I'm looking to start taking my writing seriously, and I always have had a fascination with pens. I'm asking you kind people on this forum if you would be able to point me in the right direction to begin, the essentials. Keeping in mind I am a newbie and would like to start off small and that also, with Christmas coming up, I will not have the same funding. Any help or support would be appreciated.
Writing and pen newbie!
- Thread starter Serepentaneous
- Start date
Welcome to The Nib! The best place to start would be our own Nib Wiki. Plenty of good information there with links to reviews, recommendations for specific budget levels, etc. Look it over and then come back and let's talk more about what you're looking for. There are quite a few low-priced, but good quality, options available.
Welcome. It would help if we knew how much money you had in mind.
Welcome to the nib and B&B
Welcome!
-Andy
-Andy
- Thread starter
- #7
You were absolutely spot on about the Wiki, I found out so much good information, it was a shame I missed it before posting in this forum. Rookie mistake. So what I am looking for is either a disposable or low budget fountain pen. I am not going to be writing a letter to the Pope, although my hope is to one day be able to do so, with impeccable handwriting and a brilliant choice in pen. So I've been looking at the pens usually recommended.
My question to you and anybody else reading this is what would be a good pen to begin with, something really good to practice my penmanship with. I would like to take on calligraphy or improve on my cursive. In answer to another mans question I am willing to spend anywhere from $50-$100; this amount includes all the necessities such as ink, pen and a notebook.
You have several nice options at that price range none of which I have tried. Lower than that you have the Platinum Preppy - writes very well and I had one in my field jacket for 6 months that I forgot about and it started writing when I uncapped it. The Platinum Plasir has the same nib but a metal body rather than plastic. Pilot 78G is good as is the Metropolitan. Many will recommend a Lamy because for that price you could get a Safari and a couple of different nibs.
My favorite ink is 5 O'clock Shadow available through WCS. A portion of the funds go to support the Sue Moore Fund.
No advice on notebooks.
I would recommend you avoid very very inexpensive as the pen should work well for you without fail and be a trusted part of your briefcase, or courier bag or breast pocket. There are some Lamy Safaris which are alright but I have had no end of nib problems. So I am not every an advocate of the Lamy's below the $159 Lamy2000 price point.
I would recommend a TWSBI mini in all black with a medium nib or broad. They average $45-55 dollars. They have a piston filler with reasonable capacity and look classy compared to the demonstrators. I love demonstrators just be warned the clear plastic on TWSBI has a finite life ....so far my TWSBI pens are all problem free and take a load of abuse being non collector grade I use them and with whatever ink including the much talked about Baystate Blue from Noodlers.
The Diamine inks work well in all fountain pens. The ink is water soluable and will not void a pen warranty. Pick a colour and enjoy. I recommend the green and brown as the other one.
There are some other entry pens you may like:
Jinhao 450 medium and about $13 shipped from China off EBay.
TWSBI Vac 700 - $65 (super buy)
TWSBI micarta and it comes in a notebook for $100 from TWSBI.
Parsons Essential from Mrpencompany in the UK is a extremely good value for $39 £ and Churchmens Prescriptor for $49£ will be a valued pen years after you are a newbie. I would say one of these or a Pelikan to start you off if you can swallow spending more than $50.
TWSBI mini - $50
FP Dilli $20 plastic. Flexy nibs but not a long term pen as piston is sticky after use and no easy way to lubricate it to maintain the pen.
Sheaffer vfm about $16 and takes cartridges which are intl standard. Steel nib and durable. Average performance.
Pelikan M200 from richardspens.com Richard Binder in US likely about $120 shipped with a steel nib and a quality pen which will last you a lifetime. The Pelikan M800 is often described as the perfect pen of a higher end value in terms of weight, quality, balance. But prices for a new person are scary. I wish it had been my first fountain pen as it is remarkable.
For notebooks there is a Midori stitched notebook out there and it is not a travellers notebook or insert. But the A5/4 sizes are well dollar for performance the best I can recommend. The Rhodia webbies and Lechteurn notebooks which look like a moleskine are pen friendly and way better quality than a moleskine. if you purchase a TWSBI pen from TWSBI website pick a notebook the paper and perforated paper is not a bad choice.
I would recommend a TWSBI mini in all black with a medium nib or broad. They average $45-55 dollars. They have a piston filler with reasonable capacity and look classy compared to the demonstrators. I love demonstrators just be warned the clear plastic on TWSBI has a finite life ....so far my TWSBI pens are all problem free and take a load of abuse being non collector grade I use them and with whatever ink including the much talked about Baystate Blue from Noodlers.
The Diamine inks work well in all fountain pens. The ink is water soluable and will not void a pen warranty. Pick a colour and enjoy. I recommend the green and brown as the other one.
There are some other entry pens you may like:
Jinhao 450 medium and about $13 shipped from China off EBay.
TWSBI Vac 700 - $65 (super buy)
TWSBI micarta and it comes in a notebook for $100 from TWSBI.
Parsons Essential from Mrpencompany in the UK is a extremely good value for $39 £ and Churchmens Prescriptor for $49£ will be a valued pen years after you are a newbie. I would say one of these or a Pelikan to start you off if you can swallow spending more than $50.
TWSBI mini - $50
FP Dilli $20 plastic. Flexy nibs but not a long term pen as piston is sticky after use and no easy way to lubricate it to maintain the pen.
Sheaffer vfm about $16 and takes cartridges which are intl standard. Steel nib and durable. Average performance.
Pelikan M200 from richardspens.com Richard Binder in US likely about $120 shipped with a steel nib and a quality pen which will last you a lifetime. The Pelikan M800 is often described as the perfect pen of a higher end value in terms of weight, quality, balance. But prices for a new person are scary. I wish it had been my first fountain pen as it is remarkable.
For notebooks there is a Midori stitched notebook out there and it is not a travellers notebook or insert. But the A5/4 sizes are well dollar for performance the best I can recommend. The Rhodia webbies and Lechteurn notebooks which look like a moleskine are pen friendly and way better quality than a moleskine. if you purchase a TWSBI pen from TWSBI website pick a notebook the paper and perforated paper is not a bad choice.
There are some good used pens listed on fpgeeks.com forum every week. Prices range but there are pens in the $100 range. Good luck.
Improved handwriting and actual calligraphy are not quite the same topic. For the latter, you might consider a variety of special nibs, flex nibs, italics, etc. You could even consider dip pens, but I can't give you expert advice there.
A good fountain pen glides easily over the paper in a way that a ballpoint can't quite match, and at least for myself, they seem to offer finer control than a rollerball. That's why people find that they're useful for working on improving their penmanship. Many, many options here, so I'm hesitant to recommend a specific pen over any others. Many of my favorites in your price range are restored vintage pens, which can be great, but aren't necessarily where you want to start.
I'll mention a few anyway, but there are many other possibilities. You could consider a TWSBI Mini for about $55, and have plenty left over for ink and paper. I have a Mini, nice smooth writing nib and good ink capacity. Built in filling system and easily user serviceable. If you want to try a different style of nib, there are replacement nib units for about $20.
Sheaffer 100 for around $40. Nothing spectacular, just good quality, takes proprietary Sheaffer cartridges, or a converter that lets you refill from a bottle. A comfortable size for me (I don't like oversized pens) and again a good quality nib.
Kaweco Classic Sport. Available for under $25. You can get replacement sections with different nibs for under $12 (just make sure that you don't get one for a different style of "Sport"). Uses short international cartridges. The only converter I know of for these is practically worthless, but see other threads around here for how to eyedropper them.
On any pen, for normal, everyday writing, it might be best to start with a fine nib, keeping in mind that this means different things in different parts of the world. It should, however, mean a line width that's good when you need to write smaller, or on smaller paper.
My workhorse favorite inks are Pilot/Namiki Blue and Blue-Black. Lots of other choices, of course. Be aware that water resistance is not a given with fountain pen inks; some have it, some don't. Some inks have a reputation for staining or clogging. If you have doubts about a particular one, ask questions.
Lots of choices for paper. Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Leuchtturm 1917, and others if you want to go high end. Lots of people will also have suggestions for cheaper office store brands that work well with fountain pens.
Good luck! Keep in mind that it may take a few tries before you find something you really like.
- Thread starter
- #12
Thank you for your advice, it was well appreciated. I can tell you that I did extensive research on every pen that you gave me. This also gave me a feel for what exactly I want to look for in a pen. The Platinum Preppy was a very nice pen, cheap, although part of the experience I feel of starting up this new hobby of writing would be being able to use different inks and with no converter I am slightly dissuaded from buying one. I felt kindly towards the Pilot Metropolitan, for its function and also its rather nice look. What really caught my eye was the Lamy Safari. It was in the mid-range pricing of those pens you gave me and although not all too keen on the look, I held in favour the ergonomically designed grip, which would make the practicing of writing technique much more bearable I hope.
I hope I have shown my appreciation for your input, it was really great. I will have to go through the recommendations of the other posters and see maybe any constants or a pen that really just stands out. For now, I have just ordered a pair of Pilot Vpens just to make sure that I actually do enjoy writing as much as what I hope to. Once again, I appreciate your input.
Glad to be of service and let us know how it works out for you. Feel free to jump in and ask questions and offer your opinions. Your experience as a newbie will help out others.
- Thread starter
- #14
Well, I looked at all the pen suggestions you gave me, and they were great, particularly the TWSBI mini (although I didn't like it at first.)
I think though that I have decided on the Lamy Safari. At least for my first pen. It is cheap, yet reliable from what I hear. (Internet reviews,) and I can get it and a converter for maybe $25, my naivete to pens and writing is probably showing.
I was happy with the reviews on the Clairefontaine paper, and have added that to my, "to get list." Inks, I suppose, can wait until I have run out of catridges and whatnot. Although I did like some of the colour in the pilot Iroshuzuku range I found while trying to find the inks you had mentioned.
Thanks very much for your ideas and input, as a newbie I couldn't need it more.
- Thread starter
- #15
Will do.
I like the Lamy Nexx M better than the Safari, but that's just me. I think it looks nicer, and the grip isn't as funky. I also like the Nexx's rubber grip section. Same nibs as the Safari (they run broad).
-Andy
-Andy
Welcome to the fun of fountain pens. Depending on your budget I would recommend a TWSBI 580 or a Vac 700.
Another excellent option is a reconditioned, vintage Esterbrook J. Great little pens, durable, reliable, attractive, and very reasonably priced.
The Estie is a great lever filled pen and the SJ is compact for journals, briefcases and the carbon copy friendly steel nibs perform well for a heavy handwriting style. Great suggestion!
- Thread starter
- #20
Did just get my first writing pen with a converter. A (transparent) Lamy Safari. Have been practicing on different writing styles, namely the palmer method and the Spalding method (Recommended by a friend.)
Still need to get a nice book to write in... and a nice ink. I will check back into this thread when I have found at least one of the two.
Question. What writing method do you believe to be a good starting point?
Still need to get a nice book to write in... and a nice ink. I will check back into this thread when I have found at least one of the two.
Question. What writing method do you believe to be a good starting point?
