Favorite Pens

[Stefen_Maxwell]

What are your favorite pens for your journaling experience? If you can, post some pics. Do you have of a kind fountain pen or do you enjoy a cheap ball-point? Let's talk about pens.

I'll start. I love fountain pens, but I have noticed that a lot of common, cheap paper is too thin for how much ink a fountain pen puts down. I, also, love thin tips which are not easy to find in a fountain pen, while still writing smooth. Lately, I have been writing with a cheap Muji 0.5 push pen, and I am in love with it. It writes so smooth, and, while not as thin as I prefer, still makes some really thin lines.

[Linkard]

Interesting !

My girlfriend and I have taken the habit to write daily in our respective "Leuchtrrum1917 "some lines a day" 5 Years Memory Book" (she got an Instagram ad for it and I couldn't be happier).

I've really loved writing with cheap ball point pens in it. One reason is because they grip the paper in a way that is more enjoyable for me. I've noticed that, surprisingly, my handwriting has suddenly improved over time.

Another reason is, because the pen is cheap, I don't mind using it. I tend to be more self conscious and scared of writing on more expensive journals, or using more expensive pens. A worry of "wasting them", you know.

I'll check out the Muji 0.5, but I think that I prefer when the pen grips the paper a little more. Smooth, but with a bit of uniform friction if that makes sense. For that reason, I prefer random cheaper ball point pens. I love the 4 color ones as well, as they give me the versatility of using multiple colors, which speaks to my brain better visually.

[zonk]

A worry of "wasting them", you know.

You may not have known, but almost all fountain pens are refillable, so they are arguably less wasteful than burning through cheap single-use pens! There also exist nibs which have higher friction if you like the pencil sort of feel.

[Linkard]

You may not have known, but almost all fountain pens are refillable

I do actually! Here in France (at least when I was younger), fountain pens were mandatory in school. However, between the bleeding on the pages and the leaking that the recharges can do, I don't like them at all. I also journal on my bed, so fountain pens are pretty much completely out of the question.

[zonk]

I don't want to turn this into an argument thread, but I would like to disagree with my experience. It sounds like you were using cartridges, which I can see potentially getting messy, especially in the hands of children. I refill my pens from bottles, which, so long as you don't knock the bottle over, is quite safe from being messy (at least because you don't need to apply the same force as when you break open a new cartridge).

As for paper, that is a problem if you want to use cheap paper, but there exist many brands of good paper made for fountain pens. One of my favorites is French, in fact: Clairefontaine (though they are on the expensive side).

All this to say: I used to journal in bed with my fountain pen for quite a while and never made a mess. I have heard other Europeans tell a similar story to you, and I don't know exactly what it was like, but my impression is that those poor experiences come from the fact that they were children and that the adults didn't give proper instruction.

Anyway, carry on doing whatever you like. I just felt it needed to be said that the adults I know who use fountain pens have not had your experience, and others reading shouldn't be afraid to try them.

[Linkard]

Oh yeah I get it ! I also know Clairefontaine, they're a really well known brand around here.

About the fountain pens, that's the problem : they're best used with more expensive paper, paper which gives me a mental block because I don't want to "waste it", and given that I just don't like them more than ball point pens, I really don't have a reason to use them. Also I'm very very clumsy, and have dropped pens on the bed on occasion, and a fountain pen would stain for sure.

It's awesome if you prefer them ! And I completely get your reasoning. Some people prefer higher quality stuff to journal, but weirdly, I'm actually the opposite!

[2Square]

Pen Lover here,

I went through and tried 5 different types of pens last year and arrived at my favorite after spending way too much money on pens. I tried:

• TUL 0.5mm Gel Pen

• Uniball Vision Elite 0.7mm Gel Pen

• Pilot Precise V7 Gel Pen

• Pilot G-2 0.7mm Gel Pen

• Pentel Energel 0.7mm Gel Pen

By far my favorite has been the Energel. I have a normal one I carry around in my pocket daily for quick use and I have a metal body one that stays in a pen loop in my notebook. I like the weight of the metal body but the grip is worse than the normal pens.

As for notebooks/journals, I tried a healthy selection of the Leuchtrrum1917 notebooks but wanted something more flexible so switched to the TUL discbound notebook, specifically the Junior size for convenience while traveling.

[Stefen_Maxwell]

Pen Lover here,

I went through and tried 5 different types of pens last year and arrived at my favorite after spending way too much money on pens. I tried:

• TUL 0.5mm Gel Pen

• Uniball Vision Elite 0.7mm Gel Pen

• Pilot Precise V7 Gel Pen

• Pilot G-2 0.7mm Gel Pen

• Pentel Energel 0.7mm Gel Pen

By far my favorite has been the Energel. I have a normal one I carry around in my pocket daily for quick use and I have a metal body one that stays in a pen loop in my notebook. I like the weight of the metal body but the grip is worse than the normal pens.

As for notebooks/journals, I tried a healthy selection of the Leuchtrrum1917 notebooks but wanted something more flexible so switched to the TUL discbound notebook, specifically the Junior size for convenience while traveling.

Interesting, so you prefer a thicker tip. My cursive gets a bit unreadable for me with thicker lines.

[2Square]

Yes, I write in print (sloppy print) so like the thick bold lines. The TUL 0.5mm pen would be good for cursive. Thinner lines and very quick drying time.

[MikeGs]

Since I was in primary school some of my go-to pens have always been:
- Classic BIC
- Pilot V5 HI-TECPOINT 0.5
- Pilot Vball 0.5mm

There's not a particular reason why I choose them. The fact that I can still use the same pens from my childhood always brings back some good memories.