The main difference is the ink. In ballpoint pens, the ink is an oil-based paste ink that dries immediately. It is suited to all types of writing styles. The frustration some people feel with ballpoint pens usually involves an inferior brand of pen that makes blobs or skips. High quality ballpoint pens do not do this.
On the other hand, the ink of a rollerball pen is more fluid than ballpoint ink, so it seldom skips, but the ink does take a few seconds to dry. The ink in a rollerball also runs out sooner than in a ballpoint, requiring more frequent refills.The main deciding factor in choosing one over the other is functionality. The ball point pen is typically more functional because it does not require a cap. True it writes slightly less smoothly than a roller ball pen, but for some it is worth the trade off not to have to deal with taking the cap on and off reach time the pen is used. For those who write a lot for long periods of time, the roller ball makes more sense. For those writing on and off many times during the day, the ball point is the way to go.
Another option is the capless roller ball which uses a gel-like ink that allows the user the functionality of a ball point pen with the writing style of the roller ball. The capless roller ball does not require a cap as the ink does not evaporate as quickly as with a true roller ball.
Last, many ball point pens can be fitted with a gel refill which writes somewhere between a ball point pen and a roller ball. The most common gel refill is the parker style gel. It fits a variety of pens. Among the pens the parker gel refill fits are:
- Parker
- Waterford
- Retro 51
- Visconti
- Delta
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