Best Gel Pens for Flawless Writing
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Sharpie Gel Pen -
Pilot Gel Pen -
Paper Mate Gel Pen -
Shuttle Art Gel Pen -
Buyer's Guide
Do you enjoy writing letters and papers with fun colored pens? Do you enjoy giving your art projects some extra flair? Gel pens may be the right purchase for you. A good gel pen will provide you with a quality writing experience, and will come with enough colors to satisfy all of your art and writing needs. Gel pens are the ideal choice for budding artists and experienced calligraphers alike. To help you choose the perfect set among the numerous options, we have handpicked some top-rated gel pens of 2022 for all of your pen needs.
Sharpie Gel Pen
- Available in five sets
- Allows precision writing
- Contoured body for better grip
- Runs out of ink quickly
Pilot Gel Pen
- Can be easily carried
- Refillable pen for long-term use
- Rich and bold ink
- Not suitable for all writing surfaces
Paper Mate Gel Pen
- Dark and bold ink quality
- Dries much faster
- Doesn’t smear or bleed
- Cannot be refilled
Shuttle Art Gel Pen
- Seven different color types
- Refillable pens for long-term use
- Transparent barrel for ink tracking
- Doesn’t feature any grip
Detailing the Top Gel Pens of 2022
Sharpie Gel Pen - Best Overall
Whether you want your assignment handwriting to be perfect or wish to write smoothly on exam papers, the Sharpie Gel Pen delivers unmatched performance. Its ink is quite rich, dark, and bold, offering an exceptional level of vividness and clarity. It features no bleed and no smear technology, enabling you to write on most surfaces with ease. This gel pen comes with a contoured grip made from high-quality rubber, offering you a comfortable writing experience and a firm grip that won’t slip. With precision point size, rich and bold ink, and no bleed technology, this gel pen is certainly the best overall on this curated list.
- Available in five sets
- Allows precision writing
- Contoured body for better grip
- Runs out of ink quickly
Pilot Gel Pen - Excellent Quality
Known for its excellent quality and long-running ink, this gel pen from Pilot is perfect for writing long exam papers, manuscripts, essays, and assignments. The ink is long-lasting and dries quickly. It offers a smooth writing experience, enabling you to finish the task long before the assigned time is up. This gel pen comes with a sturdy plastic clip to help you attach it to a notebook, stack of papers, or your shirt’s pocket. Its retractable technology keeps the tip hidden inside the barrel and makes carrying it much easier. On top of this, it features a rubber grip around the barrel to ensure you won’t lose control over the pen.
- Can be easily carried
- Refillable pen for long-term use
- Rich and bold ink
- Not suitable for all writing surfaces
Paper Mate Gel Pen - Most Versatile
From doodling to making notes, the Paper Mate Gel Pen makes your notebooks or scrapbooks look vibrant and colorful. This pack comes with 14 colors in a single pack, like red, bright pink, purple, light blue, berry, brown, and more. Offering a smooth and consistent writing experience, this gel pen ensures faster drying of the ink and no smear or bleed. Its lower half body is wrapped with a strong and thick rubber material to offer excellent grip. What’s more, its retractable tip ensures hassle-free carry.
- Dark and bold ink quality
- Dries much faster
- Doesn’t smear or bleed
- Cannot be refilled
Shuttle Art Gel Pen - Most Pens
This gel pen set from Shuttle Art comes with 120 pieces, grouped in seven categories according to the ink type, like swirl, glitter, pastel, and neon. Each pen comes with a fine point metallic tip, allowing the ink to flow freely and offering a consistent and smooth writing experience. Because it features a transparent body, you can easily check the ink left in the gel pen and refill it at your convenience. It comes with a durable plastic clip to help you attach it quickly to your notebook or pockets. Since the caps and inks are color-coded, you can identify the required pen in no time.
- Seven different color types
- Refillable pens for long-term use
- Transparent barrel for ink tracking
- Doesn’t feature any grip
Buyer's Guide
Gel pens offer an incredible writing experience and help you complete your assignments, essays, or exam papers quickly and easily. But finding the right set amongst numerous options in hand is not a walk in the park. In order to advise you from investing in the wrong product, we have described a couple of factors to consider before purchasing your next gel pen.
Gel Pens and Ballpoint Pens
Here are a few general things to keep in mind when comparing gel pens to ballpoint pens:
1. In gel pens, the ink is liquid-based and has less viscosity, while ballpoint pens have oil-based ink with a higher viscosity.
2. You don’t need to apply too much pressure while writing using gel pens. On the contrary, when you use a ballpoint pen, you should apply more pressure for smooth ink flow.
3. Gel pen inks do not contain any acid, but in ballpoint pen inks, fatty acids are included.
4. You can easily find gel pens with ultra-fine, fine, medium, and bold points. Ballpoint pens typically do not come with ultra-fine and fine tips, though exceptions do exist.
Factors To Consider
Number of pens and colors
If you want pens for writing your assignments, projects, exam papers, or any other everyday task, a pack of 6-12 pens should suit your needs. But when you plan to doodle, sketch, color different pictures, make colorful journals, or write color-coded notes, you should go for a larger pack of pens. Similarly, for creative writing and other tasks, you should select a gel pen pack with varied colors.
Performance
A premium-quality gel pen helps you write comfortably without skipping or struggling with inconsistent ink flow. You should check if your chosen product allows the ink to flow consistently over most paper types to get a smooth writing experience. The ink must be bold and rich to ensure all the letters and figures are visible and prominent. It should dry quickly, without smearing or bleeding on the paper.
Grip
Most gel pens feature a rubber grip around their barrel. It creates enough friction to improve your grip and ensures no sudden loss of control. This way you can maneuver the pens just the way you want, whether you are doodling or taking extended notes.
Transparency
Some gel pens come with a transparent body to allow you to check how much ink is left. You can easily identify why your pen has stopped writing and continue with your work by securing a replacement.
Clip and retractable mechanism
A few gel pens come with durable clips to allow you to attach them to pages, notebooks, or to your pocket. Some of them even have a retractable mechanism that keeps the tip hidden. These features make gel pens more portable and easier to carry around.
Gel Pen FAQ
Q: Will I get ink refills with gel pens?
A: Most gel pens do not come with ink refills, though they are available separately in some instances. The majority of gel pens you'll encounter are designed to be thrown away once the ink runs out.
Q: Does the ink dry out if I leave the cap off?
A: If you use a gel pen with high-quality ink, leaving the cap off won't cause the ink to dry out.
Q: Is a gel pen the same as a fountain pen?
A: No, gel pens and fountain pens are different. In gel pens, the ink is water-based, but pre-filled in the tubes. You will need to fill the barrel of a fountain pen with ink yourself.
