Man's viral tweet ignites major debate on which pen is the best writing tool
A tweet from a Pennsylvania man asking which pen people would use for the rest of their lives has been viewed more than 32 million times
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A recent Twitter post that asks social media users which pen is their favorite writing utensil has gone viral and it has stirred debate among modern-day scribes.
Chris Grosse, a sports marketer from Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, shared a photo-attached tweet that displays seven pen options – each of which has an assigned number.
"OK, you can only write with ONE type of pen for the rest of your life, which one are you picking? (ignoring the ink color)," Grosse tweeted on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The post has been viewed more than 32 million times on Twitter and has received over 32,000 quote tweets and 800 retweets.
Grosse told Fox News Digital that he shared his pen tweet after a snowstorm forced him to stay indoors.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I was working from home and realized that my wife had an incredible pen collection in our home office," Grosse recalled in a Twitter direct message. "There were a number of pens in the group that I liked, so I wondered which one Twitter would prefer."
"I knew the subject would be one that would be debated, but never believed it would blow up like it has," Grosse continued.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a follow-up tweet, Grosse wrote that his top pick would be a Pilot G-2 07, a fine tip retractable rollerball gel ink pen manufactured by the Pilot Pen Corporation of America.
"Is there a better pen out there?" Grosse asked Twitter users.
Grosse told Fox News Digital that he likes the Pilot G-2 07 because he’s found the grip to be comfortable and its writing functionality to be smooth.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The clicking action is great for keeping you occupied during long meetings," Grosse wrote to Fox News Digital in a direct Twitter message.
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In a separate tweet, Grosse noted that he could see why some people might prefer a Sharpie S-Gel pen, which claims to use a "no smear, no bleed technology," according to Sharpie’s website.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This is maybe the ONLY argument that one could make," he tweeted.
Staples Inc., an office supply retail chain in the U.S., replied to Grosse’s tweet with a response that said, "That's like making us choose our favorite child..."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I knew the subject would be one that would be debated, but never believed it would blow up like it has."
Jim Stinson, a reporter and writer from Tampa, Florida, wrote that pens "3, 5, 6, 7" are "all acceptable."
But, in his line of work, he noted Paper Mate’s ballpoint pen line Write Bros hasn’t failed him while "on the road."
Dillon Davis, a writer from Chula Vista, California, shared that he didn’t like the pen options presented and prefers BIC’s Round Stic, a ballpoint pen manufactured by BIC Corp.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Give me a box of these bad boys," Davis tweeted.
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Will Blackwell, a legacy verified Twitter user, disagreed with Davis and argued that BIC Round Stic pens are only "acceptable" in restaurant and hospital settings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nick Underhill, a New Orleans-based sports reporter, let Grosse know that he’s "already made" his lifetime pen decision and he’s chosen option five, the Pilot G-2 07.
Terrill OVO, a consultant and real estate developer from Brentwood, California, replied that he thinks the Pilot G-2 07 "smears too much."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Adam Singer, a marketing executive from Austin, Texas, presented an eighth "megapen" option with a photo of three retractable ballpoint pens that have changeable colors.
Kai Kanderson, a wrestling image enhancer from Bay City, Michigan, disagreed with Singer’s pen pick.
"You mean the pen that wrote once in each color then each color died," Kanderson replied.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS
Other Twitter users named pen brands they like that weren’t included in Grosse’s initial pen lineup, including Uniball, ZEBRA, Pentel R.S.V.P. and Lamy.
"Wow, it appears people have plenty of pen opinions," Grosse wrote on Thursday, Jan. 26, in response to the thousands of replies he received.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The global writing instruments market size was valued at $13.9 billion in 2018, according to a market research report published by Grand View Research, a market research firm based in San Francisco.
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Sports marketer and Twitter user Chris Grosse sparked an online debate on which pen is the best by asking the public: "OK, you can only write with ONE type of pen for the rest of your life, which one are you picking?" (Chris Grosse)
Grand View Research’s latest market forecast for the global writing instruments industry predicts the market will see an approximate compound annual growth rate of 8% from 2019 to 2025.