Intro to Fountain Pens

[MattH]

Hi,

Many years ago when at school I used a fountain pen alot.. and I had very nice handwriting..
Once I hit Secondary School and biros it all went to pot.

So I am thinking of getting one and going back to a fountain.

I have read the few threads we have here - and I am not looking for which best high end pen to buy :) (not yet)

Honestly if I was to spend any amount of money on one I would like to get one of the carbon fibre Dunhill pens which would match the ballpoint I bought here a few years back.

No I would like some suggestions on where to start - whats a good entry level pen and ink to buy - I may decide I will never use it or hate it now... but it would be good to try.

I don't want to use cartridges - so a pen which can be filled from the pot.. and a recommendation for where to buy some ink (maybe in a nice brown or other slightly different colour)

I think I would be looking at a medium nib... other than that I am all ears !

Cheers

Matt

[zoiksy]

I would suggest the fountain pen that I started out with and enjoyed, but it was a cartridge type not ink bottle. (Lamy Safari incidentally)

However, I suggest you take a look at www.cultpens.com who are a great place to get pens and ink from from all levels. Speedy service too from my experience.

[Brighty]

Hi,

Many years ago when at school I used a fountain pen alot.. and I had very nice handwriting..
Once I hit Secondary School and biros it all went to pot.

So I am thinking of getting one and going back to a fountain.

I have read the few threads we have here - and I am not looking for which best high end pen to buy :) (not yet)

Honestly if I was to spend any amount of money on one I would like to get one of the carbon fibre Dunhill pens which would match the ballpoint I bought here a few years back.

No I would like some suggestions on where to start - whats a good entry level pen and ink to buy - I may decide I will never use it or hate it now... but it would be good to try.

I don't want to use cartridges - so a pen which can be filled from the pot.. and a recommendation for where to buy some ink (maybe in a nice brown or other slightly different colour)

I think I would be looking at a medium nib... other than that I am all ears !

Cheers

Matt

The experts will be along soon, but for now i'll share what I learnt from looking for my first pen last year.

Lamy are well regarded for a cheap starter pen, there's the plastic 'Al Star' and 'Safari' ranges if you like the look of them, or for a more traditional look there's the 'Studio', I picked up a couple of those as my first pens last year from whsmiths for about £20. Nice pens and came with a converter (to use pot ink) which the cheaper plastic ones don't as far as I know.

Also, if you want to spend a bit more, check out the italix brand available from mrpen.co.uk, the 'parsons essential' gets very good reviews for just £40, keep meaning to get one myself. He sells them on amazon too, which I think is cheaper as you don't pay p&p

For ink, I went with 'diamine'. Well thought of, available in more colours than you'll ever need and only a couple of quid for a small 30ml bottle to test out.

Brighty

[Barryboy]

Hi Matt. See where you are coming from and I was in a similar position. I quite enjoy using a fountain pen and did a lot of research. Might I make a few suggestions?

If you would consider a used pen then take a look at the Parker 21? A nicer pen is the Parker 51 but that's a little outside your budget. Another suggestion would be the Shaeffer Imperial but be careful as these are mostly available with a fine nib (and it really is fine!) - a mistake I made and now own a Shaeffer that I never use.

If you want new then there's a lot out there. The Shaeffer Intensity just about creeps into budget but it's a very slim pen so I wouldn't like to write with it. The Parker Sonnet is a lovely pen but outside your budget (you might pick one up used, though...) next down in the Parker range is the Urban which is right on budget - I haven't tried this one as I simply don't like the barrel shape and then down again is the IM which is available for about £20 or so. I tried this one and it didn't really impress me. I finally settled for the TWSBI Diamond Mini in black. This one is perfect for me as I like to write with the cap mounted on the barrel and with most pens this makes the balance is wrong for me. The nib is advertised as being broad but Japanese nibs are sllightly finer than most others so to me this is a good medium. This one is available from purepens.co.uk at £40.99

I use Diamine ink - as others have said it's a perfect ink at a good price with a wide range of colours.

Good luck with your search.

Rob


NOTE: Apologies - for some reason I thought you had set a £40 budget. On re-reading your post I see not.

[samswatch]

If you are near London, its worth a pop in to Selfridges who I think do a wide range of pens. You can then try some, although the nibs maybe oddly worn. I am not sure if they have tester pens or just allow you to use one of the ones for sale.

I have one fountain pen, a Mont blanc one, and even though I hardly use it, its lovely when I do.

[bonzo697]

I went through this around a year ago and it quickly becomes addictive. I've now settled on two German from Diplomat and Kaweco, and two Japanese from Platinum and Pilot, which are used everyday. Along the way I had many more, initially buying on brand/size/looks, but it was soon apparent that those pens are not generally best for daily use.
I also advise trying Mr Pen, he makes his own range which are excellent value, as well as selling major brands. The good thing is you can buy and return for free, and he also offers a nib exchange option too.
http://www.mrpen.co.uk/
Aside from that, go to a pen shop if there's one locally as that's the best way to find what will work for you.
With regards to ink I would go for Diamine, as you can buy smaller 30mm bottles for a few quid.

[amnesia]

I have a few pens...

• Generic Parker fountain pen that I got for my 21st birthday. Still writes perfectly after 20+ years.

• Lamy Safari (lime green) - very cheap (but looks it), incredibly smooth nib though.

• Coles Auriol (carbon fibre) - cheap, heavy, nasty scratchy nib. Haven't used it for years... it's horrible to use.

• TWSBI Diamond 580 - lovely pen, smooth nib, looks and feels good.

• Platinum #3776 Century - my daily pen. Beautiful to write with, has an airtight seal on the cap so I can use pigment ink without ruining the pen if I don't use it for a while.

As for ink, I use Platinum Pigment ink in the #3776 and J. Herbin ink for the rest. I've just bought a bottle of this in Stormy Grey.


You can't go wrong with the Lamy or TWSBI.
Cult Pens or The Writing Desk are both good online vendors.

Beware the slippery slope - it can get as addictive as watches if you're not careful

HTH,
Daniel.

[SockToy]

Twsbi diamond are very good and not mega bucks. I like the noodlers bulletproof black as an ink.

[craig1912]

I have one of these (with matching pencil)

http://www.stefanv.com/pens/collecti...-75-cisele.jpg

lovely pen which is nearly 40 years old and still going strong. You can pick one up for £150ish

[Tam]

How does it work with second hand pens? For some reason I though that the nib got shaped to your writing, so using someone elses pen was difficult.

[craig1912]

How does it work with second hand pens? For some reason I though that the nib got shaped to your writing, so using someone elses pen was difficult.

You can buy a new nib. I'm on my second or third nib.

[Sara]

Swore by simple Parker fountain pens at school. Have a nice one now as an adult but really don't use it enough, ink dries out between uses (posh letters, cards, etc - quite rare) so I always have to flush it through. Still writes beautifully though, always found their nibs to be the smoothest.

One thing I like about the simpler Parkers is the rather tiny nib. I personally think the smaller nib and slot means there is less flex, less likelihood of throwing the two sides of the nib out of kilter, and a feeling of being more connected to the paper...

...but I am also biased. Enjoy!

[robt]

You can buy a new nib. I'm on my second or third nib.

Note that the main point of buying a vintage pen is for the better quality nib, but of course you can't buy a new replacement for one of those. One thing you can do is buy a decent body (say, a Pelikan M600, which can take a range of nibs) second hand, perhaps without a nib, and then buy a new, good quality nib. However you need to be a bit careful doing that to make sure everything else about the pen is in good working order. I think this approach may be good for those that really like "projects", but is a bit of a gamble in terms of saving money.

[robt]

How does it work with second hand pens? For some reason I though that the nib got shaped to your writing, so using someone elses pen was difficult.

It does, but unless the other person is left handed and you are right handed (or vice-versa) the difference won't be so huge that it's likely to be a huge problem. If it is, as has been mentioned already, you can buy new nibs (for still in production pens). Another option is to have the nib ground - you can do it yourself, but it's probably better to send it away to be done professionally. Never had this done myself so I'm not sure how much it costs, but people on pen forums often rave about the difference it can make. A good finisher can significantly improve a nib that isn't hand made or hand finished.

Take a look here:

http://www.richardspens.com/

Lots of information and you can buy both pre-finished nibs (mainly Pelikan) and there's a DIY smoothing kit available somewhere. Apparently he's no longer refinishing nibs sent in and I'm not sure who else does it. Best to ask about that kind of thing on one of the pen forums.

[robt]

+1 for Twsbi Diamond. Don't like some of their newer designs so much, but this is a nice chunky pen with a decent nib and looks good. It's also easy to take apart, etc.: the design really is excellent and it's won at least one design award. Around the same price, slightly more "classical" looking, and slimmer, I quite like the Parker Sonnet. I have a few other similar steel nib pens, but these two tend to get the most use.

I've got a few more expensive pens, but the only one that's significantly better than these is the Visconti Homo Sapiens, which is an incredible pen, although it's too inky to use on light paper (e.g., Moleskine). I'm excluding my hand-finished Sailor from that because it's rather specialised and can't be used for normal writing. It is also amazing, but I have no experience with their other nibs and they are all somewhat esoteric, being designed for Japanese calligraphy.

I'd say if you want to spend ~£50 then go Parker or Twsbi. If you want to spend ~£400 go Visconti. The stuff in between isn't that amazing (although a £200 Parker Premier will be better than a Sonnet, the biggest difference will be the aesthetics, not the writing ability). If you want very cheap then either Lamy or Platinum - I'd probably go with the latter as their cheapish pens tend to be outstanding quality for the money, but you're unlikely to find one in a UK shop so you'd have to order without really knowing in advance whether or not you'll like it.

TBH, if you can find a Visconti Homo Sapiens in a shop, try one out. That's the only way you'll really understand what makes that pen worth nearly £400. Others in the same price bracket probably won't impress to the same extent (despite the price I'd call it one of the best vfm pens you can buy). The thing is, writing with such a pen is a different experience compared to a basic steel nib. You might try a steel nib and not really "get it". My advice to myself of a few years ago when I was thinking the same things you are, would be to spend at least £200 on something with a gold nib (actually, the Visconti nib is palladium, which is a unique alternative to gold: it's similar to a much more expensive gold nib). I ended up buying loads of increasingly a bit better steel nib pens in frustration before realising what the problem was.

Another option if you want a good quality gold nib on a budget is to go vintage. However, I tried this myself and found it to be a bit of a hassle. You never really know how worn the nib is going to be, never mind the condition of other parts. They tend to be leaky and of course there's no warranty so then you have the cost and hassle of repairs. Pens in that regard are more like vintage cars than vintage watches.

With fountain pens it's generally a good idea to find a shop where you can try them out if you can, especially to check the weight, balance, how the cap fits, etc. you also want to get an idea whether you prefer a thicker or thinner pen. As a rule, thicker pens tend to be more expensive, so try out pens outside you budget just to get a feel. A lot of pen reviewers will use Pelikan as a baseline for size comparisons because they have various sizes across their range (they're also very good pens: not cheap but less overpriced than Montblanc). The chunkiness is one of the things I like about the Twsbi (and almost unique in that price range) but it might not suit your grip.

You can get a general idea of how the nib writes in a shop, but a nib takes a month or so to break in so it's not a completely fair test. Bear that in mind, but big differences will be evident. Most steel nibs will feel roughly the same and how scratchy they are will largely depend on how many others have scribbled with that pen before, as they are nearly always a bit scratchy when new. Good nibs (£200+ pens) will feel noticeably smoother, but not a hugely different experience. A flexible, high quality gold or palladium nib like the Visconti feels much closer to using a paintbrush and will make your writing far more expressive.

WRT nib sizes, try some out in a shop to get an idea what suits your handwriting. Just be aware that different manufacturers sizes are not all the same, especially the Japanese pens like Sailor and Platinum (which tend to be especially good if you like a very fine nib).

[Mick P]

Hi,

Many years ago when at school I used a fountain pen alot.. and I had very nice handwriting..
Once I hit Secondary School and biros it all went to pot.

So I am thinking of getting one and going back to a fountain.

I have read the few threads we have here - and I am not looking for which best high end pen to buy :) (not yet)

Honestly if I was to spend any amount of money on one I would like to get one of the carbon fibre Dunhill pens which would match the ballpoint I bought here a few years back.

No I would like some suggestions on where to start - whats a good entry level pen and ink to buy - I may decide I will never use it or hate it now... but it would be good to try.

I don't want to use cartridges - so a pen which can be filled from the pot.. and a recommendation for where to buy some ink (maybe in a nice brown or other slightly different colour)

I think I would be looking at a medium nib... other than that I am all ears !

Cheers

Matt

Matt

I have been collecting fountain pens since the early 80s and at the last count had 88 of them tucked away.

The best quality pens for daily use are, believe it or not, are those from the 1950s because the quality of the gold nibs peaked then and are not as good today.

Google will be your friend for information because there is loads of it out there.

The most practical pen for daily use is the Parker 51, it holds loads of ink and is regarded as the most reliable pen ever made. It is art deco in appearance which may or may not appeal to you.

If you stick with Parker, Waterman, Sheaffer, Wahl, Conway Stewart, De la Rue, Swan and Mabie Todd you should be ok. Mont Blanc is best avoided due to reliability issues.

If you want modern, the Parkers seem to be held in the highest regard at the moment, but that seem to change every few years.

However my advice is to buy vintage as they look better and write better.

Regards

Mick

[Sara]

Mine isn't a 51, but it looks like it might be an 88 or 'Rialto' (it's the matte navy one with gold trim):


https://ilovepens.wordpress.com/2011...ker-rialto-88/

I used to use Vectors at school. Reliably good.

I haven't had leaks, but I do find some ink in my current one can end up in the lid and then move back onto the barrel - I suspect because it isn't used much, the snap-in action on the lid is still a bit harsh, throwing ink off the nib into the lid when I close it.

[robt]

Mine isn't a 51, but it looks like it might be an 88 or 'Rialto' (it's the matte navy one with gold trim):

Ah, yes that's not as recessed as the 51. Actually looks a bit like a Lamy 2000 or the Dialog 3. The Lamy Dialog 3 nib actually retracts. I've heard lots of good things about the 2000 especially, but I tried one out and wasn't super impressed so I didn't buy it. It's probably better than I thought though, if given time to break in.

[Sara]

Well, it looks most like a Parker, as I know them ;)

[LuBee]

I love all things pen wise and am known as a bit of a pen magpie. Lamy Safari fountain pens are cheap and cheerful but amazing value for money, my favourite pen is a Waterman Carene which is quite weighty but writes beautifully, my Waterman Expert holds sentimental value as I got it nearly 25years ago for my 21st and its still going strong. I have a 1950's pen who's name escapes me looks great but a bit fiddly as it has an internal sac.

Next on my list to buy is a Sailor or a TWSBI.

Once you have a pen sorted, then there is the whole world of ink to navigate a get quite few things pen wise from http://www.bureaudirect.co.uk

[Corporalsparrow]

Onoto Magna. A plain one. I like those. Classy.

[Tinker]

OK, let's keep this brief, because leaning about pens is very similar to learning about watches: it takes a lot of time, a lot of reading, a lot of mistake-making and there's lots of not-very-good stuff

Ink? Diamine. The best functional and aesthetic qualities ... and it's British

Pens?

Modern:
The best cheap pens are Waterman. Surprisingly well-made and efficient writers (and some still made in France). The 'Expert' is a good example.

The best not-very-expensive pens are Pelikan. The 600 or 800. Forget Montblanc - good pens, but over-hyped and very over-priced.

Vintage:
The gold mine! Conway Stewart, Onoto, Swan ... Go to http://www.writetime.co.uk/ and http://www.penpractice.com/ for starters.

Websites for TZ-UK-type reading: pentrace.net and foutainpennetwork.com, both American.

Enjoy.

[robt]

The best cheap pens are Waterman.

I agree with everything else you said but couldn't disagree with this more. Maybe I've just had bad experiences but I started off with a Waterman Expert and was rather surprised at how much better every other similarly-priced steel nibbed pen I've had since then has been. They have some nice looking pens, but I've had several Parkers, all much better, and although I very slightly prefer the Parker nibs, I would say Twsbi make by far the best VFM cheap (or rather, affordable) pens. Although either Lamy or Platinum probably make the best very cheap pens.

[usedtobelurch]

http://www.cultpens.com

http://www.penaddict.com

[72bpm]

Hi,

Many years ago when at school I used a fountain pen alot.. and I had very nice handwriting..
Once I hit Secondary School and biros it all went to pot.

So I am thinking of getting one and going back to a fountain.

I have read the few threads we have here - and I am not looking for which best high end pen to buy :) (not yet)

Honestly if I was to spend any amount of money on one I would like to get one of the carbon fibre Dunhill pens which would match the ballpoint I bought here a few years back.

No I would like some suggestions on where to start - whats a good entry level pen and ink to buy - I may decide I will never use it or hate it now... but it would be good to try.

I don't want to use cartridges - so a pen which can be filled from the pot.. and a recommendation for where to buy some ink (maybe in a nice brown or other slightly different colour)

I think I would be looking at a medium nib... other than that I am all ears !

Cheers

Matt

Agree, was getting tired of using bics and pilots at work. The best part is nobody will 'borrow' your pen as most people (I work with) find fountain pens a bit daunting! Ended up buying this:
http://www.penshop.co.uk/products/pa...-fountain-pen/
I personally don't think this is entry level but don't buy too cheap either, may put you off fountain pens. Comes with a piston filler as standard.
I agree start with a medium nib first. It took a few days to get comfortable with using a fountain pen.

Can try this too http://www.penshop.co.uk/products/cr...-fountainpens/

If really cheap pick up a Parker Vector from any supermarket/WH Smith. Get a feel of writing again
Enjoy!

[gamingdave]

What does everyone use for notepads with a fountain pen?

Reading about the usually well regarded Moleskine appear to be inconsistent and poor for fountain pens. The Rhodia pads look nice, and I assume the TWSBI pads would behave with their Diamond pens (currently most likely what I will get first).

[Corporalsparrow]

About 15 or 20 years ago I collected a few fountain pens. I don't exactly know why, I very rarely used one even then. I suppose I just liked the old ways.

I've never posted them up anywhere but looking at the ones on this thread, perhaps I should.

I think there's some quite nice ones, things that took my fancy at the time. A Wahl-Eversharp Coronet for example, that I bought when I was in love with everything Art deco.

This thread has rekindled my curiosity and think it's time they came out of their shoebox.

[LuBee]

What does everyone use for notepads with a fountain pen?

Reading about the usually well regarded Moleskine appear to be inconsistent and poor for fountain pens. The Rhodia pads look nice, and I assume the TWSBI pads would behave with their Diamond pens (currently most likely what I will get first).

+Rhodia

[Tidybeard]

I've been using a silver S.T. Dupont Olympio for a few years. It's the one below and I love it - I normally use Dupont ink too, which is very nice.

For paper, I use Rhodia or Clairefontaine notebooks. I've found Moleskine bleeds quite badly with fountain pen ink.

[robt]

+Rhodia

++

Moleskine and Leuchtturm 1917 are both OK, but Rhodia/Clairefontaine paper is generally better, and is available in 90gsm (all Rhodia notebooks are 90gsm AFAIK), which is the only thing thick enough to use my Visconti with - it just seeps into Moleskine paper and others. I can get away with other fountain pens on Molekine, but YMMV. It depends partly on the pen and partly on the ink. Stick with Rhodia/Clairefontaine and you won't need to worry about it.

[Tinker]

Diamine 'feathers' less than any ink I know. The second best, generally, is Jentle (by Sailor, the Japanese pen company).

[dowsing]

I definitely recommend TWSBI, they are a great reliable daily writer. If you fancy trying out a fountain pen you can't go wrong with a Lamy.

Alternatively for something a bit different and affordable give some of the Indian pens a go. There's a good site here which have regular sales:

http://www.fountainpenrevolution.com/index.html

[bonzo697]

What does everyone use for notepads with a fountain pen?

Reading about the usually well regarded Moleskine appear to be inconsistent and poor for fountain pens. The Rhodia pads look nice, and I assume the TWSBI pads would behave with their Diamond pens (currently most likely what I will get first).

I use bog standard Black n' Red from the office stationary cupboard. I would say any issues I've had with skipping or bleeding are usually caused by the nib.

[Gruntfuttock]

Hi,

I would go for a decent piston-filler (Pelikan or TWSBI) as they are good quality and do not leak (unlike cartridge converters, which can easily). The TWSBI Diamond is remarkable vfm if you like a larger pen and you can buy different nib units for it (non of the faffing about sending it back to the manufacturer to change the nib nonsense). Having said that, Mr Pen and Lamy do some excellent vfm pens for under £40 (cartridge converters) and the Lamy's have easily swappable nibs which are cheap to buy. Diamine ink is trouble free and available in every colour you can imagine. I use The Writing Desk, who provide an excellent service.

No matter how much I like the look of them, I tend to find that metal bodied pens too heavy to write with, so all my pens are plastic (or 'precious resin' if want to be pretentious).

http://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk

[GOAT]

Completely new in this field, Interested to know views on a Delta Dolce Vita for no other reason than I like the look of them
any idea on quality? a post above seems to imply old/vintage are almost always better

[robt]

Completely new in this field, Interested to know views on a Delta Dolce Vita for no other reason than I like the look of them
any idea on quality? a post above seems to imply old/vintage are almost always better

Old/vintage are better for the money, but only if you can put up with most likely a lot of unreliability and ongoing maintenance. A good modern pen is still going to be good, but it'll cost about 5x (or more) a similarly good vintage pen, for which you're getting a more contemporary look, size (very few oversize vintage pens) and reliability. A lot of vintage pens you can get for £50-80 have very smooth, flexi gold nibs. Again bear in mind that you don't know to what extent this has been worn-in, so in some cases refinishing the tip (or even fixing the tines if it's in a bad way) may be required to get it writing really well. The Parker 51 is considered by many to be the best pen ever made and if you can find a good one, it'll only cost you about £50. There's still a bit of a gamble involved; as I mentioned earlier, my Parker 51 leaks occasionally, at random. Plus, while it is certainly a smooth writer, my Visconti is a far better pen in every respect, albeit one that cost me about 6x as much (and the price has gone up since I bought mine a few years ago). A modern pen costing less than £200 most likely won't have a nib in the same league as a vintage pen costing ~£50. A decent modern nib on its own generally costs about £130+, so add the cost of a pen and you see where my ~£200 cutoff comes from (and few pens at that price will be much better than a £50 Twsbi).

Hadn't seen the Dolce Vita before, but it has nothing but positive reviews. The size and style are perhaps a bit much for me personally, but I'm sure the orange looks good up-close (the "Oro" is an interesting version). I have a vintage Swan Mabie Todd with a similar effect but in a kind of camo-green & gold tortoiseshell, which looks pretty nice albeit slightly dated. The cool thing is that it's a kind of 3D effect, each coloured "stroke" catches the light at a different angle, so kinda hard to describe and photos don't really do it justice.

[robt]

Just for anyone looking for a really cheap but reasonably good fountain pen, I mentioned Platinum. These are the ones:

http://www.cultpens.com/c/q/brands/p...latinum-preppy

Great value at £3. Or these:

http://www.cultpens.com/c/q/brands/p...-fountain-pens

About £10 but have nice aluminium bodies, although the nib & feed is identical on both. A lot of people seem to prefer these to Lamy, but I haven't used either enough to give a fair comparison. I've got one of each Platinum and they are OK, but certainly not as good as say, a Twsbi, or any other £50+ pen. Much better than you'd expect for about 1/15th the cost though.

If you want to try something for virtually zero outlay, you can't go wrong with a £3 Preppy, even if it ends up in the bin when you later upgrade to something better. It's actually a refillable pen (takes standard "international" aka Waterman cartridges), but has the build quality of a disposable and should probably be thought of as such. The Aluminium cases on the Plaisir, while made to last longer, can be a bit of a marmite thing (they can be a bit cold to the touch and some find the finish a bit cheap looking). Whereas the Preppy just looks like an ordinary gel pen, so there's not much to hate even if you dislike demonstrators (pens with see-through ink reserves).

Platinum being Japanese, like Sailor, tend to make their nibs a bit finer than others. It's generally recommended to start off with a least an M nib, because it will be close to an F anyway, and these cheaper nibs can be a bit scratchy in the finer sizes. A wider nib is always going to be smoother than a finer one.

[rsykes2000]

Just for anyone looking for a really cheap but reasonably good fountain pen, I mentioned Platinum. These are the ones:

http://www.cultpens.com/c/q/brands/p...latinum-preppy

Great value at £3. Or these:

http://www.cultpens.com/c/q/brands/p...-fountain-pens

About £10 but have nice aluminium bodies, although the nib & feed is identical on both. A lot of people seem to prefer these to Lamy, but I haven't used either enough to give a fair comparison. I've got one of each Platinum and they are OK, but certainly not as good as say, a Twsbi, or any other £50+ pen. Much better than you'd expect for about 1/15th the cost though.

If you want to try something for virtually zero outlay, you can't go wrong with a £3 Preppy, even if it ends up in the bin when you later upgrade to something better. It's actually a refillable pen (takes standard "international" aka Waterman cartridges), but has the build quality of a disposable and should probably be thought of as such. The Aluminium cases on the Plaisir, while made to last longer, can be a bit of a marmite thing (they can be a bit cold to the touch and some find the finish a bit cheap looking). Whereas the Preppy just looks like an ordinary gel pen, so there's not much to hate even if you dislike demonstrators (pens with see-through ink reserves).

Platinum being Japanese, like Sailor, tend to make their nibs a bit finer than others. It's generally recommended to start off with a least an M nib, because it will be close to an F anyway, and these cheaper nibs can be a bit scratchy in the finer sizes. A wider nib is always going to be smoother than a finer one.

Super cheap at the moment, they've got 20% off Platinum, combined with 10% off everything. Ordered a couple to see what they're like :)

[robt]

Super cheap at the moment, they've got 20% off Platinum, combined with 10% off everything. Ordered a couple to see what they're like :)

Heh, their "small print" is brilliant:

http://www.cultpens.com/news/offers/...13/winter-sale

I really don't need any more pens but I'm tempted to pick up a few Preppies in M just because most of my pens are F or finer and I wouldn't mind a matching set of red, blue and black. Although they don't have a plain blue (in any nib size, in fact; must have all sold out), so I'd have to throw away the blue-black cartridge because that stuff is the hybrid spawn of satan and the indecisive. I can't remember if they come preinstalled and with the feed inked, but I'd probably run it all through anyway to break the nibs in properly this time.

With all the discounts it works out at £2.15 per pen (it's actually 28% off in total, not 30% off), although you need to pay at least £1.50 postage on top of that unless you spend at least £10 (although it's far too easy to get carried away on that site, so that shouldn't be difficult). Lots of colours available in the fine nib, but it might be a bit scratchy. Mine certainly was, although I never really gave it enough time to run in so, they may improve with time. The medium should be smoother, but they only have 3 colours available at the moment.

Also, with the money off Platinum, for anyone interested in something a bit different, Platinum make some really nice "Fude" brush pens. I've got two of the CF-2000 pens, and gave a third one away to a friend studying art. These are really cool if you are interested in artwork (especially watercolour or pen & ink) or Japanese / Zen calligraphy. I much prefer them to the Sailor brush pens, which feel a bit cheap in comparison (or, are trying too hard to look like a more expensive pen when they are clearly quite plasticky and not in a "precious resin" sort of a way) and, I find are harder to control the stroke width. I notice that there's now also a much cheaper CFTR-250, which is probably good too. Note that you can use these brush pens with "carbon ink" which is waterproof, or you can use a water soluble ink, perhaps along with a water brush and/or watercolour paints to get special effects. Or get more than one pen and use a mixture of both for both hard and soft lines. If you get the convertor, you can use any ink you like in these, same as a fountain pen. Lots of possibilities. Similarly, there is a special nib pen designed for carbon ink, which will clog a normal fountain pen (normal ink is water soluble, carbon ink isn't).

I can also recommend the #3776 in ultra-extra-fine if you like really fine nibs, this is one of the smoothest needlepoints you'll find (although there are no truly smooth needlepoints) and the price isn't bad. You are paying almost exclusively for the nib & feed on these, the pen definitely feels like it cost £20 rather than £100. Definitely a bargain at £72 with a 14ct gold nib though. I haven't tried the thicker nibs but they generally get good reviews and the more expensive "music nib" in particular is worth a look, as it is rather unique.

[bonzo697]

It's interesting to see how my collection has changed since this thread started. I had a large selection of German, Japanese and American pens and now have 4 plastic bodied Kaweco Sports, which I use with J.Herbin cartridges. They're amazing little writers for under £20 and barring the Platinum 3776 are my favourite pens.

[seffrican]

It's interesting to see how my collection has changed since this thread started. I had a large selection of German, Japanese and American pens and now have 4 plastic bodied Kaweco Sports, which I use with J.Herbin cartridges. They're amazing little writers for under £20 and barring the Platinum 3776 are my favourite pens.

The nibs are fantastic for the price bracket, aren't they? I have an Al-Sport Raw (F nib) which I now can't imagine being without, probably my most used FP because it's always with me.

I'm also lucky enough to own two piston filler Sports with gold oblique nibs, wish Kaweco would bring those back to the range.

[bonzo697]

Might of interest to some. Sign up to the mailing list and you'll get 10% off.
https://www.penandpaper.co.uk/produc...ory/lamy-pens/

[bonzo697]

If anyone sees one please let me know. It was a special edition in 2015 and usually comes with a tin.
http://blog.gouletpens.com/2015/12/k...ic-purple.html

[bonzo697]

I've been looking for an alternative to the Kaweco Sport as a pocket pen and found the Ohto on Amazon for £11. It's even smaller than the Kaweco until you post the lid when it transforms into a full size pen and over 12mm longer.
001 by bonzo697, on Flickr
003 by bonzo697, on Flickr

[ach5]

That's very nice!

[ach5]

Here's my Ensso Piuma - I would highly recommend these, and currently 30% off for Fathers day. I've ordered a couple now and they arrive super fast from LA in USofA.

[Steve B]

I've been looking for an alternative to the Kaweco Sport as a pocket pen and found the Ohto on Amazon for £11. It's even smaller than the Kaweco until you post the lid when it transforms into a full size pen and over 12mm longer.

After seeing this I looked on Amazon and got the Ohto for £7.98 delivered, it arrived in a couple of weeks but for the price it is a amazingly well made pen and writes reasonably smoothly abate a bit fine for a medium nib but I prefer it that way.
It is still the same price now.

[bonzo697]

^ It was that price when I bought it but I didn't want to wait for it to come from Japan so I paid extra to get it next day. They're amazing little pens and I'm more impressed by what you can find in that price bracket than I was spending £150.

[bonzo697]

It's strange how things change. I had quite a large fountain pen collection when this thread started, but I'm now down to two or three and I haven't used them for four or five months. The last thing I bought from Cult was a rollerball refill!
To add that Pen & Paper are giving away free Diamine ink today on orders over £20.

[bonzo697]

Use BLACK17 for 10% off until midnight on Sunday