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In The Ultimate Notebook,I reviewed a large list of notebooks I bought in my quest for the perfect onefor me. (I’m happy to say that I’ve been using the Quo Vadis Habana in Raspberry exclusivelyfor a while). But what about the perfect pen? Ah, pens. As much a personalmatter as notebooks are. I’ve tried a variety of pens. Here’s my review of someof them.
First, what am I looking for? My ideal pen is:
- Used for note-taking, usually in a business context
- Felt-tipped so it doesn’t leak on planes
- Permanent, fade-proof black ink
- Small
- Durable so it survives occupational hazards like accidental hard pressure
- Long-lasting so it doesn’t run out of ink too fast
With that in mind, here’s a rundown of pens I’ve used.
Marvy (Uchida) Le Pen
I was introduced to this Japanese pen by Kate Matsudaira and have used it for years. It comes in a variety of colors and is inexpensive to buy in singles or bulk packs. It’s also resold under various brands, such as in Michael’s stores under the Recollections brand. (If that’s not the same pen under a different brand it is a remarkable imitation.)
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Reasonable lifetime
- Slim form factor
- Good value and performance overall
Cons:
- Runs out of ink after a while
- The tip tends to wear down; depending on the paper, can wear down fast and the pen is useless
Sakura Pigma Micron
Another Japanese pen brand, these high-quality pens are great for writing, sketching, and precise drawing. Sakura makes a variety of styles, colors, and thicknesses of pen. I am fond of about a 0.3mm tip. Here’s a six-pack in 0.20mm Black that’s a good value. You can also get variety packs—a single color in various widths; a single width in a variety of colors; combinations thereof. Here’s a 10-pack in a single color you can choose.
Pros:
- Quality is top-notch
- Great for precision drawing and use with instruments such as straight-edges
- Long-lasting, both in ink quantity and in tip durability
- Very popular with many artists, engineers, architects, and the like
Cons:
- Bulkier and thicker
- More expensive, though not much
- You’ll be more annoyed when you lose one of these
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Sakura also makes tons of other kinds of pens I also think are suitable for note-taking, such as the Microperm. Many of these items will be available at your local office supply or craft supply store. Just don’t go in there with too much time to spare. Who knows what you’ll end up buying.
Staedtler Pigment Liner
These premium liners are made in Germany and I love them. They come in various sets of different widths, with their own plastic case. They are definitely designed for people who are serious about pens for precision work. They’re quite similar in form factor to the Sakuras. I’m not sure which is better quality. I have a set of various widths in black and I don’t think I’ll end up using some of the thicker and thinner widths, so it might be more economical to buy uni-size sets of the Sakura pens next time. If there is a next time—these pens have a reputation for lasting forever.
Staedtler also makes a related model, the Triplus Fineliner pens, which I haven’t tried yet, but they look really nice.
Pros:
Ultimate Penny Stock Playbook
- Amazing pens that make you feel like more of an artist/engineer just by holding them
- High quality, highly durable, permanent ink
- Resist drying out if you forget to cap them
Cons:
- You’ll be so sad if you forget one in the coffee shop
- Sets aren’t as flexibly configured, so if you don’t want the full variety of sizes, you might be buying pens you won’t use
Things To Do With Your Pens
Once you’ve picked up a pen like one of the above, you may be overcome with anirrational desire to do something with it, such as:
- Practice Zentangling (have a kit maybe?)
- Study Spencerian penmanship
- Draw something in the style of Art Deco blended with steampunk
- Keep a diary
Fountain Pens
As I wrote in another post, I rediscovered the joy of writingin cursive, and began using a fountain pen for that. I have owned 4 fountainpens from Pilot at this point, and would buy another. My most recent is thebeautiful Pilot MR RetroPop in purple witha medium nib.
Results
I still have a lot of the Le Pen pens hanging around, because I bought a few large boxes of them (one for the office, one for home, which my wife has been dipping into as well; there’s another +1 for Le Pen). I think I’ll be using these for a while. I usually have one in my pocket, sometimes two (!!), and several in my bag. They’re not expensive and they write nicely. On the other hand I don’t feel as special writing with them.
I love the Sakura and Staedtler pens.
Really, I love all the pens I’ve written about here.
Great places to buy pens, in addition to the Amazon.com links embedded above, include
- Your local craft supplies or office supply store
Write! Write more! It’s therapeutic. And don’t forget to choose an amazing notebook to write in.