There’s a sad by product of having Federal Holidays on Monday… I totally forgot about the blog post. So, here we go – a day late (again). But here we go. Not doing a rerun. 2016 is about moving forward. Back during the holidays I found something at Dollar Tree that made me have to have them for the Stockings.

Dollar Tree had “Anti-Gravity” ballpoint pens in a silver finish and a black. Jimmy got the black for his stocking. I got the silver. Now the point of these pens is that they have the pressurized ink barrels to make them like Fisher Space Pens – able to write at any angle and such. However… being a DOLLAR I had very low expectations.

These pens aren’t nearly as…mismarked… as I thought they would be. In fact, the pen does actually write at odd angles. The ink is…adequate. It’s a broader point than I would like, I’m guessing a 1.0mm, but it’s actually a decent pen. The ink feathers a bit on the rough, handmade paper of the journal but is fairly smooth on regular paper. There’s some glopping, but it’s not that bad.

The pen is about 5.5” long with the point retracted and nearly 5.75” with the point extended. The barrel is a light metal with molded accents and a sturdy clip. The pen is cast with an ergonomic design and etching to make a decent grip. The wider grip is fairly comfortable, and it’s better balanced than expected. The twist retractable mechanism is solid. Who knew?

The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It works better than expected. It does actually write on an angle.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s all metal with molded etchings. There’s nothing soft about it – and if you have a tight grip, those etched moldings can dig in and be tiresome later.
3. Material – 1 It’s actually METAL – maybe aluminum, but most likely a base metal alloy with a solid clip, recitation mechanism and a pressurized ink refill.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – There’s nothing wrong with this pen but the size of the point – and though I know it’s my preferences – it’s part of the review process. And the fact you might have to go searching for it or order from the website while they have them in stock
5. Price Point – 1 – DUDE, it’s $1. ONE DOLLAR at Dollar Tree. It’s refillable with a pressurized refill. Even if it didn’t work AT ALL (which it does), it’s A DOLLAR. How can you beat that?

4.0 out of 5 Bronze Pencils