The Pilot Acroball 7mm Ballpoint Pen in Red
With my last post on the Pilot G2, @dowdyism from the PenAddict (click the link for his review) left a comment that reminded me I had never reviewed the Pilot Acroball 7mm ballpoint pen that I picked up from JetPens a few months ago. I figured now was a good time to do the review before I forget again.
Full body shot of the Pilot Acroball 7mm Ballpoint
One of the things that first attracted me to this pen was the cool looking body and the claim that it is a strong competitor to the Uniball Jetstream which I really enjoy writing with. One of the things you can probably tell from both pictures, even without ever holding the pen is that the grip on the Pilot Acroball is really nice. It has a pattern on it that reminds me of a car tire read, and its very comfortable to hold when you are writing with it.
Close up of the Pilot Acroball Ballpoint .7mm Grip
In additon to the grip on the Acroball, the pen feels comfortable in your hand while writing with it, and overall it has a good balance with what feels like sturdy construction. Visually, I still like the all black, almost stealthy look of the Uniball Jetstream that I compared this pen with, but the Pilot Acroball looks nice as well, its just a more “flashy” nice look in my opinion.
When it comes to writing with the Pilot Acroball ballpoint pen, you really do get a feel that is similar to the Jetstream. This is a ballpoint pen that really makes you forget that you are writing with a ballpoint. You don’t have that sticky and gooey feeling of the ink dragging behind the tip of the pen as you write, and instead its a very smooth writing experience. This improved writing experience is due to the improved ink formula that does not rely on the more oil based consistency of a typical ballpoint pen.
A Writing Sample with the Pilot Acroball 7mm compared to the Uniball Jetstream .7mm
Above you can see a scan of the writing sample that I did with the Pilot Acroball, and towards the bottom I did a comparison to the Uniball Jetstream. The writing experience of this pen definitely compares well with the Jetstream. I feel as though the Acroball does skip just a slight bit more than the Jetstream as you can see from the very few white spots in the scan. In trying to find any major difference between the two pens, I did a test to see which (if either) dried quicker, and they seem to match up almost identically taking just about 4 seconds to completely dry. I think the only real difference that I could detect between the two pens (other than the very slight skipping) is that the Jetstream feels like it writes faster, meaning that I feel like the pen slides across the paper quicker, which could be good for some people, but if you don’t like that feeling then the Pilot Acroball is probably better for you. The only other difference for someone comparing the two pens is the visual design, with one being more flashy, and one being more stealthy. Overall the Acroball is a great option for a ballpoint pen, and I think the comparison to the Jestream is a solid one.
Looks like a nice pen! I might have to try it out!
@Monica – Yeah, its not a bad pen, definitely one of the better ballpoints you will find if thats what you are looking for. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
On the whole, I prefer the Jetstream. But the Acroball grip blows the Jetstream grip out of the water, imho. In fact, I think Uni generally lags well behind when it comes to grips. The grip on the older version of the Uni Power Tank is good, but I don’t think is on the same great level as the Acroball or the Zebra Sarasa Clip grip, another really fantastic grip.
Btw, the pattern on the Acroball grip is called herringbone.
@Der Bingle – I think I agree, Im kinda partial to the Jetstream. I dont mind the grip either, I like the fact that on some of them its all black and blends in with the rest of the body of the pen…very stealthy looking.
As for the pattern on the grip, I just chose to go with the tire tread comparison because it conveys more of a “grippy” (if thats a word 🙂 ) connotation, herringbone is certainly an accurate description but, it reminds me of fine china, not a pen grip. 🙂
@OSG – Didn’t mean to sound like a know-it-all with the herringbone bit. And you are quite right about the context.
I noticed at my local Walgreens today a two pack of Pilot ‘Easy Touch Pro’ ballpoints. The pens inside are Acroballs with a slightly different look, including a metal clip. The grip is the same and the refills seem the same, too. $3.99 (plus a $1.75 rebate on the package ;-)).
The grip on the Jetstream isn’t bad, but, imho, has nowhere near the same tackiness as the Pilot. The Acroball has a great grip. Again, uni doesn’t do grips as well as their main Japanese competitors.
Btw, do you happen to know if either of these pens has archival quality ink? I tend to doubt it. Plus, I should know the answer already.
@Der Bingle – You dont sound like a know-it-all, and in reality you were 100% right, anyway. That sounds like a good (and interesting) deal on the Pilot Each Touch Pros
As for the Jetstream and Acroball, I wasnt 100% sure myself, but based on the searches I just did, I think that they both have archival quality ink.
@OSG – I could/should have searched myself, but figured you would know. 😉 Thank you for the information.
@Der Bingle – No problem, always happy to help where I can. 🙂
My Acroball seems to perform very well on the first day I use it but suddenly fades away the next few days refering to its intensity and color. What makes it do that?