Rollerball Pen Ink Refills

Rollerball refills are less standardised than ballpoint ones, so the first job is identifying what your pen takes. Length, diameter and the shape of the tip end all vary between makers, and a refill that is a few millimetres too long will simply stop the cap from closing.

Ink type is the second decision. Liquid ink gives the wettest, most fountain-pen-like line, flows freely and empties quickest. Gel ink is slightly thicker, dries faster and smudges less, which makes it the better everyday choice for most people and the obvious one for left-handed writers. Point sizes of 0.5 and 0.7 mm cover almost all handwriting; finer points suit small writing and thin paper.

A practical note: rollerball refills dry out if a pen is left uncapped, far faster than a ballpoint will. If a pen skips after sitting open on a desk, try a few seconds of scribbling on scrap paper before assuming the refill is finished.

When ordering, measure rather than guess. Note the overall length, the barrel diameter and whether the tip end is a plain cone or has a step, and compare against the listing before buying a multipack. If a refill is a millimetre or two short, a small spacer or spring from the old one will often take up the difference; if it is too long, nothing will save it. Keeping the exhausted refill until the replacement is fitted makes all of this trivial.