Q&A: Top 5 Fountain Pens for Beginners

From time to time I'll receive an e-mail from someone looking to break into this hobby asking what pen they should purchase as their "first fountain pen."  It's a difficult question to answer, because there are so many different variables and potential starting points.  For example, some people have a lot of disposable income and want to start right away at the $100-plus price point, with a gold-nibbed pen.  Personally, I didn't start there, and I don't think it's the best way to decide whether this method of writing is "for you."  I started down this path with a cheapo plastic school pen and a gallon plastic bag of generic school cartridges (back when you could buy such things easily), and I still got hooked!  Here are my top 5 "First Pen" recommendations.   

The classic, streamlined design of the silver Pilot Metropolitan.  

  1. The Pilot Metropolitan.  For $15 (or less at PenChalet with a coupon code), you can get a cartridge filling pen with a great nib that also comes with a converter.  I personally was "cartridge-only" for years before I started using bottled ink, but frankly there weren't nearly as many bottled ink options then as there are now.  The Metro is now (or soon will be) available in an array of colorful options, and you have the choice between a medium and a fine nib.  For first-timers, I'd go with the medium, as the fine is very fine, and could be considered scratchy.
  2. The Pilot Kakuno.  Another pen that I hear raves about is the Pilot Kakuno.  While I personally do not have one (yet), even experienced fountain pen users have multiples of this pen, and those Kakunos that I have written with have been excellent writers.  The pen is a cartridge pen that also accepts converters, so if you "convert" to using bottled ink down the line, you can still use this pen.  Best known for it's "smiley face" engraved on the nib, the Kakuno is also available with Pilot's excellent medium and fine steel nibs, like the Metropolitan.  It's a bargain (via Amazon).  
  3. The Lamy Safari.  While I started out with Waterman Kultur and Phileas fountain pens that I purchased in France (and sadly, that are no longer available in the U.S., at least at retail), the Safari was the first pen I purchased when I took a deeper dive into this hobby five years ago.  With it's now-iconic design, the Safari can almost be considered a piece of modern art, but I would recommend that anyone thinking about this pen take note of two things before purchasing:  (1) if triangular grip sections on pens and pencils don't work for you, the Safari probably won't either; and (2) Lamy cartridges are proprietary, and somewhat hard to find at retail in the States.  That said, at under $30, you're not out a ton of money if the purchase doesn't work out, and PenChalet has the Neon Yellow limited edition priced as low as $22.  
  4. The Kaweco Sport.  A new take on an old classic.  Kaweco resurrected a line of pocket pens from earlier in the century, and if these had been available to me when I was a student I probably would have had five or six of them, in the entire range of colors.  The Kaweco Sport clocks in at a whopping $25, and the entire range of nibs is available, from fine all the way to broad.  The Kaweco Sport also takes the (fairly) universal short international cartridges, which are fairly easy to find, though you don't have a good converter option if you want to switch to bottled ink.  For future reference, its also available in the more expensive aluminum and brass models.  
  5. The Pelikan Twist.  The Pelikan Twist came onto my radar at the Atlanta Pen Show.  While clearly intended for the "student" market, a lot of serious pen collectors enjoy these pens as well.  Pelikan makes nice nibs,  and this one went into my cart this morning.  A converter is available, and the pen comes in a range of colors. 

Of these five recommendations, my unequivocal "top two" would be the Pilots, simply because I think Pilot makes great pens, the barrier to entry is low, and I don't know many people who have had a bad experience with either pen.  I will go ahead and preemptively address the inevitable "Why didn't you include . . . " questions here with respect to two brands:  TWSBI and Noodler's.  As to TWSBI, I love their pens, but I don't recommend that beginners start out with a piston filler and a bottle of ink.  While you can buy the new "Eco" at less than $30, you can get a nice cartridge/converter pen for even less money.  Once you know this is the hobby for you, then buy as many bottles of ink as you want :)  Noodler's pens, quite simply, are not for beginners.  While they are inexpensive, they can require extensive tinkering to write properly.  Their pens that fall in the $40-75 range, such as the Konrad, warrant mention to more experienced fountain pen users, but I wouldn't wish the Ahab on my worst enemy.  

DISCLAIMER:  This post contains affiliate links.

A Retrospective: One Year of the Gentleman Stationer

For this week's “links” post, I’ve decided to look back at one year’s worth of posts on this blog in its current form.  It’s been interesting to review these older posts over the past few days to get a sense of what readers find interesting, and in particular what particular posts (or categories of posts) have staying power.  To those of you new to the blog, here’s an opportunity to catch up on my “greatest hits”!  

  1. One Week With . . . The Pilot Metropolitan.  My review of the Pilot Metropolitan posted for Fountain Pen Day back in November, when we were giving away a silver Metro with a fine nib courtesy of Jetpens.  The Metropolitan continues to be the “gateway drug” of many into the fountain pen world, and if you’re just dipping your toes in the water it’s a good place to start.  I don’t own a Metropolitan anymore (hey, I had to create some space somehow) but I continue to wholeheartedly recommend them. 
  2. A Modern Classic:  The Parker Sonnet.  The success of this review surprises me.  It’s one of my earliest reviews (written in July of last year), and consistently shows up as one of my “most read” posts.  Many people knock the Sonnet as a temperamental pen that frequently has nib issues—and this may be the case—but I bought this one at a pen show, had Mike Masuyama work on the fine nib, and have used it consistently every since.  I love the chiseled stainless steel pattern on this pen, and it has a permanent place in my pen chest.  
  3. Ink Review:  Sailor Yama Dori.  Ok, so this one isn’t much of a surprise at all.  I don’t think I’ve come across anyone who has used this ink and doesn’t at least “like” it.  The black-teal color is unique, and I find Sailor inks to be among the most consistently well-behaved.  If you haven’t seen or tried this ink, read this review and then go order yourself a sample.
  4. Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black Edition.  Another non-surprise, especially given that I flog this pen to anyone who will listen to me wax poetic about Sailor’s nibs, the pen’s perfect size, the matte-black finish . . . you get the point.  I’ve had this pen going on two years.  I’ve pretty much considered selling or trading every pen I own at some point, except this one. 
  5. Pilot G2 Limited.  My most-read review of a non-fountain pen.  I still love the G2, probably as much as or more than any other commonly available gel pen.  I gifted this particular pen to my brother this Christmas when he asked me for an “upgrade” and he loves it.  Readily available, for not much money at all.  (WARNING:  Impulse-buy affiliate link here.)

Thanks to all of you who visit (regularly or occasionally) my little corner of the pen blogosphere.  I appreciate all of you and look forward to writing here for a long time to come. 

Stuff I've Been Reading...And a Rant

I've resisted doing a weekly links post, simply because it's been hard to find the time to squeeze it in, but so many people have been kind enough to link to me over the past few weeks that I felt it was time to pay it forward.  This may or may not become a regular feature, but when something interests me I will make every effort to pass it along here.

  1. Pete Denison has an excellent piece on the "Analog vs. Digital "debate" that has been raging on the internet over the past week.  (See more below)
  2. Patrick Rhone reviews the Pilot Metropolitan over at The Cramped (which contains plenty of great writing on a daily basis).
  3. Pencil Revolution Turns 10 Years Old. 
  4. Pens, Paper Pencils Reviews two of my favorite things, The Knock Co Sassafras and Sailor Jentle Grenade Ink.
  5. And finally, what weekly review would be complete without Nick Bilton's magisterial piece on the demise of writing implements in favor of "the finger." 

I have to hand it to Mr. Bilton, this latter piece was "thought provoking," and most of us who pay attention to pen-related news read this article at some point during the past week.  I won't add to the myriad takedowns of some of Mr. Bilton's ridiculous statements in the article, which has been done far more eloquently (here) and hilariously (here) than I could hope to offer.  I also won't attack him personally.  For all I know, he very well could be a world-class asshat, or he could be a perfectly pleasant human being working for a distressed publication and struggling to come up with a good idea in time for his deadline.

I will say, however, that the underlying premise of the article--that pens and pencils and paper and other writing instruments are somehow being put out to pasture in favor people writing with their fingers on smartphones and tablets--is flat-out wrong.  Handwriting isn't going anywhere anytime soon, nor should it, and it's not just going to survive in the realm of people keeping their personal journals, writing greeting cards, or running marginally relevant websites devoted to their esoteric hobbies.  

The organization that I work for is probably a pretty good representation of corporate America in general.  Of the 250 people who work in my local office, I know of one--read that, one--who takes notes on an ipad using a stylus.  (And it's not really a stylus, it's a ballpoint pen with a stylus tip.)  He does it because he claims to be incapable of organizing anything, and this is the one thing he's found that works for him.  I know of absolutely nobody who uses their finger to write and take notes.  Those people who take all their notes on a laptop are also in the minority, and junior people joining us are actually counseled not to do so.  Why?  The reasons are too numerous to list here, but I can give you a few:

  1. It makes people uncomfortable, and even ticks people off.  I've been in meetings where someone has been asked to turn their laptop off because the person speaking or presenting either (a) didn't like the feeling that every word he was saying was being recorded or taken down verbatim, or (b) more commonly, didn't feel like the person clacking away at their keyboard was paying attention to them.  IMHO, it's much more polite (and, dare I say it, human), to make eye contact with someone while they are speaking and take discrete notes on the important stuff as necessary or appropriate.
  2. Again, taking notes by hand makes you focus on the important stuff.  I can't tell you how many memos summarizing a meeting or interview I've received where four of the five pages consist of mindless recitation of useless information that should never have been recorded in the first place, and the time spent typing it up would have been better spent considering what was actually being said and organizing the writer's thoughts into a more expressive format.  
  3. IT'S NOT PERMANENT.  (or at least, you have the choice to make it non-permanent).  One of the joyous things about writing by hand is that you can shred/crumple up/scratch out your ill-formed first drafts and preliminary thoughts/conclusions, not to mention that angry rant about your boss or co-worker, and not have it come back to haunt you 5 years later when someone finds it in an old e-mail or in your dropbox.  (I have seen this happen more times than I can count, mainly in litigation discovery).  I think we're only beginning to see the implications of digitally archiving our entire personal/professional/social/intellectual life for eternity on social media or "in the cloud."   

For the record, I'm no Luddite longing for the pre-internet days.  I'm 34, own multiple computers, too much software, and love to blog.  I do, however, spend a lot of time--way too much time--dealing with the fallout caused by people retaining sensitive digital information in an insecure manner, when they probably didn't need to retain that information at all.  I'll stop for now, and go enjoy my Sunday, but we need to take a step back from the mindset that "just because we can make it digital, we should," and carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.