Less Expensive Fp Suggestions?

[sakayume]

For about ~$50, I really like my Sailor Procolor. It's a nice, wet (Japanese) F nib that writes smoothly with the Sailor inks I use it with, and I really like the colour I have (the Sakura pink one). However, it's only available in an F nib.

 

For even cheaper, the Pilot Kakuno I have serves me well. Again, it's a smooth, wet writer (mine is an F nib) and I find the faceted grip section comfortable.

 

However, I would prefer a Pelikan M200 to both of these. I like the screw on cap, the freedom to change nibs (which the Japanese pens sadly lack) and the piston filler (I don't mind converters, but I balk at cartridge only pens). If I were only to use cartridges, I'd probably get a Kaweco.

[Maurizio]

I agree with those here who've said buy the most expensive pen you can afford. I would skip Chinese pens because, while some of them do write well, quality is very inconsistent so they're not worth the trouble.

 

I also agree that you should try using bottled ink. I'm pretty busy, but I enjoy using bottled ink enough that I keep at least one bottle in my desk at work; I usually ink my pen (or pens) in the evening but keep the work bottle to be sure I can recharge.

 

Some suggestions:

- Pilot Lucina $42. - 49. on Amazon; a really nice great writing pen; comes with a converter

- Noodler's Ahab $20. A nice pen IF you're willing to invest the time to tweak it; there are many threads here which explain how. It's taken me many hours to get mine going, but now that it is, it writes nicely; I like the fat barrel and the ebonite feels good in the hand.

- Kaweco Sport - about $23.00 - another nice writing pen; only comes with a squeeze bladder converter; if I could find another converter which works with it; I'd use mine more.

 

If you want to go to around $100 - $140:

Pilot Vanishing Point $140.

Kaweco Dia $125.

 

These are both great writing pens; I recommend them because I've experienced them. I'm sure there are many others here who can suggest other pens within that price range.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Maurizio

[ancalagon]

I agree with those here who've said buy the most expensive pen you can afford. I would skip Chinese pens because, while some of them do write well, quality is very inconsistent so they're not worth the trouble.

This is inconsistent with the rest of your advice. You say to avoid cheap pens with possible quality problems, then recommend the Ahab, which according to your description is a cheap pen with enough quality issues to cause hours of work.

[VivienR]

I think I would say something that I wouldn't say around a month ago: Japanese pens! Despite being die hard Parker fan, especially have a desire toward Sonnets, brought a Sailor Sapporo, and, well its well made beauty. Okay its smaller than Sonnet, but doesn't dry up as quickly. The nib quality is great (not that Sonnet nibs would have any problem). You can find really good performing Sailors under 100$.

[Dronak]

As another follow-up, my intention behind getting pens is to use them rather than simply collect them. While I do have a handful of FPs already, I'm not really looking to build a collection. I'd like a relatively small but nice variety of pens that I can use and experience their unique features and how they differ from each other. I may not end up using all of them regularly, but I don't really want to buy pens that are just going to sit in a case and never get used.

 

Again, I'll have to check out more of the suggestions listed, because I'm not familiar with all of the brands mentioned. I will say that I like the idea of the Monteverde Impressa: it's a brand I've heard of before and was considering, monteverdepens.com says it's been named as a "most incredible value" candidate, and the price is good at around $50. I've also been thinking about the Pelikan P200. I realize that the M200 is probably more popular here, but at present I don't really want a pen that will not accept cartridges, and I can always get a converter to use the P200 with bottled ink if I want to do that.

 

On Chinese pens, given my experience with two Jinhao 250s, I'd have to agree that quality is variable. One writes fairly well but wet, while the other is rather dry and doesn't write as well because of that. I'm not sure I want to put too much money into Jinhao or similar pens if I can't be assured of a reasonably nice writing experience from them. I also don't think I want to get something I'd need to modify myself. Never having done that before, I wouldn't trust myself to do it right and get a good result; I'd expect me to end up ruining the nib.

 

Thanks for the new suggestions. I'll keep considering my options, since I'm not in a rush to make a purchase.

[luvpens]

My choices in your remit would be..

 

Waterman Expert II or III in F - I found the M wrote very wet and bordered being a broad.

Cross Bailey - Good all round pen, nice build and can often be found on offer.

Hero 382

Hero 7022

 

Neither of the Hero's (imho) come across as cheap pens. They are both very well made / finished, and write very well. Until I bought the 7022, the 382 was my main go-to pen for a considerable time.

[Joe in Seattle]

Levenger True Writer

[rdh]

Hi,

 

I have a few suggestions.

 

1) Pilot Elite. A very unique pen with a thumbnail nib. They have a new version (95s) that is really excellent but is over your preferred price. It can be ordered from Japan for less than 100$. Vintage ones from the 70s are readily available in your price range with a gold nib. Many NOS ones are available with steel nibs for around $20. The new ones can take a cartridge. Not sure about the vintage ones. I use the simple squeeze converters in them.

 

2) Pilot Prera or Lucina (mentioned earlier). Both have steel nibs and are very good. The Lucina is more traditional-looking and higher quality. Both take cartridges or converters. The Prera is Pilot's answer to the Pelikan M200.

 

3) Sheaffer. Many of their gold-nibbed pens are available in your range, especially the Touchdown fillers. This is because they made so many of them. They are not scarce, are built like tanks and thus do not command a high price despite the fact that they are extremely high quality. What is interesting about Sheaffer, is the wide variety of nib types. They have the circular Triumph nibs and the flashy inlaid ones as well as the traditional open-nibs. Many of the Imperials can be found that take converters. My favorite, though, is the Legacy I, which has an inlaid nib and can take cartridges, a squeeze converter or can be used as a Touchdown filler. These can be found below $100, so they are a bit above your range, but worth a look.

 

Happy hunting!

 

Dave

[prf5]

Several U.S. retailers are offering the Platinum Cool and Balance (identical except for the finish) for a very reasonable $42+. They are CC's that require propriety cartridges. The included converter fits tight. The pens write remarkably well -- especially the medium. They have a cap similar to the seal in the Platinum 3776 that keeps the pen from drying out. I have three Cool's and keep all of them inked and in different places around the house. The fine's are especially useful when an extremely narrow nib is required. In addition, and this is remarkable, the fine nibs are somewhat flexible. I bought them from Goulet. One of the three was defective and was replaced without question or charge. The replacement was sent even before I returned the defective one.

[ancalagon]

You might want to try out a stub nib, since you're interested in unique features and I don't think you mentioned having one already.

[Dronak]

2) Pilot Prera or Lucina (mentioned earlier). Both have steel nibs and are very good. The Lucina is more traditional-looking and higher quality. Both take cartridges or converters. The Prera is Pilot's answer to the Pelikan M200.

 

I'm not surprised that one company would make a product very similar to another's, but this is of interest to me because I was looking at the Pelikan P200, which I understand to be essentially the M200 with cartridge/converter fill. On Amazon, the P200 goes for about $90 and the M200 about $100, while the Pilot Prera is around $30; list prices are about $115-$165, $130-$200, and $60-70, respectively. With the Prera being less than half the cost of the P200 or M200, I'm wondering how they compare. Do you or anyone else have comments about these pens? If the Prera is similar in quality to the P200 and/or M200, getting it to save some money might not be a bad idea. Thanks!

[rdh]

You will get a lot of discussion about how comparable the 2 are, but they are both serious entry-level small pens with steel nibs. The companies take different approaches. The Pelikan has classic styling and colors, a piston filler, gold-plating, and a screw cap. The Prera is more modern looking (streamlined) with some bright color options, C/C filler, and a very cool friction-based cap closing mechanism. Both are very good quality, but are not at the same level as their pricier options. They are addressing similar parts of the market, but the design choices will appeal to different groups of users.

 

The Pelikan nib can be replaced with some of the nibs on their much fancier pens, including ones with gold nibs. The Pilot nib is interchangeable with a lot of Pilot's other less expensive pens. So, for example, you can get an inexpensive Pilot Plumix at an office supply store, and put its italic nib on the Prera. Likewise, you can get inexpensive Pilot 78 g's and use their array of nibs, including B and BB on the Prera.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Dave

 

 

 

I'm not surprised that one company would make a product very similar to another's, but this is of interest to me because I was looking at the Pelikan P200, which I understand to be essentially the M200 with cartridge/converter fill. On Amazon, the P200 goes for about $90 and the M200 about $100, while the Pilot Prera is around $30; list prices are about $115-$165, $130-$200, and $60-70, respectively. With the Prera being less than half the cost of the P200 or M200, I'm wondering how they compare. Do you or anyone else have comments about these pens? If the Prera is similar in quality to the P200 and/or M200, getting it to save some money might not be a bad idea. Thanks!

[Dronak]

Thanks. After checking out people's suggestions here and talking things over with my wife, we agreed on getting a few pens: a Pilot Prera, a Parker IM, a Monteverde Impressa, and a Pelikan P200, with medium nibs on all but the Impressa where I'm going to try a stub nib. Since I saw Monteverde nibs available separately, I figured going for a different nib there would be OK, since replacing it myself should be (1) possible and (2) not difficult, should I choose to do so later. These pens list at around $50-$100, but are discounted at Amazon, putting them in the same range as most of my current pens. I'm still thinking about bottled ink. It's a good idea, but it seems like most pens say that for warranties to remain valid, you have to use their brand of ink. I've already got a bunch of cartridges, and I'm not sure I want to buy even more ink right now, so I'll have to think about that. Thanks everyone for your help. I'll try to keep these suggestions in mind for possible future purchases, and I hope that the posts here might be of use to others as well.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Dronak

[rdh]

It sounds like a good plan. Make sure you flush your new pens with a very mild soap solution and water to remove any oil or debris from manufacturing. I would also use a "safe" ink (the manufacturer's cartridge) or something like Quink or Waterman ink. That way, if you switch to a more exotic ink and have problems, you will know it is not the pen causing the problem.

 

Enjoy the ride or, more correctly, the write

 

Dave

[Sailor Kenshin]

I really think you're wasting your money buying a cheap pen. I own most of the pens mentioned, and really, they all sit in my draw unused. If you want a nice, cheap pen, i'd go with something from a less known brand like Monteverde. I own a few of these pens, all of which are nice. But honestly, keep the Sonnet, and keep progressing up to a higher brand like Visconti rather than wasting money on cheap pens. I bought a Visconti Rembrandt for $250, and have never looked back.

 

I am giving this advice as someone who owns at least 4 Parker IM's, a Pilot Metropolitan, a Lamy Al-Star, a Parker Sonnet, a Moneteverde Impressa, a couple of Sheaffer Fountain pens, and many more, and never use any of them!

 

You may not like less expensive pens, but some people are very happy with them. There's no harm in exploring good, inexpensive pens that can ultimately be passed on if they don't suit you.

 

I prefer the Pilot 78G to the Met, because the Met's metal body and step are a little displeasing to me, but no denying the pen writes well.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Sailor Kenshin

[Runnin_Ute]

Levenger True Writer

I think this is a terrific suggestion. I have the Silver Anniversary model which retails at $99 - I have seen it on sale a few times as low as $79. Brass barrel, c/c - comes with converter (international). Here is the review I did on it. Beautiful pen and writes wonderfully - for under $100.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/241028-true-writer-silver-anniversary/

[mehandiratta]

Indian ebonite pens medium size with screw in nib ( Jowo or Schmidt ) could be a choice. Better to go for the cheaper models in the range of $ 20 / 30. Except in the nib department, the pens are vfm. With the Jowo/ Schmidt nib of ones choice, that's no issue.

+1 to above

[mehandiratta]

Also i want to recommend you few pens below .... most of them are below 10 USD... name provided with review link of the same..... few with direct link to webpage....

 

1. ASA I.Can best pen for money... amazing build quality and even the ebonite used is top notch....

2. Wality 69 A

3. Gama Airborne

4. Wality 52 PD

5. ASA Spear

6. ASA Athlete

7. GAMA Popular.... this is one killer pen ... with even stock nib

Edited April 15, 2015 by mehandiratta

[Blue_Moon]

Okay - so I'm late to the party.

 

I'd have recommended the Italix Parson's Essential for less than $100.00 (WONDERFULLY writing pen), and Lamy Safari or Al-Star for less than $50.00.

 

I started out with inexpensive pens to get a feel for what I like and don't like. I've gotten rid of a lot of pens over time. Now, I buy only what I know I like (See signature block). Not mentioned in signature block, I also really like Lamy - Safari, Al-Star, and 2K. Other factors you have to determine is what you like/dislike about pens - bigger vs. smaller, nib selection (italic, stub, flex, semi-flex, or just plain basic sizes), etc.

 

BTW, I've never seen a pen company deny a warranty claim because you used another brand of ink. I wouldn't worry about that, as much as adjusting the nib, smoothing the nib, etc. I'm with the others on this - Lose the cartridges and get a converter, or buy the ink you want and refill the cartridges with that ink, using a syringe.

 

You should have gotten your pens by now. If so, what do you think? Let us know.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Blue_Moon

[Sasha Royale]

 

• Parker 45s, cartridge
• Parker 51, aerometric (the 51 Special is the lower price model)
• Esterbrook J series, ink sac, expect to have to replace the ink sac

 

 

I have these, as well. ac12 has excellent tastes. For "cheap-pen" variety, I would add a Sheaffer Nononsense.

Maryland is home to top-tier (if a bit nuts) FPN membership. Where are you ?