An online friend asked that recently, just as a fun way to get some discussion going.  I usually prefer a pen (‘though certain things — like math problems — call for pencils and I like my pencils with a nice, soft lead), but I have a few particular favorite pens, too.  I thought it would be kind of fun to share them here — and maybe if any of you are office supply geeks like me, you’ll appreciate the recommendations.  (This is not a sponsored post or anything. Just my personal favorites.  Although those are my Amazon affiliate links, ’cause if I’m going to link you to Amazon anyway they might as well be, right? 🙂 )

My Preference

The key to all of these is that I like a good, bold line, without having to push too hard.  (That’s also why I like soft lead in my pencils.)  If I have to press too hard, my hand cramps up and/or my arm gets tired much faster.  So I like to have plenty of ink lay down without having to work at it too much.  These favorites of mine are all very different from each other, but the one thing they have in common is that they do, in fact, lay down ink easily.

PaperMate Flair

I heard about these from another blogger, and now I use them all. the. time.  PaperMate Flair pens are felt tip pens, so it’s a little like writing with fine point markers.  They’re vibrant and colorful (‘though you can’t tell that very well from my “tester” page above, because the photo’s kind of washed out).  But they don’t bleed (at least not through normal-weight paper).  On relatively thin paper, there is sometimes “shadowing” on the reverse side, but no actual bleed-through.  That makes these excellent for colorful additions to planner pages, or for note-taking.  They’re great for doodling, too.

I have one package of various colors, and bought an additional package of black only, because I wear out my black pens faster.  (They also come in ultra-fine, deep colors [cranberry, pumpkin, mocha, slate], pastels, ultra-fine [black-only], and even a liquid version! — none of which I’ve had the opportunity to try yet.  Liquid seems different enough that they may or may not be a favorite option for those who love the felt-tip version.  They seem more similar to Pilot’s V Razor pens, which are also good but which I seem to remember as being less bleed-resistant.)

Pilot G2

Pilot’s G2 pen is a gel pen.  This is a “click” pen — that is, it clicks in and out, as opposed to having a cap.  It comes with a fine or bold point but I couldn’t find my other one when I was putting this post together.  (I think I misplaced it in the shuffle of getting out school supplies yesterday.)  Unlike many other gel pens I’ve tried, I’ve never experienced “skipping” with these.

These are refillable, so they’re eco-friendly, and I think their cartridges are interchangeable with the B2P pens, too (the Pilot pens whose cases are made from recycled plastic water bottles).

(You can get these in colors, too, and even in metallics.  [Whoa; cool!])

Pilot Varsity

Often a little harder to find than some of the others here, Pilot Varsity pens are disposable fountain pens.  (I’ve seen a couple people hack them for refilling, though, if you’re really into that.)  I think they technically come in a couple different nib sizes, but I’m not usually able to buy them by the nib size — it’s just a matter of getting what you get.  These are all the colors I’ve been able to find.

The nibs occasionally “catch” just when first starting, but then the ink flows freely.  I prefer these for cursive writing because of the nature of the ink flow.  There’s a little window in the pen body through which you can see the ink and have a little bit of an idea of what’s left.

Papermate Inkjoy

These are in a sort of “second tier” for me.  I tend not to be as big a fan of ballpoint pens as other types because the ink tends to be kind of “fadey” and/or not go down smoothly.  But if I have to use a ballpoint, I prefer the PaperMate Inkjoy pens.  They come like this (if you want a variety of colors) or in a “clicky” style (if you just want standard ink colors)  The photo below is just a few pulled out of a set; it isn’t the full spectrum of colors.

Note that these come with a little bead of wax over the tip to prevent leakage or drying out prior to purchase, so you’ll need to pop that off before use or you’ll think the pen doesn’t work!

Do you have favorites?  What do you look for in a pen or pencil?