Cheap fountain pen shootout

[Edvard]

Hi, my name is Edvard, and I'm a fountain-pen addict.
CHEAP fountain-pen addict, that is, and I haven't found the answer to my little habit for a few years now, ever since Parker dropped the fountain version of their "Jotter" line and Pentech was bought by the folks who make cheap Disney branded crap.  
... Then I find this:

I've decided to do a shootout of my lower-cost new normal writing pens.  I've wanted to review most of these before, but haven't been up to giving each one its own review.  I will be reviewing these in approximate price order, from $0 to $30, and scoring them in these categories (each from 0-10 points): Aesthetics, Functionality, Value, Desire, respectively.

Part 1:  http://www.fountainp...-cheap-pen-shootout/



... and Part 2: http://www.fountainp...p-pen-shootout-pt-2/

from the Fountain Pen Network

[mouser]

Nice, thanks for posting this.

[40hz]

Much as I love fountain pens (I currently own three), I could never find an affordable one with a fine (or preferably extra fine) on the dry side nib that I really liked.

Any recommendations on that front in the <$100 price range? I lose pens. A lot. (I go through my goto TUL GL1 0.5mm's like there's no tomorrow. )

I've heard Sailor might be the brand to look at for those specs?

[Edvard]

Read through the comments in both of those threads, dry-side fine nibs are pretty common.  Sailor and Hero are both chinese brands I've not heard of until now that are apparently getting a good reputation, and I've also heard good things about the Indian brands like Camlin and Wality.

Also, for under $100, the field is wide open.  Spending more than that just gets you luxury gewgaws and claims of 'superb craftsmanship', and is inhabited by the likes of Waterman, Montblanc, and the spendier offerings of Pelikan and Pilot.  Many of the aficionados at FountainPenNetwork opine that spending over $300 on a good pen quickly gets into the 'diminishing returns' territory.
Just digging through Amazon filtered by price range and looking at reviews, there are a LOT of good pens to be had in the $25 - $50 range.  If I had to make a recommendation based on 'word on the street', I've been hearing a lot of talk about the Pilot Prera, which can be had in fine or medium.  

Personally, I could never justify a pen purchase over 10 bucks, 15 if it made rainbows shoot out my face while writing, which is why I liked this review series.  I also like my pens utilitarian; not cartoony like the Pelikano or Lamy Safari, not fancy like the Nemosine Singularity or Pilot Metropolitan (though the clear look of the Nemo 'Demonstrator' is quite fetching...).  But alas, keeping such a lid on my spending I'm reduced to cheap-looking as well as dubious quality.  *Sigh*  If only the Parker Vector were a few bucks cheaper...

[40hz]

@E - FWIW two of those pens (A Waterman and a Pelikan) were given to me. The third (also a Pelikan) I bought in the late 70s for around $18. Not exactly an insubstantial amount of money back then (cigarettes were going for about $1.50 a pack as a point of reference) but certainly not the ridiculous prices companies like Montblanc were demanding either.

And yeah, I can't see some of the prices either. Especially now that I know it doesn't guarantee a superior writing experience.

I also don't care about the appearance that much. It's not like I'm posing over a newly ratified treaty for a National Archive photo when I use an ink pen. If a pen looks nice, that's fine by me. So long as I don't need to pay a premium for it. Gold and titanium appointments don't even register with me. Truth is, I'd gladly use a fluorescent green wooden-barrelled pen with Bugs Bunny's face on it IF it writes well - as most cheap Pilot or TUL gels do, oddly enough.

In the case of pens, as I get older I find myself liking a bit of heft (and maybe a hint of girth?) in my writing instruments. That's a big switch from earlier days when I preferred a slimmer design and as little weight as possible. That sort of heft is not to be found in most inexpensive (by which I mean under $50) pens being made today AFAICT.

So I was hoping more for some personal recommendations since I can read up stuff over at the review sites as well as the next guy. (Note: I also don't consider myself an aficionado. Just a person who likes to use well designed writing instruments.) Following recommendations on some of the "pen freak" sites, I've bought a few semi-expensive pens that came highly recommended. All of which I ended up not much caring for.

Fortunately, my sister (a graphic designer) collects ink pens. So I just passed them over to her, happy to see they had a future beyond sitting neglected in the bottom of a writing box. I don't mind being out of pocket for something as long as I don't have to feel like I've wasted money on it. So for that reason I'm not too keen on pen review sites in general.

I sometimes suspect half the people who do those "me too" chime-ins after a pen review don't own (and probably never tried) the instrument in question. Because I can't reconcile my experiences with some of the good things those reviewers and commentators were saying about those pens. Hence my wondering if anybody had a personal recommendation based on hands-on experience.



My search for the perfect pen continues...

Thx for the feedback on the Pilot Prera. Looks kinda short, but maybe I'll place another wager and order one.

[TaoPhoenix]

Funny little topic. Thirty years ago in Belgium I went through a phase as a child where I liked fountain pens - they just had a bit of an exotic feel to them, and at one point I think it felt like it was slightly easier to get better cursive because of the angles. My child's mind liked opening up the casing to replace/fiddle and occasionally make messes with the ink cartridges. I also used to draw mazes in grid notebooks. I think my brand of choice was something like $5 Reynolds.

Now I'm a ball point guy all the way - I had completely forgotten the things!

[MilesAhead]

When I first read the subject line for some reason I imagined two guys facing each other on Main Street in front of the Saloon, at high noon, trying to dowse each other with ink. 

[rjbull]

I wouldn't call the Lamy Safari "cartoony," though it depends on what colour you choose (i.e., not some of the special editions).  Actually I prefer the Lamy Nexx, which has the same "works" in a body I find more comfortable to hold.  However, most Fountain Pen Network people seem to think the Lamy fine nib is just too broad.  The Hero 329 I have writes well; I think the Hero 100 is the same thing with a gold nib.  The 329 is good for a fine nib for general writing, but if you want a cheap pen that's spidersilk-thin for annotation or something, try a Pilot Namiki Gold Ring Fountain Pen FP 78G.  This may have the same nib as the Prera, but is much cheaper.

Resources worth knowing:

• The Writing Desk
  UK.  Will sell you a Lamy Safari or Nexx with a nib of your choice, not just the standard "medium."
• Cult Pens
  UK.  Incredible range of writing instruments.
• Stationery Art
  Hong Kong.  Carry the Pilot 78G.

[Edvard]

When I first read the subject line for some reason I imagined two guys facing each other on Main Street in front of the Saloon, at high noon, trying to dowse each other with ink.  

-MilesAhead (April 27, 2014, 05:03 PM)

 I can see it now...
Scene: High noon in Blotterville.
Ink-stained fingers twitch nervously above mother-of-pearl and turned-mahogany fine writing instruments clipped nattily in the two cowboys' faded shirt pockets.  Sweat drips down Cowboy 1's cheek as he licks his parched lips in anticipation.  Cowboy 2 shifts a well-chewed cigar stump from one side of his mouth to the other and raspily intones "DRAW, you dirty egg-suckin' dog!!".  Quick as lightning, the pens are pulled from their sheaths, caps posted and nibs full of ink eager for action as both cowboys whip out wire-bound sheafs of white vellum and begin to sketch furiously in the broiling sun.  The ink flows in lines, hatches and solid blots as the paper of their sketchbooks ruffle in the breeze.  Finally, Cowboy 1 finishes with a flourish and breathlessly shouts: "A DUCK STANDING ON A HICKORY STUMP!!" and brandishes his handiwork at his opponent with a manic half-smile.  Cowboy 2 puts in a final bit of cross-hatch shading and gravely intones "A little girl on a tricycle..." as he lifts one dusty eyebrow and slowly turns out his sketchpad for his rival to scrutinize.
The wind howls... a tumbleweed blows by... A lone harmonica wails in the distance as pages ruffle in the breeze.  
The sheriff timidly steps out of the barber shop onto the dusty Main street; "OK, boys, ya both done good.. REAL good... now let's y'all put away the nibs and uh... call it a draw, shall we?"...  

...
So I was hoping more for some personal recommendations since I can read up stuff over at the review sites as well as the next guy. (Note: I also don't consider myself an aficionado. Just a person who likes to use well designed writing instruments.) Following recommendations on some of the "pen freak" sites, I've bought a few semi-expensive pens that came highly recommended. All of which I ended up not much caring for.
...
I sometimes suspect half the people who do those "me too" chime-ins after a pen review don't own (and probably never tried) the instrument in question. Because I can't reconcile my experiences with some of the good things those reviewers and commentators were saying about those pens. Hence my wondering if anybody had a personal recommendation based on hands-on experience.

-40hz (April 27, 2014, 12:37 PM)

I'm following right along with you, and I wish I had the resources necessary to really give a good review of some recommendations; I can only go on second-hand info for anything outside my price range.  Please pardon my naïveté.  Also, I just perused a few reviews of the Pilot Prera, and they are reported to be a rather lightweight pen; maybe not what you're looking for.

I wouldn't call the Lamy Safari "cartoony," though it depends on what colour you choose (i.e., not some of the special editions).

-rjbull (April 27, 2014, 05:33 PM)

Exactly what I was hinting at; the cartoon-pastel colors and the molded-plastic profiles, so forgive me that.  I am aware that Lamy makes some darn fetching pens besides the Safari, but that particular look isn't my cup of tea, and the Safari is the only model close to my budget.

I can say with certainty I personally prefer a slimmer pen like Parker's IM or Vector, because I remember the Jotter so fondly, and I like the old-world look of classic profiles like Rotring's ArtPen (drool) or Pilot's Plumix or Penmanship lines, because they resemble the classic nib holders I use when I'm in a mood (see at the bottom here).  I've also bought and used a Varsity before, and found them to be quite adequate, even enjoyable, though I missed the weight of a "real" pen, and the medium nib was immediately noticeable.  The classic torpedo/cigar profile of the more expensive pens I never really found appealing, but then again I admit I've never owned one to really give it a chance.  Scheaffers always leaked on me.  Always.

It appears that fountain pens are like guitars; everybody has their favorites and extols the virtues of each, but ultimately you get what feels good under your fingers and out of your wallet.
 

[Edvard]

BTW - thank you rjbull for recommending Stationery Art.  Looks like they've got a more or less complete offering of Baoer's line, which I've been eyeing lately, and I'm liking the slim look of the Hero 7015, which being stainless steel might have a bit of weight to it...

Check out Jetpens.com as well.  Great prices and I've heard their customer service is pretty good.

[40hz]

I'm following right along with you, and I wish I had the resources necessary to really give a good review of some recommendations; I can only go on second-hand info for anything outside my price range.  Please pardon my naïveté. 

-Edvard (April 27, 2014, 08:11 PM)

No pardon needed. I think you're more deserving of our gratitude for your candor.

It appears that fountain pens are like guitars; everybody has their favorites and extols the virtues of each, but ultimately you get what feels good under your fingers and out of your wallet.

Well said. And I suspect you're right. Because, much like guitars, any good quality tool is workable as long as you're willing to put the time in. Maybe I'll just stick with the Waterman and my Pels and call it a day. They're all nice pens. And best of all, they're already paid for.

(Besides, I have designs on a Catalinbread Pareidolia Harmonic Mesmerizer and an EHX Analogizer - and there's only so much mad money available.  )

[MilesAhead]

now let's y'all put away the nibs and uh... call it a draw, shall we?

Heh.  The pen is mightier than the sword.  Apparently a good fountain pen is more powerful than a pistol. 

[J-Mac]

I have a small collection of fountain pens - ten of 'em. Prices ranged from $23 up to $169. The most expensive is a custom job that resembles - and is made from parts of - a Dolcevita pen: orange and black, and too fat for me to write with! Looks nice though. I knew the custom maker and wasn’t sure what the hell I was doing at the time.   

Best writing pens I own and use regularly: A Waterman Charleston with a Medium nib, and a Waterman Expert II with a Fine nib. I have a few Lamy pens with Extra Fine nibs but only one doesn’t feel "scratchy". Actually I should add that one to my favorites list too. It's a Lamy Al-Star. The two Watermans mentioned above are the tops for me. Both were right around $100, but hey - you only live once.   

Jim

[rjbull]

thank you rjbull for recommending Stationery Art.

-Edvard (April 27, 2014, 08:25 PM)

Somebody on Fountain Pen Network recommended them when I was looking for a Pilot 78G as a good fine nib at an affordable price.  I would repeat, don't overlook the Lamy Nexx which has the same nib, cartridge and converter as the Safari, but a very different look; which, if course, you may like even less...

Looks like they've got a more or less complete offering of Baoer's line, which I've been eyeing lately, and I'm liking the slim look of the Hero 7015, which being stainless steel might have a bit of weight to it...

-Edvard (April 27, 2014, 08:25 PM)

I think you take pot luck with most Chinese brands.  Hero seem pretty reliable; my 329 is too fine for me for general use, but I'm happy with the way it writes.  No so my Jinhao X450 with its supposedly broad nib, which is too dry to be much use.  Fixes have been suggested on FPN but I haven't tried them; they don't seem to work for every pen anyway.  Why not take a look at FPN's pen review section to see if there are any reviews of the Hero 7015?  There are a number for Baoer, from memory, most of them favourable.

Check out Jetpens.com as well.  Great prices and I've heard their customer service is pretty good.

-Edvard (April 27, 2014, 08:25 PM)

I think Goulet Pens are good too.

And as for what inks you put in them, that's a whole new set of topics  

[1NR1]

Hello,

Maybe Cheap should be in quotes The Cult Pens site had one in the $1000's.

But seriously, I use fountain and ink pens for drawing and I'm on the lookout for a cartridge ink pen that allows different "nibs".  Any ideas?  Thanks. 

[Edvard]

Maybe Cheap should be in quotes The Cult Pens site had one in the $1000's.

-1NR1 (May 21, 2014, 02:27 AM)

The original article only touched on pens in the $3 - $30 range, but yeah, thousand-dollar fountain pens are surprisingly common.  

But seriously, I use fountain and ink pens for drawing and I'm on the lookout for a cartridge ink pen that allows different "nibs".  Any ideas?  Thanks.  

If there are any that have different nibs, they will usually come in a special kit or boxed set and feature either interchangable nibs (rare) or different pen assemblies with a common body (less rare).  I have fond remembrances of Staedtler/Mars and Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph technical pens that had different points you could screw into the barrel/inkholder.  A similar system for fountain pens would be... delicious.  For now though, it might be enough to get a few drawing pens in different widths, such as the Tachikawa Linemarker A.T. line that comes in 0.1mm, 0.3mm, and 0.5mm ($13.50 each from JetPens.com).
Beyond that, I don't know any specifically  

[rjbull]

Maybe Cheap should be in quotes The Cult Pens site had one in the $1000's.

-1NR1 (May 21, 2014, 02:27 AM)

They also have cheap ones.  The baseline for the cheapest good fountain pen seems to be the Lamy Safari, or now the Lamy Nexx with same nibs and converters, which are affordable.

I'm on the lookout for a cartridge ink pen that allows different "nibs".  Any ideas?

-1NR1 (May 21, 2014, 02:27 AM)

Lamy Safari or Nexx...  if you buy them from The Writing Desk (TWD), you can specify whichever nib you want.  Quoting TWD's Lamy Safari page:

The Lamy Safari represents Lamy quality, reliability and style in an excellent value-for-money writing instrument, available as a fountain pen with either EF, F, A, M, left-handed (LH), B or 1.1/1.5/1.9mm italic nib sizes (mechanical pencil, rollerball and ballpen available to special order). The fountain pen comes with a Lamy T10 cartridge (blue) but bottled ink can be used if fitted with a Lamy Z24 converter. Although the converter is not supplied as standard we offer a bundle of Safari fountain pen plus converter which represents a saving over buying the items individually. See individual product listings for details.

[1NR1]

Thanks all, Edvard and rjbull for the 411. Several sites have what I am looking for, or pretty close anyway.

Some of you more exotic thinking types (which in my experience is just about everyone on Donationcoder) might consider making your own pens from quills and bamboo (search that). It's something I have had some success with in drawing, thus the original post of mine to to look for manufactured pens that don't require multiple dips in an ink well.

Cheers
NR
Washington DC

also: around Thanksgiving in the US, turkey quills are real cheap

[TaoPhoenix]

The original article only touched on pens in the $3 - $30 range, but yeah, thousand-dollar fountain pens are surprisingly common. 

-Edvard (May 21, 2014, 09:28 PM)

Heh rich boys and their toys. "My fountain pen cost more than your computer."

[Edvard]

Hehe, I've always wanted to make a quill pen with one of those gigantic African porcupine quills.

Absent that, I do have a small collection of fine pointed dip pens (cartographer and cartoonist nibs) and an incomplete set of brass Kueffel & Esser lettering pens that I still use when I'm feeling cheeky (see here and here for an example).

Next time I get my hands on a goose quill:

 

[raybeere]

A few remarks on cheap fountain pens:

Pilot 78G - interesting range of nib widths; the F should really be an XF, while the B is almost an italic; not much ink capacity, though. Excellent quality for the price.

Hero 616 (Chinese, no longer made) Still available, but watch out for the counterfeits. Even the genuiine ones are of uneven quality, but the good ones hold a decent amount of ink and write well.

Wing Sung 233 (Chinese, almost vintage, but NOS ones can still be had for as little as $3-$4) These are cheap and a bit flimsy (especially the caps - the clips will break if you look at them) but surprisingly smooth writers with character that hold a decent amount of ink.

(For the timid, I should note that although the Pilot 78G is a cartridge/converter pen, both the Hero 616 and the Wing Sung 233 are both squeeze fillers (poor man's aerometric) which can only use bottled ink.)

[sword]

Thanks all, Edvard and rjbull for the 411. Several sites have what I am looking for, or pretty close anyway.

Some of you more exotic thinking types (which in my experience is just about everyone on Donationcoder) might consider making your own pens from quills and bamboo (search that).

-1NR1 (May 22, 2014, 06:51 PM)

I make lots using Crow wing tip (flight) feathers.

[40hz]

I've done my own bamboo and reed pens. They worked amazingly well. I've never tried carving quills.

I also have a very nice collection of dip pens and Speedball nibs that date back to when Speedball was still making decent ones. I really enjoy using dip pens for illustration even if I'm no Dave Acosta or Terry Moore.

Lately I've been doing most of what drawing I can do with Pilot Razorpoint IIs in fine and superfine. They're porous felt so they can mush down or fray slightly if you're heavy-handed or drop one. But they have a clean line, write smoothly, and the ink is nice and dark. At $18-$21 per dozen (depending on where you get them) they won't break the bank either.

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Note: if anybody isn't familiar with Terry Moore, check out some of his work below. The guy is amazing. Interesting plots and characters too. One of the best graphic novelists you'll ever read.

Cheap fountain pen shootout   Cheap fountain pen shootout   Cheap fountain pen shootout   Cheap fountain pen shootout   

 

[app103]

Way back when I was in middle school I had a thing for Pilot disposable fountain pens, much to the dismay of my teachers. 



You can't get any cheaper than those, and while they were not intended to be refillable, they can be. (The ones I used as a pre-teen had replaceable cartridges, but was still pretty much "disposable")

There is also a complete review of that pen, on the same site.

Lucky for my teachers that I could only buy them in blue at the store across the street from the school, and not all the different colors they sell on Amazon. 

Lately I've been doing most of what drawing I can do with Pilot Razorpoint IIs in fine and superfine. They're porous felt so they can mush down or fray slightly if you're heavy-handed or drop one. But they have a clean line, write smoothly, and the ink is nice and dark. At $18-$21 per dozen (depending on where you get them) they won't break the bank either.

-40hz (May 26, 2014, 10:01 PM)

Those were a favorite of mine in high school, once I gave up the fountain pens. Not for drawing, but for regular writing. 

(always took notes with one of these, though)

[40hz]

(always took notes with one of these, though)

-app103 (May 27, 2014, 11:03 PM)

Aha! Haven't seen one of those pens in years. (My GF loved them. She still buys these.) I bet you were like her - one of those "brainy-girls" with that beau-coup cool and super-artsy notebook they all seemed to have weren't you?