the best pen

To quote the winning pen manufacturer, the Baron Fig Squire pen, 

"The pen is a mighty sword. It’s a weapon of mass construction. It grants the power to move entire nations, to touch people’s hearts and souls—to make something from nothing."

Here's to a year of excellent writing!

The 100 Best Pens, 
As Tested by Strategist Editors Gels, ballpoints, rollerballs, felt-tips, and fountain pens — we tried them all.

At its most basic, a pen has to do just one thing, but there are so many reasons to choose one over another. Does it glide along the page, or does it drag? Does the ink flow in a smooth line, or is it unpredictable? Does the pen feel good or would note-taking cramp your hand? And how does it look? With so many varieties out there, from plastic ballpoints sold by the dozen to thousand-dollar fountain pens hunted down by collectors, we became determined to find the very best pens for everyday use.

We consulted a panel of experts, picked through personal favorites, and mined our own pen coverage to determine the top contenders. Then we called in and tested dozens upon dozens of gels, rollerballs, felt-tips, ballpoints, and fountain pens, and put them to the test. The resulting list is a ranking of the top 100 pens, according to Strategist editors and writers. One note: A lot of what makes one pen better than another is completely subjective. Some of us prefer a finer line and some of us a thicker one (even within the Strategist’s ranks, there is dissent). One person’s beautiful pen might be no more than inoffensive to another. The finer the point, the scratchier it’s likely to be. And if you disagree (or have a favorite we missed), share it in the comments — we just might test it when we update this list in the future.

Criteria
Among our team we have those who prefer thin-lined pens, others who like thick, marker-y ones, and even one fountain pen fanatic, but while our individual preferences vary, we’ve aimed to standardize our judgments by evaluating each pen on a scale of 1 (poor) through 5 (excellent):

Smoothness: How easily does the pen glide across the page? Does the tip feel scratchy or catch on the paper? How smoothly does the ink flow?

Smudging: Does the ink smudge on the paper or on your hand when writing? To what degree?

Bleed-through: Does the ink bleed through to the other side of the page?

Feel: How does the pen feel in your hand? Is it comfortable to hold? Is it heavy or light?

Looks: Is it a beautiful writing instrument? Are there design elements that make the pen stand out?

read more here via {the strategist}