For business, home or recreation, the importance of a good pen cannot be understated. A person's choice of pen can reflect their writing needs, profession or even personality. Therefore, it is important to understand the essential benefits and differences of ballpoint and celluloid pens.
The Ballpoint Pen
Ballpoint pens are typified by two characteristics. The first is a retractable writing point that is either "clicked" by a button or twisted at the center of the pen to force the point out.
Second, and more importantly, is the ballpoint itself. The metal tip's edge has a small hole in the center of it, with a ball inside of the tip that rolls as the pen moves across the paper, letting out the ink underneath the ball.
Celluloid Pens
Celluloid pens, also referred to as fountain pens, are also typified by two important characteristics. The first distinction of a celluloid pen is the refillable ink chamber inside the pen that leads to the writing nib.
The second characteristic is the non-retractable writing nip, as opposed to a rolling ball point. Ink flows from the chamber to the very edge of the nip, giving the writing a sharper, crisper quality, with the amount of ink varying, depending on the amount of pressure and time left on the page.
Benefits of the Ballpoint
An immediate advantage of the ballpoint pen is the price. Their low cost makes them more appealing and accessible for everyday writing. Most ballpoint pens are not made to be refillable, so the loss of one is rarely a problem, as there is almost always another close by.
Ballpoint pens are also smaller and lighter than nearly all celluloid pens, making them easier to carry and transport in bulk. If a person needs to put a pen in his shirt pocket, it is significantly easier to do so with a ballpoint, as the bulky, weighty celluloid would fit awkwardly.
Ball point pens also leak less, making it a safer bet to carry in a shirt or pocket.
Benefits of the Celluloid
The main advantage of the celluloid pen is that nearly every aspect of it is designed to create a more comfortable, effortless and high-quality finished product.
The large, bulky grip of celluloid pens free the fingers from having to tightly grasp around the small circumference of the ballpoint.
Unlike the ballpoint, celluloids are designed to write fluidly, without excess pressure needed to make ink flow, making the final written product look nicer and more stylish. This feature makes the celluloid ideal for long writing sessions, signatures and sketches.
Celluloid pens are also refillable, making them perfect choice for the person who prefers the simplicity of having one pen, as opposed to hundreds cluttered among their possessions.
Hybrid Pens and Other Alternatives
Rollerball pens use the ink and flow system of celluloid pens along with a ball point tip to create an inexpensive alternative to celluloid pens with a better writing quality than ballpoints.
Pilot-brand Precise pens also combine ball point with celluloid styles and come in a variety of writing sizes, making them ideal for illustration.
Space Pens have a pressurized interior and allow for writing upside down and at other previously difficult angles.
