A symbol of a studious individual hard at work, the humble neon highlighter pen is nevertheless often akin to an un-surreptitious sword; brightly coloured and clumsily wielded by many, often making a mess of expertly and painstakingly written notes, brainstorms and journal entries.
When highlighters aren’t busy sullying handwritten work and bleeding through pages, they’re usually dried out and unusable. It feels as though there’s no real middle ground between the two. Yet the problem, fellow stationery enthusiasts and scholars, is not only linked to the quality of the highlighter that you’re investing in but also the style that you’re choosing.
What to consider before investing in a new set of highlighters
Without further ado, we’ve curated a selection of the best highlighter pens to supercharge your studies below.
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STABILO Luminator Highlighter Wallet of 6
The Swiss-German stationery expert’s brightest and most long-lasting highlighter yet, the Luminator contains a far larger ink reservoir than traditional highlighters. The award-winning design nevertheless delivers smooth and uniform ink distribution, doesn’t leak under pressure and won’t dry out within minutes of use, unlike other lesser models.
Buy now £19.00, Cult Pens
BIC Grip Highlighter Pastel Assorted Set of 12
A brilliant, value-for-money pack of BIC’s most ergonomic and pencil case-proof highlighters, this assorted set of 12 includes a series of highly saturated colours (including two classic yellow ones) and a selection of lovely pastel hues. The pens can deliver either a 1.6mm or 3.3mm line depending on how you use the highlighter.
Buy now £8.50, Cult Pens
Faber-Castell Textliner 46 Desk Set of 24
An impressive set of 24 Faber-Castell Textliner 46 highlighters in a myriad of kaleidoscopic colours, these fabulous highlighters work on all types of paper. The pen’s uniquely shaped tip marks in an impressive three different line widths: 1mm, 2mm and 5mm. Choose from a set of eight metallic, nine pastel and seven neon colours depending on your mood.
Buy now £30.00, Cult Pens
Kokuyo Beetle Tip Dual Colour Highlighter
There’s something mildly unsettling about the insect-tipped, dual-ended nature of this highlighter pen, but it remains a remarkably utilitarian stationery instrument for all your journalling and note-taking needs.
Available in a variety of different colour combinations, we’re huge fans of how the colours are separated at the top, allowing you to flip between them without fumbling with a collection of pesky caps.
Buy now £6.56, Amazon
Zebra Mildliner Twin Tip Pastel Highlighter Set of 5
Alongside the easy-to-hold, slender barrel and twin-tipped ease with which the Zebra Mildliner highlights – what really sets these highlighter pens aside is the unique hues in which they are offered.
The ‘Cool and Refined’ set consists of Green, Dark Blue, Violet, Grey and Red, while the ‘Deep and Warm’ set includes Brown, Vermilion, Gold, Magenta and Smoke Blue. There’s also a ‘Mild and Fluo’ set for classic highlighting hues, and a ‘Summer Set’ which includes Lavender, Summer Green, Citrus Green, Marigold and Fuchsia.
Buy now £10.50, Cult Pens
STAEDTLER 264-1 Textsurfer Gel Ultra-Soft Highlighter, 3mm Line Width - Yellow (Pack of 10)
Habitual fountain pen user who still requires the use of a highlighter from time to time? Staedtler has got you covered. The iconic stationer’s Textsurfer Gel Ultra-Soft Highlighter can not only be left uncapped for days without drying up, but neither bleeds through paper nor smudges the ink on inkjet printouts. The ultra-soft, dry highlighter utilises a translucent wax lead and a twist mechanism.
Buy now £12.49, Amazon
STABILO Swing Cool Pastel Edition Highlighter Wallet of 8
Featuring a slender barrel and a handy pocket clip, we’re perennial fans of Stabilo’s lovely Swing Cool pastel highlighters – perfect for adding touches of colour to study notes and endless journal pages. Powered by a water-based ink, the wedge tip delivers 1mm and 4mm lines.
Buy now £9.50, Cult Pens
Koh-I-Noor 3415 Highlighter Pencils Set of 6
Dry highlighters are a wondrous accessory for those who frequently annotate books and pages worth of notes - and who don’t want to run the risk of excessive bleed-through. Offering the same luminous effect of an ink highlighter without the fuss, these pencils by Koh-I-Noor come in blue, green, red, pink, orange and yellow.
Buy now £6.25, Cult Pens
WRITECH 12 Piece Journal Set Vintage Tones
The ultimate journalling kit, this 12-piece wonder by Writech contains four gel pens, four retractable highlights and four sign pens in bejewelled ‘vintage’ style tones. We’re big fans of the ease with which retractable highlighters can be used at a moment’s notice to illuminate all-important notes.
Buy now £20.00, Cult Pens
