Those of us who love our pens know that they can be more than just a writing instrument that we toss out and replace with a new one—they can be great tools that help us work and feel more creative. That said, most of us don't want to drop hundreds of dollars on a pen if we don't have to, so this week we asked you which budget pens were the ones you make sure never to let someone borrow and walk away with. Let's take a look at the top five, based on your nominations.


As with many Hives of this type, we're grouping together some popular models into brands, mostly because many of the brands here have so many varied models (and you voted for them all) that we think it's better to cover more territory than less. Still, you offered up way more great pen nominations than we can feature here, but we only have room for the top five.

Best Budget Pen? Pen enthusiasts will tell you that you can never spend enough money to get a quality writing… Read more


The poll is closed and the votes are counted! To see which of the top five made the final cut, head over to our weekly Hive Five followup post to see and discuss the results!

G/O Media may get a commission LG 75-Inch 8K TV Buy for $2150 from BuyDig Use the promo code ASL250

Pilot pens were some of the first to show many of us that a writing implement could be more than just a utilitarian device. Whether you were introduced to your first Pilot pen in school or at work, you probably still remember your favorite, and many of you called out your faves—specifically the Pilot G2—for its affordability, its broad availability, and it's smooth, clean writing. Many of you also pointed out how great the V5 and V7 models, which have been around for ages, still are, and others noted that when you wanted a fountain pen, you can't go wrong with the Varsity disposable model. Excellent taste. Photo by hades2k.



Many of Zebra's most popular models are known for their trademark all-steel, metallic design, and you may remember the first time you encountered one—if it was like the first time I picked one up, they were unlike any other pen you'd seen in a world of disposable plastic pens. They just look sharp and elegant, and using them is just as much fun. Not all of their models are that trademarked steel body though: the Zebra Sarasa, for example, is fantastic gel pen with a transparent body and soft grip for smooth, comfortable writing. Many of you also praised Zebra for its portability and attractive design—most of their pens are unibody, and can slide into a pocket or bag without worrying you'll lose a cap in the process. Besides, they really do look and feel good to use. Photo by J Wynia.



Uniball pens come in multiple shapes, sizes, and form factors, but one thing is certain: you reall love them. Whether it's the quick-drying Jetstream series, designed for speedy writers who don't want their ink to smudge, or the rich, smooth black ink of the Signo and Gel lines, or the utility but smooth, free-flowing rollerball feel of the Vision and Onyx lines, Uniball has a pen engineered for whatever writing style you prefer, that's comfortable enough to use for long periods, and at a price point that makes sure you can pick up more than a few and keep them around your home or office. You could write with different Uniball models for weeks and still fall in love with each new one you tried. Photo by Brett Jordan.



Lamy's line of modern, stainless steel, and brushed aluminum pens earned high praise from those of you who don't want to break the bank on your writing instruments, but don't want to sacrifice good-looking style and comfort either. Whether it's the minimal, solid-color-and-clip design of the Safari line of fountains, gels, and rollerballs, or it's the more metallic tones of the Al-Stars, or even the transparant Vistas, many of you approved of Lamy's affordability and smooth, elegant writing. Even the shapely, designer Accent line earned nominations, and we have to agree—they all look good, and write better. Photo by vinyleraser.



Sharpie's best known for their permanent markers, but their new pens offer the same quality non-toxic, smear-proof ink that—at least in this case—won't bleed through the paper as you use it. Sharpie's medium and fine point pens come with soft tips for smooth, consistent writing, and the best part is that they're available virtually anywhere. No refills or fancy designs on these, but those of you who nominated them love them to the point where at least one of you said that if you used one, you'd never vote for anything else. Sharpie's had a rough road with some of their pens, but we have to say: Sharpie's newer pens are great, and well worth a shot, especially considering the price point. Photo by redspotted.


That's it! Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all out vote to determine the winner.



We have plenty of honorable mentions this week, mostly because the voting was so ridiculously close that there were multiple ties. First, one goes to The Fischer Space Pen, which many of you nominated for its clean, metallic designs that range from utilitarian to bullet-shaped, and the fact that they can write at all angles. The price doesn't hurt, ranging around $20-$50 for most models, and hey-they work in space!

Also worth mentioning are Bic Pens, including the Atlantis, Cristal, and Round Stic, all of which many of you praised for their affordability, multiple varieties, colors, styles, and writing thicknesses depending on your preference, their super-broad availability, and their smooth feel while writing.


FInally, we want to give a shoutout to Pentel Pens, including the Energel and R.S.V.P, which both offer great style, bang for your buck, and smooth, clean writing when used. Again, they fell just shy of the votes required to make the top five, which should show you how large the volume of nominees this week really was.

We got a ton of great nominees this week—way more than we could feature, even though we wanted to. Have something to say about one of the contenders? Want to make the case for your personal favorite, even if it wasn't included in the list? Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week. Make your case for your favorite—or alternative—in the discussions below.


Best Budget Pen? Pen enthusiasts will tell you that you can never spend enough money to get a quality writing… Read more

The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!


Title photo by Bill Bradford.