Been thinking about stepping up my pen game. Wondering where to buy fountain pens and which ones are good for a beginner's budget (i'm a atudent). BTW i picked up a jinhao x450 for next to nothing. Thanks for any help.
Thinking about getting a fountain pen.
- Thread starter SirChangalot
- Start date
Jinhao pens can be a great deal, for the cost if you get a bad one or two it is no big deal. My favorite inexpensive pen is a Pilot Metropolitan, my second favorite cheapie is a Jinhao X750. Metros can be had for ~$15 on most web sites, try www.gouletpens.com/ if you haven't picked a favorite vendor yet. Also great for tutorials & videos.
Good advice from Bill above. Also maybe consider a Kaweco Sport. I enjoy mine, and it may be more suitable to your needs as a student, as it is a pocket pen that does well being thrown into a bag or being put in a pocket.
Pilot 78g ... converter, cartridges and shipping included ...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pilot-22k-7...322327?hash=item236d29f7d7:g:DuMAAOSwbYZXeJp-
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pilot-22k-7...322327?hash=item236d29f7d7:g:DuMAAOSwbYZXeJp-
- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks for the advice!
2nd the motion re a Pilot Metropolitan. Pen, converter and an ink cartridge for 15ish shipped from Amazon Prime.
https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Metrop...=8-3&keywords=pilot+metropolitan+fountain+pen
https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Metrop...=8-3&keywords=pilot+metropolitan+fountain+pen
Yes on the Kaweco Sport. My everything pen; written thousands of words with it, and the nib gets better and better. I like the small size when capped, and it's very comfortable to hold when posted.
[MENTION=109827]SirChangalot[/MENTION]: I'm really glad you started this thread, and I'm grateful for all the helpful responses folks provided. After reading through it, I did some online review-reading, kicked around a couple online retailers and ordered myself a Pilot Metropolitan. I've been thinking about getting a fountain pen, but today I decided it was time. Fountain pens and wet shaving seem to go together (though not in a strict sense of course). And for a total investment of about $14 (thanks to Amazon Prime), I'll be able to give it a whirl without much of a financial commitment.
Thanks again guys.
Thanks again guys.
I got a Lamy last year. It leaked on my white shirt at work, its a good thing I wear a suit coat at work so I could hide the mess on my dress shirt. No more fountain pens for me.
- Thread starter
- #10
Always happy to assist in enabling a new AD
It's remarkable how little you have to spend to get into the world of fountain pens.
Be careful what you say ... some bright spark (probably James) will no doubt end up using his Baystate Blue as aftershave.
Be careful what you say ... some bright spark (probably James) will no doubt end up using his Baystate Blue as aftershave.
I've been using 2 fountain pens almost exclusively since starting last summer - the Pilot Kakuno and the Kaweco Sport. As you can already see there's a lot of respect for the Sports - nice and compact and very smooth for the price. But I do believe the lines run a bit thick so the extra fine works perfectly for me.
The Pilot Kakuno is the pen I use in my classroom everyday when I'm writing on the doc cam and projecting for the students. It's very robust and the cap snaps on and off which is a time saver in the classroom.
Lot's of great advice in this thread - can't really go wrong with any of the suggestions.
The Pilot Kakuno is the pen I use in my classroom everyday when I'm writing on the doc cam and projecting for the students. It's very robust and the cap snaps on and off which is a time saver in the classroom.
Lot's of great advice in this thread - can't really go wrong with any of the suggestions.
Pilot is Japanese and Kaweco is German ... German nibs tend to be about one size larger than Japanese, so if you like a German XF you get a Japanese F ... German F get a Japanese M ... and if German XF is too broad for you, a Japanese XF may fit the bill.
Thank you - I figured this out after using my fine nib Sport for awhile. Although it writes wonderfully, I find the XF better suited for my personal needs.
This thread inspired me finally to get off the schneid and do something I've been thinking about since the 1980s when I read that George Will wrote all his columns with a fountain pen.
I now have my first fountain pen: A Pilot Metropolitan. I got it with a medium nib, but I think I'd like a fine one a bit better. I also quickly discovered that cheap note pads do not accommodate this pen. The ink soaks in, spreads into a Sharpie-like mess, and bleeds several pages deep. No problem on less pulpy paper.
I like writing with this thing. It's much smoother and less messy than I'd imagined. I did a little Rorschach test priming the nib by squeezing the cartridge too hard, but I feared the nib might drip ink or be slow to present ink when first starting to write. None of that. It's very smooth and clean. It came with a converter, so now I have an excuse to buy a bottle of ink.
I now have my first fountain pen: A Pilot Metropolitan. I got it with a medium nib, but I think I'd like a fine one a bit better. I also quickly discovered that cheap note pads do not accommodate this pen. The ink soaks in, spreads into a Sharpie-like mess, and bleeds several pages deep. No problem on less pulpy paper.
I like writing with this thing. It's much smoother and less messy than I'd imagined. I did a little Rorschach test priming the nib by squeezing the cartridge too hard, but I feared the nib might drip ink or be slow to present ink when first starting to write. None of that. It's very smooth and clean. It came with a converter, so now I have an excuse to buy a bottle of ink.
I am a fan of the Lamy Safari, it was my first pen coming into fountain pens. The caps are bad and do not stay on all the time. So I stopped carrying it in my pockets. Now it is a desk pen. I had a TWSBI Eco which has a twist cap and it became my favorite pen. Just not a fan of the look of a Metropolitan.
I ordered some Baoer fountain pens off eBay for a couple bucks shipped a piece. Complete with converters.
I have to say; I'm quite pleased with them.
Looks and finish is very nice. Clean and classic.
Mostly metal, very minimal plastic in them.
Gold and silver inserts on the nibs looks very attractive.
Has a nice "heft" to them. Not heavy, but feels just right for me.
The caps will post, which is important to me. I like a full length pen when writing.
They write very nice, at least they do for me. Ink seems to flow nicely, wets instantly.
I'm using quink in them right now and seems to work nicely, although I may switch to a blue with a little darker hue.
That they only cost me 2-3 bucks per pen is just bonus. They're easy to find, just "search" for them on eBay.
Read the descriptions very closely though. Most of them on eBay are medium nibs. You have to dig if you want one with a fine nib.
I have to say; I'm quite pleased with them.
Looks and finish is very nice. Clean and classic.
Mostly metal, very minimal plastic in them.
Gold and silver inserts on the nibs looks very attractive.
Has a nice "heft" to them. Not heavy, but feels just right for me.
The caps will post, which is important to me. I like a full length pen when writing.
They write very nice, at least they do for me. Ink seems to flow nicely, wets instantly.
I'm using quink in them right now and seems to work nicely, although I may switch to a blue with a little darker hue.
That they only cost me 2-3 bucks per pen is just bonus. They're easy to find, just "search" for them on eBay.
Read the descriptions very closely though. Most of them on eBay are medium nibs. You have to dig if you want one with a fine nib.
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