There is much debate as to when, and to whom the invention of the ball point pen should be attributed. While similar to modern day designs, many previous attempts by inventors, such as John Loud in 1888, and Baum in 1910, to design an instrument to succeed the fountain pen failed. It wasn't until 1940 that Laszlo Biro designed a pen that was an effective, reliable and mess-free pen suitable for mass production.
The amount of ink within a ball point pen differs greatly depending on the style of pen. Typical ball point pens with a fine tip can write over a distance of 8.5 miles within their lifetime. Ball point pens with a broad tip can cover a distance of 5 miles. These distances can vary by 30 percent depending on the individual pen.
Ball point pens can either be refillable or disposable. Disposable ball point pens are of lower quality and of no more use once the ink has been used. Refillable ball point pens require a replacement ink cartridge once the ink in the old cartridge has been exhausted. This, potentially allows the same pen to be continuously used for years.