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February 13, 2017

Planner essentials: favorite black pens for planner addicts

One of the essentials for any planner girl are black planner pens! Black planner pens are my favorite for writing on planner stickers, writing lists and if you want to color code using highlighters.

If you’re yet to discover your go to brand for black planner pens, or are on the hunt for a new favorite, these are my favorite brands for black planner pens.

This post contains affiliate links.

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  1. Pilot Frixion

If you follow my blog and Instagram you’ll know that it comes as no surprise that the Frixion pens make it to the top of my list! These pens are erasable (and they actually do completely erase as I found out when I left my planner in the car in 40 degree Celsius heat one time!) I recommend the Frixion clicker (you can get refills) otherwise the Frixion with a lid or if you want more colors, the Frixion ball (the pen itself is thinner but the ink size is the same). I <3 these pens so much I did a post on the Frixion pens including a video on how they work!

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Related Post: My all time favorite planner pens: Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens Review 

Here are the rest of my favorite black planner pens. I didn’t attempt to order the rest because asking me to choose a favorite pen is like asking me to choose my favorite chocolate flavour!

Staedtler Ball 432 M

This tri-grip pen writes very smoothly. It also comes in a pack with a lot of pretty colors and very cheap (only around $8 for 10 pens from Officeworks).

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Paper Mate Profile 1.4B

Most pens come in 0.3mm, 0.7mm or 1.0mm so if you prefer to write with a thicker tip, try this pen.

Stabilo point 88 fine 0.4

This is the thinnest pen I write with. To be honest I probably write with it the least often of this list. I bought this pen on a whim (it was $1.60 at Spotlight). I wanted to try it to see if I liked it as you can get this pen in a huge pack with lots of colors that would be ideal for color coding

Papermate Kilometrico Elite M

If you’re a fellow Aussie you’ve probably used a Papermate Kilometrico before (they’re a school book list item). These pens last forever and were my go to exam pen back in uni. These pens are super cheap (you can get them from Officeworks for a pack of 10 for $2.50).

Papermate Inkoy 100

Yep, another PaperMate pen. This one can sometimes skip until you’ve ‘broken’ it in but once you’ve used it for a bit it’s a really nice pen for everyday use.

 

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Artline Smoove Ballpoint Pen 1.0

This one was a recent find at Officeworks (where I find most of my planner pens!) It writes well and wasn’t very expensive. I only saw it in packs of black, blue and red though.

Papermate Inkoy Gel

This pen makes it to the top of almost every planner girl’s list. For good reason – this pen writes so smooth and is one of the best pens I’ve found for writing on washi tape.

Read more: Best pens for writing on washi tape 

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Staedteler Triplus Color

I like the 1.0mm thick pen tip for writing headings for lists to make the title stand out more. This pen also comes in a thinner 0.3mm (the 0.3mm size comes in a big pack with rainbow colors if you want to color code)

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Papermate Flair 

These pens come in medium (M) or ultra fine (UF) – be careful to check the tip size as they look similar. I prefer the Ultra Fine. The Medium is good for headings when you want something bolder.

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Pens I discovered after the video was taken:

  • Artline flow 1.0 (have only seen at spotlight individually although you can find the Artline Ikonic at Officeworks in packs of 5
  • Daiso – good cheap pen if you’re on a budget. The black pen came in a pack with 11 other colors – they’re part of my favorite color coding planner supplies under $5
  • Smiggle – very similar to the Staedtler Ball 432M but write much smoother

favorite planner supplies for color coding that cost less than 5 dollars back to school accessories washi tape planner stickers highlighter

As for storing all of my pens, I keep my favorite black ones on my desk in a pen cup and my favorite rainbow pens in a container I got from Daiso.

Read more: How to store planner pens (5 ways – and my favorite method!)

 

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More pen reviews

  • Cheap versus expensive pens: is there actually a difference in quality? 
  • 10 Pen brands that are available in a pack of 20 or more colors
  • Favorite Pilot Pens for Planning (Roundup) 

Found this post helpful? Pin it!

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  • 5 expensive pen brands that are worth the money (I have no regrets for splurging on them!)5 expensive pen brands that are worth the money (I have no regrets for splurging on them!)
  • Cheap versus expensive pens: is there actually a difference in quality?Cheap versus expensive pens: is there actually a difference in quality?

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Welcome to All About Planners! I’m Rachael, a 20-something Aussie addicted to graphic design and all things planning. On the blog you’ll find more than 1,000 posts about all things planning including planner reviews, tips, favorite supplies and some of my past weekly spreads.

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