Feasibility Study: Feasibility Study: PensPens
Group Seven: Erick Hernandez, Thomas McCullough, Wendy Grogg,
Bredric Berry
IntroductionIntroduction• College students need school supplies• Students tend to look for the most affordable
items• For this study, we chose to compare the cheapest
of different brands of pens• The brands consist of:
o PaperMateo Pentelo Uni-Ballo Pilot
Rating SystemRating System• For this study, Group seven decided that each
member rate the pens on a scale of 1 to 4o The brand in first place received a score of “1”o The brand in second place received a score of “2”o The brand in third place received a score of “3”o The brand in fourth place received a score of “4”
• Each member’s scores are added and the pen with the lowest rating wins that testo Lowest possible score being a “4”(Best)o Highest possible score being a “16”(Worst)
Overview of Options and Overview of Options and CriteriaCriteria
• For this study a standard had to be established to compare similar pens
• The criteria consists of:o The cheapest package
of each brando Black ink
Figure 1: 4 Brands of Pens
Test 1: Methods and ResultsTest 1: Methods and Results• First method of testing involves price• To conduct test 1:
1. Compare the four brands to determine the cheapest pens and the number of pens per package
• dd
Figure 2: Pricing
Test 1: Methods and ResultsTest 1: Methods and Results• Results:
• Rating:
Brand Price Pens per Package
Unit Price
PaperMate $0.94 12 $0.078
Pentel $0.98 2 $0.48
Pilot G2 $2.67 2 $1.335
Uni-Ball $2.97 2 $1.485
Table 1: Prices
Brand Rating
Paper Mate 4
Pentel 8
Pilot 12
Uni-Ball 16
Table 2: Rating
Test 2: Methods and ResultsTest 2: Methods and Results• The second method of
testing involves the smear of the ink.
• To conduct test 21. Write a simple phrase on regular
notebook paper with each pen2. Rub a hand across the phrase
several times to simulate what would actually happen.
3. Repeat the process for accuracy.4. Rank the pens from least amount of
smear to greatest amount.
Figure 3: Smear Test
Test 2: Methods and ResultsTest 2: Methods and Results• Results:
• Uni-Ball gave no smear and PaperMate had a barely visible smear.
• Pilot had the greatest smear.• Uni-Ball won the smear test.
Brand Rating
Uni-Ball 4
Paper Mate 8
Pentel 12
Pilot 16
Figure 4: Uni-Ball won
Table 3: Smear rating
Test 3: Methods and ResultsTest 3: Methods and Results• The third method of
testing involves clarity and the quality of the ink.
• For this test, a study was conducted on how clearly each pen wrote
• To conduct test 3:1. Choose one person to write a
simple phrase on regular notebook paper
2. Vote individually on the quality and clarity of how each pen writes
Figure 5: Clarity Test
Test 3: Methods and ResultsTest 3: Methods and Results• Results:
• Group seven observed that Uni-Ball is the most legible and precise.
• Pilot had thickest font while Pentel had the thinnest.
• PaperMate did not write smoothly
Brand Rating
Uni-Ball 7
Pilot 8
Pentel 10
Paper Mate 16
Table 4: Clarity Rating
Figure 6: Clarity test winner
Test 4: Methods and ResultsTest 4: Methods and Results• The fourth method of testing involves comfort.
Students often consider the comfort of a pen before purchasing.
• To conduct test 4:1. Hold each pen to decide the comfort of the pen.2. Rank each brand from most comfortable to least comfortable.
Figure 7: Uni-Ball Figure 8: Pilot Figure 9: Pentel Figure 10: PaperMate
Test 4: Methods and ResultsTest 4: Methods and Results• Results:
• PaperMate lost the test as the worst pen in regards to comfort because it had no gripper.
• Uni-Ball won the comfort test.
Brand Rating
Uni-Ball 6
Pilot 8
Pentel 10
Paper Mate 16
Table 5: Comfort Rating
Figure 11: Comfort test winner
ConclusionsConclusions• PaperMate pens are the most cost effective.• Uni-Ball exceeds its competitors in all other
categories.• Even though Uni-Ball had the highest cost, its
superior results show that the extra money goes a long way.
• PaperMate, being the cheapest, ranked last in every other category.
Brand Price Rating
Smear Rating
Clarity Rating
Comfort Rating
OVERALL RATING
Uni-Ball 16 4 7 6 31
Pentel 8 12 10 10 42
Pilot 12 16 8 8 44
Paper Mate 4 8 16 16 44
Table 6: Overall Rating
RecommendationRecommendation• Our feasibility report
compared the Pentel, Uni-Ball, Pilot, and PaperMate pen brands.
• Through each of the different tests, Uni-Ball resulted as the pen with the best score.
• The Uni-Ball pen has the best overall rating when comparing o Priceo Smearo Clarityo Comfort Figure 12: Uni-Ball is
the best pen to purchase
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