I will just go ahead and get the usual speech out of the way: long time no write, I’ve been busy and kinda forgot I had a blog for a bit, yada yada. Either way, I am here now, and that’s all that matters! I have gotten mostly settled in at college, and the semester is in full swing. I figured it would be good to do a post about some good back-to-school supplies, even if it is already October. It’s never too late to stock up!

Notebooks

I am a huge fan of taking notes on paper. When I was younger, my grandparents would take me to Staples every year for back-to-school shopping, and I would sift through the notebook section, trying to find the perfect one. I usually settled on the run-of-the-mill 5 Star notebooks, but (somewhat unfortunately) I have graduated from those to a more premium option.

I have been using an A5 Maruman Mnemosyne notebook as a planner for almost a year now, and I absolutely love the quality of the paper. I am a big fan of spending money, but I cannot justify paying 18 dollars for one notebook, since I like to use A4 size for school. Maruman has another line of notebooks, the “SPIRAL NOTE BASIC.” I am pretty sure it’s the same paper, but it has a cardboard cover rather than plastic. So far, they’ve held up pretty well, with the only damage being slight curling on the edges. This is no fault of the notebooks since I tend to throw them in my backpack with no regard for their safety.

I got six: two lined, two dot grid, and two graph ruled. I use the dot grid for physics, the graph rule for calculus, and the lined for taking notes on readings in my other classes. They have 80 sheets each, and the line rule has a section in the header for date and page number. I have tested the paper with a number of different pens and inks, and none of them smeared, within reason.

Get them here: from Amazon.

Pens

Now that you have your notebooks, you need something to write with. I have a multitude of pens, and I have slowly honed in on my favorites. I don’t tend to use fountain pens to take notes, so I am going to exclude them from this list.

I should mention that when I take notes I use different pens for headings, body paragraphs, equations, etc.

Headings

When I write my headings or chapter names in my notes, I like to have a visual difference between the writing there and the actual notes. So, I use a thicker pen, typically a felt tip, so I can get that contrast (seen below.) I have also already done a review on all of these, found here.

My top choices are the Sharpie Felt Tip 0.4 mm, Bic Intensity Fineliner, Sakura Pigma Micron, and the OHTO Fude Ball 1.5.

Sharpie Felt Tip 0.4 mm

This pen is my top choice, mainly because the lines are not too wide, and it doesn’t feather in my notebooks. It has a matte finish which goes well with my black pencils, and the grip section feels nice. They are also cheap, which is a big plus.

You can get them here: Amazon

Bic Intensity Fineliner

I don’t use this one as much, but it stays on my desk for when I need a change from the Sharpie pens. The Bic is very slim, which makes it a little uncomfortable to use, but it isn’t unbearable. The ink is not very consistent, as it looks very thin and almost translucent, but if you push hard enough you can get some nice bold lines out of it. I also don’t know if they make them anymore since I got mine at Dollar General a few years ago, but this is the closest I could find: Amazon.

Sakura Pigma Micron

This pen is one of my favorite pens in general, and I really like using it to make my headings. You can see my full thoughts in my dedicated fineliner review, but long story short they are very good!

You can get a 6 pack here: Amazon

Ohto Fude Ball 1.5

I saved this one for last, since I rarely use it. The Fude Ball was originally designed to address envelopes, which is what I use it for. It has really thick ink, so it feathers a lot and takes forever to dry. This is a good choice if you want really thick lines.

Check it out on JetPens.

General Notes

When I take notes in class, I use a pencil and then rewrite them with pen after class so they look better. I like to color code, and I have found two sets of colored gel pens that I really like.

Zebra Sarasa Clip

I absolutely love these pens. I have both sets of the “vintage” colors, and the colors are very nice. I don’t really like bright colors, so the muted tones these have are very appealing to me. They are 0.5 mm, so the lines are thin and crisp. The ink dries very fast, and it doesn’t smudge, which is good if you are putting your hand over places where you just wrote. They also have a rubber grip, making them very comfortable to use. The springy clip is a nice touch, since you can fidget with it when things get stressful in class (often.)

You can get the 10 color bundle here: Amazon

Pilot Juice Smoothie

I should preface this by saying this specific edition of the Pilot Juice is sold out most places, since it was a tenth anniversary special edition. I am sure that the regular versions are just as good, but I cannot guarantee.

I have the Strawberry, mint, and orange smoothie colors. The colors have a bit more pop, but are still muted, so they give some nice color to my notes. These have a pretty similar design to the Sarasa, but the ink is just the slightest bit rougher. It isn’t noticeable unless you are really looking for it, but it is still there. You have been warned! They are also a bit thinner than the Sarasa, and the grip section is firmer.

You can get the orange smoothie color here: Tokyo Pen Shop, and the regular Pilot Juices here: JetPens

Pentel EnerGel Alloy

For miscellaneous notes and just jotting things down, I use the Pentel EnerGel Alloy, when I’m not using a fountain pen. This is a special edition of the standard EnerGel, made out of aluminum. The barrel is impeccably smooth. I have had this one for 3 years now, and it is still holding up well. 10/10, would recommend.

You can get one here: JetPens

Uni Jetstream Edge

This one is an honorable mention because I have used it a few times for drawing details on graphs. This pen is also terrible to write with, and it was only made to prove that a 0.28 mm ballpoint was possible. The line is very very thin, at the cost of it being scratchy. It is a nice novelty, and it writes decent enough, but I would not recommend it for general writing.

You can get one (at your own risk) here: JetPens

Pencils

As you probably know by now, I LOVE mechanical pencils. As I mentioned, I take all my notes in pencil first. I have a bunch of pencils, so I try to switch between them just to get some variety.

Top Pick: Pentel GraphGear 1000

This is one of my favorite mechanical pencils of all time, and as such I find myself using it all the time. You can see my full, in-depth review here. This one is great for note taking, and I really like using it in my Calc class. I have it loaded with Pilot Neox 2b lead, which is a great combo in my opinion.

Get one here: JetPens

Most Comfortable: Uni Alpha-Gel Switch

See my full review here. This pencil combines the Uni Kuru Toga mechanism with the comfortable gel grip of the Uni Alpha Gel line. You can toggle the lead rotating mechanism on or off, and I typically leave it off. This pencil is the most comfortable one I have, and it is very solid for what it is. It doesn’t cause discomfort when writing for long periods of time, which is a great bonus.

Check it out: JetPens

Most Unique: Pentel Smash

See my full review here. This design of this pencil is very unique, with square outcroppings on the grip and a very neat push button. It is much shorter than the GraphGear 1000, and is also comfortable to write with. I love the novelty of the push button, since it looks like a little spring and I think that is very cool.

Buy one NOW!

New Pickup: Blick Studio

I just got this pencil the other day, and I have been using it quite a lot. The grip feels a lot like that of a GraphGear 500, but a main improvement is that the barrel is rubberized. It is more reminiscent of the Japan version of the GG 500, since there is a lead indicator on the cap. There is no retractable sleeve, which is a bummer, but if you keep it in a case it will be fine.

Get one here: DickBlick

Erasers

We all make mistakes, and if you have ever used a drafting pencil you probably know that the erasers do not last very long. Enter the external eraser. I have two categories: block erasers and pen-style erasers.

Tombow Mono Dust Catch

This is by far the best eraser I have ever used. Eraser shavings really bug me, and this eraser has a solution. Whenever you erase, the pieces clump up so you can just pick them off. It is also really smooth, and it has a solid cardboard cover to keep it clean. I would recommend this over the others on the list.

Get one here: Jetpens

Blackwing Handheld Eraser

This is my second favorite eraser, mainly because of the metal sleeve that uses the same design as the ferrule on Blackwing pencils. This sleeve makes it last longer than the traditional cardboard, and you can keep using the sleeve even when the eraser gets shorter. The eraser itself is very smooth and doesn’t smudge, but it makes a lot of shavings. A pack of 3 refills is ten dollars, which is crazy to me. When this one runs out I will probably just cut a Mono Dust Catch to fit inside.

Check it out: Jetpens

Tombow Mono Zero

Now we are getting to the good stuff: pen-style erasers. I have had the Tombow Mono Zero eraser with the rectangular tip for around 2 years now, and I really like it. Once I started doing more math, I realized that it was a bit too thick to get into small spaces, so I got the circular version. Both are great quality, and they have a nice click. I would recommend the rectangular version for general use, and the circular one for more precise erasing.

Tombow Mono Knock

This eraser is the best of both worlds: the eraser itself is very smooth, and it is just the right size to not be flimsy and flex when using. The clear body is a nice touch, and the mechanism feels very nice.

Find it here: JetPens

Notepads

When doing homework and taking notes unrelated to classes, I use notepads. I have used a lot of cheap legal pads, and just like cheap notebooks, once I had a taste of better quality I got hooked. There are two types I will go over, those with the typical pressure or staple binding, and those that are spiral bound.

Rhodia A4 Notepad

These notepads are some of the best I have used. I have two, the orange grid version and the black line-ruled version. I prefer the dot grid for general notes, but I use the ruled one for taking longer, more structured notes. They use Clairefontaine 80 g Superfine Vellum paper, which is buttery smooth. Ink absorbs well and does not feather.

Rhodia Wirebound Pad

This notepad is the same as the previous ones, except for the wire binding at the top. This is very convenient as I find it difficult to write on the back side of sheets that are still attached to the regular pads. This leads me to only use one side, which wastes a lot of paper. The wire-binding solves this, and makes it more convenient to write with.

Levenger Freeleaf Annotation Pad

This pad is my special occasion pad, which I use for writing important things related to projects or big assignments. The paper is absolutely amazing, and the sectioned design makes it easy to plan things out. The paper is beyond smooth for fountain pens, and there is no feathering. The paper is pretty thick as well, so the quality feels amazing.

Folders

I am sure we have all had the same experience of using a paper folder, then midway through the semester it just rips, or gets wet and disintegrates. I used accordion folders for a while, but it became a pain to dig through them to find what I needed. Thankfully, Japan has a solution: the Kokuyo Novita Alpha Expandable Clear Book.

This blurs the line between a binder and a folder, as it serves both purposes. It has a sturdy plastic cover and has room for 8 inserts. Inserts include clear sleeves, card holders, and open files. This system has been great for me since I tend to save all of my important papers and this works better than just stowing them in my desk. It’s also convenient to be able to flip through the pages and see my work without having to pull everything out at once.

Pencil / Pen Case

Now that you have all your pens and pencils and other goodies, you of course need a place to keep them (unless you’re a heathen that just throws it all into a bag.) I alternate between two, because sometimes I just need to carry more stuff.

Lihit Lab Zipper Pouch

Apparently this case is discontinued in most colors, but you can still find some on Amazon. This case is great and has held up for the past two years. It has two compartments. The bigger one has two compartments and a divider in the middle with more storage. The back pocket has mesh compartments for smaller items, and one large sleeve. I really love this case because it holds so much. My one gripe is that it isn’t hard, but I am incapable of dropping things so that isn’t too much of a problem.

iDream365 Hard Shell Case

This case was the first one I ever got, around 5 years ago now. I have gone through three because the zippers on the first two went out after about a year. Turns out this was my fault, since I’ve had my current one for 3 years now. Just don’t be too rough on it. This case features two compartments for pens, pencils, and other goodies. I can usually hold around 7 pencils per side, and an eraser on the top. Get one on Amazon.

Conclusion

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Near the end of this I got tired of taking pictures so some are worse than others. Sorry! I hope this list is helpful if you are in school, going back to school, or just want some new stuff. All of the products are linked in their respective section. As always, thanks for reading and stay sharp!

Be sure to follow me on Instagram, @mechanicalinclination