I did some more extensive revisions for this year’s “Best Pens” update, revising some of the list to reflect price changes, new additions, pens that have fallen out of production, and older companies that have become a bit stagnant. I won’t be overly long summarizing the update: you can read the list for yourself here! There is plenty more 10th Anniversary content on the way, including a pending “Best Pencils” list (both mechanical and woodcase), as well as a Multi-Pens category for the main Best Pens list. I wasn’t in a position to finalize all of those today, as I’m still considering whether to break pencils into a separate list. I hope you enjoy! I’ve really enjoyed being a part of this community for the past 10 years, and hope for at least 10 more!
Updated 4/14/24: I receive a lot of comments and messages whenever I update my “Best Pens” list. I can’t respond to all of them, but as a general matter I want to clarify a few things.
It goes without saying that any TGS review/ curated list reflects my opinion, based on my own decade-plus experience of buying, using, collecting, and selling fountain pens. The fact that a pen is not featured on the list should NOT be considered a judgment on a pen that you otherwise personally enjoy.
I cannot review everything. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different pens available on the market and to keep things manageable I reduce each category to five entries. If there is a pen that I have not reviewed on the site or featured in the list, that you think I should consider, please send me a message through the “Contact” link and I promise I will look into it.
Because the overwhelming majority of my readership is in the United States, I generally limit “recommendations” - especially for beginners - to pens that are readily available in the U.S., from U.S. based retailers, so that it’s unnecessary to mail a pen overseas for warranty service. Of course I still import pens and review them and enjoy them, but this list is written with a different set of considerations in mind.
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