We recently took a look at folks with possibly unhealthy (certainly unusual) attachments to their chosen brands of pocket notebooks. But after you’ve settled on the perfect pad, what do you use to jot down all those impromptu thoughts? Enter the pocket-sized pen, which can be surprisingly hard to find, at least in a version that writes with a pleasing flow. It’s pretty extreme, for example, to pay $32 for what looks like a toilet-roll holder, even if it does claim to write at any angle and on wet paper — and don’t get me started on this pendulum-shaped thingie that costs around $300. Getting closer to a human price range is the $15 Inka Travel Pen, which is designed to fit on a key chain, but there’s a bit of screwing and unscrewing involved if you want to transform it from mini- to full-sized mode. Less work is required with the cutely designed FoldzFlat, which does just what its name suggests and seems intended mostly as a promotional item (you print your business name and phone number on it and give ‘em away); it’s also available in a sturdier metal-and-leather version, but neither is exactly what you’d call a tactile pleasure to use. By far the best option I’ve tried, both in terms of usability and of reasonable price, is the Zebra F-301 Compact (pictured). Its design allows the finger-sized tube to expand to the length of a normal pen without undue hassle; its fine-point tip writes smoothly; it has a hole for easy keychain or lanyard attachment; and — hello, eco-conscious note takers — it even takes ink refills. The only downside is that they’re hard to find in stores; online, though, you can find them for under $2 each.