- BIC
If you want a pack of 40 pencils at low-price that’s made with squeaky lead, BIC is a great option! For all the quantity over quality people, $10 is a steal for 40 pencils. I personally think the only appeal to this brand is their amazing prices.
- Sakura
This brand is well known for its micron pens, but it offers some pretty fire gel pens as well. Gel pens were actually invented by the Sakura company in Osaka, Japan. In the late 1980s, the first product that made it to America was their Gelly Roll pens. Although they come in a variety of different colors, I love the Gelly Roll White, a white gel pen perfect for drawing highlights or writing on darker paper.
- Ticonderoga
“The world’s best pencil” ever since 1795. The classic yellow pencil, with a green metal ferrule and soft pink eraser on top. The lead is so smooth and gives incredible writing feedback on paper. It’s everyone’s favorite when it comes to scantron tests. Since it sells for only $13 for a pack of 72, you can lose as many as you need and still have extras.
- Paper Mate
I started using this company’s products in elementary school and carried them with me to high school. Its 0.7mm Clearpoint Mechanical Pencil is a staple within many students’ pencil cases. Paper Mate also created their famous Flair Felt Tip Pens in 1966, and then proceeded to invent the very first erasable pen in 1979. Their affordable yet high-quality products make the brand appealing to many people.
- Zebra
Zebra is the creator of the iconic pastel highlighters that make your pencil case look 10x better. Mildliner is a great highlighter and adds a pop of color to your notes — the only drawback being they run dry pretty quickly. It runs $10.95 for a pack of 5 and can get a bit pricey if you’re constantly buying them. However, the company’s 0.5mm SARASA gel pens are worth the price. The best value: $8.95 for a pack of 5. With a wide range of colors, fast drying ink and smooth writing experience, the SARASA pens are a great option.
- Pentel
Its signature Hi-Polymer erasers cost only $1.53 and will last a lifetime. Aside from its high-quality erasers, Pentel also has some great quality mechanical pencils. Both the Twist Erase III ($5.75) and Twist Erase CLICK ($3.20) are amazingly affordable pencils. However, if you are willing to spend a bit more money — $23.50) — I highly recommend the GraphGear 1000 Expert Mechanical Drafting Pencil. You can feel the weight of the pencil the moment you pick it up. With built-in lead type indicator and retractor to prevent lead breakage and metallic grip that has latex-free padding, this drafting pencil is both great for writing and drawing. Bonus: It works on Scantrons!
- Uni Mitsubishi
These self-sharpening mechanical pencils and squishy grips can help avoid the hand cramps that prevent you from finishing your work painlessly and on time. Related to the car company Mitsubishi, uni Mitsubishi shares the same logo and name but runs as a completely separate entity. You know when you get the perfect angle on your pencil and your handwriting looks elite? The uniball Kuru Toga Advance makes achieving that elite handwriting effortless in an everyday setting with their rotating lead mechanism. Their Alpha Gel pencil is also a great pencil to get your hands on with a squishy gel grip that’s both comfortable and fun to play with.
- Pilot
Juiciest pens ever. My personal favorite is the Juice Up 04 Gel Pens. This ballpoint pen has a fine tip of 0.4mm, perfect for precise writing and never seems to run out of ink. Founded in 1918, Pilot was among the first companies in the world to produce fountain pens and invented the shaker mechanical pencil. The company’s history in pen manufacturing spanning over a century is the best testament to the high quality of Pilot’s products.
- Tombow
The company is known for its blue, black and white packaged MONO erasers that perfectly erase all the mistakes you make on your math homework (there’s a lot). Additionally, Tombow also offers a variety of other products including two of my personal favorites, the MONO Graph Mechanical Pencil and Dual Brush Pen. The mechanical pencil is equipped with the shaker mechanism where a shake of the pencil allows it to dispense more lead. If you aren’t a fan of this excessive motion to shake your pencil once in a while, you can also lock this feature and manually dispense lead like a normal mechanical pencil. The Dual Brush pen has a double edge of fine tip and brush tip. Although it’s great for art as you can draw thick and thin lines, I also love using the brush side as a highlighter.
- Muji
The GOAT of all aesthetically pleasing stationery, Muji will give you the Pintrest notes of your dreams. Their simple design and high-quality products are timeless essentials that can last throughout your whole school life. I personally love using their 0.5mm Gel Ink Cap Type Ballpoint Pen to take notes for all my classes. Not only does a pack of 10 cost $14.90, but Muji also sells refills for only $1 each, allowing you to save the pen itself and protect the environment. But based on my experience, I’d say you never need to buy refills because just finishing the original ink can take years.