- Pilot FriXion
Pilot’s FriXion erasable gel pens ($3-10) are perfect for note-taking. Besides their affordability, the pen’s durability is also exceptional. I have been using the same FriXion pen for three years worth of notes. The erasing mechanism is heat based, so when exposed to a temperature of over 60℃, the ink will disappear. It’s a cool party trick, but less cool if it’s your math notes that disappear.
- Kaweco Classic Sport
An entry level fountain pen, the Kaweco Classic Sport ($30) is a short and lightweight pen that can easily fit in a pocket. Like most fountain pen ink, Kaweco’s ink is not waterproof and smudges easily. One benefit is its customizability, allowing users to give it a squeeze converter, though the pen’s small size means it has a small ink reservoir that needs to be frequently refilled.
- Pilot Precise V5
Known outside the US as the Hi-Tecpoint V5, the Pilot Precise V5 ($1.50) is a pen you’ve probably stumbled upon before. With its rollerball nib, it has decent quality ink dispensing and consistent thickness, making it a reliable office companion. What stops these pens from achieving true greatness is their ink quality, as it is not waterproof and may initially smudge.
- Tombow Fudenosuke
Tombow has some of the best calligraphy and brush pens. The Fudenosuke line ($8) has both hard and soft brush tips in a variety of colors, making it a standout choice. The brush tip allows the pen to make both thick and thin lines. The hard brush tip is for precise strokes, while the soft tip gives wider and bolder strokes. Although its ink is water resistant, it is not as impervious and its nibs have a tendency to get worn down quickly.
- Morning Glory Sketch
Morning Glory’s sketch pencil ($2) is an interesting but less common pick. With a special type of flat lead, this pencil boasts both a thick as well as a thin side, adapting to shading, sketching and hatching. For students, it may be somewhat superfluous as its lead is rare and uneven stroke thickness when writing is common.
- Zennyth Gel Pen
The Zennyth Gel Pen ($5) has a silicone body with a variety of different colors to choose from (although it only has black ink). The Zennyth Gel Pen’s specialty though, is its ink’s smoothness. Even compared to premium gel pens, the ink flow of the Zennyth Gel Pen is impressive. However, like most gel pens, its ink takes longer to dry.
- Graphgear
Pentel’s Graphgear 1000 ($24.91) is undoubtedly one of the most useful mechanical drafting pencils. The clip on the side allows you to secure it easily to a notebook and the pencil is retractable. However, at a weight of about 20 grams, writing with it for long periods of time makes my hand cramp.
- Sakura Pigma Micron
The Sakura Pigma Micron ($10-20, depending on set size) comes in many different nib sizes, but all of them share the same Sakura Pigma ink that makes them so well loved by illustrators. The Sakura Pigma ink is chemically stable, fade resistant, bleed free, waterproof and dries quickly. One of its major flaws, though, is its fragile nib. Small nib sizes splinter easily and even larger ones need a light touch.
- Uni Kuru Toga
The Uni Kuru Toga is one of the most well-known and innovative lines of pencils. With a built-in rotating mechanism rotates the pencil every time it is lifted from the paper, it ensures that the lead wears evenly. The Kuru Toga metal ($35) is more durable than the standard model, while also being lightweight and comfortable to hold.
- Apple Pencil Pro
Despite not being a traditional writing utensil, the Apple Pencil Pro ($129) is by far one of the most functional and useful pencils there are. It never needs to be sharpened, and can draw in many colors and thicknesses. The Apple Pencil Pro lets you draw and erase seamlessly, as double tapping the barrel switches it from pencil mode to eraser mode. Its biggest handicap is that it only works with the iPad.
