Best Pens for 2025

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Article & JetPens Reception

  • Several note the 2025 list is largely unchanged from 2024.
  • Some view it as straight advertising or a generic listicle; others argue JetPens is reputable and their tool reviews are genuinely useful.
  • Customer service experiences from JetPens are described as unusually detailed and responsive, including updating product specs based on user questions.
  • Their educational content and social media are praised for teaching about pens and stationery.

Pen Type Preferences

  • Strong camps for fountain pens (comfort, low pressure, sustainability, character) vs gel pens (control, line work, bullet journaling) vs ballpoints (reliability, fast drying, cheap).
  • Pencil-first users still keep one good pen or multi-pen handy.
  • Many say ballpoints are fatiguing for long writing; modern gels and fountain pens are preferred for ergonomics.

Specific Pen Recommendations & Critiques

  • Frequently praised: Uni Jetstream, Uni-ball Signo (various sizes), Zebra Sarasa (especially quick-dry versions), Bic Cristal and BIC 4‑color, Muji 0.38 gel, Pentel EnerGel, Uni-ball Vision Elite, Sharpie S‑Gel, Pilot Precise V5 RT, Uni-ball Power Tank, Pulaman, Bic Gelocity, Penco short pens, various Tactile Turn and Parker Jotter + premium refills.
  • Entry-level fountain favorites repeatedly cited: Lamy Safari, Platinum Preppy, Kaweco Sport, Pilot Metro, plus Pelikan and Parker models.
  • Some love Jetstream’s smoothness; others find it “too slick” and prefer more friction.
  • Reports of issues: certain TWSBI models developing barrel cracks; Safari nibs sometimes scratchy; Jetstreams or other ballpoints occasionally drying or clogging; isolated complaints of Bic Cristal leaking.

Mechanical Pencils & Graphite

  • Strong enthusiasm for Uni Kuru Toga (auto-rotating lead) and classic Pentel mechanicals; lead holders and wooden pencils also get attention.
  • Advice to buy mechanical pencils and leads in bulk; note that JetPens runs a separate “best pencils” list.

Left-Handed Use & Dry Times

  • Left-handed writers emphasize need for fast-drying ink to avoid smearing in left‑to‑right scripts.
  • Differences attributed to “pushing” vs “pulling” the pen across the page.

Ink, Archival, and Sustainability

  • Some highlight fountain pens plus bottled ink as long-lived and more sustainable.
  • Discussion of water-based “permanent”/pigmented inks vs oil-based ballpoint ink for archival documents; no consensus, multiple options offered.

Notebooks & Paper

  • Paper quality is seen as as important as the pen.
  • Rhodia, Leuchtturm1917, Travelers Notebook, and Tomoe River loose leaf in Kokuyo binders are mentioned as particularly good, especially for fountain pens.