There are three of us who want to buy a fountain pen as a gift for a friend. A little about him. He is about 45 years old and is an engineer by profession. He has just been given a very big promotion and we want to give him the pen as a gift. This person is not brand conscious but rather (I guess being an engineer) is more influenced by performance. Our price range is a max of $300. He is a rather tall individual with huge hands. However, he is very artistic. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Fountain Pen as a Gift: Need Recommendations
- Thread starter ackvil
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The new TWSBI 540 sounds like it would be a good fit for said individual. It is a larger pen and the ability to deconstruct it might suit an engineer. It is also a pretty big pen for his big hands. All at 1/6 your max price range.
When you figure it out tell my inlaws! I have been leaving hints that a FP would be a nice graduation gift in December 
Very true, but his description just screamed TWSBI!
Rereading the OP, you're right. He might actually quite like a TWSBI! I retract my previous statement.
Jim, maybe you could get him a TWSBI 540 ($50) with a few different nib sets ($20 each) and a few bottles of ink! That'd be quite the gift basket!
Just deleted my first post.
perhaps something like this:
I think an engineer would love a sort of gadget-driven fountain pen. The Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point and the Lamy Dialog 3 come to mind immediately. Some of the other Lamy pens, the Studio for example, have that sleek and modern look to them. Throw in a Rhodia dot pad, which is useful for everything from writing to drawing, and you've got a fantastic gift.
The 540 with an EF nib would be very useful (if he does any drawing with it at all). I don't see a non-FP geek swapping nibs all the time, but maybe another nib unit might be fun. A couple of inks, of course - something reserved and something with flare. I think you can still get some 5 O'Clock Shadow, or perhaps some Heart of Darkness for the reserved color. Maybe a nice blue to go with it (I'm really liking Bad Blue Heron).
Oh, and get him some nice paper. A Rhodia Dot Pad for an engineer!
Oh, and get him some nice paper. A Rhodia Dot Pad for an engineer!
My recommendations are based on pens I enjoy or would like to own.
Sailor 1911
Sailor Professional
Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point (Raden and Carbonesque models are my favorites)
I would go with Medium nibs on those, as the Japanese nibs tend to be on the Fine side.
A custom made Edison would be a wonderful gift, and you could choose the color and material used for the pen.
Frankling Christoph also offer some innovative designs and are supposed to be wonderful writers.
I don't think you could go wrong with any of those. Also, if there's room in your budget, it might be nice to select two or three inks for your friend to use. Personally, I like Noodler's Ink (Air Corps Blue Black is a favorite of mine).
-Andy
Sailor 1911
Sailor Professional
Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point (Raden and Carbonesque models are my favorites)
I would go with Medium nibs on those, as the Japanese nibs tend to be on the Fine side.
A custom made Edison would be a wonderful gift, and you could choose the color and material used for the pen.
Frankling Christoph also offer some innovative designs and are supposed to be wonderful writers.
I don't think you could go wrong with any of those. Also, if there's room in your budget, it might be nice to select two or three inks for your friend to use. Personally, I like Noodler's Ink (Air Corps Blue Black is a favorite of mine).
-Andy
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Lamy 2000. Very techy looking, minimalist design
I would not confuse engineering with complexity, in fact a truly well engineered item is as simple as possible to do the job. Sometimes its referred to as a elegant solution.
Anyway.... a 1911 would be a very thoughtful and elegant pen to give as a gift.
Anyway.... a 1911 would be a very thoughtful and elegant pen to give as a gift.
Sailors are some of the best bang for the buck pens in my opinion.
1911, or the pro gear might be good choices.
Also the Pilot 823 is good choice.
1911, or the pro gear might be good choices.
Also the Pilot 823 is good choice.
All great choices.... My only concern with the Vanishing point is some people do not like then because of the placement of the clip .
I would recommend a Pelikan M400 or M600 that is in your price range (if you to "Isellpens", you get super prices). Just got mine the other day, and must say right out the box the best writing FP I ever owned.
B+B Limited Edition, hands down.
a 1911 comes in a demonstrator as well
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- #19
Thanks for all your suggestions and thank you Rudy for the web site recommendation.
I called my friend's wife and asked her what she thought his preference would be. She said he would something in a "classical, conservative style," so I think the Pelikan or Sailor suggestions would work.
One question since I know little about pens. What is a demonstrator? Is it because it is clear and the internal parts are visible?
One of the guys is going to NYC this weekend and will make a trip to some pen stores to see what they look like. Needless to say there are no quality pen stores that I can find near where I live.
I called my friend's wife and asked her what she thought his preference would be. She said he would something in a "classical, conservative style," so I think the Pelikan or Sailor suggestions would work.
One question since I know little about pens. What is a demonstrator? Is it because it is clear and the internal parts are visible?
One of the guys is going to NYC this weekend and will make a trip to some pen stores to see what they look like. Needless to say there are no quality pen stores that I can find near where I live.
My first FPs were Pleikans, and I'm happy with the purchases. I thought of Pelikans when I read your post ... the classic lines, the easy-intro-to-FP piston filler ... nice.
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