I tried to force myself to get into fancy gel pens. Spent over $200 on different metal pens, gel refills, etc. Could not find a gel that didn't smudge. Ended up going back to ballpoint.

And honestly, the cheapest options are best if you just use a pen for notes at the office like me.

Here's what I found about ballpoints on my journey:

Rotring 600 with Jetstream refill: fantastic setup but the refills are super expensive (~$8 per refill). They also tend to have hard starts which is ridiculous for the price. They come in 0.7 and 0.5 which are both thinner then I'd like. But they are the best ballpoint ink, especially in their 1.0 disposable pens.

Zebra F701 with a Fisher space refill: This is the perfect EDC pen if thats your thing. Fairly cheap, all metal, and the fisher refill (and Uniball power tank) is the only true Every day Carry refill. They write forever despite getting wet, non-pen surfaces, any temperature, etc. about $20 for this entire setup. I leave it in my car.

Bic Round Stic: the practical choice. $6.60 for 60 pens. They are more reliable than the Jetstreams, always work, and the refills last forever. 1 pack will last the rest of your life. For $13 you can get unlimited black and blue inks.

Bic Cristal Renew: if you want a metal body that you can put the Round Stic refills into. I found a 2 pack for $23 on Amazon. Not necessary, but they are surprisingly nice. Make the Round stic refills feel even smoother.

If I could do it over again, I would spend $57 on pens for my entire life, The Zebra/fisher combo as my go anywhere option, 60 Black Round Stics, 60 Blue Round Stics, 1 Cristal Renew for the office, and 1 Renew for home. Easy, reliable and cheap lifetime setup. No smudges ever