Trying out FPs for the first time

I'm in search of more elegant writing tools, and wound up here. I'm interested in using a fountain pen, but don't want to spend more than a few bucks on something I may not like or find particularly enjoyable.

At lunch I picked up a three pack of Pilot Varsity disposables. I wanted to get the Zebra V-301, but couldn't find them..

They write just fine for me. I have pretty horrible handwriting that I'd like to improve over time, but I'm not looking for perfection. The line seems a bit thick for me. The package didn't say if it's medium, bold, etc but it looks very bold to me. I prefer a fine line.

Anyway, I have a few questions:

1. Is the writing quality of the pilot varsity indicative of what it's like to write with a really nice FP? Obviously these are cheaper due to the much simpler design of the pen, being non-refillable and all, but I assume much of the cost is in the quality of the mechanics.

2. What would be a good inexpensive (ie under $25) fountain pen with a F to EF nib that I could upgrade to if I find writing with an FP to be to my liking?

I'll start off saying that I have terrible handwriting as well. I've been working on it since I got my first fountain pen a few weeks back and have already seen a lot of improvement!

Anyway, I'm pretty new to fountain pens as well so I can't really help you with #1 but I might have a bit of advise for #2.

I bought a Pilot Metropolitain (M nib) a few weeks back and a Lamy Safari (F nib) more recently. I don't own a Varsity but from what I understand, they have a nib that is a medium to medium-fine Japanese (Pilot) size or a fine European (Lamy) size (Japanese nibs are typically thinner than European or American). Like you, I found the lines to be a bit too bold for me.

I originally was going to purchase an EF nib for my safari but found I could buy a Pilot Penmanship with a Japanese EF nib for about the same price. So, now I'm using a Pilot Metro with an EF nib from a Penmanship and love it! Its not as smooth as the medium nib it came with but it still writes very nicely and I have no problems with skipping or slow starting with Noodler's black ink in it. The line is about as fine as my Zebra F-701 ballpoint but looks much nicer.

I should clarify that the Pilot Metro only comes with a M nib so you have purchase other cheap Pilot pens and swap nibs if you want a different size.

Price:
The Metro costs ~$15 and Penmanship costs ~$12 so you are looking at ~$27.
The Safari costs ~$23 and you'd need to buy a converter for ~$6 if you want to use bottled ink so you are looking at either ~$23 or ~$29.

Either option will run you a bit over $30 once you pay for shipping. You could also just the buy the Penmanship first to see if you like that nib size and you might even really like writing with it. I found that it had an odd shape and it seemed to be too write too wet for my taste, although that probably had more to do with the cartridge it came with rather than the pen.

There are a lot of reviews and comparisons for either pen online so I won't go into a long pros and cons list. Overall, I think the Metro is a more "elegant" and classy pen and is the better buy especially if you are looking for a fine line. Both pens offer very good quality for the price range.

I should note that if you do end up getting a Metro and switching nibs, be sure to only switch out the nibs and not the feeds. From what I understand, the feed on the Penmanship isn't as good as the Metro and it doesn't fit the converter that comes with the Metro very well.

Keep in mind that everything I said is from a newbie perspective. There are a lot of people in this forum that have a lot more knowledge than I do. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Try a fine point Pilot 78G like this --> http://www.ebay.com/itm/free-ship-Pilot-22k-78G-FOUNTAIN-pen-RED-3-cartridges-/150703934884

Best intro pen I can think of and I've been thinking a good long time. It will write much better than a varsity in my opinion.

1 my experience has been that price does not guarantee writing quality -- I have a Lamy safari that equals or beats pens >$100 as far as the nib and writing performance

2 Lamy safari, pilot metropolitan if you prefer a little heavy, pilot 78g if you prefer a little light

sk0ttomann said:

1. Is the writing quality of the pilot varsity indicative of what it's like to write with a really nice FP? Obviously these are cheaper due to the much simpler design of the pen, being non-refillable and all, but I assume much of the cost is in the quality of the mechanics.

2. What would be a good inexpensive (ie under $25) fountain pen with a F to EF nib that I could upgrade to if I find writing with an FP to be to my liking?

Click to expand...

Well ...

nemo said:

Try a fine point Pilot 78G like this --> http://www.ebay.com/itm/free-ship-Pilot-22k-78G-FOUNTAIN-pen-RED-3-cartridges-/150703934884

Best intro pen I can think of and I've been thinking a good long time. It will write much better than a varsity in my opinion.

Click to expand...

*bing* *bing* *bing* *bing* *bing* *bing* *bing* *bing* *bing* *bing* *bing* *bing* *bing* *bing*

We have a winner!

I like my Pilot Metros much more than the 78g, at least for the body - the Metro feels very substantial and of high quality. Of course, you can take a fine 78g nib and put it on a Metro body. I did that until the darn nib got damaged (I forget how I did it) . . .

I just took a look at the metros on eBay and really like the looks of the black ones. I think the silver looks a bit too modern for my taste. The 78G also looks nice. I think I just caught a case of FPAD.