High Versus Low Stationery Comparison: Planner Pens
I have a pen addiction. A big one. A friend recently asked why I have so many pens? Here’s why:
- I’m not going to use a crappy pen in an expensive planner – it just feels ‘wrong’
- I’m not going to use a pen where the ink skips
- I only use pens that are prone to bleed through on thick paper where it doesn’t show as much
- Pens write differently and have different tip sizes
- Sometimes I want to use a certain shade of blue, pink, purple, green etc.
- Sometimes I just want to try a different pen
If you’re a fellow pen snob and relate to any / all of the above and feeding your addiction is getting expensive, here are some cheaper alternatives to some well known pens:
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of my affiliate links I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Papermate Inkjoy versus BLOT
High: Papermate Inkjoy
Low: BLOT
Winner: The PaperMate Inkjoy are my all time favorite pens so definitely the get these if you can afford it. These write smoothly, the colors are vibrant and there’s a teal in the pack too.
If you’re on a budget the BLOT are still great. They write smoothly too although they’re not as readily available as the Inkjoy.
Papermate Flair versus InkLab
High: Papermate Flair
Low: Inklab
Winner: Inklab. Surprisingly my old favorite PaperMate’s don’t write as smoothly as the InkLab pens. The Inklab are also cheaper and come in more colors, although are not as readily available outside of the USA.
Frixion Erasable versus PARKOO Erasable
High: Frixion Erasable
Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens Review
Low: PARKOO Erasable
Winner: Frixion Erasable. These are my all time favorite erasable pens.
- They come in various styles including retractable (like the PARKOO erasable), with a cap and with a lid that has the eraser on it (refer below)
- The colors are more vibrant than the PARKOO
- More readily available (the PARKOO are hard to get outside of the US)
- You can usually buy them individually instead of an entire pack
Staedtler Triplus versus Stabilo Point 88 Fine
High: Staedtler Triplus Fineliner 0.3mm
Low: Stabilo Point 88 Fine 0.4mm
Winner: Staedtler Triplus Fineliner 0.3mm
- Lots of colors
- Come in 12 pack or bulk pack
- Readily available
- The ink doesn’t skip
- Smooth to write with
- While more expensive, I think they feel like better quality, write more smoothly than the Stabilo and the colors are more vibrant (the Stabilo look a bit dull)
Kikki K versus Ooly versus Paperchase
All 3 of these pens are similar in appearance and needle tip.
High: Paperchase and Kikki K
Low: Ooly
Winner: Ooly or Paperchase. The Kikki K pens can be scratchy and the yellow may as well not be included it’s so hard to see. The yellow Ooly is actually visible and there’s multiple shades of each color (pink, purple, green and blue). The Paperchase are nice but they’re difficult to get if you’re outside the UK.
More pen reviews
- Favorite Rainbow Pens for Planning (Roundup)
- Planner pens I don’t recommend (prone to smearing, bleed through etc.)
- Favorite pens for writing headings in my planner
Planning tips
- 12 Planner Layout Ideas for Monthly Habit Tracking in Your Bullet Journal
- How I plan my week: my 6 step process
- How to make use of blank pages in your planner
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