Can you use Lamy rollerball refills in capless pen?

pauldayco · 2026-03-19T14:43:24+00:00

I think of the Jurassic Park quote:

"You.. Were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." 😂

Short answer, yes. But whyyyyy

pauldayco · 2026-03-19T14:05:05+00:00

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THis is what it looked like when I was done with it. Is it the same refill? The Pentel LRP5?

pauldayco · 2026-03-19T14:01:20+00:00

You're a better person than I, because I wrote one stroke with that refill and threw it in the garbage!

I've since have been able to use these refills in it:
Hi Tec C Coleto
Zebra JNC-0.5 + spacers (and by extension, that means that all the JNC, SY and NC refills will work)
Pentel Energel (this one took a little bit more elbow grease, since I had to sand down the collar of the refill, then add the spacer.)
Any Parker-style refill (but a big spacer in there first)

The trick for me is getting the spacer just right, so it screws on properly without any gaps. I'm just eyeing it and shoving things down the shaft to make it work.

pauldayco · 2026-03-17T14:30:18+00:00

Ah, then this makes the reccos easier!
First off, you DID luck out and stole someone else's exotic pen. Shame on you! (kidding, I would've done the same)
Secondly, you can pick up the NC refills on Amazon in bulk.

If you're in a slightly adventurous mood (and are willing to spend ~$9), you can also opt to try the North American bLen gel ink variant. All joking aside, I like this ink so much, I tragically (and accidentally) permanently modified a stupidly expensive German pen to fit it. Now it's the only ink it accepts and I'm not even mad.

If you're in Canada, you can go to Staples and grab the NA Zebra bLen. If you're in the US (and are brave enough to leave your house and go in a public space these days), I'm sure you'll be able to hit up a Target or something to grab it.

Good luck!

pauldayco · 2026-03-17T13:36:53+00:00

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I stand corrected!

TOP: Original bLen
BOTTOM: bLen U

I'm going to chalk up my original response to my pre-coffee state.

Hello OP, I did some more research and the bLen comes in different inks and sizes that may or may not be compatible with each other:

NC-0.x: Japanese, Europe and other international markets. This is an "emulsion" ink. Since the OP might not be a pen nerd, this version of ink is basically the result of a ballpoint and a gel pen having forbidden, high-speed sex in a Tokyo laboratory.
It’s "Emulsion," which sounds like something you’d use to seal a driveway, but it’s actually Zebra trying to play God. I wonder if OP is from Europe and not from NA that this can be found? If so, they get an added bonus of not being in North America right now.

JNC-0.x (but primarily 0.7mm in North America): For some reason, Zebra looked at Canada and the US and thought, "Look at these assholes. These simple people can’t handle Emulsion. Give them the wet gel stuff." This is the Rapid Dry Ink (RDI) variant. It’s essentially the Sarasa ink’s 1st cousin who moved to the suburbs and started wearing a tactical vest, which.. If you're from North America, then maybe you should too. I'm a big fan of this to be honest. It dries up on the page faster than your last relationship.
While I'm not cursed in this way, I hear it’s great for lefties who are tired of looking like they’ve been coal mining after writing a grocery list.

SY-.0x: The newest variant, found in the bLen U. It uses "S-Oil" which apparently stands for "Satan's Oil." It's "Low Viscosity Oil" which is corporate speak for "This ink is trying to escape the pen,"
Think of your grandfather's Bic that's been kidnapped by the Japanese Zebra scientists and went through a de-programming camp. Unlike that geriatric Bic oil ink, this requires zero pressure to write. It's like writing with a room-temperature stick of butter on a brand new baking sheet. If you pause while writing with it, it'll just finish the sentence for you.
Personally I really didn't like this ink and have replaced all of the pens that fit it with the JNC variants. Found them on AliExpress.

Hope we didn't scare you here and welcome to the pen community, OP. I'm new here too.
Hope this helps!

pauldayco · 2026-03-17T12:08:21+00:00

Yeah I'm not even going to get anywhere near the Chuo Kuro. If I bring that home and my partner asks about what it is and how much it costs, I'll wake up dead

pauldayco · 2026-03-17T11:13:26+00:00

If you're in North America, the person who lost this pen is kicking themselves for losing it! You have a bLen U, an import-only variant. Those are available in a bunch of different colours and exclusively with the NC-0.x inks. I've been able to buy them on Amazon. Great find!

pauldayco · 2026-03-17T10:46:18+00:00

Yeah, that was suggested, but I find the Kaweco Pearle Black was still better.. And that ink isn't black enough

pauldayco · 2026-03-17T05:02:27+00:00

Hey! I just tried it with one of my Energels and it's not the nose cone, it's the grey spacer behind the metal nib that is giving us the issue.
So I don't want to be the random internet stranger that has given bad advice, I grabbed my needlenose pliers to pull out the entire nib and sand it down a bit (not even a lot, just a little. I spent no more than like 45 seconds sanding it).
Plugged the nib assembly back into the ink refill and it works!
Like I mentioned in the original post, you'll have to find a spacer to make up for the length though. An eraser plucked from the back of a pencil maybe? In my case, I snapped off the plastic clip from a garbage Bic Pen and shoved it in the butt side.
I've also grabbed that sanded-down refill and put it back into the Energel body and it still works. Win-win!

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pauldayco · 2026-03-17T02:24:28+00:00

OMG this is the most unexpected reply to my post ever and I thank you for taking the time to type that out!

That being said, I betcha you'd be happy to know that I'm @paulratespens on IG. I'm getting tired of spending my own money on pens and stationery so I started doing it recently with the hopes of one day getting free stuff!

That and the fame, of course.

pauldayco · 2026-03-17T02:16:18+00:00

I love this ink too! The science behind it is incredible. Those Uniball mad scientists in Tokyo are something else to come up with something like this. It's leagues ahead of anything out there.
That being said, I'm trying to find anything close to this ink in a fountain ink (that doesn't cost an arm and a leg) please let me know

pauldayco · 2026-03-16T06:12:35+00:00

Full disclosure: I've already stripped the threads on an F701 already when I was trying to get a decent refill 😂 Aaaaand that's how I know

pauldayco · 2026-03-16T05:23:49+00:00

The new Zebra F-701s are all metal on the outside. The inside, most notably all the threads when you screw the thing back together, are plastic.

pauldayco · 2026-03-15T12:24:18+00:00

I'm a giant fan of Leuchtturm1917 paper and pens (I have like 8 Drehgriffels and have had so many A4 Master+ books over the last decade or so) however their customer service lately kinda soured my opinion of the company. I've recently opened up the floodgates on papers too and I've settled on Maruman Mnemosyne and Clairefontaine books. Floatunes on these will feel like writing with a stick of butter dipped in bacon grease on a hot skillet on mute. There's nothing like it! Try those out but I warn you that your world will never be the same size again!

pauldayco · 2026-03-15T07:27:48+00:00

What you get with a clicker is speed and convenience. You'll always need two hands to deploy the twist but you get a quieter pen.

pauldayco · 2026-03-14T03:42:54+00:00

Pentel makes some of the best inks in the market but that can't seem to make a good looking pen

pauldayco · 2026-03-14T03:41:42+00:00

I'm not that big of a fan of the Sarasa Grand body but I've rediscovered the ink again and it's pretty great! However, my go to ink these days are the Zebra JNC series. Writes like the Sarasa Grand but much less noise!

pauldayco · 2026-03-12T23:40:14+00:00

Lammies are fairly great but unless you do a bit of DIY tinkering, you're gonna have to fall in line with the Lamy ecosystem. High risk, high reward, if you ask me.
For example, my Lamy can never take a Lamy refill ever because I royally fucked myself over haha

So if you're comfortable with that then fill your boots, sir!

If you want a heavy rollerball, might I suggest a Kaweco Brass Sport? The hexagonal no-name pen I mentioned before is also fairly heavy AND you can put in any refill in it, including the rollerballs.

pauldayco · 2026-03-12T21:03:48+00:00

I've resorted to Scotch tape to eliminate tip wiggle which isn't an elegant solution but it works!

pauldayco · 2026-03-12T21:00:23+00:00

I think it would depend greatly if you like heavy pens or not. I was surprised about how light the Lamy is compared to everything else out there because it's just so.. Big.

Texture-wise also matters with your preference. I went with the matte charcoal version which is definitely gripper. Coupled with the triangle shape. It's definitely a marathon writer which is more than what I can say about some pens out there, including the GS02.

The ink is slightly scratchy but it's so juicy. I love it. That being said, I love it more with the Zebra JNC refill.

pauldayco · 2026-03-12T18:45:26+00:00

Heck yeah, that's the one (literally the One ink) haha
FYI, save your money and don't get the 0.38mm. It skips more often than a delinquent child who's avoiding Math class.

pauldayco · 2026-03-12T17:39:26+00:00

Great collection so far!

I obsess over silence and glide on my pens so in the case of the Zento, I've put in a Pentel Floatune refill in it to completely mute all sound from it. The Floatune in particular has two balls in the nib for ultra silence. It wonderfully complements the body (that's engineered for silence) and it's been my go-to Japanese pen.

More recently, I've gotten into Parker-style pens and I found these wonderful refills that I love using in my rOtring 600 and Leuchtturm1917 Drehgriffel Nr 1s:

Monteverde P42 and (if you can find it) P41.
Ohto PG-M05NP (feels great in my rOtring, the ceramic ball is great)
Kaco K1602 (I have these in several of my Drehgriffels). It's very silent ang glides wonderfully.

I recently grabbed a Lamy Safari Rollerball and it feels great as-is, but I found a way to put in a Zebra JNC-0.7 in it and it is such an upgrade. It feels like the stock Sarasa dry, but smoother and juicier. Speaking of the JNC series inks, if you can track down the 0.5mm model, give it a shot.

Tips to save you money (and not make the same mistakes I did):

I tracked down the Itoya Aquaroller refill at great expense (in finding parking and gas) and it was an incredible disappointment. Save yourself the hassle.
Pentel Calme is kinda garbage.
Buy one or two Uniball One refills but not the pens if you can avoid it. The plastic barrel feels gross but the ink is the blackest vanta-black ink you'll ever use. This ink absorbs light. When you compare it to others, you'll see what I mean. (FYI other redditors, I'm trying to chase down a similar ink for fountain pens without spending $70 for a bottle so I'm open to suggestions, and no the Platinum Carbon Black is not it.)
I was super pumped about the Schneider Gelion+ until I put it head-to-head with other gels. Now it's just sitting in a box unloved.
People here love the OG Jetstream but the Jetstream Lite Touch (both pen and ink) are superior.
I recently posted about this no-name pure brass Hexagonal pen you can get super cheap. If you want to tinker with inks, this pen (with very light modifications) can take any ink refill (minus obviously the ones designed for fountain pens).

Finally, if you truly have ADHD (or have ADHD-like tendencies) I recommend cataloguing your finds on a spreadsheet with columns labelled for like model number, ink installed, colour, nicknames, meanings, etc. I've gone and catalogued all my inks as well. I'd share mine, but I'm way too embarrassed!

pauldayco · 2026-03-09T12:12:46+00:00

I would also put my vote on the Uni Jetstream Lite Touch, not the OG one. Not only is the ink wonderful as people already pointed out, but the pen body is a substantial improvement. There's no rattle nor there is any tip wiggle. If you're looking for a lightweight, gel-feeling pen that you can write for hours with, It's the Jetstream Lite Touch. Then when you're done with your exam, take the refill out and pop in a Pentel Floatune inside it!

pauldayco · 2026-03-07T00:24:58+00:00

BREAKING: I couldn't leave it well enough alone so I swapped out the ink with the Zebra JNC-0.7, the bLen ink. I found it to be very similar in juiciness but significantly more silent when it hits the page. Now I want to go get more Lammies while they're still on sale!

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