Staples XENO Retractable Ballpoint Pens
The other day when I was at my local Staples,I saw these Staples Brand XENO Retractable ballpoint pens,and while I don't normally like ballpoints,I really liked the unique design of these.After looking to see if they had a rollerball version with the same design,I concluded that it was a futile effort and that I should just grab the ballpoints and give them a try.
A closer look at the body of the Staples XENO
The pack of Staples XENO pens hat I grabbed came in 5 very nice colors.It had a basic black and white version,but also had a red,blue and green version that were all kind of muted and slightly metallic tones of those colors that I thought looked really cool and definitely stand out from most other basic ballpoint pens.The conical tips and grip sections are all a very light silver with small oval rubberized grips that protrude from the surface.
Staples XENO Retractable Ballpoint Pen Grips
The above shows a close up of the grip section where you can get a better look at the color coordinated nubs.Each of the approximately 18 rubber nubs that poke through the surface area of the grip section do a great job of helping to make this a very comfortable pen to hold.ALthough I initially liked the look of the grip section,I was worried that the bumps would become annoying,but they are raised just enough above the surface to do their job without becoming an annoyance.
Staples XENO Retractable Ballpoint Pen Clips
The clips on these pens also have a little extra design element to spruce them up a bit.In the photo above you can see the plastic cap on the tip of each pen,it looks black in the photos,however in person you can see that is more of a translucent gray color.
Staples XENO Retractable Ballpoint Pen Writing Sample
Here is a quick scan of the writing sample from the Staples Brand XENO Retractable ballpoint pens.Now as I said before,ballpoint pens are not my favorite,but I would say these write as good as any standard ballpoint that you might come across.They feel pretty solid and don't show much of the annoying rattle and loose feeling that you get with some pens,and although the pens are very light,they are pretty comfortable to write with.With good balance,a very comfortable grip,and a pretty solid plunger,this could be a great pen for those of you who insist on using ballpoints as your first choice of writing tool.
