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Beginner fountain pens

Im kind of interested in a fountain pen, keep in mind i have never used one and sort of on a limited budget is their a go to brand for vintage and modern i should be looking at? Just want to try a no frills fountain pen and see if i like it. Thank you very much in advance!
 
A pilot Metropolitan is a nice pen for 15 bucks plus shipping
Or you could get the unfancy version called the pilot 78G for ten bucks shipped. it writes nice just looks plain
 
Is their a specific Maker/Model/Style or Nib size i should look for vintage?.....I lean more towards vintage stuff usually.
 
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Esterbrook J pens, lower end Sheaffer lever fillers (Craftsman), and Parker '45's and '21's are all good choices on a budget. Look them up to see what appeals to you. Good luck.
 
I really love my Pilot Kakuno. It's just about $15 and writes incredibly smooth. I get more use out of it than most of my other pens at the moment. Metro is nice as well, but the Kakuno feels much more comfortable in my hand. There's a weird edge on the Metro that didn't agree with my finger all that much.
 
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This discontinued 1990s style Sheaffer School pen is pretty good, and you can still get Sheaffer cartridges or a Sheaffer converter (letting you use bottled ink) that will fit it. You should be able to find one for around $10 to $15. I paid $15 for the one in the picture, and yes it has been removed from the package for some time now.



Waterman Kulturs have been discontinued for a few years now. A couple of years ago you could find one for around $20-$30 on eBay, not sure about now, but they're pretty good too. They take standard international cartridges or a converter which you'd have to buy separately.

A Pilot FP-78G is a good choice which I find more comfortable to hold than a Metro, and it has essentially the same nib. I suggest going with a medium nib rather than a fine on this pen, but with some other pens a fine might be more what you want. Fine, medium, and broad mean different things with different makers.

Plenty of other good "usual suspect" first choices. Just mentioning a few that I like personally. Esterbrooks are excellent, and sac replacement, if needed, is not hard, but you might not want to start off right away with restoring a pen when you just want to see how they write.
 
While there are lots of vintage options (Such as Pelikan, Sheaffer, Parker) you need to make sure you are buying something that will work. It is a lot like straight razors, knowing what to look for and what makes the pen still good is key, a lot of pens though have internal parts you can not see in pictures or in hand without taking them apart, and some pens do not come apart easy.

if you want to buy a vintage pen online it is possible it may have to be repaired, and if all goes wrong, may not be able to be repaired.


There are some trusted sources on vintage pens though Nibs.com comes to mind at the moment, John will sell you a good working pen. Pen shows are the best bet if you can make it to one. Ebay is a mess if you are not careful, they are full of frankenpens, and rarely do people take the pictures needed to see what you need to see (Such as the tines on the nib)
 
Ebay is a mess if you are not careful, they are full of frankenpens, and rarely do people take the pictures needed to see what you need to see (Such as the tines on the nib)

Believe me, it hurts when you have learned this lesson, the hard way!
 
If REALLY on a budget and just want to try, the staples carries both the pilot varsity and BIC disposables. I don't know where they are for line width but should give you an idea. And the varsity can be refilled on the user level
 
My Pilot Metropolitans (fine, in Violet Leopard and White Tiger) are by far the most used fountain pens that I own. Fine point for me.

If you want a flex pen, a Noodler's Nib Creaper would be an option. I have not found them to be nearly as finicky as the Ahab (the "devil's pen"). Keep in mind that Noodler's pens are widely regarded as finicky pens and are rarely, if ever, recommended for someone new to fountain pens. Hence, the Pilot Metropolitan.

Any other major brand has "starter pens" as well - GouletPens is a nice website to start with.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Really, if you are in the "I want to try it to see if I like fountain pens" category, the Pilot 78g and/or Metropolitan are the way to go. I'd start with a Medium nib. These pens are reliable, well made, and write well. You have to pay a lot of money to get something that writes noticeably better.

These are inexpensive pens. There are lots of cheaper pens out there ... but you run a much higher risk of getting a dud which will turn you off the whole experience.

Vintage pens are great once you know your way around, but ... there are a lot of duds and "handyman specials" out there pretending to be "great writers" ... so the odds of $15 well spent to get you a good pen are round about nil.

Get the Pilot as suggested ... try the pen ... if you like fountain pens, then delve into vintage and find out all you need before making a purchase (or learn by purchase trial & error.)
 
One "vintage" pen that doesn't get mentioned a lot is the Sheaffer "No Nonsense" pen. It's a clean, simple design, good size, and takes standard Sheaffer cartridges (it can also be filled as an eyedropper). They're generally in good shape and need nothing more than a cleaning and a new ink cartridge to get you writing. They are very reliable workhorses and a great everyday pen.

$NoNonsense_1.jpg
 
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