I am really picky about pens and office supplies in general. These pens look like the cheap, ugly, generic pens that would write in a scratchy way, like a pen you might grab out of a cup in an office to fill out a form. Don't let appearances fool you! They are actually the smoothest writing pens I've ever used. I found them during law school, ten years ago, when I took notes by hand and needed my pen to keep up with how quickly I needed to write to get down all the details. This pen is the only one that delivered perfectly because of how smoothly it writes - no scratchiness or skipping to slow me down!And you know how sometimes you buy a pen but then you lose it or just start using a different pen instead, so you have a bunch of pens that still have ink until eventually they're dried out and you just toss them? Not these! I buy these and then I actually use them until they have run completely out of ink, which is extremely satisfying.And have you ever been writing quickly and had a pen flip right out of your hands (maybe that's just me)? The outside of the pen is also a smooth, soft, rubbery material that lets you get a good grip, too!And did I mention the price? They are SUCH a good value!I've been loyal to these pens for ten years and I'll keep being loyal to them until they stop being made. If that sad, unfortunate, nightmare of a day ever does come, I will buy every single one I can find to try to stock up as long as possible.