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The Best Bold Point Pens

The Best Bold Point Pens

March 23, 2021 - Posted by Ryan to Guides, Fountain Pens, Gel Pens, Pens, Ballpoint Pens

The Best Bold Point Pens

If it’s worth saying, it’s worth saying boldly.

Yes, as much as we love fine-tip pens, there’s something delightful and even empowering about a good broad-tip pen. No worrying about fitting words responsibly and efficiently into tiny lines—bold pens are all about making a statement loud and clear. Delectably smooth and easy to read at a glance, bold pens are great for signatures, outlines, and flashcards. They’re also an invaluable tool for people with low vision, and to complement that use we’ve included some additional resources.

Let’s take a look at some of our all-time favorite bold point pens!

Top Choice: Ohto Fude Ball
Featuring a massive 1.5 mm tip and a barrel full of smooth, fast-drying rollerball ink, the Fude Ball is the perfect bold point pen. Its pigmented ink is water resistant and fade resistant, making the Fude Ball a great choice for envelopes and signatures, and it comes in a rainbow of color choices.

The Fude Ball was originally invented as an envelope-addressing pen. Ohto’s goal was to create a pen that was as smooth and expressive as a brush pen and as easy to use as a ballpoint. The result was a spectacular success, not only as an address-writing pen but as a perfect pen for anyone who loves bold, clear writing.

Bold Pen Considerations
Three pen tips

Tip Width

“Broad” happens to be a broad category. Tip size variation among our broad pens ranges from 1.0 to 2.0 mm. Writers with smaller handwriting or a preference for narrow-rule notebooks should look at our 1.0 mm picks first. If you write at a larger scale or need a high-visibility pen, go for a broader tip.

Comparion ow low showthrough and heavy showthrough

Showthrough

Showthrough and bleedthrough can render the back of a page illegible. This is especially unpleasant for writers with low vision. We’ve tested our selections and found all had minimal showthrough and no bleedthrough.

Smudged and unsmudged writing

Dry Time and Smudging

Broader tips deposit more ink on a page, which can increase the time it takes for writing to dry, but many of our recommended pens dry quickly and resist smudging. We’ve listed dry times in our Test Results section, as well as results for smudging under highlighters.

Ballpoint, gel pen, brush pen comparison and writing samples

Pigmentation

The darker the ink, the bolder the pen. The ink pigmentation and opacity in all of our choices make vivid and legible lines. Liquid inks, like those in rollerballs, markers, and fountain pens, tend to be darker than the oil-based inks in ballpoints.

Bold Pen Recommendations
Nearly as broad as the Ohto Fude Ball and filled with vibrant gel ink, the 1.0 mm EnerGel RTX is a worthy contender for anyone in search of a broad-tip pen. The fast-drying EnerGel formula ensures that the ink dries almost instantly on ordinary paper, even at this hefty tip size. This significantly reduces smudging compared to other 1.0 mm gel pens and is especially useful for left-handed writers. The RTX’s sleek retractable design makes it a great choice for people who hate losing caps.
The Best Bold Permanent & Archival Pen: Uni-ball Signo Broad UM-153 Gel Pen
Featuring Uni-ball’s permanent “Super Ink” formula, the Signo Broad is ideal for anyone who wants their writing to last. It doesn’t run or fade in water, and it can even stand up to the harsh solvents used by check washers.

The Signo Broad white gel pen is a particular favorite of artists. It features thick, opaque white ink that’s great for highlights and shows up excellently on toned, black, and colored paper. Opaque gold and silver versions are also available.

For the versatility and dependability of a ballpoint, we recommend the F-301 Bold. Its broad 1.6 mm tip creates a similar line to a 1.0 mm gel pen, and it works well on just about every kind of paper and in just about every circumstance. Its rugged metal body ensures the F-301 will survive any adventure you take it on.
For an affordable extra-bold fountain pen, we recommend the Kaweco Sport Double Broad pens. Their huge nibs feel almost like marker tips, and they are perfect for showing off the nearly limitless range of beautiful fountain pen inks there are to choose from. Shimmering inks are especially brilliant when used in a double broad nib.

The Sport comes in a range of plastic and metal body types, and its distinctive style is just as cool today as it was when the pen was first released in 1935. Its long cap and short body allow the pen to be conveniently compact when closed yet comfortably full-sized with the cap posted on the back of the pen.

Replacement nibs are readily available and easy to install, so even if none of the pens that come with double broad nibs appeal to you, you can always swap a double broad nib into any of the dozens of compatible Kaweco fountain pens.

For a premium gold-nib fountain pen with an extra-bold point, we recommend the Custom 912 with either a Coarse or Music nib. The coarse nib is essentially a Japanese triple broad—equivalent to a European double broad. The music nib is an italic nib with a distinctive three-tined, double-slit design. Two ink slits mean a wetter, more consistent ink flow to keep up with all the ink the nib is putting down.

If you want a bold, wet writer with a bit of italic flair, go for the music nib. If you want a fountain pen that writes like an amazingly smooth marker with infinite color possibilities, go for the coarse nib.

The Best Bold Erasable Pen: Pilot FriXion Erasable Gel Pen - 1.0 mm
For a bold point gel pen that writes smoothly and erases cleanly, the Pilot FriXion has no competitor. If you aren’t already familiar with the magic of FriXion pens, prepare to be amazed. The secret is Pilot’s special thermosensitive ink that turns invisible when it is rubbed with the rubber friction eraser included on each FriXion pen. Until you erase them, FriXion pens look and feel just like any other high-quality pen.

One important thing to keep in mind with FriXion pens is that because the ink is erased by heat, leaving your writing in a hot car or under direct sunlight can cause your words to disappear. If this happens, you can usually get them back by putting your paper or notebook in a freezer for an hour or so.

The Best Bold Glitter Gel Pen: Sakura Gelly Roll Gel Pen - 1.0 mm
The original gel pen, the Gelly Roll continues to lead the way in developing beautiful and amazing inks that are at their best when they’re at their boldest:

The Metallic Gelly Rolls feature extremely fine bits of pearlescent glitter that shine like precious metal.

The Gold Shadow and Silver Shadow pens create solid gold or silver lines with halos of colored ink around them.

The Stardust pens feature brightly sparkling glitter that makes your words twinkle like stars when they catch the light.

The Moonlight pens feature fluorescent ink that looks ordinary by day but glows brightly under a blacklight.

The Souffle pens feature a raised, three-dimensional ink that hardens as it dries, leaving words you can touch as well as see. They can write on a variety of surfaces and are especially great for writing on glossy photos.

The Best Marker to Use as a Bold Pen: Stabilo Pen 68 Marker - 1.0 mm
For maximum impact, consider a marker. The wide tips of markers are often more legible to writers with low vision. Our favorite marker to use as a pen is the Stabilo Pen 68, available in 46 different colors. In black, the Pen 68 writes clearly and distinctly. Though not the darkest marker we tested, its smooth, broad 1.0 mm felt tip and quick-drying ink—no smudging here—more than make up for it.
If you’re looking for very dark ink that won’t bleed or show through a page, we recommend either the Pilot Bravo! Marker Pen, which is finer than the Pen 68, or the ultra-dark Deleter Neopiko, which is available in sizes including 1.0 and 2.0 mm. The tradeoff with these darker, glossier inks is longer dry times.
Resources for Writers with Low Vision

A bold pen can boost the legibility of your notes, but if that’s not enough, we have a few additional tips to suggest.

Colored Paper
Notebooks with tinted paper and two pens
Midori Color Paper Notebooks come in peaceful colors that aid organization.
If the glare off white paper in a brightly-lit room or the harsh contrast of black writing on a white page gives you a headache, try a notebook with colored paper. Midori Color Paper Notebooks come in pleasant pastels that also work handily to organize notes by topic.
Light Writing on Black Paper
A hand writing in white on black paper
White writing on a black paper notebook can be easier on the eyes.
White or metallic letters on black paper can be more legible for some low-vision writers. Plus, like pastel paper, this combination cuts down on glare. Pair one of our bold gel pen picks, like the Gelly Roll or the Signo Broad, with a black paper notebook to try it out.
Test Results

We checked our selections for showthrough, dry time, and smearing under highlighter on Rhodia paper. We've omitted our fountain pen pick from these results, as results will vary depending on the ink you choose.

PenTip SizeWriting Sample ShowthroughHighlighterDry Time
Ohto Fude Ball1.5 mmOhto Fude Ball Ohto Fude Ball Ohto Fude Ball 20 sec
Pentel EnerGel RTX Gel Pen1.0 mmPentel EnerGel RTX Gel Pen Pentel EnerGel RTX Gel Pen Pentel EnerGel RTX Gel Pen 30 sec
Uni-ball Signo Broad UM-153 Gel Pen1.0 mmUni-ball Signo Broad UM-153 Gel Pen Uni-ball Signo Broad UM-153 Gel Pen Uni-ball Signo Broad UM-153 Gel Pen 30 sec
Zebra F-301 Bold Stainless Steel Ballpoint Pen1.6 mmZebra F-301 Bold Stainless Steel Ballpoint Pen Zebra F-301 Bold Stainless Steel Ballpoint Pen Zebra F-301 Bold Stainless Steel Ballpoint Pen 30 sec
Pilot FriXion Erasable Gel Pen1.0 mmPilot FriXion Erasable Gel Pen Pilot FriXion Erasable Gel Pen Pilot FriXion Erasable Gel Pen 10 sec
Sakura Gelly Roll Gel Pen1.0 mmSakura Gelly Roll Gel Pen Sakura Gelly Roll Gel Pen Sakura Gelly Roll Gel Pen 30 sec
Stabilo Pen 68 Marker1.0 mmStabilo Pen 68 Marker Stabilo Pen 68 Marker Stabilo Pen 68 Marker 10 sec

How We Approach Research & Testing

Our writers draw on their personal expertise, consult our in-house subject matter experts, and do extensive research to make our guides as accurate and comprehensive as possible. We then test every finding that makes it through the research stage. Only the techniques and tools whose performance we personally confirm make it into our guides as recommendations.

Final Thoughts

Bold pens offer a fun and useful alternative to fine-tip pens, and there are plenty of choices for everyone to find the one that suits them best. For even more bold writing options, be sure to check out our guide to the best felt tip markers.

Do you have a favorite broad-tip pen? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Recommendations
Top ChoiceOhto Fude Ball Rollerball Pen - 1.5 mm
The Best Bold Gel PenPentel EnerGel RTX Gel Pen - 1.0 mm
The Best Bold Permanent & Archival PenUni-ball Signo Broad UM-153 Gel Pen
The Best Bold Ballpoint Pen Zebra F-301 Bold Ballpoint Pen - 1.6 mm
The Best Bold Fountain Pen Kaweco Sport Double Broad Fountain Pen
The Best Bold Erasable Pen Pilot FriXion Erasable Gel Pen - 1.0 mm
The Best Bold Glitter Gel PenSakura Gelly Roll Gel Pen - 1.0 mm
The Best Marker to Use as a Bold PenStabilo Pen 68 - 1.0 mm