my favorite pens*
* non-fountain pens; separate blog post coming for my favorite fountain pens
for hobonichi - tomoe river paper
Hobonichi is known for its catalog of functional planners - all of which feature tomoe river paper. For some history on TRP check out Galen Leather's blog post. The short and sweet of it is that TRP is thin, yet durable, and is great for fountain pens. However, the paper is also prone to smear easily because ink takes longer to try. Even if I try my best to wait for ink to dry, I’ve smeared countless times. For that reason, the pens below are my go-tos for Hobonichi planners and TRP. I avoid using anything else! FYI: Stalogy paper is similar to TRP but is thicker and is white.
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sarasa dry gel
I prefer 0.5mm Fine, but sometimes need .4mm to write even smaller. Dries hella quickly, deep, dark black, and sits nice in your hand.
PRO TIP: Use a Sarasa Grand and the Sarasa Dry refill!
Links below to the pen pictured here:
for stalogy
I’ve been using a B6 stalogy since my TN days (yes, I once used only traveler’s notebooks!). The Stalogy has smooth and thin paper, similar to Tomoe River with a subtle 5mm gray grid (the A5 has a smaller 4mm grid). The Stalogy comes in 4 sizes so there’s a size for everyone!
I’ve tried every pen on its paper and I do think the paper is more versatile than TRP. One can use a ballpoint, rollerball, gel pen, or even fountain pens! But, here are my favorites to use:
pentel rsvp ballpoint
Comes in two sizes: .7mm and 1.0mm. I prefer the .7mm. Don’t be fooled by the title of .7mm. Although that size is typically thick (compare to sarasa dry), in reality It is a thin, beautiful, seamless line! The 1.0mm is rather thick, but is useful for writing headers.
Jetstream Rollerball
Hands down the smoothest pen, works on every paper, and is relatively inexpensive! There are several styles including capped, retractable, and multipen!
generally
Lately, I find myself mostly writing on 32lb paper (what I use in my ring planners) or Moleskine. On a day to day basis, I also use the below pens routinely and felt they still deserved honorable mentions. For a complete list of pens I’ve bought and love, check out this list.
TUL Gel Pens
If you’re not a huge fan of blue ink, you can easily use a refill such as these.
uni signo
I literally purchased a hoard of these pens and you’ll find them in every bag and every pen pouch I carry. Smooth writing, nice hold, and inexpensive!
