I’ve learned that the size and weight of a pen is a matter of individual perception. There is nothing I can do to convince someone that a pen is not too big, too small, too heavy, or too light. If someone feels that a pen is too much or little of anything, then it truly is too much or too little of whatever. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still try occasionally.

The school supplies vendors sell oversized pencils for preschoolers who are just learning to write. They make the case that it gives them better control. People with arthritis ask for larger pens because they feel they are easier to hold. Women with small hands tell me they need thin pens, other women with small hands tell me that larger pens are better because their hands do not tire out as quickly. Hefty men with big hands will pick up a pen and say, “that’s too heavy,” while other men of the same size will pick up the same pen and say “I like the heft.” It’s a matter of personal perception.

I blame cheap pens for the confusion, the kind that franchise hotels provide. If you are accustom to carrying one of those in your shirt pocket, you might think that a heavier pen will rip your pocket off. If you are accustom to gripping a pen tight and pressing it hard down into your paper, you might not even consider how a well-balanced hefty pen just glides over your paper with little effort.

One thing that everyone does seem to agree on is that a pen that needs to be pushed into the paper and still feels like it is dragging when it moves in the writing motion is not a good thing. That’s why we use the best refills available.