Pen Recommendations For Under 50 Dollars

[CivilServant]

I usually collect vintage fountain pens but now I want a newer pen that I can go nuts with.

 

I would prefer the pen to be under 50 bucks, of a European make, and medium sized nib.

Edited February 26, 2017 by CivilServant

[OCArt]

Given your price range and that you want a European pen I can only think go the Lamy Safari.

[max dog]

Lower end offerings from Lamy and Faber Castell like the Safari or Loom would meet your criteria. I think the TWSBI ECO by far offer more for the money than anything else in the market in that price range.

Edited February 26, 2017 by max dog

[CivilServant]

Any good American pens under 50?

[voltron]

Faber Castell Loom has probably the smoothest nib among all pens priced upto 50$. The pen is slightly heavy at 32 grams but it is according to many the best pen you'll find in that price range in terms of nib performance.

[otw]

Any good American pens under 50?

I've heard good things about the Nemosine Singularity, but do not have firsthand experience with one.

Edited February 26, 2017 by otw

[Pensei]

Variation on a theme introduced above: Faber Castell Basic. Very nice pen.

[Runnin_Ute]

Pens under $50 - "new"

 

*TWSBI Eco - ~$30

*TWSBI 580 - $50 -extra $5 for AL versions

*Lamy AL Star -$37 (Goulet)

*Lamy Safari -$29 (Goulet) ++ add $5 for converter for these two

 

I can't in good conscience recommend say a new Parker. (IM or Urban) My experience with two different IM's was not good. I do have experience with the Al Star (aluminum version of Safari), the 580 and the Eco. All very good pens. An older Parker that is different. (I have 6-7 45's for example and a P51 Special - all purchased for under $50 and would recommend any of them.)

[ac12]

 

 

I've heard good things about the Nemosine Singularity, but do not have firsthand experience with one.

 

I've read numerous complaints of it cracking. You better do a search of the forum.

 

I seem to be the odd bird that has not had a problem with my Parker IM. But it is a metal pen, and that ended up being too heavy for me. I prefer light pens, for my longer writing sessions.

 

Where are you located?

There are probably a lot of European pens under the $50 point, but we in the US do not know about many of them.

[sciumbasci]

Got European pens, consider one of the following

 

Aurora Style

Aurora K

Delta Unica

Kaweco Sport

Lamy CP1

Lamy Nexx

Marlen One

Parker Vector (it's made in France)

Waterman Graduate

Stipula Speed (only if it is on sale. Otherwise retails around 75EUR)

 

If it applies for your American pen:

 

Sheaffer Award (if NOS make sure it is the postable version)

[sandy101]

The Faber Castell pens have the best nibs at that price. The Looms I have are rather splendid

 

If you shop around, you might get lucky and find a Waterman Hemisphere, or a Parker Sonnet with a plain trim at that price too. Amazon is a good place to look for those.

[marcelo]

The Faber Castell pens have the best nibs at that price. The Looms I have are rather splendid

 

 

I second that. I recently got a Faber Castell Ambition (the Loom has the same nib) and it's hard to believe how perfectly and smoothly it writes!

[thx1138]

What about a Conklin Duragraph?

Can pick them u on fleabay for under $50 USD. Mediums write very nicely.

[Manalto]

Italix 'Parson's Essential'

[Guardy]

Lamy is a solid choice - the Safari and AL-Star are both pretty excellent pens, and I use mine a lot* (although I still can't wrap my head around the prices they ask of you Americans - the Safari costs about 13-16$ in Germany, the AL-Star a bit over 25$) - the AL-Star is very susceptible to dents and scratches, but if you're either very careful with your pens or simply don't mind, it's a surprisingly classy pen, which is reliable and writes well. I've had mine for around 10 years and I still use it regularly.

 

(you could also try to get a CP1 for under 50$, which shouldn't be too difficult; however, it shares the 'easily dented' issue of the AL-Star, though to a slightly lesser extent, and is barely thicker than the cartridges it takes, which, IMO, get's uncomfortable pretty fast. It's very stylish, though)

 

You could also get one of the cheaper Kaweco pens - no firsthand experience here, but I've heard mostly good things about them, apart from the occasional too-dry pen. The design is pretty iconic, too.

 

*Be aware, though, that Lamy nibs tend to run on the broad side, so you may potentially want to look into getting a Fine nib instead, depending on the kind of Medium nib you're accustomed to and the ink you're planning to use with it. The good part is that you can very easily swap the nib, so even if you're unhappy with your nib width, it's nothing you can't fix.

[georgeb]

Garant Alkor

[Arkanabar]

I have a Singularity. I've dropped it on linoleum floors a number of times, and the cap lip is cracked below the cap band, but not above it.

The Lamy Logo will also go for under USD$50. It's probably Lamy's least expensive pen with a circular cross-section. I've handled and written a line or two with a Faber-Castell Loom. It's pretty heavy, but it's really smooth.

[marcelo]

Faber Castell Loom has probably the smoothest nib among all pens priced upto 50$. The pen is slightly heavy at 32 grams but it is according to many the best pen you'll find in that price range in terms of nib performance.

Agreed!

[rauduong]

Do they still make Lamy Vista? When I started out with pens I loved the Vista because I could admire the inner workings... and know how much ink was left. And always a good conversation starter, if you're interested in that!

[Guardy]

Do they still make Lamy Vista? When I started out with pens I loved the Vista because I could admire the inner workings... and know how much ink was left. And always a good conversation starter, if you're interested in that!

They sure do! I personally kind of count it as a "weird Safari", which is why I didn't mention it... but that one is a great option, too, of course.

 

It's also one of the very few cheap European demonstrators I know of - the only other one by an established brand that I can think of would be the clear Kaweco Sport.