Buying my first FP

[Canada]

Hello.
I have never owned a FP. I think the time has come. Each day I use a Bic (and more often then not end up throwing it in the garbage because it won't write) to write in my Shave Log. Now that I am retired I find that I write more and more. I write everyday. First is my shave log then a diet log. I am constantly reaching for a pen. Anyway, I've been reading the 'pen acquisition' thread trying to learn as much as I can about FPs. My questions to members of The Nib is.. should I purchase my first FP new or used? It looks like I will need to spend between 100-200 US dollars if I want a medium to high quality Pen. The Lamy2000 appears to be a favourite among FP users and is in my price range. It is a bit plain and maybe utilitarian but that is what I like about it. I would rather pay for quality over glitter. I also looked at a few Parker, Pilot, and a few others. There are so many choices its hard to decide. As for ink I only need blue for now. Can you also recommend a high quality brand of blue ink. I'm sure there are many questions about Fountain Pens that I should ask, I just don't know enough to ask the right questions.

Thanks for your help and recommendations.

Pete

 

[tankerjohn]

The Lamy 2000 is widely considered one of the best values in fountain pens. If you get on with the Bauhaus style and hooded nib, go for it. Any of the Japanese brands are highly regarded in that price range. I have a Platinum 3776 and love it. I also love my Pelikan M200 and would recommend that model as well.

For ink, it’s hard to go wrong with the basic pen company inks, i.e. Lamy Blue. I’ve played with about two dozen blue and blue-black inks. My favorite is Visconti Blue, a fantastic dark shade with just the right amount of “pop” on the page. For daily use on copy paper and cheap notebooks, I like Platinum Blue-Black. Its also a very pleasing dark shade of blue and doesn’t feather or show through on super crappy paper. Platinum BB is a mild iron gall ink, which can sometimes be a problem for steel nibs. However, it won’t corrode gold nibs, like the 3776 and Lamy 2000, and I haven’t had any problems yet using it in the Pelikan M200, which has a very high quality stainless steel nib.

 

[Slivovitz]

It occurs to me that the four fountain pens I have inked now could all be described as used, but three are actually vintage, from the 1940s and earlier, and the fourth, from the 1980s, is a no longer made model.

If a pen is still being made, and you're not actually going for some luxury model, I would probably buy new, unless you can find a real bargain from a reliable seller on a used one. There are decent writers for less than fifty dollars, Pilot Prera, Lamy Safari, but I'll let others expand on that. If the Lamy 2000 has caught your attention, it's certainly a good pen. I find it a tad less comfortable to hold than some other pens I'm about to mention.

You can also look at some of the available Pilot models. I like the Custom Heritage 91 (use the CON-70 converter with it) or the Custom Heritage 92. The Pilot Elite and Custom 74 are also nice. You can often find lower prices by buying from Japanese eBay sellers, or Japanese sellers on Amazon.

One thing to consider about fountain pen ink that you probably never had to think of with ballpoints is the degree of water resistance. Whether this is important to you or not, it's something you should be aware of. For example, Akkerman's No. 5 Shocking Blue is the nicest looking blue ink I've tried, but it will run if any water drips on the page, even after it has dried thoroughly. The blue ink I used most often is Namiki (Pilot) Blue, which is a nice shade, and has decent water resistance. Pilot also makes a blue-black which is nice, and unlike the blue-blacks from some other brands, is actually bluish. And De Atramentis Document Blue is good, a somewhat lighter shade.

 

[Vacumatic]

I would buy more than one pen for your budget. Look at a good online seller such as Goulet pens.

My choice would be a Jinhao 750, this will cost you less than $10, you may find that it is all the pen you need.

I havent owned a Lamy 2000 but they are a good design and well made.

Consider how you write, if your handwriting is large and you write cursive, think about a medium or broad nib, if you print and your writing is small you may be happier with a fine nib.

My all time favorite pen is the Parker 51, this should also be in your budget. Look for one with an aerometric fill, Parker also made a filling system called the Vacumatic, despite the wonderfull name you are likely to have to spend money on having the pen serviced.

You may be surprised that your friends and relatives have an older and unwanted fountain pen tucked away soemwhere that they would be happy to donate for a good cause.

 

[r0ckrat]

I would also suggest seeing if there is a pen & paper or art supply store close by. Go in, find a "pen person" there, ask questions, try a few "starter" pens while there, see what feels comfortable in your hand. Figure out if you like a cap that "clicks" on, or screws on. Do you prefer to write with the cap "posted" or not. Do you want it to have a pocket clip or not. All of these decisions can influence your choice of pen. Currently, my favorite writing pen is a ~ $30 Moonman C1 - but - it can not be posted, and does not have a pocket clip. It uses a size 6 nib, so if I ever feel adventurous I can swap the nib out and see if I like a different size/brand of nib in it.

Another option for a "starter" is the Monteverde Monza 3 Fountain Pen Gift Set - it comes with 2 nib sizes in 3 section/converter parts, so to change from one to another, it's a matter of screwing it into the body and cap. And the set is only $24 + SH (Goulet), available in several colors.

 

[Canada]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll check out those suggestions at Goulet. I'm getting the feeling that 'Pens' are very much like 'DE Razors'. I have thirty or so Vintage Gillettes and several modern stainless steel razors all in pursuit of the "best bbs" shave...will I be buying 'Pens' after I purchase this first Pen all in pursuit of 'Writing bbs"? What I have learned from buying and using DE Razors is that I have a collection that provides me with 'choice' in tool and scent of product and each DE or Straight that I select brings a different shaving experience each time I shave. Using my 1920 Gillette Big Fellow DE today transports me back to a day 100 years ago when a Man was holding this same Razor and using it to shave. This could also be the appeal of Pens. Do you sometime look at an old Pen and while writing with it think about where that Pen has been, and what humans have handled it?

I'd like to start writing down Songs and Chords and put it in a nice binder. So I need to write a 'note' above the word. So an "F" would be written above a word and so on. I also might want to have a different ink colour to allow easier reading of the songs while I play my instrument and sing the song. It's easier for me to read a song if the words are spaces further apart then what I can see on a computer screen.

It sure would be nice to be able to walk into one store and write with all these Pens and then pick one. I saw a bottle of ink that had a roll of paper swab paper on the bottom for wiping off your nib. Thats is a "cool" looking bottle of ink. Namiki (Pilot) Blue, which is a nice shade, and has decent water resistance will be my choice THANKS SILVOVITZ.

Well, I'll spend a few more days reading and researching pens before I make a decision. I learned today that they make a 'music' nib. Interesting! I don't write music only songs but I thought that was cool. Mozart would have loved a nib like that. Anyway, on with search and thanks again all for the advice on a first FP.

 

[Canada]

Well,I decided to pull the trigger and purchased the Monteverde Monza 3 Fountain Pen Gift Set - Purple for $36.00US shipping included from Goulet. Also included was a free 30ml bottle of blue/black ink. That is $12 per pen and 30ml of ink.

I then ordered (6) JINHAO 992 Plastic Lorelei Fountains Pen for $10 US shipping included from China.

The Monteverde Monza has a Stainless Steel medium nib which I think will be a nicer writing pen. The six Lorelei Fountain Pens with fine nibs will be filled from the free 30ml ink bottle from the Gift Set. So total cost for 9 Fountain Pens and 30ml of ink is $46.00US to my door. I'll leave the three Monza Pens at home and only travel with the Lorelei. I figure I can afford to lose a $2.00 Fountain Pen. It appears the ONLY difference between the Monza and the Lorelei is the nib. Both are Stainless Steel one is fine the other medium. I think I will prefer a thicker line of the medium nib and will use the Monteverde Monza for most of my writing projects.

Thank you all for all the help in making this purchase of my FIRST FOUNTAIN PEN. It just so happened to turn into a purchase of 9 Fountain Pens. Average cost is $5.00 US per Pen. I am looking forward to my new writing experience.

Pete

 

[Rhody]

Hope you enjoy
keep us posted

 

[r0ckrat]

The Monza comes with 3 versions - Fine, Medium, and OmniFlex, but each can't be used at the same time - there is one "body" and three "sections" with converters (or you can use cartridges) - so to use each, you have to put it into the single provided body... But good choice, it's in my wishlist...

 

[bray144k]

Well,I decided to pull the trigger and purchased the Monteverde Monza 3 Fountain Pen Gift Set - Purple for $36.00US shipping included from Goulet. Also included was a free 30ml bottle of blue/black ink. That is $12 per pen and 30ml of ink.

I then ordered (6) JINHAO 992 Plastic Lorelei Fountains Pen for $10 US shipping included from China.

The Monteverde Monza has a Stainless Steel medium nib which I think will be a nicer writing pen. The six Lorelei Fountain Pens with fine nibs will be filled from the free 30ml ink bottle from the Gift Set. So total cost for 9 Fountain Pens and 30ml of ink is $46.00US to my door. I'll leave the three Monza Pens at home and only travel with the Lorelei. I figure I can afford to lose a $2.00 Fountain Pen. It appears the ONLY difference between the Monza and the Lorelei is the nib. Both are Stainless Steel one is fine the other medium. I think I will prefer a thicker line of the medium nib and will use the Monteverde Monza for most of my writing projects.

Thank you all for all the help in making this purchase of my FIRST FOUNTAIN PEN. It just so happened to turn into a purchase of 9 Fountain Pens. Average cost is $5.00 US per Pen. I am looking forward to my new writing experience.

Pete

Don't be surprised if you like the Jinhao's even more than the Monza. For the price I find Jinhao's to be an incredible value. Welcome to the club of pen crazies!

 

[B B]

Hello.
I have never owned a FP. I think the time has come. Each day I use a Bic (and more often then not end up throwing it in the garbage because it won't write) to write in my Shave Log. Now that I am retired I find that I write more and more. I write everyday. First is my shave log then a diet log. I am constantly reaching for a pen. Anyway, I've been reading the 'pen acquisition' thread trying to learn as much as I can about FPs. My questions to members of The Nib is.. should I purchase my first FP new or used? It looks like I will need to spend between 100-200 US dollars if I want a medium to high quality Pen. The Lamy2000 appears to be a favourite among FP users and is in my price range. It is a bit plain and maybe utilitarian but that is what I like about it. I would rather pay for quality over glitter. I also looked at a few Parker, Pilot, and a few others. There are so many choices its hard to decide. As for ink I only need blue for now. Can you also recommend a high quality brand of blue ink. I'm sure there are many questions about Fountain Pens that I should ask, I just don't know enough to ask the right questions.

Thanks for your help and recommendations.

Pete

Modern performance tops out at around $160. Anything more is gravy.

Any house brand of ink will work (Pilot, Parker, Platinum, Lamy, etc.) If you want waterproof and forgery proof, go with Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher. It is my go-to Navy blue. For a vivid artisan blue (water soluble) try Private Reserve Electric DC Blue. Heavily dyed, but harmless to pens. Noodler's Ink is probably the safest, cheapest artisan ink in a HUGE array of colors, shades and chemical properties. Their flagship ink is Noodler's Black.

For a first pen, purchase new if possible. Try a Pilot Metropolitan. They write superbly well, the quality control is high, and they run around $20. If you really want an expensive pen, take a look at Karas Kustoms. They sell an aluminum-bodied pen (the Ink) for $85. A brass or copper grip makes it $100. The internals and nib are Western standard, and extra Bock nibs are $20 each. They screw in and out. No muss, no fuss.

Be careful when buying your pen, to make sure you want to deal with proprietary parts. I don't deal with Pilot or Lamy for this reason. I prefer Karas Kustoms.

Buy a steel nib first, in EF, F or M. If you really want performance, go with a vintage gold-nibbed pen. I can recommend a few reputable dealers.

 

[Ryanshh]

Welcome to the fabulous world of fountain pens. The nice thing about getting a large number of Jinhao pens is that you can tinker with the nibs if they aren't writing well in order to make it write well without risking a lot of money. If you are not interested in tinkering with nibs, I have had a lot of luck with the Jinhao's I have purchased and they should hopefully work well for you.

There are so many great blue and blue/black inks available that you could spend years just exploring one color family.

I look forward to hearing how your first experiences are.

 

[tankerjohn]

Congratulations @Canada! Welcome to the wonderful world of fountain pens. I hope the Monza is a good pen to get you hooked. I think you will find that the line width of the medium nib will vary tremendously depending on the paper that you are using. I like medium for writing on nice, fountain pen friendly paper, but prefer fine for cheaper paper that spreads the line more. Monteverde makes really good ink, so I hope that's working for you too.

I enjoyed your comment on "writing BBS". Yes, in a way, that's been the story of my "pen journey". When you get the right combo of pen, nib, ink, and paper - its magic! Like getting the right combo of brush, soap, razor, and blade. I want a pen that is comfortable to hold and easy to carry with a nib that flows well, but doesn't gush or leak, and ink that looks nice but doesn't feather or show through. I think I may found my "writing BBS" for work with the Pelikan M200 fine and Platinum Blue Black ink. The pen is the right size to fit in my pocket and the right balance of classy but not not ostentatious. The nib has a fun bounce and makes a nice meaty, but not too thick, line in my GI notebooks. The ink is the perfect color of "business suit" blue and doesn't show through or feather on cheap office paper. At home, my "writing BBS" is the Platinum 3776 broad with Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao. The Platinum broad is nice and smooth and a great size for Clairfontaine paper. The Asa Gao ink is a lovely shade of blue for journalling and letter writing. Other pens and inks work great, of course. But let's call those "writing DFS". We all know there's nothing wrong with a DFS. But there's something about that BBS...

 

[labb]

For writing I say Parker 51 is the best.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

I bought a Jinhao shark for $2 and it has impressed me. I think what you've got you'll be happy. I got a Lamy 2000 is OB and use it a ton. To the point of me barely reaching for the Pilot Vanishing Point with a Richard Binder nib that hasn't left my chef coat pen pocket in five years...

 

[Vespasian]

How big are your hands? I have smallish hands, and I have made a black plastic Kaweco Sport Classic my daily pen. Fine nib. The pen might disappear if you have big gorilla paws, as it is, even posted, a rather small pen. This is probably more a matter of luck, but it has the best, smoothest nib I have ever used, even better than Mont Blanc or Montegrappa.

 

[H4nk]

I would buy some cheaper pens in different nibs. A couple of Pilot Metros and maybe a couple of JinHao's. It took me a while to figure out which pens worked with which paper/notebooks.

 

[accunlmtd]

I second the Parker 51. The vac models are great, but the Aero is even better. Restored ones can be had for a hundred bucks. And they really are the finest office writing pen ever made. Well until the Conid pen came out.

 

[something better]

I’m also interested in first fountain pen. Safari or ecco but I’m not sure where to get the best price and not counterfeit.

 

[tankerjohn]

I’m also interested in first fountain pen. Safari or ecco but I’m not sure where to get the best price and not counterfeit.

As long as you’re not shopping on Chinese websites or using sketchy vendors on eBay/Amazon you should be good to go. All the reputable online retailers sell Lamy and TWISBI - Goulet Pens, Pen Chalet, Goldspot, JetPens, Lemur Ink, Anderson Pens, etc. You might even check Cult Pens in the UK- they often have better prices on European pens. FPnibs.com out of Spain also has great prices, especially for custom nib work. Anyway, most all the retailers have discount codes. Most are 10% off for new customers or military/first responders. Most do free shipping at some price point, usually $50, but Jet Pens is $25 and Lemur is $20. And then there’s sales, etc. So you just gotta shop around, find the best combo of asking price, discount code, and shipping and enjoy your new pen. One tip - you’ll also need ink. So that will factor in the overall price. Especially if you go with the Eco since it’s a piston filler and needs to fill from a bottle. I believe the Safari comes with one cartridge, which will get you started. But you’ll still need more ink eventually. Good luck and have fun.