I'm very particular when it comes to writing implements. I need smooth ink flow and a vividly dark yet thin line. I also require a point that isn't so narrow that it will bend under my writing pressure, nor so sharp that it will tear the newspaper when I'm doing the crossword. For the longest time, my pen of choice was the Uniball Deluxe micro. It had its flaws (primarily the tendency to spring a nasty leak at the most inconvenient times) but its writing characteristics were superb, and they were hella cheap when buying them by the dozen. Some years ago, however, my local Office Depot stopped selling them in boxes of 12. They're still available in small quantities, but I like to buy lots of pens at a time. Now you may ask why I need to buy pens in bulk, but I found that whenever I would carry one pen around, it would get lost or permanently "borrowed" so I started carrying them in pairs and buying lots of them so I wouldn't care if I misplaced one.

So I embarked on a process of picking up a couple of different pens here and there, trying the Pilot G2, the Pilot Hi-Tec-C, a couple of other Sanford pens (the Vision, Vision Elite, V5 Precise...), and more. I finally settled on some Foray pens that were close, but not quite perfect. My two boxes of pens ran out some time ago, but I found a hidden stash of the Uniball Deluxe micros while cleaning my apartment. Those weren't going to last me long, so on my last trip to Office Depot to pick up some other supplies, I surreptitiously opened several packages to test out various new models of pens that I hadn't seen before.

Lo and behold, I found the Uniball Signo 207 micro. I'm not a huge fan of retractables, but in every other respect this pen is perfect. No boxes of 12, but the price per pen in the blister pack of 4 is comparable to the price I paid for the Uniball Deluxe micros. If you're looking for a new writing implement, give this one a whirl.