In this video I’m doing my annual “Best of the Year” rundown for 2025—pulling from the pens I actually reviewed and lived with. I break things out by category, because “best” means different things depending on what you need: a budget workhorse, something that feels like affordable luxury, a pocket pen you’ll actually carry, and even a big chunky writer for folks who like a pen with some presence. I also call out my favorite material finish of the year, the most surprising overachiever, and I name my Brand of the Year for consistently listening to customers and delivering. And yes, we finish with the Duds List—because I’m not here to pretend every release is a winner. I go over the pens that didn’t meet expectations (including one that the comments section basically nominated into the hall of shame), and I explain what went wrong and why they landed there. If you’re shopping in 2025 and you want the short list of what’s actually worth your money—and what to avoid—this is the video.