From rollerballs to fountains, we researched dozens of pens, considering comfortability, use, and nib to narrow down the best pens for lefties. Our top pick, the Maped Visio Left-Handed Pen, is a fast-drying ballpoint with a unique design made with left-handed writers and artists in mind, so they can actually see their work. Here are the best pens for lefties. Tip: Ballpoint | Housing: Capped | Grip: Ribbed Tip: Rollerball | Housing: Retractable | Grip: Textured Tip: Fountain | Housing: Capped | Grip: Ergonomic Tip: Ballpoint | Housing: Retractable | Grip: None Tip: Rollerball | Housing: Capped | Grip: Molded Tip: Fountain | Housing: Capped | Grip: Ergonomic Tip: Rollerball | Housing: Capped | Grip: Embossed
Comfortability
Whether you use a regular pen or a pen made for lefties, comfort is important. Lefties often need to hold pens and move their hands in different ways to ensure the ink doesn’t smudge, so pens that have extra comfort like gel cushions are an added bonus.
Nib Type
If you use your pen for calligraphy or drawing, Robert Saslow, a left-handed calligraphy artist, says to consider the pen’s nib type. “I work exclusively with broad-edged pens,” he explains. In addition to broad-edged pens, some left-handed artists and writers reach for pointed pens (which Saslow says are available in left-handed versions).
Why Trust The Spruce?
Contributing writer Jessie Quinn has a bachelor’s degree from the Academy of Art University and, as a writer, has spent a lot of time researching the best pens for her own stash. While Jessie is not left-handed, she admittedly has an awkward grip and writes with high pressure. This makes it hard for her to get comfortable writing, so high-quality and comfortable pens are a must-have. For this story, Jessie used her experience with comfortable pens combined with her journalistic research skills to find the best pens for lefties. She considered hand position, dry time, and shape of the pen (which makes a huge difference when you want to actually see your work) to narrow down her selections.
