Paper Mate kind of overdid it earlier this year with the marketing campaign for the new InkJoy pen.
You couldn’t go anywhere on the Internet without being bombarded by phony conversations about people discovering this ‘ingenious’ new pen. Twitter, Facebook and dozens of blogs were flooded with hype, all pushing the lame concept that the InkJoy was the ‘world’s most stolen pen.’
It turned me off from even wanting to try the InkJoy.
But then, wouldn’t you know it, I came across one of these pens sitting unattended on a desk – and I swiped it. (For the record, I blame the media for encouraging me to steal this pen.)
So then, of course, I had to take the InkJoy on a test drive to see whether it lived up to the hype. Short version of this review: it didn’t. But keep reading for the slightly longer version.
The one I ‘borrowed’ was a Paper Mate InkJoy 300 RT with a 1.0 mm point.
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Paper Mate Pens to see not only the Inkyoy 300 RT but every pen that Paper Mate makes.
Paper Mate calls the InkJoy a ‘revolutionary new ink system’ that combines ultra-low viscosity ink with ‘optimized’ writing tips for the smoothest possible writing experience.
After trying it out, the upshot is that yes, the InkJoy is a reasonably smooth-writing pen. The ink is a nice intense shade of black. The rubber grip is comfortable.
It also has a few shortcomings. The ink flow was slightly uneven, leading to some blotting, and the overall appearance of the pen is very plain, especially the utilitarian clip.
And that’s it. Not much more to say about it. A pen best described as….adequate. Certainly not worth all the hype that Paper Mate piled on.
If you’re looking to save a little money, they are certainly cheaper than, say, the Pilot G2 or Zebra Sarasa. But if you don’t mind spending the difference, you’d be better off just going with the higher-quality pen.
