Best Pens for 2025 (opens in new tab)

I have used a standard Lamy fountain pen for 11 years in school, and later several higher-end products (ball pens and fountain pens). But a few years ago I discovered that I really like writing with the Bic Cristal [0]. It's reliable and writing feels very smooth (even better than with some Lamy products I own). I also like that it has exactly the same shape as a classic pencil. Of course it is also very relaxing to know I can get a pack of 50 for 14 EUR. You can gnaw away on it, roll over it accidentally with you chair, lose it, break it in half - doesn't matter, because you can easily afford to have 20 of these on your desk at any time.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bic_Cristal

I've had quite a few nice pens over the years. For me, Lamy Safari with its triangular grip is peak ergonomics, and its price-per-usability is fantastic. I tend to have a claw-like grip, and the Safari forces me to hold it in a way that my hand doesn't cramp after 3 minutes. It's great. I love it.

But for quick jotting, like making shopping lists or bullet journal notetaking, I'm on board with this list's top ballpoint pick, the Uni Jetstream. If all ballpoints were this smooth and pleasant to use, I never would've bothered investigating fountain pens. I think they're fantastic, supremely reasonably priced, and rugged enough to lose in the bottom of a bag without leaking all over stuff.

I love my Safaris, but when I need to jot something down, I reach for the Jetstream.

Every time this website gets posted I order like $30 worth of office supplies. Dunno why but it’s so tempting.

Largely the same choices, pens, photos, text from the 2024 copy of this: (168 points, 154 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38867708

https://web.archive.org/web/20240104200853/https://www.jetpe...

Should have category for more innovative pen, what's new in the writing technology last yer? Their videos on overengineered Japanese stationary are great.

Try a Parker Jotter with one of these refills:

- https://www.jetpens.com/Schmidt-EasyFlow-9000-Hybrid-Ballpoi...

- https://schneiderpen.com/en_us/ballpoint-pen-refills/slider-...

- https://www.jetpens.com/OHTO-Flash-Dry-Gel-Pen-Refill-Black/...

I always enjoy reading this list yearly, and the research that goes into it. As someone who prefers thicker gel pens I used the Uniball Signo 207 as I could easily find these locally as well. Then after reading their recommendations I switched to the Zebra Sarasa Dry because I always smear my writing.

Through Jetpens I’ve also discovered my favorite mechanical pencil, the Uni Kuru Toga.

Just want to say, I've had incredible customer service experiences from Jetpens. If high end stationary is important to you, I highly recommend this store.

I've embraced the Pulaman over the past year. It's grungy when used on rougher paper, and wet enough to bleed through lighter weights, but the lines are full of character. It's a fountain pen with a marker tip - it fills in a certain complementary thing that Pilot nibs don't have.

I have also become a champion for Bic Gelocity, because they figured out a quick-dry gel formula that has similar viscosity and reliability to their classic ballpoints. Viscous ink keeps my writing legible, and the gel needs less pressure, so it's a great EDC writer.

Some of my bigger explorations have been with graphite - I have both new mechanicals, cheap stuff, lead holders, and vintage pencils. There is a lot of reason to go mechanical for reliability, but cheap mechanicals like the Bic pencil are unreliable - it's worth it to go for a Pentel. Similar story with lead holders - I have some from Daiso that do the job but aren't as tight as brand names. The nice thing about wood is that it handles well - the weight is lighter than metal, and it stays balanced as you wear it down. As well, for drawing, being able to cut the point you want makes a difference. There are woodless pencils which are quite a bit heavier and more brittle if dropped, but they are nice to work with to get something similar to a long point sharpen without having to get out a razor and whittle it by hand.

Pens are all well and good, but what are people's favorite notebooks? I've found that the paper is perhaps just as important as the pen in a satisfactory writing experience.

Lamy Safari friends, I bought one, and it went unused for years because it was no fun to write with. The nib was scratchy, not feedback, scratchy, and no small tweak ever made it smooth. I was on the verge of buying a sheet of micro-mesh to fix it when I came to my senses, what the hell was I doing, like trying to fix a smokey candlewick for light. I thought to myself, it can't all be like this, and bought a TWSBI Eco. This was going to be my last fountain pen if it didn't work out. And, dear readers, it is amazing! It writes like butter, words cannot describe, I whip it out every chance I get to write with it.

(The Lamy does OK with a very wet ink and cheap printer paper. I use it to doodle, so all is not lost.)

I've been programming some CAD algorithms during the last two months and found myself buying cheap pens for a cheap plotter (a Silhouette machine), to make geometric diagrams. Can't say that the process is more efficient than a color printer[^1], but it is way cheaper than those damn color toners and the profit-maximizing ways the printer accounts for its consumption. And the pen strokes on paper look cool, and one can chose different pens to draw different layers in the diagrams.

[^1]: Though, in truth, the plotter is extremely reliable and fast. Inkjet printers on the other hand have a lengthy warmup and drivers are finicky to the point one imagines they constantly are on the lookout for new ways to botch a job.

I still like the uni-ball power tank. It's a $2 disposable pressurized pen.

It looks to have less metal than a pressurized refill so it seems possibly even more sustainable than a refillable.

It solves the problem of all your pens being dry when you suddenly need one after a few weeks of not using them.

And they have a nice rubber grip, and you can see the remaining ink.

Fountain pens are nice for extended writing, but for a modern 90% paperless lifestyle, it's hard to imagine something better than the power tank.

I really like tactile turn pens.

My current favorites are the switch[1] and the slim side click[2] with a Schmidt EasyFlow 9000, and a Pilot G2 refill, respectively.

[1]: https://tactileturn.com/products/switch

[2]: https://tactileturn.com/products/slim-side-click-pen

I prefer to write with a pencil almost all the time, but my absolute favourite pens are bog standard Bic Cristal (the ones with the rubber grip are even better but not sure you can get them any more). The reason is that I have never in my life picked one up that didn't start writing instantly, no matter how old or battered it is.

Wow! What fun reading this niche interest. The Pilot FriXion sounds fun, for spycraft, or to recreate the Acme disappearing reappearing ink from who framed Roger rabbit.

"If you accidentally make your writing disappear, you may be able to get it to reappear by placing the paper in a freezer that reaches below 14°F (-10°C)."

Glad to see the Uni-ball Vision Elite back on jetpens best list. Nice tactile feel, while still being smooth.

Funny! A lengthy review of writing implements, and comments about them, without a single mention of mechanical (clutch) pencils. Like the Pentel P205 (0.5mm leads), and various other sizes of pencil and leads available. Vary the lead diameter and hardness to suit the use. Personally I use 0.5mm, 2B almost always. For technical work, where it's nice to be able to erase mistakes, they're perfect. For daily personal note taking, the erasability is fairly irrelevant.

Now mechanical pencils are so cheap you're best to buy dozen packs (because although they last forever you will lose them now and then), and the leads can be bought cheap in very large quantities via Aliexpress and such. Don't buy leads in the tiny. expensive packs from local stationers.

Been using the bullet journal method for two years and journaling on paper for over thirty years, and I must say that nothing comes close to fountain pens for handwriting. But for bullet journals (drawing tables, lines, calendars) gel pens are an excellent choice.

So I've been using the EnerGel 0.7 or 0.5 mm pens. I generally like them, but it bleeds a bit more than I'd like. Is there a pen with a similar feel and precision, but with ink that dries a bit faster?

Make sure you uninstall Honey first so they don't steal this guys referral codes.

I really like fountain pens and would love a Lamy Safari, Parker 51, Pilot 74, or any of the other pens that have caught my interest over the years. Like many people with similar interests, though, I know they'd just collect dust.

I did buy a few Uni Kuro Toga pencils a few years ago (the cheaper models). They're neat. And they collect dust.

If nothing else, I enjoy reading articles like this. It may be a world I'll continue to peer into from the outside, but it looks like an enjoyable one.

I have one each of the three "best" beginner fountain pens and, among them, I found the Platinum Preppy to be the easiest and smoothest to write with.

Since my favorite type of pen, which are very short pens that fit everywhere and don't take much space isn't in the list, my recommendations go for Penco Drafting Pen and the Penco Bullet Pen. Penco.jp is also a pretty cool website. I have no affiliation with the brand other than really liking these two pens. I must have about 12 bullet pens in different pockets of jackets and pants so I'm never without a pen.

I use the BIC 4-Color retractable ball pens for the last 40 years when I have an option. There have been some variations in color ink, grippy hold, ball size, and even replacing an ink with pencil lead.

It is thick so easier to hold for me, has the multiple colors which I use in underlining and just writing, inexpensive compared to four different color pens, it just works, and just as portable as any other pen.

Sad to see them ignore Stilform, which are really well built and with genetic latch. https://stilform.com/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAABRx75Fc4ynfn...

I'm not a fan of the uni Jetstream pens. Yes, they do a great job of transferring ink to a page, but they do it a bit too well. Personally, I need a bit more resistance between pen and page. Otherwise, my already terrible handwriting just looks even worse because I end up writing faster. Sometimes, friction is good.

My writing utensil of choice (I don't write a lot by hand) for the last decade was a whatever-its-called 0.5mm gel pen from Muji. Picked one up in my first visit to a Muji store in HK in 2012 and have since grabbed a couple more when I could.

Doesn't have to be expensive, I think it was below 2 bucks.

I had written a ton using Muji Gel rollers which are a neat compromise of not being to expensive and good to write with.

In the recent months I went back to writing with a mechanical pen as I found one that fixed the issue of having to rotate the pen to keep the same stroke width (Kuru Toga Uni).

The Uni-ball Signo UM-151 (0.38mm) is my go-to, but lately I've also been warming to the Pentel Hybrid Technica (0.4mm). Compared to the Uni-Ball, it's slightly less consistent, but I prefer the color, it being among the blackest blacks I've seen in any gel pen.

My favourite is the Pelikan M200, which is not even listed here. Most classical and functional design.

I see a lot of love for the Bic Cristal, Personally, I love the Muji Gel Ink 0.38, I'm an infrequent writer, so take it with a huge grain of salt, but I find it a really pleasant pen, and cheap enough that I can have them wherever I need them.

I dislike dealing with caps and enjoy a finer, wetter line. Pilot Precise V5 RT has been my go-to for a while, but I'm a pen hoarder and will try anything.

Do the rankings ever change much year over year? For instance, with intro fountain pens, it will always be things like the platinum preppy, pilot metro, kaweco sport.

I like the Jetstream, but for some reason they dry out or the ball seems to get clogged (with skin oils or paper fibers, maybe?) after some time using them.

I still have Signo UM-151s purchased from Jetpens, working, almost 10 years later. If you've never tried a gel pen, I would recommend it.

How does a generic "best pens" listicle which recommends the company's own pen make it near the top of HN without manipulation ?

Lamy Unic it is. Since 1985. Yawn...

I’m a big fan of the Sharpie S Gel in 0.7mm

I miss pen island.

For left handed writing switching to the uni-ball jetstream (RT SXN-210 or Sport SXN-150S) was a noticeable improvement for me. I do not know how they compare to the ones recommended for left-handed writers on the site.