When conversation turns to pens, someone is almost always going to mention the The Pilot G2. While it’s not everyone’s favorite, it is a lot of people’s go to pen for when you care enough to actually choose your pen by name.

The G2 is absolutely my workhorse pen of choice. It’s not the first pen I reach for, but it’s the pen that I can always find. I buy them by the box so I can put them everywhere and not feel terrible if one is lost or borrowed. At a little over a buck a pop (more if you only buy a few), they aren’t going to break the bank.

There are a number of reasons the G2 is such a great choice. It’s solidly constructed, with a great clicking action. Comfort is subjective, but to me the G2 does very well in that regard. It uses gel ink, which means you’re going to get a smoother, more consistent line than a cheap ballpoint, but less bleed than a rollerball. There are downsides to gel ink as well - it can clump and it dries more quickly than a ballpoint. In practice, I have not had these problems with the G2s, except maybe a little clumping with some pens, but I know some people have had worse luck.

There are a few non-writing reasons that the G2 works too. First and foremost, it’s easy to find. It’s in every Staples and drugstore you check. A technically better pen that you must order online is not useful when you need a pen now. Second, a benefit of the G2 is that the manufacturer, Pilot, is very consistent in its cartridge size. There are a lot of “nicer” pens that don’t write as well as the G2 but use the same size refills. Often you can upgrade or customize a very fancy pen by dropping in the refill from a G2.

But perhaps the single biggest benefit of these pens is that they cover a range of tastes, and by taste I mean “preferred line width”. Pen enthusiasts are often very particular about how thick the line of a pen should be. I love a super fine line, while my wife like big bold strokes. The G2 comes in 4 sizes - Bold, Fine, Extra Fine and Ultra Fine (yes, it is confusing to have “extra” and “ultra” as categories, but there’s a logic to it).

90% of the time, if you see a G2, it’s probably either fine (0.7mm) or extra fine (0.5mm). The number speaks to the width of the line, and people will usually refer to them numerically (as 07s and 05s) respectively. You have to actively look for the bold (1.0mm) and the ultra fine (0.38mm).

Now, these are all great pens, but the difference between them feel very profound once you’ve used them for a while. If you’re used to the 07, the 05 feels dainty and scratchy. If you’re used to the 05, the 07 just sprays ink. But for all that, it’s fun to try the different types and see what suits you.

I’ll be the first to admit that none of this matters unless you care at least a little bit about your pen. If the right pen is just the first one you pick up, then all these distinction seem very silly. But if you’re looking for a gentle on-ramp into trying out pen nerdery, the G2 is a great place to start. Try different sizes, and see if you develop an opinion of what works for you. If you don’t, then you’ve got some perfectly good pens. No harm in that. But if you do, you have a solid baseline to start comparing other pens to. And that’s where the fun really begins.