What's new

Beginner pen recommendation

I am new to this whole pen thing and am looking for recommendations for a reasonably priced beginner pen. I tend to have pretty small handwriting, so something with a fairly fine point would probably work best. I'd like to keep my budget under $50 but I don't know if this is even reasonable. Any ideas would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
For super cheap you can get 2 Platinum Preppys and convert them to eyedropper pens. Get one Preppy with a medium nib, and one with a fine nib and decide which you like better.Other choices include Lamy Safari or Pilot Metropolitan, though the Metro only comes in a medium nib. Pilot has introduced the Pilot Cocoon that comes in a fine nib. The Cocoon is more expensive than a Metropolitan. A fine nib maybe more to your liking with small handwriting.Each of the pens above come with an ink cartridge, so when you settle on a pen, the next dark hole for your wallet is inks.
 
Slightly more expensive, but I think the Aurora Style is a classic! Another option would be the Parker IM, or the Sheaffer Prelude.
 
Nick do you also need ink and possible a notebook in yoir budget ? And to figure out your nib needs would you say you have small medium or large writing. Would you be using this pen at work or just home for journals or letters ? And are you left handed ?

See if we can't match you to the perfect combination of gear here
 
Pilot metropolitan is a terrific pen, especially for a beginner. I think I remember reading somewhere that you can order a 78G with a fine tip and swap them out (or not). $15 for the metro, $10 for the 78G, and you have 2 pens for $25. I have both and like them. Then you will quickly spend the rest of your budget on ink and paper.
 
Nick do you also need ink and possible a notebook in yoir budget ? And to figure out your nib needs would you say you have small medium or large writing. Would you be using this pen at work or just home for journals or letters ? And are you left handed ?

See if we can't match you to the perfect combination of gear here

Thanks for all the help guys. I have a nice notebook, which is partly reason I want to get a decent pen. I have been using Uni-ball roller pens, which are nice enough, but I am looking for something more durable. I guess I need ink, but have no idea where to start on that.

I have pretty small handwriting. If I had to give a gauge, I would say my average handwriting is about the size of 11 point Times. I am right-handed. I would use the pen mostly for journal entries, but would also use it at work for signing correspondence, pleadings, etc.

Thanks again for the guidance. Once again B&B proves itself to be a community of great people.
 
Thanks again for the guidance. Once again B&B proves itself to be a community of terrible enablers.


You said it buddy!

FWIW, One of my first pens was a Platinum Preppy that came free with a 4.5 oz bottle of Noodler's X-Feather from Goulet Pens. It was already converted to Eyedropper. Also, around the same time I bought 2 vintage pens (An Esterbrook double J and a Sheaffer's Touchdown) from a flea market. One was ready to write after a good flushing, the other only needed a new sac. Both are pens, that 30-40 years ago could have been used by students from grammar to high school. Total cost for both = $3.00.
 
Fine or medium is probably best for what you want for this pen... and there are lots of colours to choose from
 
On the recommendation of many here, I started with the Pilot Metro. Its a great pen in many ways, but it is limited to a Med (unless you do the 78G switch as previously mentioned). I recently picked up a Lamy vista (almost identical to the Safari). Also a great pen, with interchangeable nibs, so you can get the fine and switch if need be. I bought a fine, to get something a bit finer than the Pilot, and there is a difference, but its not dramatic. I will likely switch down to the Extra Fine at some point. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Welcome!
 
I don't have any preference about vintage vs. new. I have heard good things about the Waterman Phileas (sp?). Are those pretty easy to find?

If you hunt around eBay, you can find some decent Watermans for $20-$30. On a good day, you can probably find a used Phileas in that range or slightly higher. More often then not they won't be marked by the seller, so you'll have to figure out which pen it is. That said... the Phileas is pretty distinct looking, so you should be able to figure out what they look like rather easily.

Another vintage pen worth looking at is the Esterbrook J. You can find restored ones on eBay for under $40 with relative ease. You can check to see what the nib number corresponds to here: http://www.esterbrook.net/nibs.shtml

If you want to go newer, you can snag a LAMY Safari or Vista in the $30 range from Amazon or Goulet Pens. The converter is an additional $5 or so.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Pilot 78g ... $10 on e-bay ... includes a couple cartridges, a converter, and worldwide shipping.

Can't be beat.

On the recommendation of many here, I started with the Pilot Metro. Its a great pen in many ways, but it is limited to a Med (unless you do the 78G switch as previously mentioned). I recently picked up a Lamy vista (almost identical to the Safari). Also a great pen, with interchangeable nibs, so you can get the fine and switch if need be. I bought a fine, to get something a bit finer than the Pilot, and there is a difference, but its not dramatic. I will likely switch down to the Extra Fine at some point. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Welcome!

The Lamy nibs are broader than the Pilot ones throughout the range ... German nibs vs Japanese and all that ... so you could try a 78g in "F" for a good method of getting a finer nib.
 
Thanks again everybody. In my research I came across a Shaeffer VFM, which looks sorta tempting. Anyone have any experience with this pen?
 
There is no converter to fit that pen... and the carts a proprietary to sheaffer unfortunately. Which is why we don't have it come up that often
 
I started with a Pilot 78G F nib (roughly equivalent to a western EF). $11 on eBay shipped, with five ink carts of the proprietary nature.
Then I got a Lamy Safari F nib. ~$30 shipped, again with five ink carts, again of the proprietary nature, that I didn't end up liking. Refilled one of the cartridges with Noodler's Blue/Black.
Then I got a Franklin-Christoph Model 27 Collegia EF nib. $70, comes with one converter and one standard int'l short cart. Never used it, I filled the converter with Noodler's Black.
All are excellent pens. I would recommend any of them to a beginner.
I feel like the ordering here is correct in terms of how smoothly each of them writes, as well, from worst to best.
 
I am also new to this, and bought a Lamy Vista with fine nib, 5 blue replacement cartridges, a Rhodia lined stapled tablet and a Rhodia dot tablet. That was a good starting package for me. Like you, I also thought I would only use the pen on a limited basis, but ended up using it most all day at work. Right now I've been eyeing up the converter, a 1.1 nib, syringes, and "flushing bulb" at Goulet to get into ink changes and cleaning the pen.

Hope you enjoy whatever you decide on - good luck.
 
Top Bottom