

I have to write a lot and I only use gel pens because find them the most comfortable of any pens. So this is definitely a matter of opinion. ssepp^(talk) 11:30, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

I would also have to disagree with the assessment above that Gel pens are useless. I have been using them nearly exclusively for the past 10 years due to their ease of writing and bold lines. I have not noticed any scratching of the paper when I write. The only downside I see to them compared to other types of pens is the drying time - I find I have to wait a few extra seconds for the ink to dry before handling due to the amount of extra ink they lay on the paper. Other than that, they're a real pleasure to write with. FYI, I'm not using anything particularly fancy - mostly just a Pilot G2 for the last couple of years. Dlsimon (talk) 21:52, 4 June 2010 (UTC)

Another problem is that I've found that if the paper gets "handled", the residual skin oil that collects on the paper prevents the gel pen from writing smoothly. That's especially true the further down on the page you go because your forearm rests on the paper as you write on the top lines. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 151.200.18.54 (talk) 16:19, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

The "opinions" expressed above by Mr.bonus and 151.200.18.54 would be regarded as Original Research by WP content standards, but could well be included on the page if cited from reliable sources. -- Deborahjay (talk) 10:36, 6 February 2010 (UTC)

Life of a gel pen?

Rather than lament that they have a limited lifespan, it would be more helpful if we had some info on what would make them last longer, what (if anything) can be done to restart one that has stopped, and how long one can reasonably expect them to last. Typofixer76 10:17, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Color/Colour

i've checked the wiki policy for this, and as this article was written in UK english and not american, this means that the spelling of color is actually coloUr. (remember a U). I'd thank everyone to not change the spelling from now on. Random articles 13:15, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

Writing upside-down

In my own tests, gel pens seem to write upside-down, like Fisher Space Pens. Is this a known and recognized property of gel pens? If so, it should be mentioned in both articles. --David McCabe 05:10, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

The article is inaccurate on this, gel pens, while portraying properties like the Fisher Space Pen, are not the only type of pen that can do this (like the page claims), obviously, the Fisher Space Pen can too. 157.89.86.107 02:06, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

Merge

As mentioned in the introduction of this article, roller ball pens use water based liquid or gel, while ballpoints use oil based inks. This article should be merged with rollerball pen, as this article talks more about the pen than the ink.68.244.80.163 (talk) 16:47, 27 September 2008 (UTC)

I disagree, mainly because that point can be rectified easily enough. To combine something that is only remotely similar is not the best thinking i've ever come across. I see your point, but that problem doesnt require a merger - just a bit more research and maybe a recall of some of the articles old information. Random articles (talk) 20:01, 27 September 2008 (UTC)

photo of a roller pen as a gel pen ?

i just saw [[1]] and it had the same photo !!!. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.118.144.8 (talk) 06:52, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

Comparison section is confusing

The section comparing gel pens to other types of pens is not very clear. It lists various types of pens and then describes how the gel pen is different from the other type of pen. It is easy to become confused with this format and the wording in the article and associate the comparisons with the pen being contrasted instead of to the gel pen. It also doesn't compare the same categories between different types of pens, making it hard to determine where the gel pen would fit in. For example, a listed advantage of a gel pen over a fountain/roller-ball is "Can create white or brightly coloured opaque lines on dark surfaces," however this advantage is not listed for ballpoints, so do we assume ballpoint pens can do that too? If someone who knows wiki better could make a chart or something with the capabilities of each type of design/inks, it would be very useful in many of these pen articles. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.158.1.164 (talk) 21:55, 15 October 2012 (UTC)

Check fraud prevention claims

Manufacturers such as Uni-Ball tout their gel ink pens as being able to prevent check fraud. I'm curious as to how factual their claims are and just how gel ink accomplishes this, and I think this would be a good subject for this article to address. 69.168.127.35 (talk) 12:43, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

History

When were these invented, where, and by who? -- Beland (talk) 22:10, 24 December 2013 (UTC)

What is it?

What is the liquid at the end of the gel pen ink refill? what substance is it made up of? Ankit2299 (talk) 17:52, 30 December 2015 (UTC)

Gel pens

Just earlier I accidentally broke a gel pen and the ink spilled everywhere. There definitely needs to be a section on gel pen safety. Are gel pens really safe and why do people sometimes get enraged about these incidents. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.150.68.26 (talk) 01:17, 30 September 2016 (UTC)