The Best Gel Pens for Everyday Writing

When I decided to start the Pens & Pages column (you know, all of last week), I figured my first installment would be about fountain pens. In my mind it was a total, “Well duh,” moment. Then my friend sent me a text about a completely unrelated topic and mentioned, in passing, how I have guided her non-fountain pen journey. And just like that—this became a different article. So let’s start with “traditional” pens—because I have a lot of love for those, too. 

Gel vs Ballpoint: The Quick Version

I assume you don’t care all that much about pen mechanics, and for these types of pens—neither do I. But I feel like I should provide some basics, so see the table below.

My non-scientific comparison involves gel inks and ballpoint inks. Also, gel pens are often referred to as gel ballpoint pens—which just means the pen uses a ball tip with gel ink.

The Case for Gel

I prefer gel pens. They gliiiide across the page and they come in a ton of fun colors. I confess that I sometimes write in black, but I adamantly agree with one of my friends who insists—

“Life is too short to only use black ink.”

My favorite gel pen brand is Pentel. They make the writing experience fun, though choosing which color to write with can cause paralysis by analysis. I have two favorites under their brand:

• The Pentel EnerGel Clena in a 0.5mm needle point—my favorite black ink pen.
• The Pentel EnerGel Infree in a 0.5mm needle point—this comes in ten colors and is my go-to if I don’t need black ink.

Reliable Budget Picks

I’ll point out that the people I polled—both of them—prefer a 0.7mm regular tip. (A needle tip is super skinny, almost like a syringe; a regular tip is kind of cone-shaped. And think smaller tip number, thinner line.) Personally, I kind of wig out if I have to use a 0.7mm regular tip. I mean, you might as well write with a magic marker. Dramatic—yes, I know. 

Before I became a devotee of Pentel EnerGel, the Sarasa Clip by Zebra could do no wrong in my eyes. In fact, it still can’t because it delivers. I find it to be a very reliable black pen. But Sarasa has expanded way beyond black ink and now offers lines with a large selection of colors, including the Clip. They even have a vintage color line that is more muted if writing in teal isn’t your thing but you want some variety.

Now, if you really want to have some economical pen fun—go the Muji route. Their gel pens come in both retractable and capped in about a billion colors.* The capped pens can even be bought in a pack of 10 colors—though clearly they have more. One of my favorite colors is their blue/black ink. Perfection. And their tips start as small as 0.38mm. And if you like a smaller pen, their compact pen comes in both capped and retractable versions in loads of colors as well.

*Ok, less than a billion—they have a lot of colors.

The Ballpoint I Keep Reaching For

Since I openly stated I am pro gel pen, I only have one recommendation on the ballpoint front—but it’s a good one. The Bruno Visconti Monaco is very smooth and it looks a bit fancier than your average ballpoint pen. They only come with black ink in a 0.5mm but the pens themselves come in a variety of colors. It’s always in my pen case and I find myself reaching for it more and more.

I have many pens and many pen cases. And I am at peace with that.

So, what’s in your pen case? And what color are you writing in? Let me know in the comments.

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