A question I get asked again and again is: Which is better – rollerball vs ballpoint? And our answer is usually a little longer because you can’t say that across the board.

Ballpoint pens and rollerballs, for example, are similar in the way they write – with both pens, the ink is applied to the paper via a ball – but they also have some differences, such as the viscosity of the ink and the typeface.

In this article, I would like to show how pens and rollerballs differ and where both have their respective strengths. So much in advance: There will be no “better” or “worse” at the end of this article, because depending on the application, one pen or the other is more suitable. The aim of this blog post is for you to decide for yourself when you want to use which pen.

How it works: Ink reaches the paper via a ball

First, let’s look at how pens and rollerball pens work. And it quickly becomes apparent that both pens are very similar: the ink gets onto the paper via a roller or a ball.

The proximity of the two pens to one another is apparent in the English language. The ballpoint pen is called a ballpoint pen, the rollerball pen is called a rollerball pen. The “ball” can be found in both names.

So, if the two pens are similar, why are they different? This has to do with the ink, which is more fluid in rollerball pens than in ballpoint pens, which results in very different writing properties. More on that later.

Construction and material: Metal stands for quality and durability

Roughly speaking, a ballpoint pen consists of two parts: a housing and a refill. And let’s not make it more complicated than it is: The rollerball has a very similar structure with a housing and an ink supply, i.e., a refill. There is also a cap, which is not always standard on ballpoint pens.

There are differences in the type of housing and a distinction can be made between, for example, push button ballpoint pens and twist ballpoint pens. The mine is “extended” in a different way in both cases. With rollerball pens, on the other hand, the refill is usually firmly anchored and is not moved. A cap protects it and the ink from drying out.

When it comes to materials, there is a wide variety of both pens, ranging from plastic to stainless steel to exquisite materials such as wood – see for example our rosewood ballpoint pen.

We recommend choosing high-quality and more robust materials and paying particular attention to metal when it comes to threads. Because that’s where the risk of breakage is most significant.

Ink: Water-based vs. oil-based

So, let’s come to the most important difference between rollerball pens and ballpoint pens: the ink. While ballpoint pens use oil-based ink, rollerball inks are water-based. 

The result: The viscosity of the pen’s ink is higher, meaning the ink is thicker and flows more slowly onto the paper. With a rollerball pen, the ink is thinner and flows onto the paper more quickly.

These differences in the consistency of the ink have a major impact on the typeface – see our next point.

Typeface: Large selection of writing weights

The liquid ink of rollerball pens is very similar to fountain pens. And these tend to smear. Ink pens are generally superior to fountain pens, and the ink dries a little faster, meaning there is less risk of smudging. But they still don’t come close to ballpoint pens because their thick ink dries immediately and hardly smudges.

The consistency of the ink also affects the typeface. With a ballpoint pen, the line width on the paper remains relatively constant, meaning that the ink does not spread across the paper after writing. Things are different with a rollerball pen: the paper soaks up the ink, and it “bleeds out,” as experts call it. 

The result: Even if you write with an excellent lead, the writing thickness is slightly wider.

Speaking of writing strength, There are different lead strengths for both pens. The balls of a rollerball pen usually have a diameter between 0.5 mm and 1 mm. Particularly narrow leads with a ball diameter of 0.2 mm are also available. We offer our horn rollerball pens with a medium-width font thickness of 0.7 mm.

Ballpoint pen refills are a little wider on average and vary between 0.7 mm and 1.4 mm as standard, although particularly fine refills from 0.2 mm are also available here. In our blog post “ How to find the perfect ballpoint pen refill ” we explain what to look out for when buying.

Type of writing: People who write a lot are more likely to use a rollerball pen

Writing is also easier since the liquid ink in gel pens flows more easily onto the paper. You don’t have to press the pen as hard as a ballpoint pen. Frequent writers like to use a rollerball pen – or, for example, a fountain pen- ideal for writing a handwritten letter.

In addition, rollerball pens are becoming increasingly popular among beginner writers. Students like to use this pen since they are just as comfortable and relaxed to write with as with pen holders, but rollerballs have the great advantage of not scratching.

Changing is not always easy

The refill of 99 percent of ballpoint pens and rollerball pens can be changed without any problems – and standard refills, which can be found in any good stationery store, are usually used. 

But be careful: There are also rollerballs where the lead cannot be replaced. Once the ink is used up, the pen can no longer be used.

By the way, a word about the frequency of changing refills: Rollerball pen refills usually run out faster than ballpoint refills and have a writing length of up to 1500 meters, while ballpoint pens can reach more than 10 kilometers. This is due to the liquid ink consistency described above in gel pens, which means that much more ink is transferred to the paper.

Conclusion

It is impossible to evaluate which is better: ballpoint pen or rollerball pen. There are of course differences between the two pens, but these only mean that each of them is suitable for different applications.

Rollerballs are popular with those who write a lot because the ink glides very smoothly onto the paper and can be used to write longer texts without any stress. Beginners are also increasingly turning to rollerball pens.

Ballpoint pens impress with their very high writing performance per refill and clean writing without smudging. They are and will remain the popular must-have pen for everyone.