STABILO point 88

A 0.4 mm fineliner with a metal-enclosed tip, which is what keeps that fine line from going mushy after weeks of heavy-handed note-taking. It writes small enough for margin notes and labeled diagrams, and its long cap-off time forgives the cap you left off mid-lecture better than most felt tips. With 47 colors, you can color-code by organ system, topic or source without switching to a highlighter at all. STABILO calls it the most popular fineliner in Europe, and its hexagonal barrel is instantly recognizable in a crowded pencil case. Being a felt tip, it can show through very thin pages, so try it on your textbook's paper before writing in the margins.