Collection: an accumulation of objects gathered for study, comparison, or exhibition as a hobby – Merriam-Webster.
Throughout my seventeen years, I have heard about different types of collections ranging from simple rock collections to celebrity hair collections (could not be me). Although some collections might be rather bizarre, as a collector myself, I understand the appeal. Each and every piece in one’s collection is slightly different than the next, that’s why it is absolutely essential to have another :).
For me – I can never have enough pens. Different types of pens (fountain, rollerball, ballpoint, erasable, gel, calligraphy) have different objectives. For instance, a calligraphy pen’s purpose is not to write long essays, but to display beautiful penmanship. An erasable pen’s use is to allow for error (an advantage I personally abused in calculus). That is why in this list, I am going to explain which pen is best for each type of activity.
1. Math / Science
Homework : Pilot Frixion
Erasable pens have been around since the 80s, but none perfected it till the pilot frixion. The pilot frixion uses thermo-sensitive ink technology (JetPens). Basically, when the ink reaches a certain temperature, it turns clear. No, you don’t have to put your paper in a microwave to erase it (although it would work). On the top of the pen, there is a piece of hard rubber that when rubbed on the paper uses friction and creates heat to make the ink disappear. Over time, the Pilot Frixion brand has perfected its ink formula and come out with erasable highlighters and markers as well. I think the pilot frixion is the perfect choice for math/science homework because it allows for error and unlike a pencil looks significantly cleaner. Finally, I have a personal preference for the smoothness of a pen and with the frixion I get the additional advantage of the pencil.
2. Long Writing sessions / Timed Writings : Pentel Energel
As someone who is well experienced in the timed-writing process I have experimented with which pen gave me maximum comfort. By far, the pentel energel takes the cake. As someone who has bigger hands, the thicker barrel is the perfect diameter without being too large and hard to grip. Not to mention the lefty-friendly ink. The pentel energel has quick drying, smudge-proof, ink – which comes with many benefits. First off, this pen is a highlighter’s best friend. With a regular ballpoint or even your favorite Papermate gel pen, the writing will become illegible once a highlighter touches the ink. With the pentel energel, there is no need to worry. That’s what makes this pen great for not only long writing sessions but also note-taking. Along with the amazing ink formula, the needle-tip nib makes the writing experience even better. Even though the body of the pen is chunkier, doesn’t mean your lettering has to be too. The precise nib allows for more control of ink flow and simply feels pleasant to write with. Ultimately, if I were to only use one pen for the rest of my life, it would be the pentel energel.
3. A Pencil Case Must-Have : Hi-Tec-C Coleto
The hi-tec-c coleto is the most versatile pen I have in my pencil case. We have all had those crusty multi-pens given for free from our Dad’s work or from the elementary school book fair. The hi-tec-c is the ultra-upgraded version. Instead of all the colors embedded in the pen, with the coleto you can actually choose the pen refills you want. The refills range in colors, tip sizes, and even the type of ink. Not only can you get a pen refill, but one of the inserts can also be a mechanical pencil (which ranges in size too). You can go from a 0.4mm metallic blue gel ink to a 0.7mm mechanical pencil in just one click! The inserts and pen body can be unique. You can choose how many slots and the color of the body when purchasing. The customizability of this pen already makes it stand out, but the quality of the inserts is truly what makes the pen desirable. With the needle-tip design for all the inserts, you are promised a high-quality writing experience from the start.
Overall, these are my top three pen choices and definitely writing instruments you should add to your collection. I hope this blog inspired you to visit Jetpens.com and up your pencil case game!
Celina, this blog post is so cute! It was well written and very convincing. I feel like you should be earning commission off of any pen sales made after people read your post. I enjoyed your witty commentary on the pens as well as your clear and concise descriptions of the pens. I had always wondered how erasable pens worked and now I do, which is very cool. I also appreciated how you listed the specific make and model of the pens you wrote about instead of listing an entire category of pens. This definitely helped prove your expertise in the area. I also think your choice to specify which pens are best suited for specific writing tests is also very helpful to the reader. This extra guidance supplied to the reader further convinces them of purchasing these pens as they can already imagine putting them to use. I’m now curious if you also have an extensive pencil collection. Do you like mechanical pencils better because of their likeness to pens? If you haven’t tried any cool mechanical pens I recommend the Zebra Z-Grip Plus as it looks sharp and has a really cool feature where shaking it up and down will release more lead. Another one of my favorites is the Bic Velocity mechanical pencil as it has a wider body, squishy hand grip, and an extra large eraser. Let me know if you try these (or have already done so) and what your thoughts are!
Celina, I love when people are intrigued by something unique. I know many collectors personally, and while I’m not a collector at the moment, I understand the appeal. I have never met anyone who collects pens. When I first read the title of the blog post, I had to re-read it. After reading your blog post, I think you are a great advertisement for JetPens.com You seem very enthusiastic about your pens you use and collect. In my own experience with pens, there is a noticeable difference between pens and the comfort, ease, and practicality in which they write with. However, your final item was labeled “A Pencil Case Must-Have.” As a student who primarily uses pens simply for convenience rather than the artistic or aesthetic appeal, this multicolored pen has little to no appeal for me. I’ve held a comparable pen before and the girth and impracticality of changing colors frequently made this pen less desirable. Overall, I think this is a super neat post and I still am curious which pens you hold to a higher standard than the rest. I also wonder if you simply have pens that you look at instead of a ‘daily driver’ pen. All in all, great post, and I’m glad I learned something new about a rather unfamiliar subject.
Hi Celina! As someone who wishes she knew more about the best writing utensils, I love your blog post. I personally go for the asethetic appeal. I find it pretty admirable how you know basically every pen brand and model and can give a really detailed critic with any writing utensil I show you. I wish I knew what pens were good for timed writings because for example, the lang ap test, my hand was completely covered in pen despite me being a rightie. Pens always threw me off because of how the ink flow would stop some of the time, while a mechanical pencil would stay loyal with no gaps. I like to keep a bunch of colored pens but I lose them so often, but I may look into the multipen you covered. I actually do have some prejudice against those kinds of pens because I remember the cheap ones that were extremely annoying to use when I was younger. I love how well written your blog was with your personal experiences and recommendations that many can relate to. I like how you didn’t just address how good the pen was with simple use, and described all of the practicalities.
Celina,
I love the collection of pens! As a teacher and an essay grader, I have my favorites. Right now my favorite is the PaperMate Ink Joy gel 0.7. It is great! When I first started teaching I couldn’t get enough of the uni-ball Signo 207.