Which Gel Pens Should I Buy? - Under the Rowan Trees
D Danielle Stanley

Which Gel Pens Should I Buy?

Dec 10, 2024

The choice can be overwhelming when it comes to gel pens, but don't worry, we can help you narrow it down with these quick questions!

  1. What surface do you plan to write on?
  2. How many different colours do you need?
  3. Do you need specialist ink (glitter, matte, metallic, pastel, etc)?
  4. What is your budget?

If you're planning to write on regular white paper, then almost any gel pen will be up to the job, but if you would like to write on shiny surfaces or dark coloured paper, you need to choose a little more carefully. 

 

Pentel Mattehop

Pentel Mattehop Gel Pens - Black - Under the Rowan Trees

Pentel Milky Gel

Pentel Milky Gel Pens-Pens-Pentel-Pastel Blue

Smooth writing gel roller pens with high-opacity ink. The Pentel Hybrid Milky Gel Pens include four attractive, pastel shades: light blue, light green, yellow and pink. With the ability to write beautifully on both dark and light-coloured paper, they're perfect for adding that extra special, colourful touch to greeting cards, scrapbooks, and other crafts or journaling.

  • Pastel shades work on light and dark paper
  • Perfect for crafting and artwork
  • 0.8mm tip gives a 0.4mm line

Pentel Dual Hybrid Metallic

Pentel Hybrid Dual Metallic Pens - Innovative gel roller which produces two tones - one shade on light-coloured paper and a variation on dark paper.

Pentel Fantasy Dual Metallic Pens Set of 8 - Pentel - Under the Rowan Trees

8 Colours in each set = 40+ shades with a gorgeous sparkling effect on all papers.

1.0mm tip writes smoothly and evenly.

Pentel Engergel Roller

Pentel EnerGel Retractable Pen 0.7mm-Pens-Pentel-Black

Staying with Pentel, their best-selling Energel is a cross between a gel pen and a rollerball. Ideal for everyday writing as it's super smooth, quick-drying ink. With 20 different ink colours to choose from, these infinitely refillable pens are great for lefties thanks to the quick-drying ink.

Karin Decogel

Decogel from Karin are relatively new and are a great alternative to Sakura Gelly Rolls with the advantage of being refillable.

Metallic Gel Pens Decogel Karin-Pens-Karin-Silver

DECO GEL 1.0 is a collection of 50 gel pens for decoration, drawing and calligraphy, divided into colour series: MILKY WAY, METALLIC and STAR SPARKS. They work perfectly on light and dark paper surfaces as well as on papers covered with watercolour paints, water-based markers (such as Brushmarker PRO markers) and many other surfaces such as glass, foil, metal or stone covered with acrylic paints and markers containing acrylic paints (such as Pigment Decobrush markers).

This variety of surfaces provides unlimited creative possibilities. DECO GEL 1.0 gel pens are precise tools for creating works full of subtle details and light nuances, such as calligraphy, bullet-journaling, scrapbooking, zentangle or mandalas. They are characterised by high covering power (MILKY WAY and METALLIC series), rich colours (METALLIC series), and special light effects (STAR SPARKS series).

The covering, pigment-rich, dense water-based inks in DECO GEL 1.0 pens provide a smooth line, do not bleed through to the other side, are water-resistant (on paper) and lightfast.

Pilot G2 Gel Pens

Gel Pens - G-2 07 Pilot-Pens-Pilot-Black

The iconic and best-selling retractable G2 gel pen from Pilot.

Favoured worldwide by professionals and the public alike, the smooth gel ink provides a blob-free and vivid writing experience from start to finish.

With over thirty exciting colours to choose from, there's a G207 for every occasion, and with refills available, this is truly a pen that will stay with you for years.

The cushioned ergonomic grip and smooth curves of the pocket clip give the pen a simple yet elegant finish that fits in the pocket, pencil case or hand with equal ease, letting you simply write.

0.7mm tip gives a 0.35mm medium line.

Pilot are now offsetting the CO2 emissions of all pens manufactured at their European factory based in France by supporting and funding the “clean ocean plastic banks” project.

  • Writing width: 0.35 mm
  • Tip size in mm: 0.70 mm
  • Refillable: Yes

Pilot FriXion Erasable Pens

Frixion Ball 0.7mm Erasable Pens-Pens-Pilot-Black

Pilot Frixion pens contain heat-sensitive ink which can be removed using friction. Lots of colours available across a range of rollerballs, fineliners and highlighters. No more crossing out mistakes or messy pages when your plans change!

Looking for something a little bit cuter?

Legami Cute Animal Pens

Gel Pen - Lovely Friends - Legami-Pens-Legami-Beary in Love

Legami Erasable Pens Discontinued Designs

Gel Pen Comparison Table

 Brand Model RRP Price Colours Ink Type Refillable
Pentel Mattehop £2.68 £1.50 14 Matt No
Pentel Milky £2.75 £1.50 7 Pastel No
Pentel Dual Metallic £2.68 £1.62 15 Metallic No
Pentel Energel £3.50 £2.75 20 Smooth Yes
Karin StarSparks Decogel £3.00 £3.00 20 Glitter Yes
Karin MilkyWay Decogel £3.00 £3.00 10 Pastel Yes
Karin Metallic Decogel £3.00 £3.00 20 Metallic Yes
Pilot G2 £3.29 £2.50 25 Pastel, Metallic, Smooth Yes
Pilot FriXion Roller £4.56 £2.95 15 Erasable Yes
Pilot FriXion Stick £2.39 £1.50 12 Erasable No
Legami Lovely Friends £2.95 £2.95 10 Smooth Yes
Legami Erasable £1.95 £1.95 8 Erasable Yes

 

Shop our full range of gel pens here.

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