After having tried many pens there are some I use over and over again and some that I’ve used once or twice and probably won’t use again… In no particular order, these are 10 pens that I think are over-rated:
1. Kikki k write in rainbow gel
At first when I got these pens I thought they were good but over the years as I’ve bought more and more pens I’ve come to realise that these pens actually aren’t very good. The needle tip is much more scratchy than other needle tip pens.
If you’re looking for a similar style pen with a needle tip that writes better, I’d go with the Paperchase fineliners.
2. Pilot pop lol pastel
I love the pilot pop lol and I know some people like pastel but the neon colors of this brand are way too bright for normal white Paper. Black paper great, but I don’t write with black paper very often.
3. Uniball signo
These are quite pricey and a bit too inky for my liking. They also come with a hefty price tag.
4. CHOSCH
These were quite expensive and write really scratchy. The ink is also prone to pooling in globs at the tip of the pen which is easy to smear. They’re also way overpriced. I have buyers remorse over these pens.
5. Sharpie
The difference between Sharpie ultra fine and the Sharpie Art Pen is massive.
The Sharpie Art Pen is great – nice colors, minimal ghosting and the perfect tip size.
The Sharpie Ultra fine is more of a traditional sharpie i.e. a marker not a pen. It has really bad ghosting and that toxic smell. Ok for labelling things and possibly for writing on thick sticker label paper for planner stickers, but I don’t recommend using these directly onto pages in your planner.
6. Pentel Energel
I bought one of these pens to try. It was $5. Well that was a waste of money. Super expensive and write no better than plenty of other cheaper pens.
7. Papermate grip roller
I normally recommend anything by Papermate but this pen is clunky to write with and always smears as the ink takes forever to dry.
8. Uni-Pin Fine Line
Some people love these for bullet journaling. I’m not one of those people. They’re needle tip and prone to ghosting.
9. Pilot G-2
I don’t understand all the fuss over these pens. The ink smudges too easily and takes too long to dry.
10. Any pen that costs more than $4
I tend to buy pens in packs which usually works out to no more than $1 – $2 AUD per pen. If you buy pens individually they can cost upwards of $3 – I’ve even seen some for $6 for just one pen! Given that you can get pen packs for around $10 – $20, even if you don’t use all the colors in the pack it’s still going to work out much cheaper.
More pen reviews
- Favorite Twin Tip Markers for Planning (Roundup)
- Planner pens I don’t recommend (prone to smearing, bleed through etc.)
- What type of pens write best on correction tape? (gel pens vs. ballpoint vs. marker pens)
Planning Ideas
- 8 Ways to use highlighters for Bullet Journal Spreads
- 10 best planner supplies investments I’ve made
- Why horizontal is my favorite weekly planner layout
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Tanja says
I found the Pentel Energel worked really well for me as a leftie. I haven’t found a lot of really dark, bold gel pens that write smoothly, and which also dry quickly enough that I don’t risk smearing them if I’m writing across the width of a page.
Inkjoy Gel and Energel are pretty much tied for first place as my top picks for this (with Frixxion being my favourite everyday pen for any time I don’t need the extra boldness, and for situations where it ‘s OK to use an erasable)
I LOVE the colours in the standard and metallic POP LOL ranges… but unless I’m writing on super rough, absorbent paper, I ALWAYS smear the ink, which drives me crazy
John B. says
I absolutely love the Uniball Signo DX and that is my go to pen for writing in my bullet journal. I got a ten pack from Amazon for $14.00 or so, so $1.40 per pen.
But I totally agree with you about the Pilot G-2. Those pens smudge worse than just about any pen. I really do not understand their popularity. There are much better Pilot pens.
Nancy says
Have you tried the TUL pens from OfficeMax? They work great and don’t bleed.
Rachael says
Yes I have them. I normally avoid needle tip pens but I really love the TUL ones – especially the teal! 🙂