Looking for a good beginner fountain pen?

[Cweed1992]

Hey everyone just thought I would hop in here and ask a question that will have a range of opinions but what is a good beginner’s fountain pen price point 70 or less? I am left handed (gasp the hated left handness) just wanna get your opinions and thoughts I’m trying to improve my hand writing and everything has led me to a fountain pen being a good help since you don’t have to put as much pressure on it

 

[Multum in parvo]

Not a Lefty but I guess most standard designs will work for adults.

Kaweco Perkeo is a very nice one that I can recommend.

Most of the Jinhao stuff punches way over its price point. X159 for a big light one but there are many that would fit.

Lamy Safari and Pilot Metropolitan also come often up in these threads but I don't have a personal knowledge about them.

 

[Jayson74]

I am also a newbie to fountain pens. Got my first at Christmas, a Lamy Safari.
I am enjoying it very much.

Pretty sure they make a left handed version!

Jay

 

[m949]

As a left- hander you may want to look at a pen with a Waverly nib. Waverly nibs are slightly upturned nibs which look a bit bent.

One problem you will encounter with fountain pens is that the edge of your writing hand palm will smear the ink on the paper as you move along the page. A Waverly nib will counter this problem because unlike other nibs, a Waverly can be held in any angle or twist and will still write. Other nibs require a straight placement at 45 degrees angles to write smoothly. Sailor fountain pens are notorious for this precise placement, they write scratchy when placed incorrectly but butter smooth when the sweet spot is found.

There aren’t many pens with this particular nib available and I’m not sure whether you will find one within your budget. I think Sheaffer offers their upturned Triumph nib and of course Pilot does have Waverly nibs, but the Pilot 912 or 743 with WA nib tend to be double of what you would prefer to spend.

I recommend you to try out a few pens if possible before making a purchase.

EDIT: Jetpens has an article about writing tools for left handed people. They do recommend a Lamy Safari with a left handed nib or a Pelikan Pelikano Junior with a left handed nib.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

Maybe it is something to do with the way I hold the pen but I am left handed and the edge of my palm has never smeared ink. As shown below, my hand and palm is several lines below the nib when writing, rather than to the left side, which perhaps explains it.

 

[m949]

Yo

Maybe it is something to do with the way I hold the pen but I am left handed and the edge of my palm has never smeared ink. As shown below, my hand and palm is several lines below the nib when writing, rather than to the left side, which perhaps explains it.

View attachment 1808139

You are an “underwriter”, as opposed to overwriting or side writing. That’s actually the best writing position for left handers. It avoids smearing and paper tearing. Overwriters have the most problems with ink smudging because they hold the hand above the writings baseline; they also often bend their wrists to avoid the smudging. People who underwrite often received training specific for left handers.

 

[blethenstrom]

Yo

You are an “underwriter”, as opposed to overwriting or side writing. That’s actually the best writing position for left handers. It avoids smearing and paper tearing. Overwriters have the most problems with ink smudging because they hold the hand above the writings baseline; they also often bend their wrists to avoid the smudging. People who underwrite often received training specific for left handers.

I "was" a left handed writer and I attempted learning under writing and it is not easy for some reason. It feels very unnatural to begin with. I had to retrain myself as a right handed writer due to medical issues. That retraining was easier than learning underwriting. go figure.

 

[blethenstrom]

One thing that becomes very important if you are a left handed writer and NOT an underwriter is the ink choice. You need an ink that is quite fast drying so that you do not smear it. There are several inks from multiple ink manufacturers that has quick drying inks. The bad part though about fast drying inks are that they tend to feather and bleed on paper a bit more. There will be some trial and error on that part.

The pens recommended above are solid. Pilot metropolitan, Lamy Safari, Kaweco Perkeo/Sport, Jinhao x159, Jinhao 80. There are many others as well. The pens mentioned will be well below your 70 dollar limit.

 

[dojpros]

My big three refs are as follows:

Most complete starter pkg- Pilot Metropolitan Sub 25 USD with pen, converter and cartridge out of the box.

Intersection of quality/value/function/design- Lamy Safari. about 35 USD with a sharp pencil as you often have to buy the converter seperately. The Al-Star is the same pen with an aluminum body. Same set up can creep up to 50USD max.

Vintange- Parker 45 Flighter. All steel body, often can be had with a 14kt nib in your price range.


I am not high on Noodler pens but their inks are often the first mention re being fast drying. Quality paper is key for enjoyable fountain pen use. Historically, I went with the black and red line. Recently, I have pivoted to Maruman.

Amazon.com : maruman

 

[Tirvine]

I'd go on eBay or Etsy and look for a deal on a vintage Pelikan. IMO no other pen writes more smoothly. Their piston is terrific and quite easy to use. I am partial to the green and black, probably the most classic Pelikan colors.

 

[m949]

Gentlemen, we are leading @Cweed1992 down a potentially very deep rabbit hole.

It starts with a Pilot Metropolitan and ends with Namiki Emperor Maki-E, or it starts with a Lamy Safari and ends with a Montblanc Limited Edition.

Joking aside the recommendations here are all marvelous. My very first fountain pen, aside the ones I used in school was a Pilot Metropolitan - a great beginner pen and still a lovely writer. Yes, we were forced to learn cursive writing, and yes only fountain pens were acceptable. Doesn't mean that my own handwriting is anything worth writing home about.

You basically can't go wrong with Pilot, Lamy or Pelikan. All of them are great writers and all of them have pens in various price ranges.

I'll echo the recommendations of @blethenstrom and @dojpros. The choice of ink and paper is just as important as the choice of pen. You'll want fast drying ink; Lamy or Pelikan ink are good starters. You'll be getting more ink in no time - too much to use in years, but you'll want to try many different colors, and shading inks, and sheening inks, and iron-gall inks...

You won't be very happy using cheap printer paper or the notebooks you can get for less than a dollar at the convenience store. You'll want quality paper designed for fountain pens where you won't have issues with bleeding and ghosting.

Maruman is excellent; the Mnemosyne range is one of the best papers around. I can also recommend Rhodia. Those papers are coated, so ink drying times may be a bit longer than for "normal" paper. Another one is Tomoe River - but Tomoe River is a maybe something for later when you want to see some of your inks shading and sheening like crazy; it's incredibly thin paper so it does ghost quite a bit. However, it's a joy to write on.

As you can see this is another hobby which can get out of hand pretty quickly, but it provides tremendous joy and in a way in today's typing and texting culture is slowly becoming a lost art.

 

[gpjoe]

I am also sinistral and write with a bit of a heavy hand, and not terribly small. I started with a Pilot Metropolitan M and easily could have stopped there. It writes beautifully: very smooth, and no problem with smearing. It was 20 bucks.

Of course that was merely the beginning.

Next was a Lamy Safary F nib, which for me was a bit scratchy, so I "upgraded" to an Al-Star with an M nib, which writes much smoother.

Next up was a TWISBI Eco F nib, which like the Lamy F was a bit too fine and a bit scratchy, so I bought a Diamond 580AL, which I love.

Rather than let the Eco sit, I bought a M nib for the Eco which greatly improved the writing characteristics - for me. The TWSBI nibs just screw on and off which makes them very easy to change/replace.

Intrigued by Jihao (and enabled by browsing this forum) I purchased a few of their sub-$15 pens and have been pleasantly surprised, and each of them came with a converter which is a nice option.

Note that I used the manufacturer's ink in all of the pens to start as I figured it might be best suited for the pen and one fewer performance variable.

Also note that all of my pens are considered entry-level pens that cost (well) under $100, most under $40.

To summarize:

The Pilot is a great value, solid metal, feels good in hand, writes smoothly, and a really terrific way to start. It also came with a converter.

The Lamy pens are nice, and the the aluminum Al-Star is worth the upgrade, IMO, though the Safari is a great place to start. The pens aren't flashy, almost clunky looking, but they are solid performers. The triangular grip is either a blessing or curse. Some don't like it, but it does force the user to orient the nib correctly in relation to the writing surface. The Lamy pens also included a converter. Overall these are solid pens. I like mine, but...

The TWSBI pens are my favorites, and two pens that I always have inked. Though plastic (except the aluminum bits on the 580AL), I like the size which is perfect in my hand. The M nibs write great, very smooth, for me.

I also like that the TWSBI pens are piston filled and very simple and reliable to ink, and that they are "demonstrators" which allows you to see the ink level and color.

Anyway, there's probably some points I'm missing but that's enough of me rambling on...those are my impressions.

 

[Cweed1992]

Thanks everyone for your recommendations it’s a hard choice trying to decide on what to get

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

To add to what has already been recommended, a Platinum Preppy is a great writer for the price. I've included one in most of the starter kits that I've given to friends and acquaintances. They're also fun because they can easily be converted into an eyedropper (filling the whole body with ink).

 

[Cweed1992]

What would be a good starter kit?

 

[Kristho]

I enjoy my Safari or AL-Star for everyday writing. Fairly cheap and functional.
I like my Kaweco Sport too - but for larger hands it can be a bit small.

Right now I'm using my Safari for my shave journal.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

What would be a good starter kit?

There are lots of different ways to answer this, but I think what would help the most is to know a few things about you, and what your intentions are.

Were you looking to spend less than $70 on everything, or just the pen?

Do you want to start minimally, then add items as you go, or would you like to go all out right in the beginning?

What do you plan on using your fountain pen for beyond improving your penmanship? Leisure writing, drawing, work/business, note taking, etc.

Do you think you write small or large?

Do you plan on using multiple pens and multiple ink colors?

Do you have a preference at all for thicker or skinnier pens?

Writing with fountain pens can be a very personalized experience. What works for one person, might not work for another. Personally, I would recommend different things and steer you in different directions depending on the variables.

 

[Cweed1992]

There are lots of different ways to answer this, but I think what would help the most is to know a few things about you, and what your intentions are.

Were you looking to spend less than $70 on everything, or just the pen?

Do you want to start minimally, then add items as you go, or would you like to go all out right in the beginning?

What do you plan on using your fountain pen for beyond improving your penmanship? Leisure writing, drawing, work/business, note taking, etc.

Do you think you write small or large?

Do you plan on using multiple pens and multiple ink colors?

Do you have a preference at all for thicker or skinnier pens?

Writing with fountain pens can be a very personalized experience. What works for one person, might not work for another. Personally, I would recommend different things and steer you in different directions depending on the variables.

Well note taking and for work notes and things of that nature and I don’t have big hands so possibly skinny pens I mean start out just one pen maybe some different inks don’t really have an idea

 

[nemo]

Pilot Metropolitan to just see what it's all about. A bit heavy for me but the size, snap-cap, and subtle look are a plus for beginners. Lamy Safari gets a vote as well, a school pen that takes a beating!

A bottle of ink, some decent paper like a Rhodia pad and away you go.

Keep the questions coming.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

Well note taking and for work notes and things of that nature and I don’t have big hands so possibly skinny pens I mean start out just one pen maybe some different inks don’t really have an idea

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