Fountain Pen users?

[steve-in-kville]

I want to buy a few re-fillable fountain pens for journaling as well as handwritten letters. I looked around on the web as well as ebay and I am completely lost! Can anyone point me in the right direction as to what is a good value? (i.e. what makes a pen worth $200 vs. the $5 ones) I was hoping there are a few folks here tha know their way around this stuff. Many thanks in advance.

 

[De Plano]

Have you checked Gear & Gadgets subforum? I think there are a few pen threads there. I have never spent more than twelve bucks for a pen. I did get a Parker yesterday, but I imagine your asking for info on pens that cost more than 7 dollars (although I like them)

Good luck though

 

[wintermute]

From my experience, something like a Lamy Safari, which can easily be had for under $25, is durable, writes well, has user replacable nibs if you want to change line thickness, holds a decent amount of ink. A great daily writer. But the Lamy 2000 that I picked up for $100 is the best writer I own - every bit as durable as the Safari, but it looks the part - a space-age Cold War West German Bauhaus design. It's a luxurious writer - its enjoyable to write with the thing. The Safari is head-over-heels when compared to a ballpoint, but the gold nib on the 2000 has a little "give" that cushions your writing even more, not that you need to put much pressure on the paper at all with a fountain pen. As they go up in price, they get prettier and prettier and they may write better.

 

[CWL]

I collect & use fountain pens and refillable rollerballs.

In terms of value, hard to say since it really isn't the value of materials that determine most of the pricing, but the brand, design and rarity. Of the pricing, I believe that the nib is the most important part of a fountain pen. IMO, you'll find $200 about the right price for a fountain pen that you'll carry & use for decades like the popular Mont Blanc and Pelikans. Beyond that price range, it is really for the statement or personal enjoyment from owning it.

I have some expensive ones like Montegrappa which I still use, but my daily is a yellow Lamy Safari. While I have 5-6 different inks, I think that using replaceable cartridges is the easiest. It is the most economical to buy cartridges in bulk off of 'Bay.

 

[PGeo00]

Gold nibs vs. steel nibs... I personally love the Pelikan M400 series, but everyone is different. If you just want to try out a fountain pen, I would say get a Lamy Safari.

 

[Foilist]

Waterman pens are affordable, entry level pens that are pretty nice and can even be found at Staples. I have several cartridge fountain pens, and my modest $30 Waterman is the one that writes the best.

 

[din]

noodler's has some inexpensive flex-nib pens, IIRC you can find them at the goulet pen company. the safari is always an excellent choice; it was my gateway drug.

 

[Brew-Jitsu]

I want to buy a few re-fillable fountain pens for journaling as well as handwritten letters. I looked around on the web as well as ebay and I am completely lost! Can anyone point me in the right direction as to what is a good value? (i.e. what makes a pen worth $200 vs. the $5 ones) I was hoping there are a few folks here tha know their way around this stuff. Many thanks in advance.

Check out the forum www.fountainpennetwork.com It's like BF but for fountain pens... you'll get loads of great advice.

 

[Grouch]

Check out the forum www.fountainpennetwork.com It's like BF but for fountain pens... you'll get loads of great advice.

Yep.
If it'll be your first, don't waste your money on a gold nib expecting it to improve the performance. Aside from SOME gold nibs giving added flexibility (which most novices don't want), there's no real writing improvement...just an increase in price. Filling from a bottle is vastly better than cartridges-much better selection, lower cost per ml, better for pen hygiene. However, cartridges are convenient for certain users who need to refill at inopportune times.
There are great pens at prices from <$20 up to >$20,000 and there are bad pens in that same range. Give strong consideration to getting a used pen through fountainpennetwork; before the mid-50s, fountain pens HAD to be good as that's what people depended on.

 

[nickortizzle1035]

I have had pretty good luck with Lamy safari pens. also check out the rotting core series. they are discontinued, but you can find them on ebay for about 20-30. I don't really have any experience with high end fountain pens yet.

 

[din]

I have had pretty good luck with Lamy safari pens. also check out the rotting core series. they are discontinued, but you can find them on ebay for about 20-30. I don't really have any experience with high end fountain pens yet.

Rotring. rotting core is something else entirely, I believe it involves apples. I actually have a Core somewhere in my house that you can have if I can find it. just shoot me an e-mail or visitor message with yours if you're interested. they're ugly pens, but they write well and you can take them on airplanes without having them leak.

 

[schweizer]

I started using a fountain pen as an exchange student in Germany. My first was a steel nib Pelikan. It was a $7.50 pen that had more style and flex than pens I've paid $300 for. Fountain pen users love flex in their pens which gives your cursive a more calligraphic look. Newer pens usually don't have this but can be made to flex. Gold nibs as a standard will write better, but this isn't an end all. Some manufacturers make great steel nibs. Like others have already noted, Pelikan or Lamy pens are your best introduction. You also want to look at what type of re-fillable solution you want. Cartridges or resevoir filled. If you want more reading there is a great forum @ fountainpennetwork