What's new

Looking for a fountain pen for a beginner

So, all this talk of Jinhao and I couldn't resist an X450 "Red Ice" on the 'zon, with an assortment of ink for under 20 bucks.

It arrived today, and.......wow.

Very surprised by the look and weight of the pen. I'm one that associates weight with quality, and this pen is a beauty and a beast.

I got the M nib as I have a heavy hand, write fairly large, and like a heavier line that goes down smoothly. The line seems slightly thinner than my TWSBI M nibs, but just as smooth with no sense of "scratch", and it writes much thinner than my Metro M nib.

Overall it feels like a heck of a pen, visually appealing, solid, and writes nice. Seems like a fantastic value for 9 bucks and could easily become my favorite everyday beater even though it feels better than that.
 
So, all this talk of Jinhao and I couldn't resist an X450 "Red Ice" on the 'zon, with an assortment of ink for under 20 bucks.

It arrived today, and.......wow.

Very surprised by the look and weight of the pen. I'm one that associates weight with quality, and this pen is a beauty and a beast.

I got the M nib as I have a heavy hand, write fairly large, and like a heavier line that goes down smoothly. The line seems slightly thinner than my TWSBI M nibs, but just as smooth with no sense of "scratch", and it writes much thinner than my Metro M nib.

Overall it feels like a heck of a pen, visually appealing, solid, and writes nice. Seems like a fantastic value for 9 bucks and could easily become my favorite everyday beater even though it feels better than that.
Absolutely the x450 is a nice one, especially if you like the heavier pens. I think I bought a set of 3 of the x450 some time ago and they are really nice. They have some good value ones and some duds as well. Lately I've taken the liking to the Jinhao 80 which is a clone/copy whatever of the Lamy 2000. It does not have the hooded nib etc though, but I find it be a very nice pen. I do own a real Lamy 2000 as well, which I love, but did not really wanted to throw it around in the office and potentially have it wander off. The Jinhao 80 really fits the bill though for that.
 
So, all this talk of Jinhao and I couldn't resist an X450 "Red Ice" on the 'zon, with an assortment of ink for under 20 bucks.

It arrived today, and.......wow.

Very surprised by the look and weight of the pen. I'm one that associates weight with quality, and this pen is a beauty and a beast.

I got the M nib as I have a heavy hand, write fairly large, and like a heavier line that goes down smoothly. The line seems slightly thinner than my TWSBI M nibs, but just as smooth with no sense of "scratch", and it writes much thinner than my Metro M nib.

Overall it feels like a heck of a pen, visually appealing, solid, and writes nice. Seems like a fantastic value for 9 bucks and could easily become my favorite everyday beater even though it feels better than that.

Great daily driver to not have to worry about!

I have a few 450s and love them. Grab another one and try the zebra G mod. If you don't mind getting a little messy, that's a bunch of fun!
 
Great daily driver to not have to worry about!

I have a few 450s and love them. Grab another one and try the zebra G mod. If you don't mind getting a little messy, that's a bunch of fun!
I also used two 450s to teach myself how to grind my own custom nibs on Whetstones. I made two oblique nibs at different angles. Both are as smooth as butter, although I scratched the front of one of the nibs. The friction fit feature makes it very easy to remove the nib and the feed and put them back into the pen. The nibs and the feeds are very simple, but surprisingly effective. Jinhao put some thought into the design of these pens.
 
I have never owned of used a fountain pen, but have carried a pen with me everywhere for years now. I currently rotate between parker jotter, zebra f701, and a fisher space pen.
I know absolutely nothing about fountain pens.
My budget is tight. I guess I am wondering if the pilot metropolitan is my best option or is there something better in the same price range?
It's the exact same fountain pen that started me on the road to fountain pen addiction! I can't remember the last time I used a disgusting ball point pen. It took me a while to even pick up my first rollerball. The Pilot Metro w/a medium nib is a good choice, in my opinion. I still have that pen after fifteen/twenty years & I'll bet you if I inked it up today it would write just fine. I hope you become a fountain pen addict like most of the others on this site. Good luck & watch fountain pen videos on YouTube for tips for the beginner. I wish you well on your journey.
 
I have owned two TWSBIs, and I have had two TWSBIs have piston/plunger mechanism fail on both…so I haven’t had luck with the TWSBIs.

I like Lamy Pens…solid…quality…I have owned two Safaris and a 2000…all three, great pens!
I own two TWSBI Diamond 580 Piston Fillers & have never had any problems with either, though I only have three pens inked at any one time & one is my Esterbrook desk pen w/a lever filler always filled with Waterman's Harmonious Green Ink. The other two are always a modern pen & a vintage one so the TWSBI doesn't get inked frequently due to the number of pens I own & the fact that I can't stop myself from buying more. However, the LAMY Safari is a great writer & I have a rollerball Safari that is one tough workhorse of a pen if you have to write on poor quality paper. I own five or six LAMY Safari Fountain Pens, as well as a 2000 & they all write like a dream. So, I agree with your assessment of the LAMY Safari.
p.s. Spend the extra six bucks on a converter & never worry about cartridges again. Plus, you can choose your own color of ink, if you so desire.
 
Zebra G mod?
You can actually fit a Zebra G nib into a Jinhao x450/x750 and those who take a #6 nib. The Zebra G nib is usually used for flex nib calligraphy and is made out of steel and not stainless so they can rust. They are normally used in a dip pen. They are inexpensive so you can buy a bunch of them though. They have no tipping material so the upstrokes are quite scratchy, but they provide great flex and fantastic line variation. You will have to fiddle with it a bit because the feed on fountain pens may not be able to provide sufficient ink flow to support the G nib unless it is modified and you end up rail roading.

Zebra G nibs
 
Zebra G mod?

blethenstrom’s explanation is perfect.

Sorry, I’m late on a reply.

You can actually fit a Zebra G nib into a Jinhao x450/x750 and those who take a #6 nib. The Zebra G nib is usually used for flex nib calligraphy and is made out of steel and not stainless so they can rust. They are normally used in a dip pen. They are inexpensive so you can buy a bunch of them though. They have no tipping material so the upstrokes are quite scratchy, but they provide great flex and fantastic line variation. You will have to fiddle with it a bit because the feed on fountain pens may not be able to provide sufficient ink flow to support the G nib unless it is modified and you end up rail roading.

Zebra G nibs

Exactly this. I had pretty good success without needing to modify my feed. But I did have to coax some additional ink by giving the converter a turn now and then.
 
You can actually fit a Zebra G nib into a Jinhao x450/x750 and those who take a #6 nib. The Zebra G nib is usually used for flex nib calligraphy and is made out of steel and not stainless so they can rust. They are normally used in a dip pen. They are inexpensive so you can buy a bunch of them though. They have no tipping material so the upstrokes are quite scratchy, but they provide great flex and fantastic line variation. You will have to fiddle with it a bit because the feed on fountain pens may not be able to provide sufficient ink flow to support the G nib unless it is modified and you end up rail roading.

Zebra G nibs

blethenstrom’s explanation is perfect.

Sorry, I’m late on a reply.



Exactly this. I had pretty good success without needing to modify my feed. But I did have to coax some additional ink by giving the converter a turn now and then.

I did find it using Google, and while it is kinda cool, probably not something I would want to try.

Thanks for the replies. 🙂👍
 
I did find it using Google, and while it is kinda cool, probably not something I would want to try.

Thanks for the replies. 🙂👍
I have personally not done it just saw it on the tube. I do have a pack of zebra g nibs and an x450 but I have not messed with it. Personally I think the x450 is a great pen as is. I would at some point try a flex pen so who knows?
 
I have personally not done it just saw it on the tube. I do have a pack of zebra g nibs and an x450 but I have not messed with it. Personally I think the x450 is a great pen as is. I would at some point try a flex pen so who knows?
Modern flex nibs are often made out of gold and you find them on higher end pens. The Pilot Falcon has a somewhat flexible nib and certain Pilot pens have the even more flexible FA nib. These are not great pens for beginners; you can ruin the nib by over-flexing and permanently deforming it. There is a company called Fountain Pen Revolution that sells nice affordable pens with steel flex and ultra flex nibs. I have two of their pens and inserted one of their flex nibs in a Jinhao.

Overall, I would recommend buying one of their pens with a preinserted flex or ultra-flex nib. That will be a much more pleasant experience than messing with a Zebra G nib which corrodes in the presence of fountain pen ink.
 
I just got a couple of Platinum Preppys with EF nibs. EF nibs on thise pen are very fine line indeed. I was just told that none of the Preppy line pens come with converters. I ordered some converters from aliexpress and per pen I'm into them for maybe $11 ea. or less.

I do line and wash watercolors (badly sometimes lol) and have a bottle of Platinum Carbon ink arriving tomorrow, reputed to be the best waterproof black out there. People also like waterproof ink for signing legal documents and checks.

I just got a bamboo pen for a buck on ebay too. It writes surprisingly well. Now they are twice the price. Pen collections are fun you know. I think so anyway.

Platinum Preppys come with a blue-black cartridge.
 
I just got a couple of Platinum Preppys with EF nibs. EF nibs on thise pen are very fine line indeed. I was just told that none of the Preppy line pens come with converters. I ordered some converters from aliexpress and per pen I'm into them for maybe $11 ea. or less.

I do line and wash watercolors (badly sometimes lol) and have a bottle of Platinum Carbon ink arriving tomorrow, reputed to be the best waterproof black out there. People also like waterproof ink for signing legal documents and checks.

I just got a bamboo pen for a buck on ebay too. It writes surprisingly well. Now they are twice the price. Pen collections are fun you know. I think so anyway.

Platinum Preppys come with a blue-black cartridge.
Sounds like you have a great solution there. Yep the platinum carbon black is a great ink for what you intend to do. There is also another line that works well and they have some different waterproof colors as well if needed. The de atramentis document inks might fill that need.
 
The 601 is a great pen. It is a clone of the Parker 51 with some innovation (ink window). It is well built and performs wonderfully. It comes in a variety of colors and you can choose the traditional hooded nib or a tubular nib that is an homage to the Sheaffer. For $20.00 it is a winner.


random internet image:

fpn_1522101753__601-2.jpeg
 
I only have good things to say about my Lamy Al-Star. It's my first and only fountain pen. I've had it for several years, and barring it's loss or catastrophic failure, I likely won't get another.

The Safari is essentially the same pen with a plastic body (Al-Star is aluminum), and a slightly lower price tag. I don't think you could go wrong with either.
 
Sounds like you have a great solution there. Yep the platinum carbon black is a great ink for what you intend to do. There is also another line that works well and they have some different waterproof colors as well if needed. The de atramentis document inks might fill that need.

Yep it's a great combination, the Preppy with converter and Platinum ink. I'm quite tickled with it. I was using a mapping pen and this is so much more fun. You can't push a mapping pen, but you can a fountain pen. Perhaps the ink isn't as black at Black Magic, I haven't looked at them side-by-side yet, but it seems to be quite nice and dries fast enough. I'm not about to give up my Black Magic and India ink, they're still satisfying to play with, but this Preppy is really surprising in quality and value..
 
The Pilot MR looks like a great starter pen, but for a real uber beginner, the TWSBI Go is interesting. It uses a plunger to suck up the ink. Super simple, just press and go. It uses the same nib as the Eco.
 
Top Bottom