What should my SECOND fountain pen be?

[EmptyB]

I'm following up to about my first FP, a disappointing Platinum Preppy. I flushed it out as recommended. At first I thought that I killed it because it wouldn't write at all, but it came back to life and I believe that it's working a little better than before. So thanks again to those who responded with tips. Unfortunately, the cap has cracked and I'm already looking forward to a new pen. I've had my eye on a few candidates, and wanted to create a poll to see what others might recommend.

Hmm, creating a poll is not very intuitive here. I'll try to submit this post and see what happens.

Anyway, the pens that I am currently considering are: (1) Kaweco Sport, Fine; (2) Lamy Safari, Fine; (3) Twsbi 540, Fine; (4) Pilot Prera, Medium; (5) Sailor Lecoule, Medium-Fine; (6) Other - Please Specify

I will most likely start out with cartridges for awhile before considering ink in bottles. I've heard that the Twsbi pen is quite large, which might not be ideal for my puny little hands . . . but it sure looks cool.

Your votes and comments are appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Daveuk]

A nice hand turned pen, with some nice wood. That would be unique, a one off.

 

[brianw]

Well if you don't want cracking stay away from TWSBI

 

[Doc4]

I'm a big fan of the (Japanese-made) Pilot 78g, especially as an inexpensive intro pen. You can get them for $10 on e-bay, including a couple cartridges, a converter, and shipping worldwide. I think their "F' is a bit finer than the Preppy, so you can decide if you like a fine or medium nib or whatever. (Japanese nibs tend to be finer than other nibs with the same size label, so a Japanese M is like a German F, and so forth.)

I also really like the Kaweco Sport.

 

[the_edski]

I voted other. I agree with Doc, go for a 78G. Something inexpensive and foolproof!

 

[rockviper]

The little Kaweco sport is a humble pen, but is my go-to for daily use.

Oh, if you do pick one up, be sure to buy a syringe as well. That's how I refill the cartridge. Nice, easy, and clean!

 

[Dave258]

I would vote for a Lamy Safari or Pilot 78G. A Kaweco sport is a great pen too, but would go with a full size pen first, maybe.

EDIT: And don't let Brian scare you away from a TWSBI!

 

[Slivovitz]

Although my top choices would fall under "other", I'll stick with the ones you actually named, since there are just too many possibilities. So I'll say the Kaweco Sport, with the following caveats.

• Don't forget to order the clip, if there's any chance you will carry it in a shirt pocket. Only pen I've seen where a clip is an optional extra.
• International short cartridges really limit your ink choices. I made a homemade squeeze converter for mine with the instructions in this thread, but I already had the sacs and shellac around. You can get a blunt tipped syringe and refill the cartridges from a bottle, or you can get some silicone grease and fill the body with an eyedropper. There's a video on the Goulet site on how to do that.

Or you could order something that can use a normal sized converter, like the Lamy or the Pilot that you mention. I haven't had the cracking problem that people have reported in the past on the TWSBI, and it holds a lot of ink. On the other hand, I don't know for certain that the manufacturing issues which led to those cracks have now been fixed; perhaps I've just been lucky. Posting the cap on it is possible, but there's a good chance that if you do it, you'll accidentally twist the piston at some point and spill some ink. On the other hand, I much prefer posting a cap, particularly if I'm using a pen away from home. So the TWSBI has become strictly an at home pen for me.

 

[Gray Wolf]

I would look on e-Bay for a Jinhao, they are inexpensive and write well.

 

[EmptyB]

Bah, I probably shouldn't have included the "other" option. I should have forced everyone to pick one of the common and popular pens rather than open the AD floodgates!

Thanks for the suggestions, and please keep voting.

 

[Dave258]

If you want an answer strictly from your list, I would probably start with the Lamy Safari. Pretty cheap and dependable.

 

[Lexbomb]

I just added another lamy safari to my collection...limited edition apple green. Safari's are great pens they are tough as houses, lego houses (same kind of plastic) and anyone who has stood on lego knows how tough it is. About $20 on the bay too.

 

[dcobranchi]

I'd second the Jinhao. The X750 is much nicer than the X450 for about the same money. Both are only available in medium, though.

 

[chuckr9]

I voted for Lamy Safari - nice reliable pen with very resonable price.

 

[EmptyB]

Looks like the Lamy Safari is gaining momentum here . . . and absolutely no love for the Japanese pens.

 

[csmorris]

Lamy Safari is a rock solid pen.

 

[strop]

Looks like the Lamy Safari is gaining momentum here . . . and absolutely no love for the Japanese pens.

Lots of love for the Pilot 78g. I think it's a great gateway pen, and more. I have the B stub on my desk most of the time. I've never used a Lamy (don't like the looks) so really can't comment on those.

 

[Jut]

the lamy would be my choice

 

[Doc4]

Bah, I probably shouldn't have included the "other" option. I should have forced everyone to pick one of the common and popular pens rather than open the AD floodgates!

... oh, like that would have stopped us.

 

[N2theBreech]

I'll recommend the Lamy Safari, not because I think it's better than the others, I just haven't tried them. I picked a Safari fine as my second pen, and I'm not sorry I chose it. It works well and it's pretty much indestructable. It has an ink-level window and it'll work with both cartridges and bottled ink. And it's super easy to change nibs. You can go with classic subdued colors, like black or charcoal, or draw attention with a red or yellow.

By the way, I'm not sure why you would rather go with cartridges, but I like bottled ink. It's not messy, once you learn to wipe the rim of the bottle with a paper towel after you take the cap off. For me, it takes longer to get the bottle out, than it does to fill it. If you go with cartridges in the Lamy, you are confined to Lamy's ink, which isn't bad, it's just a narrow selection. There are over 800 varieties of bottled ink to choose from.

Again, I'm not trying to sell you on the Lamy. It's just that I know it's a good pen, and there are other good pens out there, too.