On Notebooks and Pens

Friday, March 7, 2025

A few weeks ago, I came across this blog post about the author’s reasons for switching to a different everyday-carry notebook. I love posts like these, and this one had me clicking on websites, blog posts, and videos about notebooks and pens until long past bedtime.

For some, it can be difficult to resist the possibility that a new notebook or pen might help squeeze more insightful words onto a blank page. There’s a reason I highlighted this passage from Todd Henry’s Daily Creative:

Sometimes the feel of a new tool in your hands is all it takes to create a spark: a new keyboard for your computer, a new pen or notebook. There’s no magic in the tool; it’s how the new tool makes you feel about working, how it invites you back into your craft.

I love digital note-taking and spend a lot of time organizing and linking my reading and knowledge notes. But I sometimes question whether that investment will ever pay off.

A few months ago, I traced my last dozen writing projects back to where the ideas first originated. I hoped many spawned from insights born out of the interconnected links and backlinks in my note-taking system. But, no. Every one took shape in the pages of my handwritten journal, often followed by mental acrobatics played out on the surface of 4×6 index cards. Only later did a keyboard take part. Even after I had a working draft of an essay, I almost always returned to my journal to question my thinking. Many essays took a new direction after these mid-stream journaling sessions.

Despite a fascination with digital tools, pen and paper is where my real thinking happens.

That being so, I may have written too much about apps and software if the creative spark takes place elsewhere. So, today, I’m sharing the analog tools I use daily. And surprise, surprise: writing this post led me to a rewarding discovery.

STM Notebook

For the past three years, I’ve used this notebook from Scribbles That Matter (STM) as my paper journal. I wake up early and write in this notebook every morning over coffee. I love the larger B5 size for more expansive thinking. The STM has 213 high-quality dotted and numbered pages (120 GSM), a few index pages, a pocket in the back to stash notecards, two place-marking ribbons, a loop to hold a pen, an elastic band to keep it closed, and even a slipcase for storage. The notebook lays flat when opened, yet its binding remains tight even after a year of daily use. This notebook hits all my buttons.

Notsu Index Cards

About a year ago, I graduated from cheap Amazon basic 4×6 notecards to Notsu dot grid index cards. These are made from thick (350 gsm) card stock with subtle dots and rounded edges. Unlike cheaper ones, my pen glides over the smooth surface of these high-quality cards. They are thick enough to handle permanent markers without bleeding and withstand almost any abuse without crumpling.

The Allure of Fancy Pens

I’ve managed to stay away from using fancy pens in my notebooks and journals. I’ve bought a few nice pens over the years, only to realize I didn’t enjoy writing with them. I tried fountain pens but found them fussy and precious. I’ve come to accept that my southpaw scrawl is more suited for ballpoints than nibs and special ink.

For the past three or four years, I’ve written every day with a Pentel Energel 0.5 Needle Tip pen. The Energel’s water-based gel ink flows evenly on the page without smearing or skipping, even with my awkward left-handed slant. The 0.5mm fine tip lets me write with uncanny precision. I prefer blue ink in my notebooks and journals. Traditional black is far too grown-up for me. Pentel’s shade of blue is perfect. And it’s affordable. The pen costs just $1.39 when purchased in bulk.

After discovering the Pentel, I bought several dozen from Amazon, fearing they might one day be discontinued. After a while, throwing away an entire pen felt wasteful, so I started buying just the refills, which cost a mere $0.60 each.

After reading the aforementioned blog post and researching the Mark Two pen and its companions, I began to examine the body of the Pentel more critically. While the ink flows like magic, the pen itself is a plasticky piece of junk.

I was still pondering this illogical allure of fancy pens a few days later when I had an idea. What if someone makes a nice pen body that accepts Energel refills? Is that even a thing?

I asked ChatGPT. “Certainly,” it replied, and it spat out five higher-end pens that accept the Energel refill. My heart began to beat a little faster.

Two suggestions didn’t fit my style, and two required trimming the refill to fit. But one, the AI’s top recommendation, looked very, very promising.

Two hours later, after studying another slew of videos and Reddit posts, I ordered the $100 Big Idea Design Dual Side Click Pen in stonewashed titanium.

I’ve been writing with this pen for two weeks now. Due to its unique adjustable design, it accepts Energel refills and a hundred others. The refill fits snugly and doesn’t wiggle or wobble. The titanium version weighs 28 grams, a little over twice as much as the Pentel. It’s just enough extra weight to coax the ink to flow even better on the page. The copper or zirconium (!) versions would be too heavy to hold for long stretches.

Engaging the pen feels more like chambering a round than the bouncy click of the Pentel. Pressing either side button gives a satisfying thunk as the pen disengages. When I pull the pen out of the loop of my journal, a sound like a crisp finger-snap erupts from the titanium clip (yes, even the clip is titanium).

It took no time to fall in love with this pen—a beautiful, understated, utilitarian badass that accepts my beloved refills.

And since it’s backed by a lifetime warranty, this could be the last pen I ever buy.

Of course, I’m already eyeing the bolt-action model and perhaps a mini version to carry with my pocket notebook.

This, my pen enthusiast friends tell me, is how it begins.

The post On Notebooks and Pens appeared first on Robert Breen.

Comments for On Notebooks and Pens

Writing Longform

• ✴️ Conversation on Micro.blog
• ✍️ Reply by email