Does a higher price tag really mean a better product?

This week, Daze checks out note-taking supplies.

You can get a generic notebook at The Cornell Store for a tiny price. However, the paper won’t have the nice perforations for ripping it out, is flimsy, rips easily and ink runs through the cheap paper quite easily. These notebooks, while a deal, are of such poor quality that I don’t recommend them even to the most cash-strapped student. — $1.50

On the other hand, Black n’ Red notebooks have a hard cover, making them sturdy enough to stand up to even the most packed bookbag. The pages are a bit taller than usual, neatly perforated and very high quality. Each crisp, bright page works well with every writing utensil, no matter how low quality, and actually makes note taking by hand a pleasurable experience. — $12.99

THE VERDICT: Black n’ Red Wins

At my internship this summer, I fell in love with a pen that I found on the floor — and proceeded to shamelessly take it home. The uni-ball Vision Elite was a gorgeous purple color, wrote like a dream and lasted me several months. To my delight, these pens are available in various blue and green shades, as well as a classic black gel ink. The ink is a bit dark and leaks through thinner paper, but comes out great on anything other than the lowest end grade of paper. — $12.50 for four pens

If you are writing on high quality paper, standard Bic Classic pens are reliable, last forever and write like a charm. On lower quality paper, they sometimes pose a little bit of trouble, but are overall reliable and write consistently well. — $3 for 10 pens

THE VERDICT: It all depends on the paper you use.