Using a pen changed everything for me

Ghostrider

Ghostrider

Explorer
Joined
Jul 14, 2026
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Location
USA
You can label me however you like, but I'm far from alone in really disliking needles. I kept having to get someone else to give me my shots with a 31ga needle, and it was a constant battle.

That's behind me now! After looking into it, I bought some covipens along with 4mm 32ga tips, and injecting has become effortless. For weekly injections, pens do mean more upkeep and higher cost, but for me the payoff is huge.

If you're having the same struggle I had, try a pen — you won't be sorry!

To make it a bit more fun, I 3D printed a case and some pen covers.





1e61d3008c2858db2cebc71ff8958eeb55ef350c8953cfeafbf3b841910544f7.webp
 
Symmetry said:

I keep seeing posts about wasted medication, leaks, and doses that aren't accurate ?!
Click to expand...
Perhaps this applies to some of the inexpensive pens? Based on my own testing, mine is accurate — maybe 1 unit off, more or less, which is negligible and can be corrected by adding a unit. A syringe can leave you just as far off in dosing. I don't understand why people complain about "waste" when we're talking pennies; simply purchase quality supplies. Anyone worried about gray market cost clearly hasn't had to pay big pharma prices.
 
Ghostrider said:

Perhaps this applies to some of the inexpensive pens? Based on my own testing, mine is accurate — maybe 1 unit off, more or less, which is negligible and can be corrected by adding a unit. A syringe can leave you just as far off in dosing. I don't understand why people complain about "waste" when we're talking pennies; simply purchase quality supplies. Anyone worried about gray market cost clearly hasn't had to pay big pharma prices.
Click to expand...
It isn't a matter of pennies — what counts is consistent, accurate dosing and ordering on time. In my view, if you check your pens regularly as they get older, the "waste" will become apparent.

Among the many pep enthusiasts I know, the only pens that measure accurately and keep doing so are the big pharma ones such as HumaPen, Savvio and the like. Still, everyone should do what suits them.
 
Symmetry said:

It isn't a matter of pennies — what counts is consistent, accurate dosing and ordering on time. In my view, if you check your pens regularly as they get older, the "waste" will become apparent.

Among the many pep enthusiasts I know, the only pens that measure accurately and keep doing so are the big pharma ones such as HumaPen, Savvio and the like. Still, everyone should do what suits them.
Click to expand...
That's exactly why I stick with disposables.

Accuracy is never something I have to stress about.

Pin it, then toss it
 
Symmetry said:

It isn't a matter of pennies — what counts is consistent, accurate dosing and ordering on time. In my view, if you check your pens regularly as they get older, the "waste" will become apparent.

Among the many pep enthusiasts I know, the only pens that measure accurately and keep doing so are the big pharma ones such as HumaPen, Savvio and the like. Still, everyone should do what suits them.
Click to expand...
Hand dosing can't match my Convipen for accuracy, and it stays consistent too. You can find plenty of YouTube reviews that measure the dosing, and it comes out spot on.

Eli Lilly turns out disposable junk that's just consistent enough for the FDA to accept it — and I have more faith in my Swiss-made Convipen than in that.

Also, pens are how people inject insulin every single day, and precision doesn't get much more critical than that.
 
Another person who can't stand needles here. It's hereditary in my family — vagal-nerve reaction, all that stuff.

Somehow I've gotten to the point where I can give myself an injection using an EasyTouch 31 gauge, 5/16 inch (8 mm), 0.5 cc insulin syringe. For someone in my position that's a HUGE accomplishment 😂 But that's where I've landed.

What I'd like to ask you, and anyone else posting in this thread: in what ways does using a pen make things easier for you? I'm genuinely curious to get it. I realize the needle stays hidden (I don't really watch anyway), and the dose gets set by dialing (though I've heard there can be some inconsistency). I want to get a picture of what the whole experience is like, both visually and physically.

And which options are the best quality? What does everyone purchase?

Thanks!
 
trimixer said:

Hand dosing can't match my Convipen for accuracy, and it stays consistent too. You can find plenty of YouTube reviews that measure the dosing, and it comes out spot on.

Eli Lilly turns out disposable junk that's just consistent enough for the FDA to accept it — and I have more faith in my Swiss-made Convipen than in that.

Also, pens are how people inject insulin every single day, and precision doesn't get much more critical than that.
Click to expand...
Convi pens are great, though they're manufactured in Bangladesh. I use Gansulin pens instead, which are almost the same and made in China. As you said, the dosing is accurate, and I verify it every few cartridges.
 
I'm really happy with my Convis. I don't understand where the reports of leaking and inaccurate dosing are coming from. From what I've seen, a lot more people use pens and would pick them over the alternative. For peptides in particular, every decent pen I've seen tested for accuracy has measured exactly right.
 
Across my 2 gansulins and 4 convis, I've now used up 3 boxes (300) of pen tips. I don't track how many injections each individual pen has done. The remarks about accuracy getting worse over time are interesting. On the Convi/Gansulin, the plunger that threads is metal, a spring fixes the torque (so you can't force it), and the delivery knob fixes the rotation. It either works or it doesn't, so claims of degrading accuracy are highly unlikely. For those two pen models specifically, it reaches the point of being BS. If you don't like pens, there's no reason to use them. But absent a reproducible accuracy issue, I file that particular claim under "Don't believe it." I do expect that one day my pens will fail, most likely a spring or trigger catch breaking. Still, they have a good chance of outlasting me.

I own a Savvio, a Novapen and a ClickStar. All very nice devices. I bought them thinking I might start using oils and wanted a robust manual pen. I don't use oil (yet), and for filtered bac/peptide solutions I much prefer an auto pen.

I could see the cheaper V1-2-3-4 models having some wear tolerances within a reasonable usage lifetime. Their plungers are plastic, and the user can force the delivery.
 
Abrakebabra said:

I'm really happy with my Convis. I don't understand where the reports of leaking and inaccurate dosing are coming from. From what I've seen, a lot more people use pens and would pick them over the alternative. For peptides in particular, every decent pen I've seen tested for accuracy has measured exactly right.
Click to expand...
Once, a cheap pen of mine leaked during an injection. Before and after that it worked fine (there was still one more shot in the pen), so it could easily have been my own mistake, perhaps cross-threading the needle.

Still, that was the final cartridge I ran through that pen. My Gansulin pens showed up shortly afterward, and wow, they are fantastic! Using them is such a pleasure.
 
I own the cheap V1 pens, and regarding the question of how it changed things — previously I would pull the dose into a syringe, carry it to my bedroom, pause for a bit, and work up the nerve to basically jab myself. I could do it without a problem, but mentally it still took some effort. With the pens, the routine is: put on the tip, set the dial, poke, finished. I'm using 32ga, 5/32 tips and I haven't felt them go in yet; I still look to confirm it's actually in B4 injecting. What made the difference for me was how quick and efficient the whole thing became. I won't go back — I even ordered a spare pen recently so I have a backup if one of mine ever fails.
 
I'm with bada bing on this one — I never kept a dose count until a pen went empty 2 days earlier than I'd planned. These days I jot down every dose as I take it, which gives me a rough idea of what's left and a heads-up on when to reorder. My notes app got too chaotic, so I wound up making a small app for it (Pep Planner), though a simple tally on the box would do the job too.
 
spanky2026 said:

I own the cheap V1 pens, and regarding the question of how it changed things — previously I would pull the dose into a syringe, carry it to my bedroom, pause for a bit, and work up the nerve to basically jab myself. I could do it without a problem, but mentally it still took some effort. With the pens, the routine is: put on the tip, set the dial, poke, finished. I'm using 32ga, 5/32 tips and I haven't felt them go in yet; I still look to confirm it's actually in B4 injecting. What made the difference for me was how quick and efficient the whole thing became. I won't go back — I even ordered a spare pen recently so I have a backup if one of mine ever fails.
Click to expand...
LOL, I keep backups too…far more than I actually need, though honestly that applies to everything in my life, from shoes to shampoo!

As for dosing, I haven't seen any inaccuracies that get worse over time with use. Once I've pushed out as much as possible from the cartridges, I pull out what's left using a syringe, so nothing goes to waste. Because I pin 5-6x a day, pens are really fast for me. I've got nothing against syringes — I just like pens better.
 
Blueeyedme said:

Convi pens are great, though they're manufactured in Bangladesh. I use Gansulin pens instead, which are almost the same and made in China. As you said, the dosing is accurate, and I verify it every few cartridges.
Click to expand...
You're right — I probably misspelled it or made some other mistake when I looked up where they're manufactured.
 
Blueeyedme said:

Convi pens are great, though they're manufactured in Bangladesh. I use Gansulin pens instead, which are almost the same and made in China. As you said, the dosing is accurate, and I verify it every few cartridges.
Click to expand...
I'm actually surprised the Convi pens aren't manufactured in China too! I believe someone on 'tuber took one of each apart and discovered they're essentially the same on the inside.

I really love my Gansulin Pens! Right now I have 2 with me, and another two are on the way. I only really need 2, maybe 3, so that leaves me with a spare.
 
tekkit said:

I'm actually surprised the Convi pens aren't manufactured in China too! I believe someone on 'tuber took one of each apart and discovered they're essentially the same on the inside.

I really love my Gansulin Pens! Right now I have 2 with me, and another two are on the way. I only really need 2, maybe 3, so that leaves me with a spare.
Click to expand...
I might give one a go. Do you know whether there's any difference between them? The price is REALLY high, even next to convi. I never come across the gansulins in gb's
 
trimixer said:

I might give one a go. Do you know whether there's any difference between them? The price is REALLY high, even next to convi. I never come across the gansulins in gb's
Click to expand...
Mine came from AliB. They don't appear to be listed on AliE anymore. Pricing is usually quite reasonable, roughly 50 apiece. That said, if ConviPens are available to you at the same cost or less, I don't see either one as superior. The design looks identical to me.

(I went back over the new member rules to confirm it's fine to say where Gansulin pens can be purchased, and my read is that this fits the "Supply and accessory" exception. Fingers crossed I've got that right. Just trying to follow every rule properly.)
 
Back
Top