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Spicers' Everything for The Offce Show held in Coventry at the end of last year, was the place to try out this year’s must-have writing instruments. James Goulding reveals his favourites.

Bic has taken the best pen in the world (IMHO) and given it a modern twist. Following the recent launch of BIC 4 Colours Fashion pen, featuring pink, purple, pale blue and lime green ink – a great addition to the range – it has now introduced the more professional BIC 4 Colours Grip Pro. Available with the standard selection of blue, black, red and green ink ballpoints, the new pen has a modish silver and black colour scheme, more contoured shape and a rubber grip for extra comfort (photo shows new design in old colour scheme). As with the Fashion pen, the ball at the end of the barrel has been drilled through, so that you can attach a lanyard and wear the pen around your neck should you wish to do so. The new BIC 4 Colour Pen looks much more contemporary than the original, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, but for me the original is still the best – and not just because it’s about 15% cheaper.

The next time your FD says why pay more for a branded pen, simply hand him or her a uni Jetstream 101 from Mitsubishi Pencil Co.. This outstanding entry-level pen combines remarkable comfort with smooth, quick-drying ink and a brilliantly minimalist design. And it only costs £1. Despite its low price, the uni Jetstream 101 has ‘design classic’ written all over it, from the slim rubbersised barrel with a bare minimum of decoration on the grip, to the translucent ink level viewing window that stretches the length of the barrel. It doesn’t just look good: water-resistant, UV-resistant, chemical-resistant and tamper-proof uni Super Ink make it ideal for all offce applications, from note-taking to signing cheques. Could this be the BIC Cristal of the twenty-frst century?

Another new pen to feature a really slim rubberised grip, the Pilot FriXion Point is the latest addition to Pilot’s range of eraseable pens. As its name suggests, the FriXion Point features ink that can be erased by rubbing the pen’s durable end stud over the offending text. Because ink is removed by friction alone, there is no rubbery residue, just a clean surface that can be written over immediately. The FriXion Point’s 0.5mm Hitecpoint extra fne tip is a major improvement over the original FriXion Ball and gives the pen real appeal for business users. Not only is a thinner line quicker and easier to rub out, it also makes the ink last longer – up to 40% longer than the original, despite the pen being slimmer and 7mm shorter.

Pentel is promoting its Indian-made OH! Gel retractable rollerball for its affordability and writing quality.With a price tag of £1.49, it is certainly good value for money. The pen has a faux metallic black and silver diamond pattern and a real metal clip, which looks a little tinny but holds a pen securely in place. For writing comfort, there is a shapeless, tubular fnger grip. This makes the gripping area a little large for my tastes and seems at odds with today’s fashion for slimmer more contoured styles, but would suit someone who likes a big pen. The ink fowed smoothly from the 0.7mm nib, but was prone to smudging. Left-handed writers would do well to pay a little extra for a fast-drying Pentel Energel pen.

Pen To Paper has a weakness for two- and four-colour pens including Zebra Pen’s Clip On Pink Ribbon ballpoint, which combines red and blac 0.7mm ballpoints in a single pen with a pink cushioned grip. Zebra is donating 20p from the sale of each pen to cancer charity The Pink Ribbo Foundation.

Pilot has expanded its recycle Bottle 2 Pen (B2P) range with a new medium ballpoint. The new pen doesn't have the wit of the original gel ink rollerba which mimics the design of the crushable water bottles from which it is made, but is welcome addition to the rang for those who like to write with a ballpoint.

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