Recommendation: Cartridge Pen Under €90/$100

[Kalikrates]

Hi all, this is my first post.

 

I used to be a heavy fountain pen user when I was at high school and university. I always took notes with one as I could write much faster and get less tired than with other kinds of pens. My favored brand back then was Stypen as I liked the way they wrote, although the ones I had weren't especially durable, they all ended up breaking (understandable as they were cheap, though). For example I have fond memories of the Stypen Up, I owned two of those, but they both have a broken cap now and the rubbery material on the outside has become somewhat sticky so they are not in good condition to use.

 

After finishing university (more than 10 years ago) I lost the habit of using fountain pens, but now I would like to get back to it. So I am looking for recommendations. I have seen that Stypen no longer seems to exist. I have checked out some of the threads in the stickied post, but unfortunately most seem to be quite outdated (as they recommend pens that are no longer sold, or are now sold as vintage items at much more expensive prices than when the threads were written).

 

So I would be grateful if you could give me a recommendation for a pen with the following characteristics:

 

- Price limit: around €90/$100. I used to use €30 or less pens but now I can afford more than back then, so I hope I can get something better

- Durable and reliable for everyday use. I would like a pen that will last me for many years, if that's possible within that price point.

- I prefer it to be light, and not too bulky so it can easily fit in pockets.

- Compatible with cartridges. I have never used ink bottles. It looks cool and I might want to try at some point, but for my "everyday" pen it would be inconvenient as I'd use it at home, work, etc. and it's not practical for me to have a bottle and cleaning equipment everywhere. Even better if it's standard cartridges, although I can live with propietary cartridges as long as they are not too difficult to source.

- Nib: not too fine, not too coarse, anything not too extreme should do.

- If it looks beautiful, of course it's a plus, but not a priority. The points above are more important.

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited October 8, 2017 by Kalikrates

[Needhelp]

Depending on your criteria you can have a kaweco sport pen. the classic sport is nice plastic pen and they are cartridge fountain pens that use international cartridges. The al sport is the same pen but with aluminium. I do not own these pens but from reading reviews I can say these pens are good. another option is a parker sonnet. might be a tiny bit more expensive but they are cartridge converter pens that look nice. again I don't own a sonnet but from reviews.

those are my recommendations but feel free to choose whatever you like.

[sandy101]

Platinum #3776 - which will take inernational cartridges with a cheap and cheerful plastic adapter, or their own. It is a nice writer, so I'd go for a medium nib. The pen is made of resin/plastic so it is light. If you shop around - or wait till Fountain Pen day you will probably get a 10% discount.

[dogpoet]

If durability is an issue, a Cross ATX might be suitable, as that's a very good looking, and extremely solid pen. The only problem is that it uses Cross' own brand cartridges, which are pricey and can be hard to find in a lot of B&M stores.

[sciumbasci]

Pelikan P200 or P205

[Retro-user]

You could consider the usual suspects: Lamy Safari, Pilot Metropolitan, Pelikano, etc.

[dogpoet]

The Metropolitan is a good call, but might the Pelikano and Safari be a bit too bulky and plasticy and maybe even a little tacky looking? That's what put me off suggesting the Pelikan Twist, which is very comfortable in the hand and an excellent writer, but is also thick and chunky, and a trifle naff looking with it.

(Is the telescoping Rotring -I forget what it's called- going for silly money as NOS at the moment? If Kalikrates was particularly taken with the Stypen Up, one of those might make a nice replacement.)

Edited October 8, 2017 by dogpoet

[Bluey]

Pilot Elite 95s ticks every box with style and grace.

Edited October 8, 2017 by Bluey

[BEEG]

A Lamy Aion/Studio is a good start, but keep in mind that the Lamy pens take only Lamy cartriges so you are a bit limited in the colour choice/stuck if you don't like the Lamy shade of Blue/Black/Gray . Sourcing them is not a problem - Lamy is one of the biggest producers of FPs in the world.

 

 

I would suggest you to check out the Diplomats like Aero or Excellence.

Edited October 8, 2017 by BEEG

[Arkanabar]

You might look at the Pelikan Stola III. Online Pens have a bunch of options, some quite cheap, but the young writers' lines often come with rubberized grips that will degrade in the same manner as your Stypens' grips did. Check out your options at Cult Pens or the Writing Desk (England) or missing-pen.de and online-pen.de.

 

Others should chime in to suggest their own preferred European online stores. (I'm presuming that your Spanish flag indicates Spanish residency.)

 

eta: You should also look into Faber-Castell. The Loom is a really smooth pen, but that's about as far up the line as my knowledge of their models goes. The Ambition should be available in your price range.

Edited October 9, 2017 by Arkanabar

[Runnin_Ute]

Pelikan P200 or P205

or for a piston filler the Pelikan M200/M205. With the piston filler, depending on how much you use it you might only need to fill once a week.

[Erik Dalton]

Platinum #3776 - which will take inernational cartridges with a cheap and cheerful plastic adapter, or their own. It is a nice writer, so I'd go for a medium nib. The pen is made of resin/plastic so it is light. If you shop around - or wait till Fountain Pen day you will probably get a 10% discount.

I have to second sandy101. Just got two of these and I’m blown away with them. Great size that fits well in the hand, the nib is firm, but writes wet, smooth as glass right out of the box. I got one with a broad nib, which writes like a Pelikan Fine. The other has a music nib which is magical, but not for novices.

 

Another option is to buy an Italix Parson’s Essential from Mr. Pen in England. Great everyday carry pen.

Good luck. Let us know what you decide on.

[Mister5]

Platinum Balance. On the less inexpensive side if you can't afford the Platinum 3776 Century. Personally I haven't had good luck with standard int'l cartridges, ending up squeezing them to force ink into the feed, but I have had very good luck with Platinum's cartridges. I think you can get the adaptor to use the international cartridges in the Balance (or the Platinum 3776 Century).

[Kalikrates]

Thanks for all the recommendations! Most of them seem very solid. I'm currently a bit torn between the Kaweco Sport, the Platinum 3776 Century and the Italix Parson’s Essential, but I'll decide and order today. Thanks for the shop recommendations as well, as I'm indeed in Spain so EU shops are convenient.

[Needhelp]

Thanks for all the recommendations! Most of them seem very solid. I'm currently a bit torn between the Kaweco Sport, the Platinum 3776 Century and the Italix Parson’s Essential, but I'll decide and order today. Thanks for the shop recommendations as well, as I'm indeed in Spain so EU shops are convenient.

so.......... which one did you choose?

[markinlondon]

I am also looking for a similar pen, but you should be aware that Lamy and Platinum take their own cartridges, and not the international standard short ones. I like the standard cartridges for the ink selection and availability.

[3nding]

If you don't mind buying a used pen you might want to take a look at Parker 45 Flighter (all metal so it's really durable). For about 40-50$ + shipping on a site like eBay (sometimes a lot less if you're lucky) you get a pen that is not bulky or heavy, very durable, with a gold nib hooded nib (so it doesn't dry very fast when leaving it uncapped) and it takes one of the most commonly available proprietary cartridges. Plus it's a classic design.

 

Then if you to go to your upper limit of about 80$ + shipping used you can get a Sheaffer Targa that is also all metal and not too bulky and has one of those beautiful gold inlaid nibs.

 

Though it's not a metal pen there's always the Parker 51 that is renowned for its durability. It can be got for about 50$ or less + shipping used.

 

Edit: I forgot your cartridge criteria and the Parker 51 isn't compatible with cartridges, but both the Sheaffer Targa and the Parker 45 are.

Edited October 12, 2017 by 3nding

[Erik Dalton]

I just bought a Platinum 3776 on Amazon for $60. Including shipping. Best top quality pen out there for the buck.

Exchange rates with the Euro are no longer a bargain. The Asian market is a much better deal where we can get top quality pens. Some of which were previously out of many of our range.

[Mister5]

I am also looking for a similar pen, but you should be aware that Lamy and Platinum take their own cartridges, and not the international standard short ones. I like the standard cartridges for the ink selection and availability.

 

Platinum sells an adaptor where you can use the international cartridges, but I don't think it comes with the 3776 (it certainly doesn't with the Balance), you have to buy it separately.

[Sasha Royale]

Surprisingly, 90€ is quite a lot to pay for an "everyday" fountain pen. It is extremely rare that anyone is not satisfied with a Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen. It uses a proprietary cartridge, that is widely available. In my experience, Pilot black ink, in a Pilot cartridge has excellent flow characteristics. It is very good ink. The Pilot Metropolitan is available for under €15 .

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pilot-Metropolitan-Fountain-Pen-Black-Medium-/142527360565?epid=1132694229&hash=item212f4aee35:g:s3cAAOSw5FpZ1AJM

 

 

I hope you will save the empty cartridges for future use. I am confident that you will find refilling them with ink of your choice to be desirable, someday.