Sometimes in life you have to realize that you were wrong. It's completely okay to admit it, nobody is ever perfect. I had to come to this conclusion last week when I realized that the Pilot G2-07 Gel pen isn't the best pen.
I have been an avid user of the G2-07 for about 4 years now. It all started when I found a red one on the floor, and realized I really liked how it wrote. I still use that same pen. When it runs out of ink, I just replace the ink, but keep the shell. The reason I enjoy writing with it so much is because it writes really smooth, the ink lasts a long time, it doesn't bleed much, and the colors are really vibrant. I quickly fell in love, getting an entire pack with various different colors.
However, things started to change when I replaced the black pen with a Sharpie S Gel pen. I liked the writing experience with the S Gel more. There were some things I didn't like about it, for example the durability of it sucks, and not being able to see the ink level quickly is annoying, but these are all things I got used to. For my red and blue pens, I still kept with the G2-07, because I really like the colors of them. Every other pen has washed out, dark colors.
I have kept with this setup ever since. However, everyone still knows me as the Pilot G2-07 guy. I always keep one with me. However, it wasn't until last week when I started to actually think about the pen. Everything about the pen is good, except for one thing: smearing.
The ink dries so slowly with the G2-07 that if you're left handed, good luck even using it. It's not too noticeable, but it happens enough that your fingers will start to get pink spots at least one time a day. The G2-07 isn't the only pen this can happen with, but it's the one that I see it happen the most with.
What Now?
Despite everything, I am still going to continue using the G2-07. I don't have a better replacement, and the colors are still really nice. I know there are plenty of pen communities online, but my biggest issues with those are they recommend some really obscure pen that costs $40 and has to be imported from Japan. What's the point of using a pen if you can't afford to lose it and you can't just purchase a new one at any store?