Our fellow planners and colorists out there will understand why we are so pumped about the Sakura Gelly Roll pens. They have delicious colors. They glide across the page like ice cream.

And, these gel pens don’t bleed through your page.

Hands down, this makes them the best colored pens for planners, the best gel pens for coloring books, and the best overall pens, in our opinion. 

Keep reading to see what else we thought of them!

The Sakura Gelly Roll gel pens are made by Sakura of America. The company specializes in stationery products used by artists and planners. The pens come in several different color families: Classic, Metallic, Shadow, Stardust, & Moonlight.

Watch this hypnotizing video from ArtbySennie to see these pens in action. 

The pens are handy for artists and colorists because they come in so many different colors. You can sketch and color any object or pattern you can dream up. We also love them in our planners, primarily because they do not bleed through the pages. Many other gel pens leak through the page, ruining the next side of your paper. But these pens do not bleed at all, which is why we cannot help but adore them.

These gelly roll pens are also ideal for kids. Tiny hands can color for hours without getting tired. Plus, the colors are bright and fun. Hands down, these are the best gel pens for coloring. But as you can see in our review below, you want to exercise a little bit of supervision if you let your kids use them. 

PROS:

The Sakura Gelly Roll pens have a lot of great advantages for almost everyone. If you haven’t already noticed, we are completely in love with them. Here is why.

• Super Smooth: These gel pens are very smooth to write with, like, ice-cream smooth. You can color much longer with them because your hand requires so little energy to move them. Circles, curves, etc., feel like ice skating.
• Raised Effect: When you color with these pens, the resulting image has a slightly raised effect. We think this is also related to why the pens don’t bleed through your thin coloring pages. The ink seems to sit on top of the page.
• Vibrant Colors: Okay, we can also see why this is a disadvantage for some people. (see below.) But if you are looking for bright, vibrant pens, these gals are your best bet. The metallic nature of the ink makes the colors glow on surfaces. This effect is so cool! They are guaranteed to make you experience the raw, natural flavor of the colors.
• Thick Ink: You can write on steel with these babies. Seriously. Steel. And ceramic tile. And a host of other unexpected surfaces. Try it out and let us know what worked for you.
• Long Lasting: In our experience, these pens last longer than other gel pens. You never  need to worry about ink running out when you are in the middle of writing or drawing something inspirational.

CONS:

Okay, so clearly we are going to come out in favor of these pens in our verdict. But we also recognize that these pens are not for everybody. Here are the disadvantages of these gel pens.

• Price: The biggest disadvantage of these gelly roll pens is that they are pricey compared to other gel pens. You can click here to see the cost of a 74 piece set on Amazon. If you don’t need that many, there are other options on that link as well.
• Clogged Semi-Easily: Another disadvantage is that the tips of the pens occasionally clog up when they are not cleaned regularly and when they are not capped after use. So, be sure to double check if you let your kids play with them.
• Not Great for Dark Colored Paper: If you like the look of reversed art (aka drawing plants/animals/etc on black paper), then you know the struggle of finding an ink that shows up clearly. These Sakura gel pens do work okay for that, but they are not great. You have to draw several layers before you can get the desired effect.
• Too Vibrant Colors: You may be thinking, “How could a color be too vibrant?!” We thought that too, until one of our male staffers pointed out that he likes to draw with muted colors. If you want a muted effect, these are not the pens for you.

The Sakura Gelly Roll gel pens are probably the best gel pens on the market. They are smooth, flexible, and work on a wide variety of surfaces. They last longer and give the user a smooth and easy writing experience. More importantly, these pens do not bleed through the page, meaning you can use them in your planner, journal, and coloring book without issue.

Because they are such high quality, they cost a little more than ordinary gel pens. We don’t love that, but we know that to create quality work you need to have quality tools. Since these pens last so long, we feel comfortable recommending them regardless of their semi-expensive price tag. If you keep them tightly capped and occasionally clean the tip of the pens, they will last a very long time.

We recommend that you at least get a small set of these gelly roll pens so you can also experience their magic. Be warned though. Once you try these out, you may never want to go back to the cheap stuff.