Officially, the 13 Best Pens of All Time

We've already written at length about this guy. For the money, it's the nicest pen out there. You can buy refills on Amazon. And, it's even featured in a Bond film. Best $13 I ever spent.

Truthfully, this is the pen. Montblanc's Meisterstück is now 100 years old. Try and think of any other product that's had that staying power. It's the pen your bosses boss had. It's the pen your boss has. And, it's the pen you'll buy with your first big paycheck.

We prefer the ballpoint version, because it's less fussy than the fountain option. And as far as finish, we like the look of platinum, but gold and rose gold are equally nice options.

Muji is the Japanese lifestyle store that's becoming increasingly popular stateside. All the home goods and clothing offerings are perfect examples of peaceful Japanese minimalism. A lot of people love the Muji gel pens, but we think the aluminum option is a great starter pen.

It looks nice. It has a satisfying click. And, most important of all, it can be refilled with regular Pentel fills. That way, you don't have to try and figure out which Japanese-only pen fills fit the pen.

When I was in high school, my crush told me that my handwriting looked like the Declaration of Independence, which he meant as a compliment and I took as one. I wasn't in it alone, though. I had my Pilot to thank.

Pilot's classic G2 gel pens are the best pens of all time and do not test me. They're easy to hold and to write with. As a gel pen, they are pretty inky, which means you only need to apply a light pressure for perfect form.

But with that ink comes the controversy: The writing takes a second to dry, and it smears more easily on certain types of paper. If you are left-handed or otherwise putting your hands all up in your paper's business, skip the gel.

This is, yes, the same pen. But it's bigger, easier to hold, and softer between your writing fingers. I have the regular guys stashed all over, but I keep this one for those big and important notes.

A rolling ball pen is great if you have pretty vertical writing form or prefer writing in all caps. The roller ball takes a second to get going (you know like how roll-on deodorants need a few spins before the deodorant comes out? like that) but then once it catches, it makes a bold, inky look.

I like it for taking notes or deliberately writing in all caps to make it clear and easy to read. I would not recommend for small handwriting, where those letters could bleed together.

Arteza's rollerball pens are not as sensitive to angles and roll out ink pretty quickly. The smaller point (.5 rather than .7) makes it a little scratchier and easy to articulate your writing. If I ever did math or something that required many distinct figures, I'd use these pens for that. They're a joy.

The thing about the best pens for everything is that this is subjective. Uni-balls are not meant for me, but they are a crowdpleaser amongst people who prefer a ballpoint pen. It is significantly less inky (hence my gripe), which is a better fit for quick writing and lefties.

There are levels to this pen game. Levels. I'm not of the mind that these writing utensils have to be expensive to be good. But if you're looking to get something to write with that feels indulgent or special, Kaweco is a good place to start. This fountain pen is sturdy and pretty, and doesn't require any ink dipping. You load it up with an ink cartridge instead. This one comes with a pack of six.

It feels like calling these "pens" is a lie because they're really more like tiny markers. The flex is in that tiny felt tip, which moves as you write. Bad for thin paper and taking notes, good for card stock and cursive writing.

Also more like a marker tip but less chaotic. This pens have a super fine tip, but they will bleed through thin paper. Use them for writing stuff in a calendar or on a to-do list. Big, blocky letters welcome.

I wonder who names versions of pens because they are increasingly insane and sound more like a car you'd race in than a pen you'd write with. Anyway, don't let the "liquid gel" part of this one's name scare you. It comes out lightly (less inky than my Pilots) and is good for quick scribbles and friendly to small handwriting.

Go to Muji for nothing, leave with 3,000 pens and a stack of T-shirts. These colored gel pens are cheap, easy, and fun to use. The colors are easily legible, but they really don't bleed the way some other brightly colored pens do. Buy a pack and stock up.