Leaking rollerball ink?

[srvrf]

I'm a complete noob to the pen world, but was cleaning out my drawers and noticed an engraved Cross Townsend Medalist Rollerball Pen that was given to me in 2001 upon completion of my vitreoretinal fellowship. I never thought much of it until the past couple of weeks. When I took off the cap, I found that the ink cartridge had leaked and the pen had ink all over it. I cleaned it as much as possible and went to Staples and bought new refills. Well after a day of use, I found that the new refill was leaking too and made a mess. So back to cleaning again and the second refill is now in the pen. So far so good. So my questions are as follows:

1. Is the ink leaking a problem with cheap refills or perhaps the body of the pen causing a problem?

2. I am an ophthalmologist and intend to use it to sign orders and papers. Is a rollerball a good choice? It does seem nice and smooth and there are rarely carbons these days.

3. To use watch analogies, if I wanted say an Omega or Rolex version of a pen (not AP or Patek which I think is Montblanc), what are your suggestions for my needs?

4. Because I've never used a pen worth more than $1, I've always tended to lose them. What hints/tips do you have for not losing them? I already think they need to be stainless/chrome to contrast against my multiple black bags. Anything else?


Thanks everyone in advance!