If I could only use one pen it would probably be the Paper Mate Inkjoy Gel. They write so smoothly. I’ve had mine for years and they still write like new. If they’re out of your price range or hard to obtain where you live, here are some alternatives that are a bit cheaper.
All of these pens are 0.7mm (my favorite pen tip size!)
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Paper Mate Inkjoy
Price = $15 USD for 14 pack
Retractable, pretty rainbow colors and no ink skipping. I have the 10 pack but there’s a bigger 14 pack as well.
Now let’s compare..
BLOT
Looks very similar doesn’t it?
The only difference appearance-wise is the clear bottom of the pen tip. I actually prefer this pen body to the PaperMate as you can see the entire ink cartridge so there’s more warning when the ink’s about to run out.
Price = $14 USD for 16 pens
The Paper Studio Gel Pens
A recent find of mine, these have exactly the same pen body as the BLOT, but with slightly different colors (e.g. the purple is brighter while the BLOT is a muted purple and the Paper Mate falls somewhere in between).
Price = $13 USD for 12 pens
Colors
Each pen brand comes in a pack with these colors:
- Black
- Pink
- Purple
- Light Blue
- Dark Blue
- Teal
- Orange
- Yellow
- Red
- Green
- Dark Green
Note: I only have the 10 pack Inkjoy Gel pens but it also comes in a 14 pack with a dark green, brown and denim blue.
The Inkjoy Gel can also be purchased individually or sometimes in packs of 2 or 3 colors. I’ve only seen the BLOT and Paper Studio gel pens sold in a pack.
Here’s a comparison of the pink ink in all 3 pens. The pink is slightly brighter than the Inkjoy and BLOT. This is true for most of the colors. The Inkjoy and BLOT are very close with the Paper Studio colors close, but slightly brighter.
Unlike most pen brands, you can actually see the yellow ink in all of these. Each of them comes with a Teal pen too!
All 3 pen brands write smoothly however the ink feels like it comes out thicker in the Paper Studio.
Ghosting & Bleed Through
Here’s the backside of my pen test that I did in one of my Plum Paper notebooks (70lb text / approx. 105 GSM paper).
Which brand is best?
I like all 3! If you don’t mind pens that have similar ink colors and write smoothly like the Inkjoy (but look different e.g. retractable or with a pen lid), here are some other gel pens I recommend:
More Pen Reviews
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Planning tips & Ideas
- Highlighter Brands Comparison (And My Favorite Highlighters for Each Brand)
- 7 Cheaper alternatives to popular (but expensive) planner supplies
- Hardbound versus coil bound planners (pros and cons)
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I love pens, even better when you find ones that right so smoothly and make your handwriting look on point! haha!!
What are your thoughts on the Pilot G-2 pens? They are my favourites at the moment
Hi Chelle,
A smooth pen is a must for me as well 🙂
I’ve tried the Pilot G2 pen in the past and didn’t like it (was too inky). But… that was quite a few years ago now so maybe it’s time to try them again as I have heard many rave reviews about them!
This is very helpful. Thank you!