I used to be a huge pencil/pen fanatic in middle school, and I was constantly searching for the best. Every time that I went to Tokyo, I would check out all of the new options, as Japan tends to have the cheapest and highest quality mechanical pencils. While I have somewhat stopped, I still have a bunch of good pencils and pens that I enjoy writing with.

My personal favorite pencil is the A-Gel series. It is a series made by uni, and the grips are super squishy and comfortable. Also, writing with them feels super smooth and easy. I think that with computers nowadays, handwriting has gone a little by the wayside. However, I still like to do it on certain occasions, and if I am writing a lot, I really appreciate using a good pencil.

There is a difference in price; for example, BIC pencils tend to be less than $1 each, while A-Gels can be anywhere from $8-15. Still, you will likely never have to buy too many pencils (you mostly just have to buy lead to refill it), so even $8-15 is not too big of an investment. Especially if you are writing for extended periods of time, your hands will get tired if you are not using a good pencil; this is also when you will really begin to appreciate the comfort of using an A-Gel.

Another cool thing about A-Gels is that they come in a bunch of different color schemes. This means that you can pick ones that suit your style. I think the best place to buy them if you ever go to Tokyo are stores such as Tokyu Hands, Kinokuniya Book Store, etc.; however, I think you can also buy them online on sites like Amazon now.

Overall, if you do any writing, I would recommend at least trying out an A-Gel once. Once you use it, you probably will not want to go back to a normal pencil ever again.

Physical Products A-Gel japan Kinokuniya Book Store Pencils Pens Stationery Tokyo Tokyu Hands Uni Writing