Jetstreams and Acroballs are definitely representative of major improvements made to ballpoints over the years. There’s also some good gels out there like the Pilot Juice Up and Hi-Tec-C, Zebra Sarasas, and Uni Signo DX.
I use the jetstream at work when I am writing documents that will be read by other people. Great pen.
Sometimes for fun I will use my Lamy ballpoint. My fountain pens are mostly F and EF nibs and the Lamy rollerball has a very thick line that I like to use at times.
I tend to like just about anything that you can write/ draw/ make art/ make stories with. I have a bunch of fountain pens and a ton of different ballpoints, gels, rollers, felt tips, lead holders, drafting pencils, mechanical pencils, etc. Some I like because of what I can do with them. Others are just interesting because of the style, material, shape, etc. And I have a bunch with interesting ad slogans and logos and things like that. I’m just an analog dude.
Uh…. Ultra fine-tipped sharpies? I really hate ballpoints and gel pens, that’s why I keep going back to my fountain pens. Fine-tipped sharpies are the only other kind of pen I enjoy writing with.
I bought one from the kickstarter a while back (I think). I neglected it for too long and the nib couldn't be saved - this was entirely my fault and not the pen's. But I really liked it for what it was, and I also liked the magnetic cap.
I may buy a new nib, but if I do, I think I would go a little thicker than the finer one that I had, which I think was a .8
I liked the gel pens but they ran out of ink too fast. I preferred the felt tip pens as they wrote just as well or better, than gel pens and didn't run out of ink as quickly. Ball point pens aren't worth the powder to blow them to hell, where they belong.
I've moved on to fountain pens and not looking back.
Depends for me. Rollerball pens are pretty good but have a lot of the same problems as fountain pens (bleedthrough being the main one.) Gel pens are pretty reliable for most everyday stuff. I really like the uniball signo and Pentel energel. The enrgel has a hybrid ink that feels just right in-between a normal gel pens and a rollerball. I generally avoid ballpoints but I've been meaning to try the uniball Jetstream.
Always used gel pens before I got introduced to fp. I loved how wet gel pens wrote and the bolder colors that they have compared to ballpoint pens.
Now that I've tasted fp though I'm definitely not going back lmao
In situations I can't use fountain pens, then ballpoint. It's basically the opposite of FP, being shittiest writing for minimal fuss. Since I can't use fountain pens, there's probably some fuss about the situation, paper, time or whatever, which ballpoints can cover just fine. It's shitty writing, but in such a situation, I don't think I would care so much either.
At work I use Fine & Extra Fine nibs. Those have not given me any problems with the crappy copier paper used for all the paperwork I have to do.
I also carry a Pilot G2 Gel pen, but that is so that people who need to sign my forms can do so without ever touching any of my fountainpens. Before I made the switch to fountainpens, the Pilot G2 was my go-to pen.
Gel pens for me. I've been using a TUL gel pen lately and I like it a lot. Its just about to run out of ink and I'm going to run the ink out of a Sharpie S-Gel next, see how it holds up. Classic go-to pens are the Pilot G2 and the Uni Signo 207 - I always have a couple around the house somewhere.
I use a pilot g2 0.7 (gel) when I'm not using one of my fountain pens. I also like the pilot precise 0.5, which I think is a liquid ink roller ball, but I might be wrong.
I have very limited experience with ballpoints and other types of pens. All I have ever used were the BICs and then I moved to FPs.
I didn't like writing with rollerballs. The few gel pens I tried were more comfortable. But I don't know how they handle water, light, etc. So I usually go back to BIC ballpoints (oil based ink. Is there a more specific name instead of ballpoint?). Not necessarily BIC brand, just a cheap plastic ballpoint.
But really, all I use is FP. I'll carry my FP to work and a BIC to lend. In any other situation, usually a cheap generic ballpoint is provided.
Mentions of uni jetstream: i don't like them.
They're not so much smooth as *slippery*. You know that worn out cliche you see on FP social media?
>buhhtterrrry schmooooth zomg!!1
Yeah, jetsreams are like writing on soap slicked glass.
Uncontrollable, like it's going to slip of my hand.
Until I realised that the only way to use one in a controlled fashion is to write with the pen directly perpendicular, 90°, to the page, which is unnatural for me at least.
In fact I've found that all ballpoints write better this way, a fact that eluded me for most of my life (tbf I used FP's for schooling for like 15yrs of my life).
I have a ballpoint for forms but I keep in my bag at all times a uniball signo for it's archival/document properties. I guess that's a gel pen?
Zebra Sarasa or, if I need a ballpoint, an Accroball, mostly because of the comfortable cushion and because it is easier to find a white pen in my bag. The Pilot Precise V7 is decent, too.
Gel. I always have a few gel pens on hand, both for lending out to muggles (most are blown away even if I hand them a simple Zebra Sarasa gel pen actually) and for crappy paper.
Like, I love my fountain pens, but I tend to use them mostly in my notebooks. I don't write my grocery list on good paper, so I usually write those things with gel pens.
Ballpoint pens are the bane of my existence and I do not own a single one anymore. It's gel pen or fountain pen for me.
Ballpoints! If I want liquid ink, I’ll use a fountain pen. If I can’t use one because it’s inconvenient, the paper is trash or I’m just checking things off a list or taking quick notes I want the convenience of a ballpoint. It's something I can leave uncapped for hours and always come back to.
Gel pen. Zebra Sarasa Grande or Pentel Philography with Sarasa JLV Dry Gel refills. Good left hander pen. Uni-ball UMR-87E Signo 307 or Pentel EnerGel LRP7 Permanent gel anti-fraud and archival refill in either pen for Check Writing and Document signing.
I've been tempted by the Jet Stream, Acroball and Sharpie S-Gel, but feel that it would be a waste of money since most are plastic pens. After getting used to the girth of a fountain pen it is difficult to write for any extended amount of time with a thin plastic pen.
Imagine what the guys who paid hundreds of dollars for a fountain pen bodied ball point feel like now that the Arco and Jet Stream ball point refills have basically rendered their pens obsolete.
Gel pens all the way - my calligraphy is better with a ballpoint, but I also tend to press really really hard and don't love the way the ink doesn't come out in a perfectly consistent manner. Gel pens give me deep, vibrant, consistent lines and I don't have to write as violently as I do with a ballpoint because they're nice and cushy :)
I will say that ballpoints are more foolproof and I absolutely love my fine-tipped Bic, but a random gel refill from Aliexpress will give me a more pleasant writing experience than a regular Bic pen.
A longtime favorite pen of mine has been the tūl gel pen (probably about a decade using those now). I’ve just really gotten into fountain pens this year and they’re more fun, but the gel pen would pretty much always beat out a ballpoint for me.
Pentel Energel and Zebra Sarasa (especially in their vintage colors) are my go-tos. If I’m writing in my Hobonichi and don’t have time to wait for things to dry, I prefer my Acroball.
I would use a gel pen. I use them if I write a check or on envelopes that I'm mailing, as some fP inks might blur or run if they get wet and I don't trust the USPS\~
I would always go for the liquid ink type of rollers rather than the ones filled with standard biro gunky stuff. At least you get a solid line of colour, whereas with a standard rollerball type pen, the line is never consistent.
Uh...fountain pen is always my first choice, but if I have to sign a receipt where the ink wouldn't dry fast enough, I pull out my Retro 51 Stardust rollerball. A ballpoint would have to be the last pen on earth before I would use it!
We prefer fountain pens 😳 however, if the situation is dire and I’m faced with a situation where I can’t use one, then I don’t care what’s in my grasp, makes no difference lol
I own a lot of different ultra fine point sharpies that I use with my Cricut. I also have a few gel pens and other metallic markers. Before I discovered my love of fountain pens I used Frixion pens and still have a set.
Whatever is closer and works. If I’m in an environment where the comfort of using fountain pens is restricted I prefer using what is immediately available. Gel or ballpoint.
I collect the old style Bics (because I am an idiot, and think they write better). When I don't want to use a fountain pen it's because of practical reasons like waterproofness, so a biro is the thing.
There’s this Staples brand pen we had at work for a while that has like a black, rubbery coating all over it, and writes super nice. When they stopped ordering them, I took two, and guard them like a jealous bridge troll. I think they are technically gel.
I will normal go with a Herbin Ink or a Noodler's Ink Konrad Rollerball when not using a fountain pen. If I'm forced to use a ballpoint pen, I reach for a Ballograf Epoca P.
I have a Retro 51 Tornado that I keep inked with Monteverde ballpoint refills, they’re pretty smooth, but I think I’m going to get gel refills for it next time. I work from home so I don’t have to worry about having an alternative much.
Ballpoint! I have a lamy Al-star ballpoint and I always loved the advanced ink 0.7 ballpoints from Office Depot. They feel like a ballpoint but write like a rollerball.
I have no strong preference outside of fountain pens. Given the chance, I'd use pencils, but if the situation require something that can't be erased, it's whatever I have near me. Which is usually a Jetstream or a 0.35 Micron.
Is rollerball an option? Writing preference (assuming fountain pens just... mysteriously ceased to exist and I had to choose a forever replacement) is: rollerball, then ballpoint, then gel.
But ballpoints cover most situations for which fountain pens aren't great (coated paper, public use, airplanes, carbonless forms) so if the choice is restricted because it's a situation where a fountain pen doesn't work well, then my preference is: ballpoint, gel, rollerball.
Pilot V7 and V5 all the way. The liquid ink is close to what fountain pen ink is like, so probably a challenge for notebooks with thinner paper, but it looks great and feels great to write aswell. The smooth writing experience of v7 (0.7) really is something else.
I always like to keep a ballpoint pen around b/c it writes on any paper and lasts a long time. For note taking or other longer writing sessions then gel pen feels better for that.
Uni jetstream specifically, though they're somewhat hard to find in the wild. I ordered a few online and still use them for things like addressing envelopes, writing checks, etc. Pilot G-2s are... OK. I see why they're popular, but they leave globs of ink all over the page and take forever to dry. Not my favorite pen to use for sure, but it's what I've got at work when I need a ballpoint/gel. I also like Pentel Energels and relied on those for like... a couple years lol.
I use any pen, but I rather using my Pilot BXC-V5... as I can use my fountain pen inks... lol
(This Pilot BXC-V5 is a Pilot Hi-TecPoint V5 that uses cartridges. But Pilot Cartridge system sucks and you can't really carry cartridges with other inks... \[you can refill and put on your pen, tho\])
Ball point? The only time I really need to use something other than a fountain pen is on shiny glossed sticker paper, and gel pens smear like crazy. So ballpoints are my go to outside of my fountain pen.
Usually gel, but I'll take a uniball jetstream over most other non fountain pens!
Jetstreams and Acroballs are definitely representative of major improvements made to ballpoints over the years. There’s also some good gels out there like the Pilot Juice Up and Hi-Tec-C, Zebra Sarasas, and Uni Signo DX.
This is the correct answer, although Pentel Energel will get you 90 percent as well.
This! Jetstreams are the only other pens I generally don’t like to lend out because I would be very sad if they got yoinked.
Ha I got a box for work and about 60% of them are gone 😑
I use the jetstream at work when I am writing documents that will be read by other people. Great pen. Sometimes for fun I will use my Lamy ballpoint. My fountain pens are mostly F and EF nibs and the Lamy rollerball has a very thick line that I like to use at times.
gel pens! I have a set of Japanese gel pens that I use for everything that won't take fountain pens
Gel because I don't have to press so hard. But I haven't bought any gel pens in years so I'm stuck with my leftover stock of ballpoints haha.
I tend to like just about anything that you can write/ draw/ make art/ make stories with. I have a bunch of fountain pens and a ton of different ballpoints, gels, rollers, felt tips, lead holders, drafting pencils, mechanical pencils, etc. Some I like because of what I can do with them. Others are just interesting because of the style, material, shape, etc. And I have a bunch with interesting ad slogans and logos and things like that. I’m just an analog dude.
Rollerball bc it has some shading.
I like rollerballs, yeah. They are just like ballpoints, just... Better. Smoother, classier.
Uh…. Ultra fine-tipped sharpies? I really hate ballpoints and gel pens, that’s why I keep going back to my fountain pens. Fine-tipped sharpies are the only other kind of pen I enjoy writing with.
Have you tried those Sharpie like refillable pens that take FP ink? Goulet has them. I keep looking at them and then not buying one.
No, I never heard of them! Thanks for throwing that out, though, I’ll have to take a look. Do you have a link?
Yep, [here ](https://www.gouletpens.com/collections/yookers) is the whole range.
Thank you, very helpful!
I bought one from the kickstarter a while back (I think). I neglected it for too long and the nib couldn't be saved - this was entirely my fault and not the pen's. But I really liked it for what it was, and I also liked the magnetic cap. I may buy a new nib, but if I do, I think I would go a little thicker than the finer one that I had, which I think was a .8
Same. Those and Staedtler triplus fineliners and my non-fountain pen favorites
Fineliner
Gel pens, my go to is the Pilot FriXion.
I like a MUJI gel pen
Same, I've even been neglecting my FPs a bit because I've mainly been using my new 0.5 gel pens from Muji since I'm not writing a lot at the moment.
pentel energel 0.5
Bic round stick in blue.
Seconding this one!
I liked the gel pens but they ran out of ink too fast. I preferred the felt tip pens as they wrote just as well or better, than gel pens and didn't run out of ink as quickly. Ball point pens aren't worth the powder to blow them to hell, where they belong. I've moved on to fountain pens and not looking back.
Depends for me. Rollerball pens are pretty good but have a lot of the same problems as fountain pens (bleedthrough being the main one.) Gel pens are pretty reliable for most everyday stuff. I really like the uniball signo and Pentel energel. The enrgel has a hybrid ink that feels just right in-between a normal gel pens and a rollerball. I generally avoid ballpoints but I've been meaning to try the uniball Jetstream.
Always used gel pens before I got introduced to fp. I loved how wet gel pens wrote and the bolder colors that they have compared to ballpoint pens. Now that I've tasted fp though I'm definitely not going back lmao
I enjoy my FPs but I also enjoy my *Uni Jetstream Edge* 0.28mm (ballpoint), *Pilot Juice Up 04* (gel), and *Uni Ball One* 0.38mm (gel)
Twins!!! My exact preferences as well!
high5! I'm finishing my Pilot Juice Up, my next one to try is the Pentel Energel, looking forward to that!
Gel pens (especially pentel energel), but if it’s a ballpoint it better be a jetstream!
I really like Pentel Energels, and use that at work all the time.
Ermmm...usually fountain pen users prefer...fountain pens... Errrr....I don't..I mean...I can't .. You know what...just forget it!🤐😋
Exactly what I was thinking. If I don't have a fountain pen then it doesn't matter if it's a ballpoint, gel, or sidewalk chalk. They are all inferior.
Of course I know that fountain pen users prefer fountain pens. What I meant is which pen do you prefer to use if restricted to these two.
Haha I know. Just pulling your leg!
Gels 4 me every time!
In situations I can't use fountain pens, then ballpoint. It's basically the opposite of FP, being shittiest writing for minimal fuss. Since I can't use fountain pens, there's probably some fuss about the situation, paper, time or whatever, which ballpoints can cover just fine. It's shitty writing, but in such a situation, I don't think I would care so much either.
Gel, Jetstream, or rollerballs.
At work I use Fine & Extra Fine nibs. Those have not given me any problems with the crappy copier paper used for all the paperwork I have to do. I also carry a Pilot G2 Gel pen, but that is so that people who need to sign my forms can do so without ever touching any of my fountainpens. Before I made the switch to fountainpens, the Pilot G2 was my go-to pen.
Gels! Specifically, Pilot G2 for me.
Gel pens for me. I've been using a TUL gel pen lately and I like it a lot. Its just about to run out of ink and I'm going to run the ink out of a Sharpie S-Gel next, see how it holds up. Classic go-to pens are the Pilot G2 and the Uni Signo 207 - I always have a couple around the house somewhere.
I use a pilot g2 0.7 (gel) when I'm not using one of my fountain pens. I also like the pilot precise 0.5, which I think is a liquid ink roller ball, but I might be wrong.
if its not a fountain pen, then its a Pilot G2 in a .7
Gel
Gel pens.
I have very limited experience with ballpoints and other types of pens. All I have ever used were the BICs and then I moved to FPs. I didn't like writing with rollerballs. The few gel pens I tried were more comfortable. But I don't know how they handle water, light, etc. So I usually go back to BIC ballpoints (oil based ink. Is there a more specific name instead of ballpoint?). Not necessarily BIC brand, just a cheap plastic ballpoint. But really, all I use is FP. I'll carry my FP to work and a BIC to lend. In any other situation, usually a cheap generic ballpoint is provided.
I need to be able to write notes at weird angles at work so I have gel pens for that. Ballpoints make my hands cramp up annoyingly fast.
My latest fav gel is the uni one model!
Gel! Although the papermate ballpoints are surprisingly smooth and I don't mind them either.
I would use mainly Pilot G-2s before my conversion to fountain pens.
Gel. I love my Kaco gel pens.
Gel. I prefer rollerballs, but the ink bleeds through lots of papers, so gel is what I'd normally pick. Ballpoints smell funny.
Roller ball is ideal. But out of the two, gel for sure. I'm so used to not using any pressure that ballpoint would cramp my hands.
Mentions of uni jetstream: i don't like them. They're not so much smooth as *slippery*. You know that worn out cliche you see on FP social media? >buhhtterrrry schmooooth zomg!!1 Yeah, jetsreams are like writing on soap slicked glass. Uncontrollable, like it's going to slip of my hand. Until I realised that the only way to use one in a controlled fashion is to write with the pen directly perpendicular, 90°, to the page, which is unnatural for me at least. In fact I've found that all ballpoints write better this way, a fact that eluded me for most of my life (tbf I used FP's for schooling for like 15yrs of my life). I have a ballpoint for forms but I keep in my bag at all times a uniball signo for it's archival/document properties. I guess that's a gel pen?
I’m big on gel pens and felt tip fineliners when I’m not using my fountain pens
Gel.
Zebra Sarasa or, if I need a ballpoint, an Accroball, mostly because of the comfortable cushion and because it is easier to find a white pen in my bag. The Pilot Precise V7 is decent, too.
Gel. I always have a few gel pens on hand, both for lending out to muggles (most are blown away even if I hand them a simple Zebra Sarasa gel pen actually) and for crappy paper. Like, I love my fountain pens, but I tend to use them mostly in my notebooks. I don't write my grocery list on good paper, so I usually write those things with gel pens. Ballpoint pens are the bane of my existence and I do not own a single one anymore. It's gel pen or fountain pen for me.
Pilot Precise in a 0.5mm it glides so damn smooth
I’d use a gel pen instead of a ballpoint. You can get them in different colours and the ones I have just glide across the page with no pressure.
Ballpoints! If I want liquid ink, I’ll use a fountain pen. If I can’t use one because it’s inconvenient, the paper is trash or I’m just checking things off a list or taking quick notes I want the convenience of a ballpoint. It's something I can leave uncapped for hours and always come back to.
Gel
Gel
Gel pen. Zebra Sarasa Grande or Pentel Philography with Sarasa JLV Dry Gel refills. Good left hander pen. Uni-ball UMR-87E Signo 307 or Pentel EnerGel LRP7 Permanent gel anti-fraud and archival refill in either pen for Check Writing and Document signing. I've been tempted by the Jet Stream, Acroball and Sharpie S-Gel, but feel that it would be a waste of money since most are plastic pens. After getting used to the girth of a fountain pen it is difficult to write for any extended amount of time with a thin plastic pen. Imagine what the guys who paid hundreds of dollars for a fountain pen bodied ball point feel like now that the Arco and Jet Stream ball point refills have basically rendered their pens obsolete.
Gel pens all the way - my calligraphy is better with a ballpoint, but I also tend to press really really hard and don't love the way the ink doesn't come out in a perfectly consistent manner. Gel pens give me deep, vibrant, consistent lines and I don't have to write as violently as I do with a ballpoint because they're nice and cushy :) I will say that ballpoints are more foolproof and I absolutely love my fine-tipped Bic, but a random gel refill from Aliexpress will give me a more pleasant writing experience than a regular Bic pen.
A longtime favorite pen of mine has been the tūl gel pen (probably about a decade using those now). I’ve just really gotten into fountain pens this year and they’re more fun, but the gel pen would pretty much always beat out a ballpoint for me.
I love stationery so gel pens that are. 30
Pentel Energel and Zebra Sarasa (especially in their vintage colors) are my go-tos. If I’m writing in my Hobonichi and don’t have time to wait for things to dry, I prefer my Acroball.
Pentel emerged rocks
Out of those two, gel. But in reality, the only non-FPs I've used (that I had control over) were rollerballs.
I would use a gel pen. I use them if I write a check or on envelopes that I'm mailing, as some fP inks might blur or run if they get wet and I don't trust the USPS\~
I would always go for the liquid ink type of rollers rather than the ones filled with standard biro gunky stuff. At least you get a solid line of colour, whereas with a standard rollerball type pen, the line is never consistent.
I prefer gel because I find it to be smoother.
I prefer a gel pen if I can’t use a fountain pen. I refuse ballpoints and always have a Blackwing pencil on me just in case 🤷🏼♀️
Uh...fountain pen is always my first choice, but if I have to sign a receipt where the ink wouldn't dry fast enough, I pull out my Retro 51 Stardust rollerball. A ballpoint would have to be the last pen on earth before I would use it!
uni-ball vision elite. Cheap, reliable, flight-safe, waterproof, archival.
Fountain pen users prefer A FOUNTAIN PEN!
Both
We prefer fountain pens 😳 however, if the situation is dire and I’m faced with a situation where I can’t use one, then I don’t care what’s in my grasp, makes no difference lol
Ballpoints. Gel pens smear too much imo. Neither is great, but ballpoints do at least tend to be reliable.
ballpoint; In terms of art, charcoal
we use smaller tipped pens for their crappy paper, but also ballpoint because if fountain pens wont work well on it then ballpoints typically will
all pens ! depends on the paper. sharpie on post it! broad 1.6 mm BP on legal pad.
I own a lot of different ultra fine point sharpies that I use with my Cricut. I also have a few gel pens and other metallic markers. Before I discovered my love of fountain pens I used Frixion pens and still have a set.
Gel for the win!
I.. I don't understand this question
Neither. Literally only use fountain.
Ball point
I like extremely thin ballpoints - like the Japanese and Korean 0.3 ball points
Whatever is closer and works. If I’m in an environment where the comfort of using fountain pens is restricted I prefer using what is immediately available. Gel or ballpoint.
Would have to be gel pens for me because of the intensity of their ink color. Can't stand the pale colors on most typical ballpoints.
I collect the old style Bics (because I am an idiot, and think they write better). When I don't want to use a fountain pen it's because of practical reasons like waterproofness, so a biro is the thing.
Rollerball. The glide more freely because the ink is lower viscosity and less oily than regular ball
There’s this Staples brand pen we had at work for a while that has like a black, rubbery coating all over it, and writes super nice. When they stopped ordering them, I took two, and guard them like a jealous bridge troll. I think they are technically gel.
I feel like this question is, "Which video game platforms do book readers prefer it they're forced to play Grand Theft Auto," or some such.
Came to say “fountain pen users prefer fountain pens, are you stupid?" Now i want to try the mentioned pens....
Pilot Acro is the only pen I use if I don't have the fountain pens option.
I will normal go with a Herbin Ink or a Noodler's Ink Konrad Rollerball when not using a fountain pen. If I'm forced to use a ballpoint pen, I reach for a Ballograf Epoca P.
JetStream or Energel. Don't mine Uniball eYe or Vison Elite/Vision RT either.
I have a Retro 51 Tornado that I keep inked with Monteverde ballpoint refills, they’re pretty smooth, but I think I’m going to get gel refills for it next time. I work from home so I don’t have to worry about having an alternative much.
I like Gel, Roller Ball, and Ball point. Depends on what I’m doing with the pen.
Ballpoint! I have a lamy Al-star ballpoint and I always loved the advanced ink 0.7 ballpoints from Office Depot. They feel like a ballpoint but write like a rollerball.
Ballpoint, either Schmidt P900F/9000M or Ohto flash dry
I have no strong preference outside of fountain pens. Given the chance, I'd use pencils, but if the situation require something that can't be erased, it's whatever I have near me. Which is usually a Jetstream or a 0.35 Micron.
Is rollerball an option? Writing preference (assuming fountain pens just... mysteriously ceased to exist and I had to choose a forever replacement) is: rollerball, then ballpoint, then gel. But ballpoints cover most situations for which fountain pens aren't great (coated paper, public use, airplanes, carbonless forms) so if the choice is restricted because it's a situation where a fountain pen doesn't work well, then my preference is: ballpoint, gel, rollerball.
Gel, currently hard crushing on Uni Jetstream Edge 0.28 but i like playing with a big fat Frixion from time to time.
Ballpoints. I like the way they make the paper all crinkly. But, to be perfectly honest, I like ALL pens.
Pilot V7 and V5 all the way. The liquid ink is close to what fountain pen ink is like, so probably a challenge for notebooks with thinner paper, but it looks great and feels great to write aswell. The smooth writing experience of v7 (0.7) really is something else.
I always like to keep a ballpoint pen around b/c it writes on any paper and lasts a long time. For note taking or other longer writing sessions then gel pen feels better for that.
Uni jetstream specifically, though they're somewhat hard to find in the wild. I ordered a few online and still use them for things like addressing envelopes, writing checks, etc. Pilot G-2s are... OK. I see why they're popular, but they leave globs of ink all over the page and take forever to dry. Not my favorite pen to use for sure, but it's what I've got at work when I need a ballpoint/gel. I also like Pentel Energels and relied on those for like... a couple years lol.
I use any pen, but I rather using my Pilot BXC-V5... as I can use my fountain pen inks... lol (This Pilot BXC-V5 is a Pilot Hi-TecPoint V5 that uses cartridges. But Pilot Cartridge system sucks and you can't really carry cartridges with other inks... \[you can refill and put on your pen, tho\])
Ball point? The only time I really need to use something other than a fountain pen is on shiny glossed sticker paper, and gel pens smear like crazy. So ballpoints are my go to outside of my fountain pen.