M&G Chenguang Big Capacity Gel Pen, 0.5 mm

Gel ink sits between a ballpoint and a fountain pen: water-based so it flows without pressure, but pigmented and thick enough to hold a fine line. It writes darker and more evenly than a ballpoint, and that is most of the reason it took over student note-taking.

The trade-off is consumption: gel uses far more ink per page than a ballpoint, which is exactly what a big-capacity barrel is answering. 0.5 mm is the common note-taking width — fine enough for small handwriting, wide enough not to skip. Gel also needs a moment to dry, so a left-handed writer will smear it unless the pen is a quick-dry type.

The larger reservoir is the entire point of this one. A standard gel pen tends to die in the middle of a lecture; this is the version that reaches the end of the term.

• 0.5 mm gel ink
• Large-capacity barrel — lasts far longer than a standard gel pen
• Darker and more even than a ballpoint
• Needs a moment to dry — smears under a left hand