Hello, my teenage son is asking for a fountain pen and since I don't know anything about fountain pens (nor does it interest me) I have no idea what to get him. He read something about it and is curious and wants to try it. Any suggestions for an inexpensive pen for a beginner would be appreciated.
Fountain pen for a teenager
- Thread starter CanuckShaver
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Pilot Metropolitan is a favorite of many. Lamy Safari gets a lot of attention as well. I started with a Platinum Preppy that has a great nib like its more expensive version (Plasir) but just not as "classy" All are available through gouletpens who are vendors on here. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer. Pilot 78G is another good one on the auction site that is inexpensive that people like.
Somewhat depends on what your son likes in appearance and how much you want to spend. All the above are less than ~$5-$35.
Somewhat depends on what your son likes in appearance and how much you want to spend. All the above are less than ~$5-$35.
Good recs above. Another good option would be a Kaweco Sport Ice. It is a pocket pen that is virtually indestructible. It also comes is different colors so it can be somewhat personalized.
+1 To the Kaweco. I'm not sure what kind of things your son is typically into or what his personality is like. The Lamy pens can be fun and funky, but the Kaweco is pretty "cool" and very durable. Fits right in a pocket, and looks pretty great when taken out.
- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks for all the suggestions. I was going to decide on what to get but since it looks like there are lots of choices I'll let him pick his choice of colors and design.
That's probably the best way! Take him to a few sites (goulet, Jetpens, Isellpens, etc) and see what he likes. I hope my own kiddo is interested in them once he's a little older. We're still learning that crayons don't need to be smooshed into the paper in order to write.
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- #7
I've been looking at the Kaweco, are the cartridges better than the traditional ink? Are they refillable or do i have to buy cartridges once they ran out of ink?
You can refill empty cartridges with a syringe and blunt-tip needle. Goulet Pen sells those. A bulb syringe is good for flushing/cleaning out the nib and feed between ink changes as well.
I have a Lamy Nexx M and think it would be great starter pen. Like the Safari, the nibs are easily swapped if, say, you buy a pen with a medium nib but find you'd rather have a fine nib.
-Andy
Cartridges can typically be refilled with a syringe a few times. You've just got to be careful because the seal can weaken over time. There's a great tutorial Doug (Nemo) posted a while ago that shows a very easy modification that can be done to convert a cartridge into a bulb filler. This way you don't have to constantly remove the plastic cartridge from the pen, causing the fit to loosen.
Also, I'm not sure if this should be recommended for a teenager, I guess it just depends on his patience and attention to detail (does that exist in teenagers?), but the NON-Aluminum Kaweco Sport pens can be converted to eyedropper fillers. Simply rub a TINY bit of silicone grease around the threads and fill the barrel with a syringe (NOT ALL THE WAY). The danger here is if the barrel were to become loose in a pocket or backpack... well let's just say if he doesn't take pics to share with us... it never happened.
Carts are not better than bottles. They are the same ink in a more convenient application. Bottled inks are much more economical and offer a greater choice of colors. Carts can be refilled but most do not do so. A converter can be added to the pen to allow for easy fills from bottles. Another option is to eye-dropper the pen.
The Kaweco is pretty much a cartridge-only pen. That said, you can "eyedropper" it (basically, you smear the threads with silicone grease, and fill the barrel with ink and away you go.)
Personally, I have several Kaweco's done as eyedroppers at any moment, and they work splendidly. Of course, not everyone is comfortable with that sort of thing, but if you son feels comfortable with it, it's a great idea ... and it holds a LOT of ink, especially compared to the small cartridges.
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I must bought my two daughters online brand fountains.. nondescript average looking pens.. german made..
Actually, there is a compatible converter available for only a few dollars.
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Cool.
I had always been led to believe that there was none ... Brian Goulet in his video says the same ... but I'm glad there IS a converter out there. Does Kaweco make it, or someone else?
Don't know who makes it but I first saw it in a FPG video last year. Obviously it doesn't hold a great deal of ink but it does make filling from a bottle much easier.
here is a link to jetpens: http://www.jetpens.com/Kaweco-Squeeze-Fountain-Pen-Converter-for-Sport-Series/pd/10586
i don't know who makes them, but i believe they were just released with in the last couple/few months...i just remember thinking i may get a modern kaweco now that there is an alternative to cartridges/eyedroppering it.
