Best Non-Fountain Pens for Everyday Use, Part II: Non-Disposable Pens

A couple weeks ago I offered my "Top 5" List of disposable Non-Fountain Pens for Everyday Use, most of which are relatively inexpensive, are sold in packs, and sometimes can be found in your local big-box or art supply store.  Sometimes, however, you want something nicer than a plastic clic pen, so I always keep a handful of nicer ballpoints and multipens handy.  But before I get into the main list: 

Totally Unfair Runner-up Pen

You'll notice that this list is missing a pen that I've promoted in the past, and remains my favorite non-fountain pen: the Tactile Turn Mover.  Personally, I think the Tactile Turn Mover might be the best non-fountain pen in my arsenal, but unfortunately the pen looks like it's being discontinued. Stock has been low or nonexistent for ages. As of the time of writing, Tactile Turn only has the Mover and the Shaker (a shorter pen that accepts Parker-style refills) available in Polished Bronze.  So, other than the Mover, here are my Top 5: 

Top 5 Non-Fountain Pen (Non-Disposable)  

1. Lamy 2000 Ballpoint/Multipen.  Lamy's flagship offering doesn't just come as a fountain pen: they sell ballpoint and multipen versions as well.  I've found these pens to be essentially indestructible. (My pen is vintage and stamped with "W. Germany", and remains in perfect working order at the ripe old age of 25.) If you're into metal pens, Lamy offers the ballpoint in Stainless Steel (at a premium). The multipen uses standard D1 refills, so you're not stuck with the stock Lamy version (which people either lover or hate).  

2. Hi-Tec-C Coleto. My multipen of choice. I prefer the Hi-Tec-C to other ultra-fine gel pens, and the Coleto is my favorite multipen because it's reasonably priced and relatively streamlined (read: not fat and chunky, like some multipens). The refills also last a long time (at least for multipen refills). 

3. Parker Jotter. The Parker Jotter is one of those products that has stood the test of time for decades, and I have a vintage "Made-in-the-USA" model that sits on my desk at work next to my phone.  It's a bit too small for me to use for extended writing sessions, but it does get used on a daily basis for short notes, etc.  

4. Retro 51 Tornado. The only liquid ink rollerball pen that made my list. The Schmidt refill used by these pens is famous for how smooth it is, and comes in either a .7mm or a .6mm size. For an interesting alternative to the Retro 51 Tornado that uses the same refill, check out the recently released Baron Fig Squire.    

5. MaxMadCo Bolt Action Pen. If you like hefty, indestructible pens, and are a fan of the bolt-action mechanism, the MaxMadCo pen is the best that I've used. Personally, it's too heavy for me and the type of writing that I do, but if your use case is for quick notes out "in the field", and you want a pen that's absolutely indestructible, this pen is an excellent option. 

Granted, my experience testing non-fountain pens isn't as extensive as my fountain pen knowledge, but I still use ballpoints and gel pens (not so much rollerballs) on a regular basis. In addition to the pens listed above, which are my personal favorites, others have had good experiences with the machined pens manufactured by Karas Kustoms and Ti2 Design.

DISCLAIMER:  This post contains affiliate links.

My "Tier One Pens" List (as of June 18, 2016)

The other day I mentioned that I hadn't had the opportunity to update the various "best of" lists on the site.  Now that things have quieted down (somewhat) for the summer, at least with respect to my travel schedule, I've had the opportunity to dig in and see if anything has changed. Short answer: it has, and I think fairly significantly.  

For those of you who haven't read the prior post (available here), "Tier One" and "Tier Two" pens are terms borrowed from Episode 164 of the Pen Addict Podcast.  I use the terms to refer to the different categories of "best pens" in my collection, "Tier One" Pens being those that I typically keep inked up, and that I'd never consider selling.  "Tier Two" refers to nice writing pens that are frequently in rotation but are easily replaceable, or vintage pens that I love but are less durable and therefore can't be carried as much.  

My Tier One Pens

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Out of all the pens that I own, Sailor's Pro Gear Imperial Black Edition is a favorite. 

1. Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black Edition.  No change here.  The Pro Gear Imperial Black remains my "desert island" pen. 
2. Pilot Custom 823.  I hesitated for a long time before buying this pen, mainly because of the price.  I shouldn't have.  The medium architect's nib that Mark Bacas ground for this pen is exceptional, and he didn't make it too sharp so I can easily use it for everyday writing. It's a no-brainer for the top tier.  Look for a review in the near future.
3. Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Demonstrator.  Another pen that I was an idiot for waiting so long to purchase, especially given the price point at which you can find it.  If you're a fan of the colored Custom 74 demonstrators, you can purchase Pilot's Custom Heritage 92 piston filler in the blue, orange, and smoke colors by ordering directly from Japan via Amazon. For whatever reason, Pilot has declined to make these demonstrators available in the United States in anything but the clear acrylic.    
4. Pelikan M800 Burnt Orange.  A new pen that I haven't had the chance to review yet, but I've not been able to put down since I purchased it at this year's Atlanta Pen Show. I worried that the M800 would be too big for my hand, but that's not turned out to be the case.  I love the color scheme of this pen, and the Masuyama .4mm cursive italic nib is an exceptional writer on almost any paper.
5. Bulkfiller Minimalistica.  I had just acquired this pen when I put together my last list, and unfortunately, I've not had it inked up in a while. That needs to change. I really miss having this pen in my daily carry, because it holds a huge amount of ink and the titanium nib is an excellent writer.  The "bulkfiller" mechanism is essentially a syringe filler, and is extremely easy to clean out.    

My Tier Two Pens

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The Lamy 2000 is a reliable, excellent everyday writer.  I'd argue than any respectable pen addict should have at least one in their arsenal. 

1. Lamy 2000 (EF Nib).  I love the form factor and weight of the Lamy 2000.  For reasons I talk about further later on, I've swapped out my Lamy 2000 with the Minuskin Stub in favor of my Lamy 2000 with the EF Nib.  
2. Parker Vacumatics.  Hands-down my favorite vintage pen.  I've found that, like most vintage pens, they tend to burp ink and sometimes leak when exposed to temperature/air pressure fluctuations, so they don't travel all that well, keeping them in the second tier for me.     
3. Any Sailor Pro Gear.  I continue to accumulate Sailor Pro Gears, and I'd call this my overall favorite pen model.  I have the Pro Gear Sky limited edition, and I recently picked up the limited edition "Soleil" Realo piston filler from Bung Box (shown below).  
4. Delta Fusion 82.  No longer a "Tier One" but still a strong "Tier 2," Delta's Fusion 82 remains a favorite.  (My Marmo Incrinato celluloid pen is currently on an extended vacation to the Atlanta area--look here for a review soon.) I'd argue that the Fusion 82 has one of the best out-of-the-box nibs available.
5. Scriptorium Pens Balladeer.  I've had a hard time putting this pen down.  The Conway Stewart Dartmoor Acrylic might be one of my favorite materials, and the size, weight and balance of this pen make it perfect for long stretches of writing. Once I finish up the fill of ink that I currently have in this pen, I'll probably eyedropper it, since the barrel is drilled out for maximum ink capacity.    

So, uh, yeah. This happened. Random eBay score. First in a long time. @bunguboxkaoru #penaddict #fountainpen #fpgeeks #sailorpen #sailorprogear #stationery #pennerd

A photo posted by Joe C. (@gentlemanstationer) on Apr 29, 2016 at 6:44pm PDT

What's the main difference between the new list and the old list?  No stub nibs.  Why? I've discovered cursive italic nibs, which typically have a lower ink flow, and therefore play nice with smaller handwriting, especially on cheap paper.  I'm enjoying architect's nibs for the same reason, provided they're not ground too sharp, to the point where they will dig in and either tear the paper or get clogged up with paper fiber.    

That said, I'm not going to rush out and sell all of my stubs immediately.  For one thing, I may explore whether it's possible to grind some of them down to cursive italics that I'd use more.  I imagine it would be fairly easy to do that (though I'd defer to someone who actually knows what they're doing on that point).  

I've left the old list indexed on the site, because I find it fun to see how my tastes have evolved over time.  

DISCLAIMER:  This post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase an item from certain sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase something you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so.  Many thanks!   

What Makes A Favorite Pen or Ink Brand?

What do people consider to be "great brands", and what makes them feel that way?  Over the past few weeks I had a couple posts on which I received a lot of feedback.  The first was my post on my "Top Three Favorite Pen Brands," and the second was a post on Sailor Ink, which has long been my preferred brand of fountain pen ink.  The interesting part for me was hearing back from all of you readers on your own favorite brands.  Here's a few that kept coming up: 

1. Pilot and Sailor.  No surprise here.  A lot of people love these two Japanese companies for both their pens and their inks.  I slightly prefer Sailor inks over Pilot inks, because I think they perform slightly better on cheap "office stock" paper, but as you know from my previous posts, I think highly of both Sailor and Pilot pens.   
2. TWSBI.  I received a couple e-mails and comments asking for my thoughts on TWSBI, which makes excellent pens at the sub-$75 price point.  TWSBI doesn't design their pens specifically for fountain pen "newbies", but they are approachable provided that you don't mind filling from an ink bottle.  Since they've tamed their quality control problems, I've kept a couple TWSBI's in my collection, and generally have one inked up and in the rotation.  TWSBI makes excellent workhorse daily carries, and since their pens are demonstrators, I like to use them for testing inks.  The nibs on the TWSBI 580 are interchangeable, and I have several spare nibs that have been ground into various configurations (i.e., a cursive italic and and architect's grind) that I can swap in and out of the pen.    
3. Platinum.  This Japanese brand, often thought of as the "third" Japanese brand behind Pilot and Sailor, as well as the sister company of Nakaya, is gaining popularity here in the U.S.  I recently acquired my first two Platinum pens, 3776 Century demonstrators in Bourgogne and Chartres Blue, and despite some annoying nib issues on the Chartres, which took some time to resolve, I'm enjoying both of them.  Platinum definitely has the potential to break into my "Top Three" in the future, but I need some more time with the pens.  And I still have my eye on their celluloid and Izumo lines...   
4. Diamine.  A British ink company, based in Liverpool, that's beloved for their extremely broad range of colors. Diamine's ink line, however, is so broad that I find it hard to categorize due to the wide assortment of different dyes used, etc.  In my experience, some inks behave differently than others, and I've had their reds and oranges tend to crust up on the nib.  I've had an excellent experience with Diamine's 150th Anniversary Inks (especially the Terracotta), but I've yet to test the waters with their "Shimmer-tastic" glitter inks.      
5. Waterman.  This brand holds a special place for me (and others, I might imagine) because for a long time, these inks were one of the only brands of fountain pen ink widely available in the U.S.  For example, it wasn't too long ago that you could occasionally find bottles of Waterman (and sometimes Phileas fountain pens) at university bookstores or big-box office supply stores.  I've always believed that Waterman makes good pens, too.  (My first "nice" fountain pen was a Waterman Laureate.) 

There are many more out there that people use and love.  This list got me thinking on what these various brands have in common, and why certain brands become favorites.  I settled on three major factors that play into it, at least for me:

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Pilot's Kakuno fountain pen:  Reliability (excellent QC), Variety (lots of color combinations), and Affordability ($10!!!) all in one package.  

Reliability.  Number one for me.  You could also call this "consistency."  No matter what specific item I pick up from one of my favorite brands, I know that it's going to write well, without serious problems.  Reliability and consistency largely determined who made it onto my Top 3 list.  A lot of people were surprised that I included Delta on that list, but Matt Armstrong (Pen Habit) echoed my sentiments in a recent review: every Delta nib he's used has written exceptionally well out of the box.  Reliability and consistency issues have kept other pens that I otherwise like out of my "top" lists.  For example, my experience with the Platinum UEF nib docked them a bit in my book, and TWSBI has a ways to go before I truly believe that they've overcome the cracking problem that plagued them early on.   

Variety. This is a tricky balancing act:  You want your favorite brands to offer enough of a range that you don't get bored, yet at the same time you don't want to see them issuing new models left and right chasing trends indiscriminately.  

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Sailor issues variations on its Pro Gear line of pens, with the Imperial Black Edition being a favorite. 

Who does this well?  Sailor is a big winner here, and it's a major reason why I like them so much.  They refresh their ink line every few years, and make special runs of ink for specific retailers.  They also issue different color schemes and designs without departing from their classic pen models, such as the Pro Gear.  Pilot, Platinum, and Pelikan also do a nice job balancing their traditional lines with tasteful special and limited editions.  Diamine has shown that it can manage a massive line of different inks without any consistency or serious Q.C. problems.   

Who Needs Work? Brands like Monteverde, which frankly makes a lot of weird pens.  Even Delta can be borderline tacky, with a lot of over-the-top limited editions, but the quality of their nibs saves them (at least in my book).  Ink brands like Noodler's and Private Reserve have wild variations in performance (sometimes even across different batches of the same colors), and you never really know what you are going to get with a specific ink.  On the other hand, Waterman suffers from the opposite problem:  their line seems stale.  They haven't introduced any interesting new pens or inks in the past few years, and their product line largely looks like it did in the late 90s (or even the 80s).     

Price Point/Accessibility.  Again, the Japanese companies end up on a lot of people's lists of favorites because their product lines run the gamut of price points from $12 entry-level pens to pens in the $1000s, without sacrificing quality.  Delta does a decent job on this as well, though they haven't yet introduced any pens designed to compete with the Pilot Metropolitan or Kakuno.  Lamy's Safari has been at the top of many "best first fountain pen lists" for decades.  On the other hand, companies such as Pelikan have struggled to broaden their appeal. They've had a lot of success with their higher-end pens, but still can't figure out how to make a true entry level pen that isn't overpriced or doesn't look childlike.  Waterman discontinued their excellent Phileas, which was a great entry-level pen available at office-supply stores, and now their pens start around $100.          

Perhaps the big winner in the non-fountain pen world is Retro 51, which has been wildly successful with their Tornado line of rollerballs.  With a few exceptions, their various editions (both standard and limited) are consistently priced in the $30-50 range, and their quality control is exceptional.  

Of course, lots of different factors go into the business strategies pursued by these different companies.  I'm no economist, so admittedly my thoughts here are entirely subjective and based on what I, personally, value in a brand, as well as discussions with other pen nerds about what we like about certain companies.  Hope you enjoy! 

DISCLAIMER:  This post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase an item from any of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase something you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so.  Many thanks! 

My Top Three Favorite Pen Brands

People write a lot about their favorite pens, but over the past several months I've been thinking about my favorite pen brands.  After giving this question some thought, I considered a few things: 

1. What pen brands, if any, could I recommend to others, without really worrying about recommending a specific model? 
2. What pens give me, personally, the most joy to use on a daily basis? 
3. What pens are most represented in my own collection? 

The results here may not surprise followers of this blog, though number 3 was a bit of a surprise to me. Without further ado: 

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Pilot's Kakuno fountain pen is a great entry-level model. 

Pilot.  When picking my overall favorite pen brand, without naming a specific pen, it would have to be Pilot.  At every price level, from inexpensive "beginner" pens to very expensive urushi and makie models, you really can't go wrong.  The key selling point for me is the consistency of Pilot's nibs. Without exception, every Pilot nib I have used has been excellent. This applies across the product range:  from the steel nib on the entry-level Pilot Metropolitan and Kakuno to the more expensive Pilot Custom Heritage 92 or the Pilot Custom 823.  What made Pilot number 1?  The fact that I feel like I can recommend Pilot as a brand to anyone and still have confidence they will be able to find something there they like. 

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My most recent Sailor Pro Gear acquisition, the Bung Box "Soleil" model (review coming soon).

Sailor.  On the other hand, Sailor is probably my personal favorite, if that makes sense, meaning that Sailor pens are most heavily represented in my own collection and give me the most pleasure to use. Sailor's Pro Gear model is probably my favorite pen of all time, and I have several of them:  the Pro Gear Imperial Black, the Pro Gear Sky, the limited edition "Realo Soleil" model by Bung Box, and something new on the way.  Why do I like the Pro Gear?  It fits my hand really well, and the nibs, while stiff, almost always write well without tuning. Unlike Pilot, however, Sailor focuses on higher-end pens.  Entry-level Sailor pens do exist, but I've heard mixed reviews and they are not widely available.

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Delta Dolcevita Soiree with the iconic Delta logo on the cap. 

Delta. This one was something of a surprise for me, but it turns out that I've somehow managed to acquire a lot of Deltas.  Delta is an Italian brand that offers a wide range of pens across a variety of price points. Recently, I reviewed the flagship Dolcevita (in the Soiree model), and in the past I've also looked at the Fusion 82.  While perhaps not quite as reliable as Pilot, I've had a near-perfect record of Delta pens writing perfectly out of the box, and they are one of a handful of pen companies that still issue pens in celluloid, a vintage-style material that I love and collect.  

Honorable Mention.  Platinum and Pelikan both have received increasing amounts of attention from me. I'm thoroughly enjoying the Pelikan M800 Burnt Orange that I picked up at the Atlanta Pen Show last month, and my Platinum 3776 with the ultra extra-fine (UEF) nib has become a near-daily user for detailed note taking after Mike Masuyama tuned it.  However, I don't yet have enough experience using either of these brands to dethrone one of the current top three.  In a year, that might change... 

It was interesting to spend some time going through my collection this weekend and looking at things from a macro perspective (as in, on a brand-by-brand basis instead of a pen-by-pen basis).  Eventually I'll need to update my Tier One Pens list, as some changes are overdue.     

DISCLAIMER:  This post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase a pen from any of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase something you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so. Many thanks!  

My Five Best Fountain Pen Inks for Everyday Writing

UPDATE: A new version of this “Top Five” list was published on February 26, 2020. Check out the post “Daily Writers: The Best Fountain Pen Inks for Daily Use.”

Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed an explosion in the number of fountain pen inks on the market.  Six years ago, when I first picked up my pen again after a long hiatus, the main players with any sort of color variation in their ink lines were Noodler’s and Private Reserve. For us corporate drones, bottles of staid (and somewhat boring) inks such as Parker, Waterman, and Pelikan 4001 could still be found on the shelves of big-box office supply stores.  Today, the big box stores have more or less abandoned fountain pens entirely (except for disposables and super-cheaps), but the overall landscape has completely changed:  I now count 10 readily available brands of fountain pen ink in my desk drawer alone.  Great, right?  But a major drawback is the paralysis of choice and the potential for overwhelm.

I like to shuffle colors in and out of my pens, but there are five or so inks that I keep coming back to for everyday writing.  By “everyday,” I mean writing at work on cheap copy paper, in my pocket notebooks, and taking notes while I read.  With the exception of one recommendation, most of these inks are readily available and relatively inexpensive.  

1. Sailor Kiwa-Guro Nano-Black. Expensive, yes; however, the price has come down a bit lately, and this Japanese workhorse will get the job done anywhere, even in a Moleskine. It’s pigmented ink, so just remember to clean your pens out regularly. Some might balk at paying this much for black ink, but given how long a bottle of ink lasts me, it’s not really a consideration. The versatility of this ink makes it a useful travel companion.

2. Waterman Serenity Blue/Florida Blue. I’ve sung the virtues of this ink before, as it made my list of “Best Blue Inks for the Office.” Want something that’s nice to look at, writes well on any kind of paper, won’t turn any heads, and is inexpensive? Try this.

3. Pilot Blue-Black. Another great ink that’s typically only available in cartridge form in the U.S., though you can easily order it from Japan off eBay or Amazon (in the big 350ml bottles, too). Like Waterman blue, Pilot Blue-Black dries quickly and works well on most papers, but you also get some nice shading and red sheen when the ink dries.

4. Diamine Oxblood. Ever wish you had a red ink that was dark enough to use for everyday business correspondence? Pick up a bottle of Oxblood. Like the vast majority of Diamine inks, it plays nice with most pens and different grades of paper. When it comes to my personal favorite readily available red ink, it’s a toss-up between Oxblood and . . .

5. Sheaffer Skrip Red. With its classic fire-engine hue, it’s my favorite “true red” ink. Skip Red is probably one of the few bright red inks that doesn’t stain, and can be considered “safe” to use in most vintage pens (though I’d still advise you to be careful with lighter colored celluloids or demonstrators).

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This list reflects my own opinion. There are an infinite number of “top five” lists floating around out there, but people love recommendations, so here are mine.  What I need from an ink on a day-to-day basis is probably different than what someone else wants, but if this list can be helpful to even a few people out there, it adds value.  This list also shouldn't be confused with my "favorite inks of all time," because that list will include things such as limited editions and vintage inks (and is on the way).