No doubt contemporary life is on the fast lane, and you must keep pace or catch up if you are going to enjoy the best life has to offer.
Towards that goal, there are various tools that you need, and they include planners. However, you cannot just pick any planner you come across if you are after something unique to complement your creativity.
The Hobonichi planner is the stuff of creatives and one of the most functional. However, you cannot use the daily planner with just any pen from your local store. You need specialized colored pens to optimize the functionality of that notebook.
But which are the Best pens for Hobonichi?
What is Hobonichi Techo?
When talking about Hobonichi, created by Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun, a company from Japan, is the overall quality pack leader.
‘Hobonichi Techo’, is Japan’s best-selling planner and available in English and Japanese. Designed and created in 2001, Hobonichi Techo has taken the market for planners by storm.
But, what is it that attracts so much attention to the Japanese planner?
Well, the Techo, affectionately referred to as Hobo, has one of the most innovative designs and exceptional functionality that makes first users fall in love with it at first sight – or at first use!
The A5 Hobonichi Cousin has daily planning, monthly, and weekly layout for more effortless organization and use. However, the most popular is Hobonichi Weeks, compact and which you can easily add to your travelling itinerary.
The great advantage is that you can use it for everything, including blogging. It is a neat and well-arranged planner that entices you to scribble various activities on the Tomoe River paper pages and work towards accomplishing them.
The texture of the individual pages is incomparable to anything on the market at the moment.
It’s inconceivable that so many excellently gridded papers fit so well in the planner. With the right Hobonichi pens, the planner with the fancy layout becomes such a functional piece in the office drawer. It is what jumpstarts your creativity to create something unique or organize your thoughts.
You can run a list of things to do at the office, such as hold a meeting with subordinates or other workers, and note when to accomplish whatever the meeting decided. This planner is an excellent choice for brainstorming at the office or home.
Best Pen for Hobonichi Planner Reviews
Quick comparison table to make your decision easier. [Top 5 pick] ⚡
| NAME | TIP | INK | COLORS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tombow 56429 | Brush tip | Water | 10 |
| Pentel EnerGel | Metal | Gel | 8 |
| iBayam Planner Pen | Fine point | Water | 18 |
| Sakura Gel Pen | Fine tip | Gel | 10 |
| Tombow 56187 | Brush, Fine | Water | 10 |
You will come across many brands of pens that claim to be the best Hobonichi pen.
However, it later becomes apparent that it was all a marketing gimmick when it bleeds on the planner’s pages, leaving a terrible mess. If you are after a reliable pen for your unique notebook, check the following.
1. Tombow Fudenosuke Colors Brush Pens
It’s not daily that anyone comes across a pen with Fudenosuke Brush Pens’ quality, and which you can use with your Hobo.
Fudenosuke boasts flexible brush tips that allow you to toggle between thin and thick lines by changing the pressure when sketching or drawing – something that artists and graphic designers will find useful.
Created in japan for the sole purpose of crafting beautiful kanji calligraphy characters, Fudenosuke, which means “brush that helps,” has the quality and versatility for art drawings.
The brush pens have vibrant water-based pigment ink that will not leave a mess on the Hobo pages or any other type of paper, and therefore excellent for calligraphy brush beginners.
The sensitive tips of the Fudenosuke are perfect for hand lettering and illustration.
You can achieve perfect strokes and learn from your mistakes easily and quickly. The Fudenosuke pens are easy to use, even for the small kids, which is what simplicity is all about.
You can try something unique and creative because the tip allows you to play around with different strokes and line thickness for the desired calligraphy style.
In particular, the pack includes soft, hard, and twin tips for different stroke thickness. You can try the medium, fine, and extra-fine tips and see how you like the graphics or calligraphy.
You can pick ten pens when creating or sketching something, and you don’t have to go looking elsewhere for similar pens to complement your planner.
It is all you need in one place. The varying brush tips are a source of flexibility when lettering or sketching.
Fudenosuke includes some of the most common colors: black, orange, red, grey, green, yellow, blue, pink, brown, and purple.
The different colors, combined with the tips’ quality, help the fine arts professionals create their best work. A professional artist will find unique brush tips quite useful.
2. Pentel EnerGel RTX Retractable Liquid Gel Pen
The EnerGel RTX planner pen’s luxury feel and effortless and smooth writing make it a favorite of many Hobonichi users. The unique pen compliments the quality of the Hobo pleasingly and exceptionally for artists.
Pentel is a brand with over seven decades of experience making high quality and reliable products, and that says a lot for people on the market for hobo pens for the first time.
The liquid gel pen has a stylish barrel design pleasing to any professional in the office or room where your creativity goes on an overdrive.
Inarguably, the stainless steel accents make the pens stand out in the crowd, and you can be proudly using them anywhere.
They are best for taking notes in a meeting or brainstorming in the middle of the night when we have those crazy ideas that turn out revolutionary or disrupt the market.
We all have those creative moments, but we do not always have the right tools to scribble them down in our planners, and that is how opportunity passes you by.
And thanks to the high-performance ink technology, the gel ink is fast-drying and ideal for even the left-hand artists.
They are the ideal collection of pens because they do not leave globs or smudges that may make your handwork uninteresting, especially on the sensitive pages.
You can choose between different colors: sky blue, navy blue, violet, orange, brown, green, blue, turquoise, black, and red.
There is a wide variety of colors to make the sketches or beautiful lettering vibrant. EnerGel RTX also has new favorite colors that you can pick as well.
There are two stainless steel tip sizes: 0.7mm and 1.0mm for medium and bold lines. The advantage is that you can refill the pen with any EnerGel refill of any size or color. That means you can use the EnerGel RTX for a long time.
3. iBayam Journal Planner Pens
With up to 18 unique colors and the iBayam Journal Planner Pens’ quality, you can finally say that you have everything you need to succeed as a calligraphy or sketch artist.
The fine point colored pens are 0.38 mm in thickness and appropriate for the creative activity.
Many people worry about bleeding, especially when using a bullet journal, but thankfully, that is in the past with iBayam.
The ink is fast-drying and does not bleed, something worth celebrating. The pens are versatile and perfect for to-do lists, journaling, sketching, planner accessories, school supplies, office supplies, and artists’ accessories.
As a sketch or full-fledged artist, the super-fine tip produces outstanding performance on the planner. And as they say, one good turn justifies another. You will not wait to try on other creative graphics and writing styles or coloring.
The fiber-tipped pens are perfect when you have to use intense water-based colors, or you need to make very fine lines on the meal planner or drawing paper.
Users say that the pens are easy and comfortable to use, especially when you need to draw or sketch lines or other vital details on a sketch.
As such, you don’t have to spend a lot of the time trying to refine the writing or sketching to accommodate an uncomfortable pen you invested in to make savings.
The pens come in an attractive, transparent vinyl bag that will help you keep everything organized and provide easy and fast access.
Your small kids will love the vinyl bag with fold-over snap closure as it makes their work more comfortable when sketching. They can see the different color pens and pick the right ones in one fell swoop.
The plastic bag fits perfectly well in school bags, suitcase, and backpack for easy transportation. The size of these pens are also very cute that they fit smoothly inside your purse or bag pocket.
4. Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlight Pen Set
The highly-rated Gelly roll moonlight is for those that need to make a statement with beautiful bold lines, and therefore among the Best Hobonichi planner pens.
It is comfortable and easy to use, even for beginners or children. The patented water based ink is as smooth as ice cream, as the manufacturer states, and the opaque ink colors are quite vivid on black or white paper.
Sakura has a chemically stable, fade-free, and waterproof ink to help get the hobo planner’s best results.
Most importantly, the ink does not bleed through or smudge on most types of paper and vellum. You can get the best results on both black and white paper.
The pens, with a consistent 0.5mm line for learners or sketch artists, help brighten the drawing or writing for the desired effect.
It becomes easier to learn for those who experience difficulty when learning or code learners. The sketch artists can get an animated effect to their drawings to a satisfying and encouraging level.
Even more astounding is the fluorescent element in some of the Gelly roll moonlight pens to evoke Halloween’s celebrations.
The glowing ink under a black light source is always something to impress others by revealing the special inner heat that drawings or sketches have. It is a creative and sensational way to pass a message on black paper.
However, the fluorescent effect fades when exposed to direct sunlight. Except for the fluorescent colors, the others are fade-resistant, permanent, and waterproof.
The ink meets the ASTM and ACMI nontoxicity standards, and you can be sure of safety.
However, the ink is not for use on fabrics intended to be washed. Its effect on the skin is unclear, and so you should take precautions.
It is a favorite pen for most because of its ease of use on greeting cards, scrapbooks, blacklight art, gift tags, and planners.
The set contains purple, rose, red, fluorescent green, fluorescent pink, fluorescent vermilion, fluorescent yellow, fluorescent orange, and blue color pens.
5. Tombow 56187 Dual Brush Pen Art Markers
The most popular watercolor marker set, “Tombow” proves again and again that you don’t have to spend a lot to get quality pens for a meal planner.
These inexpensive fine pens are multifunctional and ideal choices for drawing, bullet journaling, and sketching. You can also use the pen for doodling, illustrations, and calligraphy.
It is a set of nine colors that you can use on various projects. You will find one fine tip and another with a flexible brush tip that works in the same way as a paintbrush.
That means you can create both mediums and bold strokes when drawing or sketching with the ease of a paintbrush, which helps achieve perfection.
The paintbrush effect makes the Tombow markers ideal for rubber stamping, illustration, and hand lettering.
The tip material is resilient nylon fibers that you can use for a long time without losing shape or breaking. The fine bullet tip is firm and robust to stand the test of consistent writing or sketching.
You also get consistent lines on the hobo planner when using the fine tips, and the possibility to add the watercolor effect raises the stakes even higher.
Therefore, you can try your hand on the delicate designs that require fine lines, drawing embellishments, and other creative graphics that you saw somewhere – there’s always a first time for everything.
The tips are self-cleaning, making it possible to blend colors without necessarily having to do anything else. Get comfortable sketching on the hobo planner without worrying about stains or ruins to the pens.
The color-coded caps not only keep the tips protected and fresh but are also a thoughtful feature to help with the organization and selection of the pens.
You will also love the anti-roll’ design that keeps the pens in one place in cluttered workplaces, mostly associated with creative.
The ink is acid-free and odorless. As a result, it is comfortable to use even in closed spaces where you love to have the ‘me-time.’
6. PILOT Dr Grip Refillable Gel Ink Rolling Ball Pen
PILOT Dr Grip has an executive look to it and easily stands out among others. But apart from the aesthetics, which are hard to overlook in a review, the pen has a smooth writing ergonomic ballpoint pen. It is smear-resistant and perfect for use with a hobo journal.
We find the wide barrel comfortable to use on various paper types, and the latex-free and deliciously cushioned grip contributes to this comfort significantly. It enhances the journaling or writing experience for anyone to a satisfactory level.
The ergonomic pen is the choice of arthritis foundation for its ease of use, and anybody that has difficulty using other types of pens can use it comfortably.
This prescription for writing comfort pens resonates well with executives that spend extended periods in meetings trying to find solutions. The perfect design for exceptional weight distribution ensures a balanced and ultra-smooth writing experience.
You will probably not go back to your original pen after trying the comfortable PILOT Dr Grip, and it is alright. The main objective is always to get the best tools that help you achieve your goals and keep pace at the top.
The fine and medium-fine points are available in red, black, and blue smear-resistant ink for journaling and sketching. The retractable pens are G2 refillable to ensure you enjoy the writing experience for longer.
PILOT makes a wide range of top-quality pen options such as fountain pens, whiteboard markers, and gel ink pens give them a significant amount of goodwill.
You can be sure that PILOT Dr Grip’s quality is as good as some of their other popular products on the market.
Besides, many reviewers of the pen indicate that they are happy with it, which’s a great thing.
7. Zebra Mildliner Highlighter Pen Set (Japan Import)
Anything Japanese somehow screams quality, and the Hobonichi planner and washi tape are the best examples. Zebra Mildliner Highlighter Pen Set is another Japanese import that may work well with the hobo planner, and that’s the main idea.
The pen is stress-free to use and comfortable enough for versatility on different planners and journal papers.
The strong points that make it one of our favorites include the unique color that comes out perfect on the paper. It’s incredibly soft on the Hobonichi Techo planner to a significant effect and writing experience.
The pen has just the ideal shade to attract attention without overwhelming fluorescence like some of its competitors.
Apart from the 15 standard colors, the Zebra Mildliner Highlighter Pen Set has five more additional colors to spoil you for choice. As a student that learns best with color-coding, the pens are ideal for you. Some users love its ability to highlight and illustrate the planner pages for organization and improved writing experience.
The colors are sufficiently transparent, and they don’t cover essential words or letters to make you squint your eyes.
The double-sided Pens for planner have both a chisel tip and the more soft bullet tip for the intricate sketches that you make when all alone in your room. More importantly, high-quality ink does not bleed on your planner or any other type of paper that you use.
They have airtight caps to keep the tips fresh and safe for longer. This comes in handy for the school kids that tend to throw everything in the bag.
If you’re thinking of gifting them to somebody special, the original retail packaging is appealing enough.
The original vinyl pen case is sufficient in most cases, and you may not need to invest so much on the packaging and the sort, which saves you a few bucks. The highlighters come in four boxes, each containing a different shade.
8. Crayola Erasable Colored Pencils
The multi-colored pack of pencils is the next best thing to use on your Hobonichi planner. They are especially ideal for kids that want to succeed in sketching and drawing and even writing.
If all you need is casual coloring or something to help you learn the ropes, then these erasable pencils are ideal.
While comparing with other planner pens, the main difference is that you can erase any mistakes you make on your planner easily with these pencils.
Some adults that find coloring to be therapeutic also need such erasable pencils to be in perfect harmony. They can erase anything they feel is out of place on the art journal and then try again to avoid a buildup of frustrations.
There are up to 24 colored and sharpened pencils with an eraser so that the kids can retry different sketches or writing on paper products. The erasable feature is one of the unique features that your daughter or son will love.
The brightly colored lines they create are perfect for school projects, creating landscape masterpieces, and highlighting specific words and scrapbooking.
Most people prefer bright colors for scrapbooking, and sketch artists will also find these items quite useful. Some teachers, especially those teaching geometry, use the pencils for multi-step problems to emphasize some parts and erase others.
Crayola uses reforested wood for sustainability and never from endangered species or indigenous forests to reduce greenhouse gases.
The bold colors on the pre-sharpened pencils are useful in various applications such as sketching, drawing, and journaling.
The strong and durable pencils do not bulk under the weight of heavy writing that some children have. They are long-lasting, and the kids can use them for a long time.
The pencils have a smooth laydown that makes for an exciting writing experience for adults and children.
There’s also a diverse range of packs to accommodate the youngest of students and professional artists and premium colored pencils for teenage users.
The pencils are giftable and an excellent idea for your relatives or friend’s child into sketching or painting.
The pencils are simple and fun to use indoors for the kids. They are an ingenious way to keep the kids engaged while you focus on something else. The pencils inspire artistic creativity to support their learning and development of skills.
9. BIC Gel-Ocity Quick Dry Gel Pens
The BIC Gel-Ocity Quick Dry Gel Pens’ super-smooth ink works well on the Hobonichi to create fabulous sketches and drawings. The pens are a source of effortless writing experience.
The ink is fast-drying, and they do not ruin the beautiful pages of the hobo planner or other types of paper. However, the dry times vary between different colors, but that is never an issue.
The pens come with a full-length grip for comfort and control when sketching or drawing. Most other pens’ problem is the design, which makes them hard to use when creating something unique such as beautiful lettering.
The grip extending across the length of the barrel rests snugly between your fingers for using comfort over extended periods of journaling or note-taking like in lecture halls or company meetings.
The retractable gel pen is also perfect for annotating and highlighting some sections of the notes. The fine gel pen tips enhance the note-taking experience for the students and others in simple terms.
With one quick click at the top, you can protect the tip when not in use, and another click reveals the tip to start using. There is a gel pen version for every activity, such as sketching or journaling.
You can easily use them in boardrooms or business conferences with confidence. The pens are durable, according to users, as they do not break or leak. You can use them for months.
The vivid lines from the 0.7-mm point are unique, and you can play around with your creativity. There are several vibrant colors if you need to create something on the pages.
10. Mr Pen- Bible Highlighters and Pens
Mr. Pen- Bible Highlighters and Pens do not bleed on the pages, and that is one of the qualities that makes them popular in bible study groups.
There are assorted color highlighters and pens that you can use on your Hobonichi planner at any time for journaling and sketching.
You can draw smooth and skip-free lines or achieve consistent lettering on the beautifully gridded Hobonichi planner. The pens are also perfect for color-coding that students need to optimize their learning experience.
The pack includes four gel highlighters and non-bleed fine point pens. The gel highlighters, as well as the pens, do not bleed on any paper, including newspaper, and you can enjoy whatever reading you are doing.
They also do not make the pages stick together like some highlighters on the market do.
Another problem with some other bible highlighters is that they somehow lose coloration over time. However, that is something that does not happen with Mr Pen- Bible Highlighters and Pens.
These pens and highlighters are smooth and easy to use on the thin paper of the bible or planner when creating lists of tasks.
This set of highlighter do not dry out if you forget to replace the cap, which you don’t see with other highlighters pens. They are durable, and fade-proof.
The pens are also acid-free and safe to use for both adults and children.
Considerations Before Choosing Pens for Planner
The demand for planner pens has traditionally been high, attracting different kinds of vendors, some of which are less than honest. If you are looking for a few pens for planners to add to your collection, the following considerations will come in handy.
Color option
A wide range of colors is always desirable if you want to color code. Some people may feel that using less than six different colors of pens is great, but that is not always the case. You can always use as many colors as you want.
Among the primary objectives of having a Hobonichi planner is your thoughts’ organization, and the different colors should make that possible.
The recommendation is to have some of the most common colors, such as black, red, green, and blue. This is especially most helpful for visual learners.
Ink Quality
It helps significantly if you can avoid buying into the hype associated with particular products on the market. Do a bit of research, and take a bit of your time reading the various reviews from people who used the pens for Hobonichi planner.
Some of the things that you should look out for when doing your research include the ink type. What are people saying about the quality of the ink?
Does it bleed, and what is the overall quality?
To be sure, you can stick with the known brands with a reputation for quality. You can never be in the wrong by sticking with the popular and the best, at least if you are starting in the business of buying pens for Hobonichi planners.
Another thing to keep in mind is that some inks don’t write well on particular materials. You can buy one or two and try them out so that you can know for sure.
The non-toxic and odorless ink is always best if you will be using the pens with your kids.
Price Range
The most expensive pack is not always the best for your needs. We all have different preferences and needs, and what works for one person may not for another. The above list contains different pens at different price ranges to make your choice easier.
Of course, you will find cheaper pens that give you good value for money, which is the main objective.
If starting, you can select any set above that you think is most attractive, which may suit your needs. Your main goal is to find a set of pens that can help you draw, design, and do other things on a piece of paper that only you know how to do best
Frequently Asked Some Questions
Q: Why do not use a regular pen for a Hobonichi planner?
There are numerous benefits associated with the best Pens for planner, and among them is that they make everything vibrant and exciting.
The colorful pens are a charming and lovely way of populating the planner papers and brightening whatever activity you are doing.
The superb artistic expression achieved with colorful pens is incomparable, which enhances your creativity. The special pens contain a unique ink that does not leave a mess all over the pages of your Hobonichi planner, something that you cannot say of regular pens.
Hobonichi planners’ pens may cost a little more, but it is always good for the money. The end product on this planner pages is what quality work is all about. It will encourage the user to be more creative and artistic.
These pens are also perfect for drawing and sketching, especially if you are into cartoons and graphics of the sort. Of course, you cannot turn to the regular pen to help you create graphics with intricate details.
Sometimes, talent also needs some help from excellent tools, and that is what good quality pens for Hobonichi planner.
Q: Should I use a regular pen or pencil in my Hobonichi planner?
Understanding the Hobonichi paper is the first step to effective use of the iconic Hobonichi planner. Typically, it is printed on Tomoe River paper which is also great for fountain pens as it’s bleed-resistant.
The Hobonichi paper’s texture is unique, which makes it one of the finest on the market. But what about the pencils? Using a good quality pencil on the Tomoe River paper is always a great idea.
However, you need to be extra gentle with the pages when using a pencil. Usually, some people use a pencil to create good quality graphics on some pages and then use the specialized Hobonichi pens for the finishing touches.
The gridded and fancy planner layout of the paper encourages creativity. With the right pencil and pens, you can practice with some unique calligraphy and lettering that will surprise everyone.
Final Words
The Best pens for Hobonichi planner compliments the quality of the planner uniquely. However, it is always important to understand that the paper is thin and can bleed with particular pens.
Read the reviews to determine the pen’s quality and avoid the very pointy ones, especially if you are heavy-handed.
The above-listed pens will serve you quite well, and you can focus on creating beautiful and creative work on the pages.