German Pens, Pencils, and Markers

Most of my clients love pens and pencils, and while I urge you all to have a single “home” for your German learning materials, I also urge you to have pens and pencils dedicated to your German learning.

That may be why my clients recently received three Stabilo Stifte (writing utensils, in this case felt-tip pens) and a Staedler Bleistift (pencil) from me for the 10th anniversary of the business.

Ich liebe die deutsche Sprache und ich liebe Schreibstifte aus Deutschland!

I love the German language and I love writing utensils from Germany!

Ich liebe die deutsche Sprache und ich liebe Schreibstifte aus Deutschland!

Sind Sie bereit? Los geht's!

Why does Frau Warner choose to buy German writing utensils from DickBlick?

Family-owned and family-operated and in Illinois! Yay Midwest! I buy all the supplies I can buy there, if it's a notebook for work, the German pens and pencils for my clients, and often gifts for friends and family, DickBlick is definitely worth your while. My grandparents started a small business when my grandfather returned from WWII, which is now in its third generation, and obviously I run my own small business, so I know exactly how crucial it is to shop at small businesses whenever possible. That's exactly why the links here take you directly to the DickBlick website.

Disclosure:

This blog post/podcast episode contains affiliate links to various sites, which means that if you click through these links and purchase anything, you will anonymously support GermanWithNicole.com at the same time as you support the other business(es). (You'll see the words "Affiliate link" where there is such a link.) Danke!

Some of these pictures are a bit small, and I'll see if I can change that; in the meantime, please click through to see the regular-size images.

der Stift, die Stifte – writing utensil

der Bleistift

Rotring

The Tikky II was the first mechanical pencil I ever purchased in Germany and it is still in near-perfect condition, and I used it a LOT. Das ist die deutsche Qualität! Mine uses 0.5 mm, which I love, and the barrel and the lead are very sturdy. This pencil lead has broken only rarely, and usually only when I wrote with too much pressure.

der Stift

Stabilo

I have some which are 20 years old and still write perfectly fine. Others from the package have dried out, but I have about 6 which have lasted for those 20 years, and I use them regularly. These I use when I balance the checkbook and do the bookkeeping, it makes that time more interesting. A couple of years ago, when I discovered how many had dried out, I bought this wallet set of 25 and it's lovely.

JA, yes, I keep them in the order they came in, because I love to look at the calming order of the transition between colors.

Stabilo pens also come in smaller sets, and even in Muted Colors for those of you who prefer 'quieter' colors; you can buy the small pack of Shades of Red (Set of 8) if you're into red, or you can purchase single pens like the Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner Pen - Green. (Affiliate links)

Stabilo Point Visco pens

This is what I call a "quiet fidget pen."

This rollerball pen has a gel formula and it's one that I've given as a gift several times. I bought myself one of these for the 10th Anniversary of GermanWithNicole.com and I LOVE writing with this pen!

Silent fidgeting facilitated by:

a rubberized barrel,
raised text and lines on the upper barrel, and
a cap with a circle in it.

It is smudgeproof, but I don't think it's waterproof, so it's great for your German learning notebook, however you might not want to use it on an envelope. I've solved this problem by keeping it in my office.

You can buy them as single pens to try them out or you can buy them in a variety pack like this one: Stabilo Point Visco Pen Set - Assorted Colors, Wallet, Set of 10 (Affiliate link)

Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens

I also bought three of these to try out, and I FREAKING LOVE THESE, TOO. The other day I wrote out several lists for different projects I was working on and everything simply flowed, it was such smooth writing on different sticky notes that I didn't even notice it. The barrels are triangular and ergonomically designed, plus they're gray. Grau ist sehr schön.

There is a set of 10 here: Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pen - Assorted Colors, Set of 10 (Affiliate link)

And here is the big set of 60 pens:

der Farbstift, der Buntstift

Faber-Castell color pencils have hexagonal barrels and they're also really comfortable to use.

(Miranda Hart ist meine Lieblingskomikerin.)

The name for watercolor pencils in German is Wasserfarben-Buntstifte. I accidentally purchased a set of these, and it was a discovery of its own. The friction of the pencils is very different, and then when you go over the color with a brush and water, it turns into watercolor. Das ist ein sehr interessanter Prozess.

Faber-Castell also honors one of Germany's most well-known Renaissance artists, Albrecht Dürer. He was from Nürnberg and he was a painter and print maker. If you ever have a chance to look at his artwork or prints he made, it's well worth your while! Encyclopedia Britannica has a lovely article on his life here: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albrecht-Durer-German-artist

And if you want to get me an early birthday gift, simply send me one of these: a set of 120 beautiful watercolor pencils in a wood box. Ja, bitte!

der Füller

Every single one of my clients just said, "Ich kenne dieses Wort!" I know this word! «Ich kenne dieses Wort!» Because they alllll know der Füller.

For my 10th anniversary I bought one of these for myself and one for my assistant, and it is most definitely a fountain pen that will last! The barrel is also ergonomic and I use it for signing contracts and writing cards, for example a client of mine who celebrated her 70th Jubilee as a nun, I sent her a congratulatory card and wrote the card with the Füller. I bought the Lamy AL-Star – Black, Fine nib. Because fine nibbed fountain pens are where it's at.