Best Pen for Exams and long & fast writing

What is the best pen for long & fast writing?

Best pen for writing

A. Introduction

The aim was to find the best pen for exams and long & fast writing. The requirements for the pen were that it would write exams reliably for up to five hours, that it would not smear, and that it would lie in the hand in such a way that the hand would be less strained, less cramped and less tired.

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The internet didn’t provide us with much information on this topic but the Sensa pen was praised as the most ergonomic ballpoint pen in some forums. At university and during my teacher training, I saw many colleagues using the Schneider Slider Rave XB as an exam pen. Some also swore by the Pizza.de ballpoint pen, a freebie. However, in the end I was not any the wiser as to which pen was the best for exams.

So in order to find out which pen is actually the best for exams, I tested them as follows:

B. Tests

  1. Schneider Slider Rave XB
  2. Sensa Cloud 9
  3. Uniball Signo 207 Premier
  4. Schneider Ray ink Rollerball
  5. Schneider Rollerball Breeze
  6. Pilot G-2 ex
  7. PenAgain
  8. Schneider Haptify
  9. Schneider Memo XB

C. Test Criteria

The goal was to find the best pen for exams. For this purpose, the pen must write well, not smudge, and above all, it must be ergonomically designed in such a way that you can write five hours’ worth of exams with the pen without your hand cramping or tiring. So I worked out some criteria and tested the pens. I used the pen for everyday writing, short writing phases and at least one five-hour written exam. Of course, the test was not carried out under lab conditions, it merely presents my impressions, which were as neutral as possible, but of course still subjective.

1. Criterion: Manufacturing/ Haptic

The pen must feel good and not be a piece of junk. Therefore this criterion played a role.

2. Criterion: Writing Performance

A pen that does not write well does not serve its purpose.

3. Criterion: Writing on correction band

It is not a rare occurrence, especially in a written exam, to make a mistake. And the mistake must be corrected quickly. Therefore it is important how well a pen writes on correction band

4. Criterion: Fast Writing

When writing down lectures or presentations and especially during exams, there is often time pressure. Therefore, the best pen must also be able to write quickly.

5. Criterion: Suitability for long writing phases / Ergonomics

How good would it be to have a pen with which you could write quickly, clearly and for a long time without your hand hurting?

6. Criterion: Price/Performance

What good is the best pen if it is disproportionately expensive?

D. Conclusion

What is the best Pen for Exams and long & fast writing?

Test Winner: Uniball Signo 207 Premier

The Uniball Signo 207 Premier scored the most points with an impressive 52 out of 60.

The Uniball gel writer may not write well on correction band. But due to the gel grip area and the gel cartridge, it is best suited for long writing phases. The price-performance ratio also leaves nothing to be desired.

Buy the Uniball Signo 207 Premier here. (Amazon affiliate link)

Click here for the full test.

2nd Place: Sensa Cloud 9: 51 of 60 points

This pen has a better gel grip than the Uniball Signo 207 Premier and also writes well, but it is very expensive.

Buy the Sensa Cloud 9 here. (ebay affiliate link)

Click here for the full test.

3rd Place with 46 of 60 points: Schneider Ray Tintenroller

It is superbly manufactured, writes reliably and lies comfortably in the hand. Some points have to deducted for its performance when writing on correction band. During long writing phases it does not quite match the ergonomics of the pens with gel grip surfaces. But if you are looking for an ink pen, the Schneider Ray is a great choice.

Buy the Schneider Ray here. (Amazon affiliate link)

Click here for the full test.

Also in 3rd Place: the Schneider Haptify with 51 points

Although the Schneider Haptify is equal to the Sensa Cloud in terms of points, it is still ranked 3rd. The reason for this is that the Schneider Haptify achieves the points advantage in particular through its good price/performance ratio, which says very little about the quality of the pen when writing and is therefore negligible in the overall evaluation.

The Schneider Haptify is nevertheless ergonomically shaped and has a very good cartridge, does not smear, writes on correction band without any problems and has an excellent price-performance ratio. In long writing phases it does not offer the advantages of the gel grip surfaces. Nevertheless, the Schneider Haptify is a very good ballpoint pen, especially for everyday use.

Buy the Schneider Haptify here.

Click here for the full test.

4th Place: Schneider Breeze Rollerball Pen with 45 of 60 points

Although it is a bit better when it comes to ergonomics, it writes with a different cartridge. This one dried up a bit during fast writing and caused the line to become uneven at times. Therefore the Schneider Breeze landed just behind the Schneider Ray.

Buy Schneider Breeze here. (Amazon affiliate link)

Click here for the full test.

Also in 4th Place: Schneider Slider Rave XB and Schneider Memo XB

These pens are almost identical. Both pens are comfortable to hold and write well. However, the grip surface is quite hard for both pens and the pens do not lie perfectly in the hand, which means that they press on your finger during longer writing phases. Both pens are well suited for taking notes, but not for long exams.

Buy Schneider Slider Rave XB here: (Amazon affiliate link)

Click here for the full test.

Buy Schneider Memo XB here: (Amazon affiliate link)

Click here for the full test.

Second to last place: PenAgain with 43 of 60 points

The PenAgain has a good approach and is ergonomically superb. However, it is poorly manufactured and the cartridge does not write as well as the other pens. In addition, changing the cartridge is cumbersome.

Buy PenAgain here. (Amazon affiliate link)

Click here for the full test.

Last place with 40 of 60 points: the Pilot G-2 ex

This is in its essence just a simple ballpoint pen, which writes well, but does not have any ergonomic features that could assist during long periods of writing.

Buy Pilot G-2 ex here. (Amazon affiliate link)

Click here for the full test.