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June 23, 2020

Highlighter swatches and thickness comparison (38 brands compared)

Sometimes you want a highlighter with a certain chisel tip size to match the spacing in a dot grid notebook, larger highlighters for headings, thinner highlighters for underlining etc. I’d often want a highlighter at a certain tip size but could never remember the sizes for each of the many highlighters I’ve hoarded over the years. So here’s a list of the tip sizes for what seems to be the most popular highlighters (if there’s any missing on the list, please comment below, I may have the highlighter and just didn’t add it to the list if it’s not popular).

favorite highlighters for planning swatches pen test bleed through bullet journal planner supplies cheap affordable stabilo frixion faber castel crayola daiso officeworks-min

Keep in mind that the more you use highlighters (much like pens) you ‘break them in’ and the tips become not as sharp as they were when you first bought them. The angle and pressure you apply will affect the chisel thickness as well. I tried to apply full pressure to each of these so you see the ‘maximum’ thickness the highlighter can do.

highlighter swatches review best highlighters for planning chisel tip sizes small medium large test bullet journal colors_03

6mm tip

I know it’s not a highlighter but I wanted to include the Tombow brush pens so you could see the different in thickness between brush pens and highighters. I gave up trying to hand-letter, I just couldn’t get it to look pretty like all those YouTube videos you see! So now I use them like highlighters.

Read more: Brush pens versus highlighters: which is better for planning?

Note: if you do want to use your brush pens for brush lettering, don’t use them as highlighters. Writing on notebook paper (not smooth) can make the tips blunt.

bullet journal to do list checklist page spread ideas must have bujo newbie colorful rainbow tombow brush pens citrus color scheme

Read more: 25 Ideas for your Bullet Journal To Do List Spreads

5mm chisel tip

Most dot grid notebooks have 5mm grid spacing so if you want a highlighter that doesn’t leave any white space in between the highlighter and the dots, use a 5mm chisel tip.

  • Stabilo Boss Original
  • J Burrows
  • Staedtler Textsurfer Classic
  • Monami 601
  • Big W
  • Zebra Justfit
  • Milkliner

highlighter swatches review best highlighters for planning chisel tip sizes small medium large test bullet journal colors_02

4mm chisel tip

  • Stabilo Swing Cool
  • Smiggle
  • Zebra Optex 2
  • Zebra Mildliner
  • MUJI
  • Yoobi
  • DONG-A Twinliner Soft
  • Uni Propus Window
  • Ooly do-overs
  • Monami Essenti Soft
  • Tombow Kei Coat
  • Centropen
  • Faber-Castell Textliner 38
  • Crayola erasable
  • BIC marking
  • Pentel handy-lines
  • Foray erasable
  • Texta ‘the original’
  • Artline

highlighter swatches review best highlighters for planning chisel tip sizes small medium large test bullet journal colors_04

favorite highlighter brands comparison tips recommendations bright pastel dual tip zebra staedtler chisel tip tombow pilot stabilo mitsubishi affordable all about planners review

3.5mm chisel tip

  • Pilot Spotliter 2
  • Mitsubishi PROPUS 2
  • Typo
  • Preppy platinum
  • BIC brite liner grip
  • DONGA Miffy Twin Underliner
  • Pilot Frixion erasable
  • Staples Hype

highlighter swatches review best highlighters for planning chisel tip sizes small medium large test bullet journal colors_06

highlighter swatches review best highlighters for planning chisel tip sizes small medium large test bullet journal colors_05

3mm chisel tip

  • Zebra Sparky-1
  • Sharpie Smear Guard
  • Target
  • Daiso fluorescent pen

highlighter swatches review best highlighters for planning chisel tip sizes small medium large test bullet journal colors_07

highlighter swatches review best highlighters for planning chisel tip sizes small medium large test bullet journal colors_01

More highlighter posts

  • 6 Useful ways to efficiently plan your week using highlighters 
  • Brush pens versus highlighters: which is better for planning?
  • Pens & Highlighters Smear Testing: Which ones don’t smear 
  • Best highlighters for planning 
  • Review of Frixion Erasable Highlighters by Pilot – are they worth the cost? 
  • Favorite erasable highlighters for planning 
  • Best pastel highlighters for planning and bullet journaling
  • Highlighters vs. Highlighter Pencils: Are they worth the cost? 
  • Favorite dual tip highlighters for planning (roundup) 
  • 8 Ways to use highlighters for Bullet Journal Spreads
  • 4 Similar (and cheaper) alternatives to the Zebra Mildliner Dual Tip Highlighters
  • Best highlighters for bullet journaling

Found this post helpful? Pin it!

You may also be interested in...

  • Review of Frixion Erasable Highlighters by Pilot – are they worth the cost?Review of Frixion Erasable Highlighters by Pilot – are they worth the cost?
  • 4 Similar (and cheaper) alternatives to the Zebra Mildliner Dual Tip Highlighters4 Similar (and cheaper) alternatives to the Zebra Mildliner Dual Tip Highlighters
  • 8 Ways to use highlighters for Bullet Journal Spreads8 Ways to use highlighters for Bullet Journal Spreads
  • Favorite dual tip highlighters for planning (roundup)Favorite dual tip highlighters for planning (roundup)
  • Favorite erasable highlighters for planningFavorite erasable highlighters for planning
  • Best pastel highlighters for planning and bullet journalingBest pastel highlighters for planning and bullet journaling

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Posted In: Highlighters · Tagged: best highlighter brands, best highlighters, best highlighters for bullet journal, best highlighters for planning, favorite highlighter brands, highlighter chisel tip, highlighter swatches, highlighter tip sizes, highlighter tip thickness, highlighters bullet journaling, highlighters for planner newbie, how to choose highlighter, planning with highlighters

Comments

  1. Kim says

    June 24, 2020 at 06:33

    What a great idea to have this as a reference! Thanks!

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