Best Pen for a Lefty?

Any quality pen suggestion for a lefty? Would like to have something nice that doesn't smear and gets ink all over my wrist. Thanks!

Welcome to B&B and The Nib.

I am a leftie and have used fountain pens for as long as I can remember. The secret to me is being careful as well as choosing the right paper, ink and nib combination. Nibs in F or XF may be initially be the best choice.

What sort of pens have you seen or handled? What is your budget?

llrebs said:

Any quality pen suggestion for a lefty? Would like to have something nice that doesn't smear and gets ink all over my wrist. Thanks!

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I suppose it would kinda depend on how you hold your pen when writing.

I've seen lefty's who write from the bottom up (if that makes any sense) who probably would be able to use any pen/ink combo, and then there are those like my wife who completely wrap there hand around the line (if that makes any sense) and she has problems because she ends up dragging her arm across the written line.


If you are in the latter camp, then David's advice is probably what you need (along with a fast drying ink).

I think the ink is going to be more important than the pen itself, you just need something with a quicker dry time. The finer the nib and the paper absorption will help also.


The Pilot Metropolitan is a common recommendation for a starter pen (~$15) and you can get it with a Fine nib. The ink cartridges that come with it (Pilot/Namiki proprietary) have a very fast dry time.

+1 to the advice of it not being up to the pen. It's writing style, nib size and ink (in that order IMO). Get whatever pen you like and experiment with those variables til you find something you like.

Thanks for the replies! The metropolitan seems like an excellent starting point.

Agree that the pen brand and model have negligible effect on left-hand writing performance. The size of nib matters, as does dry time, which is dependent on paper, and the obviously, the ink. Get whatever pen catches your fancy, but put some effort into ink and paper selection.

I am southpawed, and write exclusively with a fountain pen now. I have no issue what so ever. Just like writing on a white board lift your wrist a little.