I am a stationary nerd. I have always liked getting new stationary and art supplies, whether it was a brand new pack of unsharpend colour pencils in elementary school, or my annual ritualistic acquisition of a new agenda.
I still use fountain pens, but having lost a lot of my sight, tend to take notes and do a lot of my writing in black felt tip pens now.
I started using Pentel fibre tip pens after seeing them in a CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) shop. There is nothing wrong with them, but I’ve always been a big fan of Pilot pens and usually buy their V-Sign pens in black by the box.
Both pens write similarly, and have the same beneficial qualities. They make dark bold lines that do not bleed through most papers.
Pentel Fibre Tip Sign Pens are cheaper. You can buy them from CNIB’s online store for $2.95 each but I’ve seen boxes of 12 sell on Amazon.ca for between $14 and $20. They are available in more colours than Pilot pens, but the only colours I ever really use are red and black. After suing a few of them, I felt like these pens start with a nice fine tip, but the nib dulls faster, which might be a good thing if you prefer a very broad, fat line.
Pilot V-Sign pens cost more. Prices and supplies vary quite a bit on Amazon from one day to another, with one of the better deals right now being 6 pens for $20. These pens have a clear window which is useful to see how much ink is left. My impression is that the nibs last longer and these pens just feel like they are better quality. Full disclosure, I am very biased.
Both pens are good choices for visually impaired people. The Pilot V-Sign pen is generally twice as expensive as the Pentel Sign Pens but not twice as good. I simply like the Pilot V-sign pens more and why not splurge on the things you love?
Riding Blind 