I’ve written about my love for bullet journaling here before. I started my first bullet journal started in January 2016, and my supplies from day one until now have definitely changed. With all of the products out there, on the shelves and on online retailer websites (like Amazon), it can be overwhelming to decide what to pick up or try out–especially when some “beloved” pens from professional bloggers are quite pricey. Here’s my top five types of pens I’ve used for bullet journaling:
5) A good ol’ set of ballpoint pens
Everyone always forgets about these! I will never get over how a nice, smooth ballpoint pen feels when it runs over paper; it glides so nicely, and I don’t have to worry about any smearing on the page if I run my hand over the ink or use a highlighter. It never ghosts (aka seeing faint ink on the other side of the page), it dries quickly, and they’re super cheap! My favorites are the tried-and-true, super cheap Bic Cristal Xtra Bold Pen, or the Bic Round Stic Grip Xtra-Comfort Pen. Both pens write so smoothly on the page, and come in a nice array of colors that are bright and opaque and very decent for the low price. The only potential drawback is that there’s a limited amount of colors (though the Xtra Bold Pen now includes more, which seems to be at least a teal), and the ink can sometimes be interrupted while writing and not leave a perfect uniform line (like, say, a gel pen would).
4) Gelly Roll
Remember how awesome gel pens were back in the day? Yeah, they’re still awesome. A few weeks ago, my suitemate and I walked to the local art store and got some Gelly Roll pens they were selling for a little over a buck a pop. They write nicely, have beautiful colors and finishes, and honestly aren’t that badly priced. My favorites are the metallics: the entire set consists of 10 colors (2 are nearly repeats, but the rest are all different), with a nearly glittery finish, and write so satisfyingly. I love the silver pen I got, and next time I’m headed to the art store, I’m grabbing a blue one, too–that is, if I don’t buy the entire pack off Amazon before then.
3) Staedtler Triplus Fineliners
I feel like these are a classic in the bullet journaling community for favored pens, and they were the first big set of pens I got. I had the classic 10 pen case (the one that can stand up) years ago, and loved how they wrote and how beautiful the colors were. They’re all vibrant and stunning and never dull. The only thing that sucks about these is that A, they’re somewhat expensive and B, you shouldn’t have them if you press down hard when writing. I have a habit of doing this, and the points on over half of my Staedtlers are flattened completely. And for a pack that’s of 26 pens, it’s really sad. I highly suggest buying these if you can, but if you’re like me and press down hard when writing, you need to put conscious effort in and learn how to write lightly.
2) Stabilo 88
Ah, Stabilos. Definitely the lesser-loved fineliner to Staedtler, and always in competition in the bujo community with them as well. I find them very similar, but Stabilos have a firmer and harder pen tip compared to the softer Steadtler nib. I only have a black Stabilo right now, but I love it and am consciously trying to write lightly with it to keep its nice fine tip. If I can, I’d really love to pick up a variety pack of these in 88 (which I believe is the finest tip of the pens–lower numbers like 68 or 18 are basically markers), since the colors are really nice and I really like writing with them. Plus, they dry instantly in my Scribbles That Matter journal, so that’s an awesome plus.
1) Papermate Flair Pens
These are probably my all-time favorite pens. They’re more like felt tip markers, but thin enough to write clearly and not bleed through paper (even loose leaf!). I’ve loved them since I was a kid, and treated myself to the 10 pack my freshman year of high school for color coded notes when I was still a STEM major. Once I got into bullet journaling and saw my Staedtlers ebbing away, I asked for the Tropical pack for my birthday and was so happy when I opened the package. All the colors are so beautiful, and I especially love the Tropical pack because of such beautiful blues it has. It has a lot of blues and pinks (5 different blues, I think, and 3 or 4 pinks), and they’re all so vibrant and opaque and I love them so much. They don’t bleed through my Scribbles That Matter at all, and the darker colors just barely ghost if I put a lot of pressure on or go over lines a few times. I have my eyes set on the Candy Pop version, just because I can be a completionist when it comes to pens and I cannot stress enough how much I love these pens. If you like thicker pens with a nice vibrant color, this is definitely for you.