THE BEST BLACK PENS you need to add to your stationery collection
The black pen is the stationery holy-grail! It’s the queen of the village! It’s the sauce on the pizza! It’s the bubbles to a bath! In other words, it’s an essential component of any desk and today I want to share some of the best black pens I’ve used.
The Everyday Pen
Need to write down a to-do list? Have to update your planner? Everyone needs some reliable black pens to do life’s writing.
*Poppin’s Jewel Retractable Gel Luxe Pens have an extremely satisfying click-clack quality and let’s out pigmented 7mm black ink. They come in a variety of styles so you can match your black pen to your office’s aesthetic. They’re the perfect mix of functionality and beauty!
Another long-time black pen favourite has been *MUJI’s 0.38 and 0.5 gel ink pens. If you like the thin pen stroke look, MUJI’s pens are for you. I used them all the time in university and loved how clean they made my notes look.
*Sharpie’s S-Gel ink pens have become my latest obsession! I bought them recently because a friend had recommended them to me, and I was blown away by how smudge-proof they are! The ink dries instantly— it’s magical! If you’re someone who is left-handed, this is a great choice….even if you’re right-handed, using ink that dries so fast definitely helps give your notes that “neat” quality.
The Journaling Pen
Whenever I have to create a new spread in my bullet journal, I always look towards a high-quality fine-line pen to ensure any boxes/tables I draw are bold. The black pens I’ve been using for a lot for my bullet journal spread-making is the *Sakura Micron pens (my favourite sizes are 03, 05, and 08). The micron pen provides such a satisfyingly smooth writing experience and the nibs tend to last for quite a while.
Another set of fine-line pens I enjoy using is the *PITT Artist pens by Faber Castell. These are the pens I started my bullet journal with, and they deliver a really solid black pigment for making spreads.
The Fancy Pen
Fountain pens are reserved for only the most special writing needs, such as writing a letter that will be sent to someone via a carrier pigeon. Fountain pens are exciting to use not only because they make you feel fancy, but the process of refilling a fountain pen also adds a whole new level of sophistication to being a pen-user.
I’ll admit that I haven’t explored the fountain pen world too intensely, but the *Lamy Safari Pen with a medium nib has been such an amazing starter fountain pen. I have the special edition pink colour that was released in 2019 and use *“intense black ink” by Waterman Paris.
The Brush Pen
Got some artsy handwriting needs? Brush pens are a great route to go if you are desiring a “calligraphy aesthetic” for your notes’ headings/titles. For a more precise brush letter, *Tombow’s Fudenosuke Brush Pens are awesome. You can get it in two nib styles— soft and hard— that will give you different levels of control. Depending on the pressure you use, these pens can also deliver fine or medium strokes.
What’s your favourite black pen? Let me know in the comments below! If you’re looking for some more stationery recommendations, check out my latest STATIONERY HAUL by clicking HERE! Until next time, Xo. —C
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