I am that kind of person who, when looking for a pen, will read all kinds of blog posts written by pen snobs and aficionados, only to come away with the feeling that I don't know my pens well enough.
Here in the Netherlands, we have the Consumentenbond (the Consumer-Union?), basically a test organization with an accompanying magazine and website. They are held in very high regard, but most of their tests are behind a paywall or only published in their magazine.
So, how is a cheapskate like me to find out about The Best Pen? Well, for most of my needs, ✨ The Wirecutter, ✨ once so named because they helped people to "cut the wire" of their cable TV and internet providers, does just fine.
They are open about how they make money. It's simple: they test stuff, write about the tests, and post Amazon Affiliate links. Quite like how your dear writer does it, too.
Back to the pen, or rather, The Pen.
I am a simple guy with simple guy-needs. A pen should write. It should be affordable. It shouldn't kill my wrist after some lines of text have been jotted down.
Now, to reach pen-Nirvana, I had to climb a big mountain 🏔️. After ploughing through comparison charts and wading through blogposts, I first came upon the Pentel SignPen, a great pen, so I was told, that is produced in Japan. I bought a bunch of SignPen's in March 2021 and tested them. Somehow they were not for me, though. The ink bleeds through fine paper, the tip is too broad, they don't even "feel right." Why should I ever trust pen snobs' opinions ever again?
I didn't give up, though, on my quest to unlock this life achievement, Finding The Right Pen For Me. Thanks to the aforementioned snobs' blogposts and The Wirecutter, I found another pen worthy of my attention: