Typically when I think of pens, I have to say that 3M is not the first brand that I think of. On the other hand, when I think of office supplies in general, then 3M and Post-it certainly come to the top of my mind. I think sticky notes are one of the most commonly thought of office supplies, so the fact that they are starting to offer a wider line of pens should come as no surprise. The Post-it Flag + pen that I am reviewing today comes directly from the fine folks at 3M, and they were kind enough to not only share enough of these to do a giveaway, but also supplied me with a few new products to review that they have not yet released. If you are looking for these pens immediately, Amazon does have them here for $5.87.
The body of this pen is identical to the Post-it Flag+ Permanent Marker body which I recently reviewed, except for the black/white color difference. I really like the grips on these pens, they have a very comfortable rubberized grip, but I also really like the way that the grip section tapers in then back out again as it goes towards the point. My only concern with this version of the pen is that I could see that the white rubber grip might get dirty or grungy looking after a bit, but I would imagine that with good personal hygiene that shouldnt be a problem. 🙂
I think it is also important to note that although this pen does have a unique shape and actually has a storage space for flags at the top, you really dont sense any sort of top-heaviness when writing with it. Writing with it for any length of time did not pose a problem of discomfort for me, although I think that most people using this pen are probably taking notes, and going back and forth between writing and flagging pages. This alternating action would probably avoid any serious issues due to weight or imbalance, if there was any.
Now for the most part, there are very few ballpoint pens that I like to write with, I just dont usually find them to write as smooth and as nice as some other types of pens, however these ballpoints really do write well. I do have other preferences, but if given this ballpoint to write with, I certainly wouldnt complain about its performance. If you take a closer look at the writing sample above you can see that the ink from this ballpoint pen writes very consistently, and shows no gumming or clumping.

The color coordinated Post-it flags with blue dots that match the blue ink of the pen. The Post-it Flag+ in black has matching Post-it Flags with black dots.
The Post-it Flags that come with this pen have a little bit of character with their polka dot and color coordinated pattern. The pens with blue ink have blue dots on the flags, and the pens with black ink have black dots on the flags. Having two subtly different colors of the dots might be helpful to someone who likes to color coordinate their notes.

The Post-it Flag+ ballpoint pen disassembled to show the easily refillable Post-it Flag compartment.
The last picture shows the pen disassembled so you can see how the flag efilling system works. The clear top part of the pen just slides up and off, and the flags sit inside of it between two lengths of plastic that keep them centered and stable. As you pull the flags out of the pen, they alternate directions to make their removal easier.
I think these pens offer a convenience that is very helpful to the frequent note-taker who likes to write with a ballpoint pen. At a price of $2.93 each or $5.87 for the pack of 2, it really is a great product if you are a Post-it flag user, or if you are just looking for a way to be a better organized or more efficient note taker.
As I said earlier in the post, keep your eyes out for additional Post-it reviews for some new, unreleased products that they have in their line. Also, I will be doing another giveaway soon that will include the 2 pack of the Post-it Flag+ Pen ballpoints in both blue and black, along with all the other items previously included in my giveaways.
Informative review, as always. The dotted post-its are neat, they look … I don’t know, sort of 60s-ish? Cool, anyway.
Big plus for the disassembled pen photo, and the super close-ups. It’s like going shopping without having to leave my computer! I love huge photos… *happy sigh*
Marte – Im glad you found the review helpful, and I agree with you on the dotted Post-it flags, they do have kind of a retro look to them.
Also happy to see that the super close-up pictures are helpful, that is one of my objectives here, to help people be able to make good decisions on what pen or office supply is best for them.
P.S. – Congrats on the JetPens win. 😉
I love this pen! Do you know where to order refills of the polka dot flags? I can’t seem to find refills of those flags anywhere.
@Wendy – I’ve got an email out to my contact at 3M. I did some searching online and didnt see any of them available anywhere, hopefully he can help out…Ill let you know what I hear back.
Great! Thanks so much for your help.
@Wendy – I heard back from my 3M/Post-it contact who told me that they only have packs of the yellow refills available right now, and you can get them at http://www.3mestore.com, the product code for them is 689-RFS. They did mention that if they got enough requests for the polka dot flags they would consider carrying them.
Thanks so much for checking into that. I sure hope others contact them about the polka dot flags…that was one of the reasons I bought it in the first place. Do you know who people should contact if they want polka dot flag refills?
@Wendy – No problem. I think the best approach would be to use the “Contact 3M” link at the bottom left of the http://www.shop3m.com/ page. But now my contact knows that at least one person is looking for them since I emailed him the question. 🙂