(Part 3) Top products from r/bujo

Background: My girlfriend (22F) doesn't have a lot of hobbies, but the one thing she LOVES is bullet journaling. I've seen her get so excited when she talks about about her spreads, future layouts, journaling materials, and BUJO youtubers. I (boyfriend) literally know nothing about journaling, but seeing her get so happy about it is adorable.

I already bought her a more practical and expensive Christmas present, but I wanted to get her another present that she'd really get excited about. Getting her BUJO pens would be the best since she already has a journal for the new year. My price range is under $35.

I also know that she's really specific about what she enjoys and what materials she uses for BUJO'ing. If I did research on my own or went to a store, I know I'd get something she wouldn't like. So I figured I'd ask a community that knows what they're talking about haha

Does anyone have some suggestions or links to good pens? If you recommend something in-store, like Michael's, can you post a picture of the item so I make sure I get the right one?

Maybe helpful? She was interested in this blendpen. But after she got it, she said it was 'a dud'

For what it's worth, I think the LT1917 has become a standard because the original Bullet Journal web page sells them under their brand.

As mentioned here, LT1917 is 80gsm, which is relatively thin and makes a lot of pens bleed through and ghost. For more information about bleeding, ghosting, and general comparison between notebooks I recommend watching Which Notebook is the Best for Bullet Journaling?! (skip to 11:00 to see the comparison chart). I prefer Scribbles That Matter which is thicker (100gsm) and feels smoother to write on. My next purchase will probably be a Midori with 120gsm or a Rhodia to try them out.

One of the core principals of Bullet Journalism is that there are no hard rules. While it comes with some guidelines, you are free to use it however you see fit. Which means that there are no predefined pages. So for the most part you are going to be drawing the layouts. And this is why a Dotted paper helps because you can use the dots to draw your own layouts. You can checkout Pinterest for inspiration. The community uses the term "spreads" to signify two-page layouts used for all sorts of things.

As for pens, many recommend the Sakura Pigma Micron for good reason. While I use them for more "serious" work, when it comes to EDC I would highly recommend the Muji 0.38mm Fine Point Gel Pens. Unlike the Microns, they are not felt tip (which is why I wouldn't use them for EDC) but very sharp ball point pen with great consistency. A lot of people swear by the Pilot G2 0.38mm Ultra Fine Point but personally I wasn't pleased with them.

Finally, regarding the things you want to track, as I mentioned earlier, you can simply define the layouts of each page and track whatever you wish. A lot of the spreads you see from the community are really intricate. You can find a variety of them from very crazy daily layouts to minimal ones. It's all up to you.

Having said that, if drawing your own layouts daily seems like a lot of work (a lot of people actually spend a few hours planning them beforehand), then you might want to consider a more traditional Planner instead. As mentioned ITT, the Nomadic Planner has good paper (125gsm), weekly and monthly pages as well as lined and blanks for notes and the rest.

There is a whole universe of things to consider (and I'm more than happy to geek out about it), but I'd say just start with whatever. Don't think about it too much. Most of the negatives are personal, so while LT1917 doesn't work for some, it might for you. You'll figure things out as you go.

The whole cover does seem too bulky to me, but I like keeping things as simple as possible. Do you feel like the elastic band is in a strange place? To me it just does not make sense, it seems difficult to open and close. It seems like a very nicely made product, but just not the most practical and useful in all aspects. It does not seem like there is one right product on the market however.

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He wound up one on Amazon for less than $20 just to kind of see what he does and does not want in a cover before spending more on a nice leather one, and so far really likes his cheap one! It just came yesterday however, so he may change his mind.

It goes on clear but on BuJo paper (Leuchtturm, etc) it stays wet enough to see a word or two before it dries completely. During writing and when it is dry it remains UV reactive -- is is a 'bulletproof' ink.

Not sure of your budget or locale, but using Goulet Pens as a source, $13.50 gets you 3oz. $18 gets you 4.5 oz and a free pen. If you don't have a fountain pen already, a TWSBI Go in Med nib is $18.99. You can also get sample inks for <$2.

As for a UV light, try Nite Ize Radiant UV Microlight for $11.74 from Amazon.

My absolutely favorite for bullet journaling is the grid Midori MD Notebook A5 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Midori-MD-Notebook-Grid-Paper/dp/B0091GBD00/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=midori+md&qid=1557587047&s=gateway&sr=8-2 only £11!)

I think it’s really cute, very aesthetically appealing and there isn’t much bleed through! I’ve actually used copics for an art spread in mind and honestly I didn’t mind the bleed through (although with copics it was obvious unsurprisingly)!

They're great pens! I almost exclusively use those and 0.8mm Sharpie pens for drawing, the Uniballs are fantastic for lining and fine hatching while the Sharpies have a much more organic feel to the stripes they lay.

I use Blueline’s Miracle Bind notebooks for my work. (link) The movable pages are reinforced and can be moved multiple times without concern (an issue I had with Disc). I now use the full size, but got the smaller 9x7 first and loved it.

Sure! Time to learn how to link things.

Here is a link to the notebook on their official website.
And here is a link to the one I use on Amazon, except I've moved to the soft cover this year.

They come in mainly black and oranage but I know the website currently has white/silver too, and others if you look around.

I really hope this links work, otherwise I'm look very dorky, but oh well!

https://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Charcoal/dp/B0002T401Y
$21.12 on Amazon. Apparently I purchased this pen back in 2016. Also, r/fountainpens would love you, if you're not already there.

This is my holy grail of all pens. The Muji oil ballpoint, but not the hexagonal one. Words will flow smoothly like running your hands over water and you will never have to worry about ghosting since it isn't ink. I have never found a better pen since.

Sure!! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HY49KW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-aWZCb1YT5X94

My go-to for about 7 years now has been Uniball Jetstream 0.7mm. I've never had issues with smearing and it seems to dry immediately. They are push pens and widely available. They come in common colors as well as some other more fun ones and I was not aware of this until today but they do have 1.0mm which I will be trying out.

My wife and I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049KD4LE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_08a7Cb2DSRT3B

Not leather, but sleek and has a lot of functionality. Has a spot for a small legal pad, fits a A5 journal, and a few extra pockets

Helix 360 Degree Angle and Circle... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044S5CZM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Tūl gels are my personal go to. They are smooth, consistent, and quick drying. They are a little pricier, and as far as I know office max is the only brick-and-mortar store that carries them.

Staedtler watercolor brush marker for the green color - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077125LSV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_6FvQBb5CK3G7N

Pentel Waterbrush - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AX31TZO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_HHvQBbGG92C3B

I used the staedtler brush marker to color on a block. I then used the water brush to pick-up the green color and paint on the paper. That's for the watercolor items. Let me know what other materials you're interested in if I missed something you needed. The leaves, days and hydrate stuff are stamps and I used the staedtler brush marker to color on the stamp for the green items. Not sure if I have links for those, but I could find some if needed.

Instead of using paperclips to mark your place, you could try Book Darts. They're a lot slimmer than paperclips, so not as obvious, but they don't make your book bulky and I haven't had one fall out yet. You can also add more ribbons to your journal if you need them. I've done it a couple of times and it takes longer for the hot glue gun to heat up than to actually glue the ribbon in.

I found that at Christian bookstores, they sell Bible cases with handles which are perfect for bujos. Actually, to make them perfect, I put two journals in at the same time. For the standard bujo size, you're looking for a Medium sized bible cover.

This is the one that I eventually settled on, and then just used an exacto knife to remove the little metal fish thingy.

Here are some others worth looking into:

This one is the right size, but has some downsides.

This one is WAY too big, but I found a Medium sized one at a store once.


This one is an ok option.

This one is the form factor that I like the most, but it's the wrong size, the color is ugly to me and it's way too feminine.

This is one of my favorite options, except for that obnoxious as fuck camo design.