Pen Options for the Bullet Journal
/Hi there!
By now you have probably grabbed your notebook of choice and a writing instrument that you love. If you don't love it, then you're in luck! Today we are going to discuss popular options to use in the Bullet Journal. I will share ones I have used and loved with the Bullet Journal or have heard from others that they like to use as their Bullet Journal pen or just have a hunch they'll be great Bullet Journal pens.
Here's a fun little quide to help you look through options. Here is the outline for this post:
What writing instrument to use
Which do you prefer? Pens, pencils, or styluses?
Which do you prefer, Kim?
Which do you prefer? Pens, pencils, or styluses?
(L-R: Parker Jotter, Cross Click, Pentel Energel, Le Pen, Cross Bailey, Pilot FriXion, Bic Multi, Pentel Twist-Erase, Ticonderoga pencil, Adonit Jot Pro)
Pens:
(L-R: Uni-Ball Jetstream, Cross Click, Pilot G2 Mini, Papermate Flair, Pilot Prera, Pilot FriXion, Bic Multi)
There are several types of pens (to the best of my knowledge, I had to ask the pen addict in the relationship for help with this post):
- Ballpoint
- Rollerball
- Gel
- Felt
- Fountain Pen
- Erasable
- Multi
Ballpoint
- Parker Jotter (Adorable arrow clip!)
- Uni-ball Jetstream (Great pen for lefties)
Rollerball
- Parker Jotter (Rollerball refill)
- Retro 51 (Gorgeous pen!)
Gel
- Pilot G2
Felt
- Le Pen
Fountain Pen
- Waterman
- Parker
Here is a great article from JetPens to figure out the best fountain pen for you.
Hybrid
- Pilot FriXion (These are honestly the only erasable pens I can recommend, they work so well!)
Multi
- Bic
Here is a great article from JetPens for an introduction on multi-pens.
For an alphabetized list on the many different pen brands, here's a handy resource.
If you love pens, here is a lovely top 5 pens list from Brad of the Pen Addict blog.
Pencils:
(L-R: Pentel Twist-Erase 0.5, Pentel Twist-Erase GT 0.7, Foray 0.7, Dr. Grip, Pentel Graphgear, Cross Century II, Ticonderoga)
Mechanical
- Pentel Twist-Erase 0.5 (Best eraser on a mechanical pencil ever)
- Dr. Grip
Wood
- Ticonderoga timeless :)
Styluses (if you're a digital Bullet Journalist):
(L-R: Logiix, Adonit Jot Pro, Targus)
Some people like to use an iPad or tablet app that resembles paper along with a stylus. For this a few different styluses are recommended. (To see apps recommended for use as a Bullet Journal look at this post and scroll to question 7).
- Wacom Bamboo Stylus (1st gen)
- Logixx
- Targus
Which do you prefer, Kim?
(L-R: Cross Bailey, Papermate Flair, Pilot FriXion, Uni-ball Signo 207, Le Pen, Staedtler)
Thanks for asking. I like all sorts. Erasable pens, fountain pens, felt pens, and, as an artist, I have a soft spot for pencils. For Bullet Journaling though, I've gone through different pens, starting with Pilot FriXion pens to dip my toes into using pens. I liked that I got the best of both worlds, the liquid authority of a pen and the erasing capacities of a pencil. It also helps that it is excellent at what it does, by that I mean that it erases cleanly. I enjoyed writing the dates with either a Uniball 207, Papermate Flair, Le Pen or Staedtler pen. Nowadays I use fountain pens every day in my Bullet Journal. My current favorites are the Mini TWSBI filled with Faber-Castell Stone Grey and the Cross Bailey filled with Waterman Inspired Blue (which unsurprisingly was in the top 10 most coveted inks of 2015!) Lastly, the pen I take while I'm out and about is the Parker Jotter with a gel refill, this one is my absolute favorite "I just need to write something down, quickly!" pen.
Update: I now have a supplies page that I update regularly to check out my latest favorite pen(s) :)
Your Turn!
What's your favorite writing instrument for the Bullet Journal?
I know that there are tons and tons of pens, pencils and styluses out there and I would love to know your favorites to use with the Bullet Journal. Share your favorites as a comment.
Also, I am not a pen expert by any means, I tried my best to keep accuracy but I may have missed something. So! If I gave the wrong information, please feel free to let me know, I'd appreciate it!
Have a sunny day!
Kim
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