On and in my desk I have lots of ballpoint pens. I use pens a lot. To take notes at lectures, to put my thoughts down about all sorts of things, to lay out possible scenarios and outlines and plot lines and character sketches for upcoming stories and even novels, and to write out notes concerning these posts. Among other things. (I have a thick folder of possible topics for these ramblings, although I don’t write out these posts by hand first. I type them directly into the text box provided by WordPress.)
But I’ve noticed one thing about ballpoint pens lately.
Ballpoint pens come in all sorts of colors. I have red and orange and blue and white and black and gray right now on my desk, and of course a lot of other colors exist, too. The color doesn’t always match the color of the ink in the cartridge, but in some cases it does. And many of today’s ballpoint pens are quite good. The ink is dark, it rolls smoothly on the paper, and most significantly, it rarely leaks out into a messy blob while you’re writing. All well and good. The pens are well-made, the housing is solid and reliable, and the mechanism works well. I especially like the Pilot G2 premium gel roller pen. It has such nice dark, black ink.
But what isn’t so good anymore is the fact that pen manufacturers don’t offer refills like they did in years past. When I go to the store to replace a pen (which is actually very infrequently since I have so many because people and organizations offer then for free, and many have advertising on them) I’ve noticed that refills are—or at least seem to be—almost completely non-existent. You can’t buy a refill, you have to buy a completely new pen, and that’s what I don’t like. Ballpoint pens are considered disposable. Considering the environmental concerns, that’s not good. Even Pilot stopped offering refills. I’ve had to buy a whole pack of new pens just to get a new one. The ballpoint pen could be considered a representative for the disposable culture we live in. If you’re through with something, merely throw it in the trash. Even if it has useful life left in it, no matter, throw it away.
I have one really nice pen which I won in a raffle several years ago. The housing is made largely of wood, probably turned on a lathe, and accented with metallic highlights. I use it sparingly because if and when the cartridge runs out of ink, I may not be able to get a refill. I’m certainly not going to throw it away since it looks hand made, and in a store might cost $10 or $15. Or more. It would be a serious waste and an insult to the person who* made it to toss it out. Why doesn’t someone bring back the refill? It might be environmentally more friendly.
*See my previous post about “who” and “that.”