Alright let's hear everyone's recommendations

[Tirvine]

My recommendation is to go far enough up the Pelikan line to have a 14K nib. They write beautifully and effortlessly and are easy to refill. I have been using one for ages with no leaking or other issues. i used to use Waterman Mysterious Blue but shifted to Pelikan blue black. Both are nice inks. i got my daughter a Cisele Parker Sonnet, and that too is a very nice pen. The weight of the metal provides a very nice stability.

 

[Vacumatic]

My standard advice is to try a Jinhao, either X450, X750 or 159. They are all very well made, perform just as they should and are not bad looking at all, the price is under $10 delivered. I think this is great value for money for a pen that can last 100 years.

IMHO you have to spend quite a lot more money to get anything which is signicantly better.

If you want a pen that is almost certainly going to be worth more in 5 years time than you paid today buy a Parker 51.

There is a new Parker 51 coming out which is basically a rehashed Chinese copy of the Parker 51 that is being rebadged as a Parker, and yes it is as crazy as it sounds. I havent tried one, or seen one for that matter, myself but it would be worth investigating.

 

[Atlanta Fop]

Lots of good recommendations here, and from my experience you can't go wrong with many of them. After trying too many fountain pens and rollerballs to count, here are my favorites and the ones I heartily recommend:

Pilot 78G - for an entry level fountain pen, you simply cannot beat this little pen, but it does not have the piston design you are looking for; I've got several and have had consistently good results with each; one feature I particularly liked is the availability of a BB nib, although many different sizes are available.

TWSBI Diamond 540 - at a little higher pricepoint, these are absolutely wonderful fountain pens - gorgeous, sizeable (on par with a Pelikan M800), and work extremely well with a variety of inks; does have the piston design you are looking for; the only downside to me is that the cap cannot be posted when writing; no longer in production to my knowledge, so you'll have to try and find them on eBay, a pen show, or some other similar option, but well worth the search. A very close second is a Diamond 580.

Pelikan M200 - consistently good writers that have a few different nib sizes available, and which are very "un-flashingly" handsome. Piston filler. The M400's are the same size, but are made in the traditional Pelikan Souveran striped designs which, IMHO, are the most handsome available.

Cross Townsend - this often-overlooked pen is my absolute favorite. Fits my hand best, consistent writer, cap posts with an authoritative "click," and some really handsome, understated designs. It does use a converter or cartridge, however. I also have a few of these as rollerballs (which, when fitted with Cross' porous point refill, is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE and my EDC pen).

(Someone mentioned the Pilot Heritage 92, and I love that pen as well and would recommend it.)

Pelikan M800 - if you want a sizeable pen that has great design, great functionality, a piston mechanism, and is designed to write extremely well (and not just look good), this is the pen. The M800 in green or the M805 in blue are true stunners. I'd use them more, but they are a little big, and the Townsend is more comfortable to me for long stretches of writing.

Fountain pens are a true delight, but a dangerous rabbit hole! Have fun in your search, and good luck!

 

[Doc4]

Pilot 78G - for an entry level fountain pen, you simply cannot beat this little pen, but it does not have the piston design you are looking for; I've got several and have had consistently good results with each; one feature I particularly liked is the availability of a BB nib, although many different sizes are available.

I got a few 78g's ages ago ... they were cheap-as-chips from Hong Kong sellers, IIRC $10 with worldwide shipping ... and found them great for the price.

A few years ago they were discontinued, alas. Buuut ... shortly thereafter they appear to have been re-introduced with slight colour alterations &c. That was about 2016?

Anyhow, I haven't bought any of the new ones. I do note that there seems to have been a price jump on e-bay and elsewhere, but they are still in the relative bargain price range. (I'm just not buying pens anymore, rather than not buying the new 78g.) Hopefully the quality is still there.

 

[BigFoot]

A couple of my favorite made in the USA pen makers not mentioned are Franklin Christoph and Edison Pens. Plus Scott Franklin and Brian Gray are just good chaps.

 

[Ssandstorms]

A couple of my favorite made in the USA pen makers not mentioned are Franklin Christoph and Edison Pens. Plus Scott Franklin and Brian Gray are just good chaps.

I will have to look at Edison Pens, thank you for the recommendation!

 

[Billski]

My favorite FP is by Sheaffer. It came from my friend , ‘Lloyd’. He can use one only hand , and he makes some money by selling cards. He is a calligrapher. The pen is a Sheaffer with no white dot.

 

[Ssandstorms]

My favorite FP is by Sheaffer. It came from my friend , ‘Lloyd’. He can use one only hand , and he makes some money by selling cards. He is a calligrapher. The pen is a Sheaffer with no white dot.

Sheaffer with no white dot? I'm not sure I follow. Forgive me, for I'm new to fountain pens, Is the he
White dot a manufacturing thing? Like Tallow-first William's?

 

[Jut]

Sheaffer with no white dot? I'm not sure I follow. Forgive me, for I'm new to fountain pens, Is the he
White dot a manufacturing thing? Like Tallow-first William's?

The white dot indicated a lifetime guarantee originally. Over time, the lifetime guarantee associated with the white dot went away, and the white dot indicated an upper tier pen.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[Keith_Weir]

The "new" Parker 51's are actually made in France.......

 

[Vacumatic]

The "new" Parker 51's are actually made in France.......

Are you sure Keith? I understood that they were made in China by a company that was already producing Parker hommages, (I struggled to find an appropriate word there)

Could it be that the final assembly is in France, i.e. putting the clip on the pen and the pen in the box?

 

[tankerjohn]

Are you sure Keith? I understood that they were made in China by a company that was already producing Parker hommages, (I struggled to find an appropriate word there)

Could it be that the final assembly is in France, i.e. putting the clip on the pen and the pen in the box?

Parker still makes several models in France. All of my Jotter ballpoints are marked "Made in France". How many of the pen parts were sourced elsewhere? I don't know. It is globalized supply chain. Nothing is made soup-to-nuts in one factory, let alone one country anymore. I do hope that the new Parker 51's are in fact made in France, whatever "Made in France" means.

Chinese Parker "hommages" are more authentic than you might suppose. Parker was manufacturing pens in China in the 1940's before the civil war. When the communist party took over, they nationalized those factories and kept making pens. Those Chinese Parker 51 knockoffs were made on actual Parker machining or copies of the actual machines, which is why the parts will fit in vintage Parker 51s.

 

[razorboi]

Are you sure Keith? I understood that they were made in China by a company that was already producing Parker hommages, (I struggled to find an appropriate word there)
Could it be that the final assembly is in France, i.e. putting the clip on the pen and the pen in the box?

"Hommages?" Ha! That's a nice word for a knock-off, copy, or rip-off.
But I don't think they are made in China.

A reviewer has stated that they are made in France, in the same factory that makes Watermans, and that the cap is actually engraved "France."
Fahrney's also indicates that they are made in France.

As to "global supply chain" arguments, I don't believe they specify the country of origin as to the individual components, but I understand that the factory has the capabilities to manufacture every part of a pen, fountain or biro. That doesn't necessarily mean that they do. The pen accepts a standard Parker converter, which may be made elsewhere, as may the box or packaging.
The biro's refill may also be made elsewhere.
But, considering the capabilities of the factory, I imagine all fixed parts of the pen are made there, not merely assembled.

And check out the retail prices.
I don't think Parker could charge that much more than a Chinese knock-off, if their own pen was also made there.
Anyway, the Chinese companies are their competition, not suppliers.

Parker, like most prestige pen manufacturers, are trying to distinguish themselves from the Chinese by emphasising quality, and production in the West, or Japan.
If a pen is made almost anywhere other than China, its maker will be proud to proclaim it on the pen and the packaging. If it's made in China, that required disclosure will be printed in the smallest type possible and placed in the spot most unlikely to be perused by a potential buyer.

Finally, I firmly believe they chose to re-issue the 51 specifically because the Chinese copies were selling so well.
They wanted to represent their legacy themselves, and offer a new, better quality alternative to the Chinese copies.

 

[Keith_Weir]

I have an acquaintance through my work, who's mother was the last US based Parker employee, up until about 10 years ago.....
And I worked on a house that was an heir to the Parker family ( Though at that time I didn't have a clue that "pens" could be something that would make someone rich !!!!!)-- 24 year old brain.........

 

[Rhody]

Parker 51 looks cool. I have a vintage one somewhere. I’m not a big fan of the nib style but apothecary beautiful pen.

 

[Sabre]

As much as I think an entry level fountain pen is required for the home. I do believe that a premium roller ball or ballpoint is required in the office, or at professional meetings etc.

 

[Whilliam]

My standard advice is to try a Jinhao, either X450, X750 or 159. They are all very well made, perform just as they should and are not bad looking at all, the price is under $10 delivered. I think this is great value for money for a pen that can last 100 years.

IMHO you have to spend quite a lot more money to get anything which is signicantly better.

If you want a pen that is almost certainly going to be worth more in 5 years time than you paid today buy a Parker 51.

There is a new Parker 51 coming out which is basically a rehashed Chinese copy of the Parker 51 that is being rebadged as a Parker, and yes it is as crazy as it sounds. I havent tried one, or seen one for that matter, myself but it would be worth investigating.

I can remember when Parker ran ads cautioning against inadvertently buying cheap Chinese-made "51" counterfeits, especially when traveling overseas. This was back in the 1950s.

 

[Whilliam]

The white dot indicated a lifetime guarantee originally. Over time, the lifetime guarantee associated with the white dot went away, and the white dot indicated an upper tier pen.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

Similarly, Parker pens of the period were badged with "blue diamonds." Don't know which came first, though.

 

[Lefonque]

Pilot Vanishing Point is a pen that punches beyond it’s weight. I have more expensive pens and it is not my favourite pen but it is a great work horse.

 

[Whilliam]

Parker still makes several models in France. All of my Jotter ballpoints are marked "Made in France". How many of the pen parts were sourced elsewhere? I don't know. It is globalized supply chain. Nothing is made soup-to-nuts in one factory, let alone one country anymore. I do hope that the new Parker 51's are in fact made in France, whatever "Made in France" means.

Chinese Parker "hommages" are more authentic than you might suppose. Parker was manufacturing pens in China in the 1940's before the civil war. When the communist party took over, they nationalized those factories and kept making pens. Those Chinese Parker 51 knockoffs were made on actual Parker machining or copies of the actual machines, which is why the parts will fit in vintage Parker 51s.

All my Parker "51s" were made in the USA, including one from the very last US production run. The only exception is an Argentine "51" prototype. Most of my late-model Parkers have come from France, however.