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. Paper Mate flair

I love the Paper Mate inkjoy gel pens but the flairs just don’t do it for me. The medium tip feathers on certain paper and the ultra fines are too fine – they’re scratchy to write with and the ink regularly skips.

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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