Here at Stapleswe are proud to supply a range of Writing Supplies, including Gel Pens, Ballpoint Pens, Rollerball Pensand more. Key Information: Comfort and aesthetics: The pen should look nice sitting out on your desk, but more importantly it should be designed to hold comfortably. Look for lighter pens. They will be easier on your hand than heavy ones. And don’t be fooled by pens with soft grips included on them; they’re not necessarily any more comfortable. Paper Mate – InkJoy (gel): Though Paper Mate’s ballpoint version of the InkJoy was the best in our tests, we weren’t as impressed by the gel version. We found that it feathered, bled and tended to smudge.

The Best Pens of 2023 - Reviews by Your Best Digs The Best Pens of 2023 - Reviews by Your Best Digs

Finally, we chose to focus primarily on .7 mm pens, which create medium-sized lines and are a good writing choice for a lot of people. However, we also tested some smaller and larger pens for those who want range. It should be noted that while some of our testers used the pens to freehand draw or doodle, we did not test pens that were created explicitly for drawing purposes. (That’s another review for another time!) Compare the best pens Pen uni-ball – 207 Retractable (gel): uni-ball may be popular among writers everywhere, but they missed the mark on their 207 gel pen. Our testers found that uni-ball’s gel formula feathered and didn’t create very uniform lines.

Bic – Round Stic Xtra Life (ballpoint): The Bic felt like a standard, uninspired office pen. It was uncomfortable to hold, required a decent amount of pressure to write with, and the ink often felt dry and uneven.

InkJoy Ballpoint Pen, Assorted Colors, 8-Count Paper Mate InkJoy Ballpoint Pen, Assorted Colors, 8-Count

Conventional gel pens come in three sizes: micro (making lines .5 mm wide and thinner), medium (.7 mm) and bold (1.0 mm). Rollerball pens A pen can seem like a deceptively simple product, but there’s a lot that goes into making one great. Ask any pen aficionado and they can wax poetic about nibs and ink flow for hours. However, for the purposes of the everyday pen user, there are only a few things you need to keep in mind: However, a rollerball’s intense ink can sometimes bleed through paper if you’re not careful, and the pen can leak if it’s left uncapped or taken to high altitudes. Conventional rollerball pens come in three sizes: micro (.5 mm), fine (.7 mm) and bold (.8 mm and wider). Important features to consider Like a popular celebrity, the Pilot- G2 inspires polarized opinions. People seem to either love or hate the G2 — and we have our suspicions that some hate it just because it’s so well-loved!

If you’ve searched online for pens, you know that there are hundreds and hundreds from which to choose. So, we narrowed down our prospects by focusing only on gel, ballpoint and rollerball pens. These are the pens most commonly used in people’s everyday lives, rather than fountain or calligraphy pens. If you’re only interested in gel pens, we’ve also exclusively reviewed the best gel pens in another post. Pilot – Precise V5 (ballpoint): Pilot, the makers of our best pen overall, also did a good job with the V5. Our testers loved the way this pen writes, and appreciated its uniform and even ink flow. It didn’t bleed or feather, and it required only a small amount of pressure to write. Our only gripe with the V5? It doesn’t have much of a grip, which can make it hard to hold. Pens we don’t recommend We started by rounding up a group of designers at our content marketing agency in San Diego, and gave them each a few pens and a Moleskine notebook to call their own. In the weeks leading up to our formal focus group testing, they were encouraged to use the pens daily, whether it be for journaling, making grocery lists, signing cards or sketching out plans for the next photoshoot. But while there are a number of youthful-looking gel pens on the market (like the Gelly Roll we tested), there are also plenty of quality, businesslike pens that you may not know use gel ink. Gel ink is simply pigment in water-based gel. If you’re looking for strong colors and sharp, featherless lines, then a gel pen is probably a great choice for you.