About two weeks ago, I got a new pen. After limited use, I tweeted that it might be my new favorite.

But let's back up for a minute.

My go-to pen has, for quite some time, been the Sanford Uni-Ball Deluxe 0.5 mm.

On a recent trip to Staples I couldn't find a box of the Uni-Ball Deluxe, so I picked up a box of the Uni-Ball Grip. Same tip, different barrel.

I posted this photo of said Uni-Ball Grip pen and the blank pages of a new Moleskine notebook. It was later favorited by the proprietor of The Pen Addict.

After reading a few of the reviews on the site, I came across the Pentel Slicci 0.3 mm.

I hadn't used any pen with a tip smaller than 0.5 mm. My handwriting is pretty small, so even with the 0.5 mm Uni-Ball Deluxe, sometimes the ink would bleed too much and make my already terrible handwriting illegible, even to me. Needless to say, the idea of a smaller-tipped pen was intriguing.

So I ordered the Pentel Slicci 0.3 mm in brown from JetPens.com.

More than a week passed before I had a good opportunity to test it under "normal" conditions: Taking notes during a day-long class.

Notes written with 0.3 mm Pentel Slicci (brown ink) in a Moleskine notebook

Although my first tweet was premature, in that it was sent before I had had time to really use it, it is no less accurate. The 0.3 mm Slicci has officially overtaken the Uni-Ball Deluxe as my favorite pen.

It writes smoothly, the ink flows consistently and the tip is small enough to keep the small strokes of my handwriting from running together.

The barrel is narrow, especially compared with the Uni-Ball Grip I've been using lately. It feels awkward when picked up initially, but once I start writing I forget all about it. And that's what a good pen should do: get out of your way so you can write.