My Favorite Writing Utensils
By: Shaunta Grimes
Tags: Shopping, Productivity, Creativity, Review, Writing

I have a mild (okay, major) stationary addiction. I’m pretty much a junkie.

Over the next couple of days, I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you. Let’s start with writing utensils.

Pencils

I love writing with a pencil. Really love. Only I’m pretty snobby about them. Not just any pencil will do.

I like that using pencils helps me deal with any anxiety about messing up. Just erase away any mistakes. I also just love the way a pencil feels — kind of sketchy and nostalgic.

I like a regular wooden pencil that I need to sharpen. I don’t have a favorite mechanical pencil, because I don’t ever use them.

Number One: Blackwing Palimino

My absolute favorite pencil is the Blackwing Palimino. My brother, Kyle, sent me a box of them two years ago as a gift and I’ve been careful about using them. And keeping track of them. I have two left, plus several at different levels of used up, and it’s about time for me to order a new box.

These pencils write so smooth, with just the right darkness. Plus, they make me feel fancy.

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Runners Up

I’ve reached the point in the pandemic when I’m buying pencils just for the aesthetic of the box. I’m not sure that’s a good thing. But these pencils are a big mama step above standard number 2s, cost about a quarter as much as Blackwings, and — yeah — the boxes are fun.

Mitsubishi HB pencils

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Tombow HB pencils.

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And this is the minimum quality pencil I buy. They’re the only ones I’ll pick up at Wal-Mart. You can get pretty much a lifetime supply for half the cost of twelve Blackwings.

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While we’re at it, this is my favorite pencil sharpener. It stays sharp much longer than cheaper sharpeners and gives my pencils a nice, sharp, long tip. I used to just buy whatever I could find for a dollar or two at the store, but after a sadly short time, they’d stop sharpening. This one has lasted me months and is still as sharp as ever.

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As far as erasing goes, I’m pretty old school. I use the same Papermate Pink Pearl erasers I’ve used since elementary school.

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Pens

As much as I love pencils, I use pens every day as well.

Number One: Micron .03

My absolute favorite pen to write with is a Micron .03. It comes in a variety of colors. My go to are black and a bright blue. I have them in a whole rainbow, though. The .03 size is fine tipped, but not too fine.

If I had to pick two writing utensils to use — they’d be a Blackwing pencil and a Micron .03 pen.

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Runners Up

I write a lot with Pilot Frixion erasable pens, for the same reason I use pencils so much. They’re erasable. I use them in my planner, especially, since things are so apt to change.

They aren’t my favorite-favorite because they’re don’t write as smoothly as a Micron. But the experience of writing with them isn’t bad, and what it does lack it makes up for with that erasable feature.

I have piles of these in every color of the rainbow.

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I really love these Pentel Clena Energel pens. They have a great hand feel and they write beautifully. Plus, they’re aesthetically pleasing. They’re a little pricey, so I’m careful with them. For some reason, the idea that they aren’t disposable tools that I don’t really bother keeping track of is appealing to me. Like with my Blackwing pencils.

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Emott Uni Fineliners are my second favorite fineliner type pen, after the Microns. They have a really nice balanced feeling in my hand and they come in interesting colors.

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Misc.

My favorite highlighters come in this Stabilo Boss pastel set. I love the colors. They write fine or thick. And, as I’ve said a dozen or two times in this post, they have a great hand feel.

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I also love these Sharpie S Note markers. They’re bold enough for drawing or writing, but sheer enough for highlighting as well. They also don’t bleed the way regular Sharpie markers do, so I can use them in my notebooks and planners.

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My current favorite purely-fun pens are these Pentel Sparkle Pop metallic gel pens. They write really smooth and have great metallic sparkle. The ink changes color based on the color of paper you write on, but also the angle you look at it.

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This product is writing-utensil adjacent. I use these Tombow white-out tape cartridges all day long. They’re relatively cheap, something like $1 a piece when you buy a box of ten. And they work like a charm for me.

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Here’s another adjacent product. Actually two. These are my current favorite pen and pencil cases.

I use this case by Easthill for my highlighters and markers.

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And this larger case for the rest of my utensils, including my pencil sharpener and white out tape. I took out the removable inner flap thingies so that I just have a big space to hold everything.