1. Supposedly the world’s finest pen, I was extremely excited when I got this. And then I stupidly left it on the counter of the café I worked at and an architect snatched it up! Womp womp. It comes in 14 colors and writes surprisingly smooth (even though the tip is so tiny!), Uni-ball Signo Bit 0.18 mm Pen from JetPens, $3 each
2. Lead advance button = for old farts. Simply shake this pencil and the lead comes out! Watch it in action on YouTube!, Pilot 2020 Shaker Super Grip Pencil from JetPens, $3 each
3. I never liked erasable pens- I could never find one that wrote smoothly. This one is exceptionally magical because the ink is smooth AND thermosensitive. Rub your text with the rubber pen butt and it disappears! Plus, the name has a GIANT ‘X’…and you know everything sounds cooler with a capital X (ex: Xtreme), Pentel FriXion Erasable Pen from JetPens, $3 each
4. Hey, if you’re a crappy writer, at least your prose will smell good. Comes in three scents: Healing, Refresh, and Positive (ha!), Pentel Ain Supplio Nanotech Scented Mechanical Pencil from JetPens, $3 each
5. This is my absolute favorite pen. It comes in over 15 colors and in 0.25mm, 0.3mm, and 0.4mm tips. It never clogs, is silky smooth, and features a convenient ink barrel gauge (so you know when to get a new pen!), Pentel Slicci Pen from JetPens, $3 each
6. I used to secretly make fun of my classmates who would take notes with ten different colors of STABILO pens. And then I became one of them. Available in 25 colors!, STABILO Point 88 Pen from Dick Blick, $0.77 each
7. Do you find yourself silently cursing at those pesky finger-tapping-foot-shaking kids at the library? Psh! Be proactive! Shoot them…with the Nerf Dart Blaster Toy pen! (Side note: I have a friend who was in the aforementioned situation, and when the pest went to the bathroom, he stole the kid’s highlighters. Too bad he didn’t have a Nerf Dart pen.) PEW! PEW! PEW!, Nerf Dart Blaster Toy Pen from Amazon, $5.99 each
8. SCENARIO! You’re in class. Then you turn to the person sitting next to you and say, “Hey… soul mate. How do you feel about you…me…and some Connect Four?”, Connect Four Game Pen from Amazon, $5.99 each
9. My biggest “arrggghh” about fabric pens that I find in craft stores is that the pen tip is TOO FAT. And they BLEED. And they RUIN my artistic vision. HARRUMPH! These pens are great because they come in 0.4 mm, 0.7 mm, and 1.0 mm tip sizes, Pilot Fabric Marker Pen from Jet Pens, $1.80 each
10. I LOVE these pens. The ink dries glossy and 3-D. I received the 10 color set right before I began studying organic chemistry. After every class, I looked forward to going through my notes and underlining with these pens. I also used them to draw little arrows and electrons in my reaction mechanisms. Basically, I had the most baller and fun orgo notes ever. And I ended up doing pretty well in orgo too. Sakura Glaze Pen from Jet Pens, $3.95 for two
11. OK, I admit, the name? Negative cool points. And it kind of makes me uncomfortable. Pretend it’s named something cool…like…Silly String Pen….or Magical Moldy Growth Pen…and the pen instantaneously becomes 10x more acceptable! (Well, perhaps I’m the only one who thinks my names are super cool) Although completely impractical for any sort of schoolwork, these pens are great fun!#$!! After you write, the ink magically puffs up. Your words will transform into popcorny letters. Or at least look like E.coli that has been inoculating on super agar at an optimal temperature, Dong-A Popcorn Puffy Paint Pen from JetPens, $1.20 each
12. For the indecisive color-lover who loves to doodle. And oh man. Oh. Man. In addition to some rad packaging (Both the words “magic” AND “crazy” appear on the package), the pencils come in the following colors: “Original,” “Tropical,” “Neon”….and….wait for it……”AMERICAN & FIRE” (!@#!!!) I have always wanted to doodle with an “American & Fire” pencil, Koh-I-Noor Magic FX Pencil from PencilLovers, $12.05 for a set of 5
13. Remember when Pentel Milky pens were super popular (on the fad timeline it was right around Casio Baby-G watches and Smash Mouth)? These are like Milky pens 2.0 – the colors are more vibrant, the barrel is beefier, and they can write on many surfaces, Pilot Latte from JetPens, $1.80 each
Now that you possess a glorious new pencil trap, it’s time to start filling it with some pens and pencils. Although new Ticonderogas and Uni-ball Micros are great, these pens are amazing!!! I am obsessed with extra fine tipped writing utensils. As you can see, JetPens is my FAVORITE place to get new pens!!! I love an extra fine tip pen (my preferred tip size is 0.28mm), and there are very few retailers (in the US) that sell that size!
Extra note: For those of you who are really into pens, I recommend that you check out The Pen Addict. It is the ultimate online authority on pens, and is packed with product reviews.
To see other school supplies posts, click here!
14 Responses for "We Love School Supplies: Pens and Pencils!"
The description in #8 is so funny (womp womp)!
I thoroughly believe this is the go-to reference guide for pens for the 2008-2008 school season.
er, 2008-2009
i love the ranking for the hardcore student versus the “fun” pens. But all of these writing implements look fun to use!
#1 is indeed superior. I’ve been using Mitsubishis loyally since 1998, and use nothing else. However I use the first generation micro uniballs, the 0.38s. Can’t get them anywhere else so JetPen is godsent.
I love Mitsubishis! I wanted to include pens that might be unfamiliar to most people- it was really hard to reduce my pen list to a reasonable number! My second favorite pen (close to the Slicci) is the Uni-ball Mitsubishi Signo DX in 0.38mm…and brown black is my favorite color! (Hmph…why can’t places like Office Max sell pens in brown black?).
Another good pen website is http://www.jstationery.com . They are very nice, and once replaced my Uni-ball Signo Bit 0.18mm pen when the one I received from them was dead. I didn’t feature them in this post because when I was compiling my favorite pens, the website was on a temporary vacation, and I didn’t know when it would return.
What an awesome article! I love the Slicci - my #1 pen for sure. I also just picked up the Pilot 2020 Shaker pencil in orange last week from JetPens, which is fantastic as well.
And thanks for the link! :)
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I am basically what you call a “penophile”, so I really appreciated this post.
I need all of these and quick!~
Wow, some very cool stuff in there … I love it! ;-)
Your reviews had me bawling with laughter - fantastic post, will definitely be adding it to my delicious bookmarks. The Connect Four & Nerf Dart pens look fun and hilarious; I know a few people who would appreciate them *g*
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this is a cool sight to see some cool pens and pencils
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