Ball Pen vs Fountain Pen: Difference and Comparison

Pens are a significant necessity that is required in our day-to-day life.

It is said that you can judge a man by their handwriting, however, no one ever tells us that one’s choice in pens makes a huge difference in one’s handwriting.

Two pens that are popularly used are ball pens and fountain pens.

Key Takeaways

1. Ball pens use a tiny ball bearing in the tip to dispense ink, while fountain pens rely on a nib and capillary action to deliver ink to the writing surface.
2. Fountain pens offer a smoother writing experience and more expressive line variations than ball pens but require more proper maintenance and skill.
3. Ball pens are more affordable, practical, and widely available, making them the preferred choice for everyday writing tasks.

Ball Pen vs Fountain Pen        

The difference between Ball Pen and Fountain Pen is that ball pens are more suitable for everyday purposes is it is more convenient on the other hand, fountain pens provide a writing experience. Ball pens can be quite low maintenance in nature whereas; fountain pens require regular maintenance.

A Ballpen is a pen that has a ball attached to its nib. The ink in the ball pen is oil-based it is made up of a paste of oil and ink. Ballpen is widely popular due to its quality of convenience.

A fountain pen is a pen nib-tipped pen. It has a water-based ink system. The ink is filled in cartridges inside the pen. The cartridges are refillable and they have to be filled quite often.

Comparison Table

Parameter of Comparison	Ball Pen	Fountain Pen
Ink type	Oil-based	Water-based
Ink quality	Thicker but dries faster	Liquid-based ink but takes time to dry
Ink span	Lasts very long	Short ink span and needs to be refilled
Mechanism	Requires more pressure	Required minimum pressure
Writing experience	Scratchy writing experience	Smooth writing experience
Comfort	Slightly uncomfortable	Very comfortable
Durability	Very durable	Delicate nib prone to damage
Leakproof	Does not leak	Prone to leak
Maintenance	Does not require any sort of maintenance	Requires monthly maintenance

What is Ball Pen?                                                                                          

The ball pen is the most popularly used worldwide. It is among the most adaptable pens found in the market. A ball pen circulates a quick-drying ink without the ink drying in the actual pen.

It is produced By utilizing a thick, oil-based ink that is conveyed in liquor dissolvable, the ink also dries rapidly upon writing on the page. The ink is scattered by a little ball in an attachment at the top of the pen.

As ball pens use thicker inks, it results in a scratchy writing experience. As the nib of the ball pen consists of a circular ball, it can be used to write in any direction and most of the surfaces.

Ball pens are very tough and therefore they cannot be damaged easily.

A refill of a ball pen can last for a very long period without any change. It is very convenient to use. Usually, for everyday purposes, people go for ball pens rather than any other pan.

Ball pens are also leakproof and the ink does not bleed upon writing.

What is Fountain Pen?

A fountain pen is a writing staple. It is an instrument of writing. The fountain pen at the time of its invention was revolutionary, as it was the first pen to store ink.

A typical fountain pen consists of a barrel, a feed, a rib section, and a nib. The barrel which stores the ink releases the liquid ink upon applying pressure via the nib onto the paper.

While picking a fountain pen, it is vital to comprehend that each fountain pen is personal to oneself and to understand them better.

Over time while one starts utilizing a fountain pen, the nib starts to come to develop into the shape based on the writers composing style.

In today’s time writing with a fountain pen may feel unimportant and obscure but to writers who have true knowledge about the skills of a fountain pen or people wanting exquisite writing experience, a fountain pen is their go-to choice.

Main Differences Between Ball Pen and Fountain Pen

1. Ball pens use oil-based ink, however, the mechanism of the fountain pen suits water-based ink.
2. As ball pen uses oil-based ink it is much thicker in consistency and dries faster upon writing. Fountain pen on the other hand as it has water-based ink it takes time to dry upon writing.
3. One cartilage used for a ball pen can last a long time before needing a change of refill; however, fountain pens have a shorter ink span and then need to be refilled in regular intervals.
4. The mechanism of the ball pen requires applying more pressure to function. Whereas the mechanism of the fountain pen requires minimum pressure at all times to function smoothly.
5. As ball pens have a thicker oil-based ink and it requires more pressure it is not as smooth on paper and can feel scratchy, fountain pen on the other hand provides a smooth writing experience.
6. Fountain pens require lesser pressure which is a very comfortable experience, however, the mechanism of the ball pen requires a certain amount of pressure at a certain time which can give discomfort at certain times.
7. Ball pens are very durable however fountain pens are very delicate due to which they are more prone to damage.
8. Ball pens are leak safe; however, fountain pens are not leakproof and are more prone to leakage.
9. Ball pens do not require any sort of care; fountain pens however require regular maintenance.

References

1. https://www.astm.org/DIGITAL_LIBRARY/JOURNALS/FORENSIC/PAGES/JFS11459J.htm
2. https://aip.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1063/1.1767281

Last Updated : 15 July, 2023