Ranking 28 Fountain Pens

[brerlapine]

Hello fountain pen community,

 

I have purchased a large number of pens and instead of trying to write individual reviews for each pen I have decided to try to rank them according to my personal preferences. My personal preferences have some common characteristics. These are ranked from most important to least as such:

 

1. Quality control (QC)

2. Section comfort

3. Balance

4. Line variation

5. Appearance

 

Overall, these characteristics define what I consider joy in writing. These rankings aren’t set in stone but definitely won’t vary by more than a scale of 5.

 

Also some qualifications:

 

1. These are modern pens that are currently available for purchase.

2. If the pen is meant to be posted I will rank it as such

3. I prefer plastic over ebonite feeds.

If the pen has an ebonite feed that makes it leak I will lower its ranking

a. I have found that Gama and Airmail/Wality pens have ebonite feeds that don’t mostly leak when carried in pocket. They are cut sharp when the feed meets the nib.

b. Other ebonite feeds that are generally cylindrical, including Noodler’s Ahab, will leak.

4. I prefer my grip section to allow or closely allow my two fingers and thumb to touch. I hold my pens left-handed and in the traditional tripod.

5. Price was not a factor in my deciding what subjectively I like more

 

Disclaimer:

 

I love flexible nibs with plastic feeds. This doesn’t mean that all flexible pens are rated higher but they are given a definite boost.

I bought many pens in Japan and seem to have a preference for Asian fountain pens.

Some pens that I have fond memories and thus ranked unjustly high are:

Noodler’s Ahab (first flex pen)

Platinum #3776 (traveled with this pen around Europe)

I don’t like triangular section grips such as the Lamy Safari.

 

Abbreviations:

 

FPR = Fountain Pen Revolution

QC = Quality Control Issue

P = Piston filling Mechanism

D = Demonstrator

ST = Semi-transparent

E = Eyedropper conversion

From Most Expensive:

1. Pilot Justus 95

2. Sailor Original Pro Gear Slim

3. Pilot Elite 95s

4. Pilot Custom 74

5. Levenger True Writer

6. Platinum #3776

 

Favorite Pocket Pens (pens that are meant to be capped):

 

1. Pilot Elite 95s

2. TWSBI Mini

3. Kaweco Sport

4. Pilot Prera

5. TWSBI Mini Vac

 

Favorite Pens that come with Flexible Nibs:

 

1. FPR Indus with flex nib

2. Pilot Custom 74 with soft fine nib

3. Platinum #3776 Century

4. FPR Darjeeling

5. Pilot Justus 95

 

 

The Pens:

 

A grade

 

1. FPR Indus with flex nib ($20) D,P

I find the flexible #5 nibs more to my liking. Best flex for the price.

2. Pilot Custom 74 with soft fine nib (~$105)

Smoothest modern flex gold nib. QC: some are smoother than others.

3. Platinum #3776 Century with soft fine nib (~$65) D/ST

Scratchier (more feedback) than the flexible nibs above.

4. Italix by Mr.Pen “The Parson’s Essential” with italic fine nib ($44)

Brass liner body. Great hand-ground nib options.

5. Pilot Elite 95s ($80-135)

Long grip section with varying widths. The best pocket pen imo.

6. TWSBI Eco with FPR #5 flex nib [or any nib] ($30) D,P

Wonderfully long grip section

7. ASA Daily 3-in-1 with FPR #5 flex nib ($38)

Handmade ebonite fountain pen with #5 nib and plastic feed.

8. TWSBI Mini with EF #5 nib D,P ($50)

Great balance when posted. Gorgeous appearance.

9. FPR Darjeeling with #6 flex nib ($18)

The standard by which I rate all pens.

10. Faber-Castell Loom with EF nib ($40)

Full metal body with a ringed grip section that might throw some off.

B grade

 

11. Platinum Preppy with 0.3 nib ($3) D,E

Eyedropper converted. Thicker grip section and longer than the Pilot Varsity

QC: Nibs are widely different and smoothing the nib is a must.

12. Ranga Model 3NN Flat-top with Sheaffer Non Nonsense Nib ($65)

Ebonite pen sold by Peyton Street Pens. Fingers rest slightly on the barrel threads (slight discomfort).

13. TWSBI Vac 700 with Noodler’s #6 flex nib ($70) D

Large width change when going from section to barrel. For larger hands.

14. Kaweco Sport with fine nib ($20) E/ST

The fine is more like a medium. The grip section is slightly too small.

15. Pilot Justus 95 with adjustable nib ($220-320)

Beautiful but not as flexible as others.

16. Monteverde Carbon Fiber Jewelria with Noodler’s #6 flex nib ($56)

Long section and good weight for flex. Personal Favorite.

QC: The sections have been loose in some.

17. Gama Jumbo Acrylic Clear Demonstrator with Noodler’s #6 flex nib ($31) E

If you can go through the utter torment of replacing the nib you will be rewarded with the most hefty beast of a pen imaginable. Ebonite feeder doesn’t leak like most. For a while my EDC. Sadly, section is too wide.

18. Noodler’s Ahab with #6 flex nib ($23) E

Smells and leaks but has the perfect section, size and weight to help with flexing the tines. Never an EDC.

C grade

 

19. Pilot Metropolitan with fine nib ($15)

Grip section slightly too small and gets slippery.

20. Pilot Prera with fine nib ($30-38)

Barrel section without a divot. Gets slippery. Too top heavy when capped.

21. Schneider ID for left-landers with medium nib ($17) E

Rubber grip is nice but the triangle section is not my thing. Better than Safari.

Also can be converted into an eyedropper unlike Safari!

22. Levenger True Writer with B nib ($99)

The definition of average.

23. Kanwrite Desire with #6 flex nib ($19)

I can’t put my finger on what is wrong with this pen. Very light with a small grip making it harder to flex than the Noodler’s Ahab. However, it is missing the smell AND the leaking because of a plastic feed. Conflicted!

24. Lamy Safari with many many different nibs ($20-39)

No matter what I do I can’t find a nib works for me, including the left-hander’s nib.

D grade

 

25. Waterman Kultur with F nib ($20-40) E,ST

Faulty writer. Nibs don’t allow swapping.

26. TWSBI Mini Vac with EF nib ($60) D

Flawed IMO because when capping adds too much weight on the back of the pen.

27. FPR Himalaya with #5 flex nib ($33)

The bane of my existence is the cylindrical ebonite feed and this one leaks constantly.

28. Sailor Original Pro Gear Slim (from Morita) ($137)

I bought this in Japan and wish I could love it more but the nib is terribly scratchy. I never use the pen. When this gets fixed the ranking will change drastically.

 

There are many more pens in my collection but I am tuckered out. About 1/3^rd of my pens are below a C grade. I found that ranking my pens in unison completely changed my opinions on some, like the Faber-Castell Loom, which I had originally thought was much lower pen. I dare you to try it yourself with your favorites.

 

I will add writing samples of my favorites at a later date.

 

If you have any questions please ask. If you have any recommendations for pens please add. If you want a full review on a specific pen please ask and I will try at my soonest convenience to oblige.

 

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I too am tuckered-out.

 

Bye,

S1

[JonSzanto]

1. Japanese soft fine nibs are not flex nibs. Not by any acceptable definition of a flex nib.

2. Ebonite feeds don't leak, poorly made feeds leak. Most people who have a broad range of use of pens, especially with flexible (vintage) nibs would most likely agree that the preferred material for a feed is hard rubber (ebonite) because of superior capillary and surface transport of the ink.

 

I understand that this is a personal ranking of your own collection. Taken in that light, it may be valid for those pens, but many things that you have graded are at variance with common usage of both modern and vintage pens. I hope that you get good feedback on this post and can take another look at the collection.

[brerlapine]

Here is an image of the first nine pens! Please excuse my poor handwriting:

 

 

Sorry I confused you JonSzanto. I said the nibs were soft fine but then I said flex to mean what happens to the tines when they "flex" outward to give line variation. If you are interested in the best differences in line variation nothing can beat a brush pen. Some of the best line variation for pen are from certain metal nibs made for dip pens. The nibs are very cheap and have the finest hairlines to deepest swells but very hard to use! Ask and I'll make a post about those.

 

 

I hope that helps!

Edited November 23, 2017 by brerlapine

[jar]

What you show is not flex but simply abuse. All nibs flex at least once.

[brerlapine]

Thanks for bringing that to my attention jar!

Well that nib is supposed to be used that way and therefore not what a dictionary would call "abuse". In fact, I wrote with it in the above page.

 

But perhaps I can explain in greater detail. Vintage pens with "flex" or whatever you want to call the separation of the tines, allowed a greater amount of separation because feed didn't stop tines from separating. Look at the picture above. You can see the feed is just below the tines. Many modern nibs with "soft qualities" have feeds that stop the tines from separating to the point where you could splay the tines.

 

Look up the Platinum #3776 Century with a soft fine nib for writing samples. I hope this helps! Ask me if you need any further explanation.

Edited November 23, 2017 by brerlapine

[senzen]

Very interesting, shows many of the parameters that enter the equation, and several of your pens have caught my attention over time.

[JonSzanto]

Jar is perfectly correct in what he writes, and I know that he has a long history with many, many pens. He is well aware, as am I, of what pens and their nibs are capable of. There is no doubt that you are pushing that Platinum nib further than it was intended to go. I happen to have 6 different versions of the Platinum 3776 pens and I know these nibs very well. Simply because someone pushes a nib too far and takes a photo of the resulting handwriting does NOT mean it is a flex nib. They call it soft for a reason: the nib will cushion your stroke and have a bit of 'give', unlike a very stiff (such as an HF) nib.

 

I would never have even mentioned anything if it wasn't for the fact that posts such as yours are continuing to spread misinformation about modern nibs, and I see the results with people posting shots of nibs that have been sprung or misaligned from overapplication of pressure. It is distressing to see and all one can do is make posts such as this to call into question the abuse of a good nib.

It comes from a simple phrase: Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should .

Edited November 24, 2017 by JonSzanto

[Chrissy]

What you show is not flex but simply abuse. All nibs flex at least once.

 

 

 

Jar is perfectly correct in what he writes, and I know that he has a long history with many, many pens. He is well away, as am I, of what pens and their nibs are capable of. There is no doubt that you are pushing that Platinum nib further than it was intended to go. I happen to have 6 different versions of the Platinum 3776 pens and I know these nibs very well. Simply because someone pushes a nib too far and takes a photo of the resulting handwriting does NOT mean it is a flex nib. They call it soft for a reason: the nib will cushion your stroke and have a bit of 'give', unlike a very stiff (such as an HF) nib.

 

I would never have even mentioned anything if it wasn't for the fact that posts such as yours are continuing to spread misinformation about modern nibs, and I see the results with people posting shots of nibs that have been sprung or misaligned from overapplication of pressure. It is distressing to see and all one can do is make posts such as this to call into question the abuse of a good nib.

 

It comes from a simple phrase: Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should .

What jar and Jon say is true.

[pajaro]

I rate all those pens but one (Safari) about 1 to 2 out of ten. I don't like them at all. Good luck to you flexing some of those.

[jar]

Thanks for bringing that to my attention jar!

Well that nib is supposed to be used that way and therefore not what a dictionary would call "abuse". In fact, I wrote with it in the above page.

 

But perhaps I can explain in greater detail. Vintage pens with "flex" or whatever you want to call the separation of the tines, allowed a greater amount of separation because feed didn't stop tines from separating. Look at the picture above. You can see the feed is just below the tines. Many modern nibs with "soft qualities" have feeds that stop the tines from separating to the point where you could splay the tines.

 

Look up the Platinum #3776 Century with a soft fine nib for writing samples. I hope this helps! Ask me if you need any further explanation.

There is a high probability that I own more Platinum #3776 pens than you have ever even held.

 

Sorry but that is NOT how the #3776 nib was meant to be used.

 

But it is your pen. Do whatever you want with YOUR pen, but should you ever decide to sell it you should honestly state that it was regularly abused.

[Sailor Kenshin]

What jar and Jon say is true.

 

To the tenth power...

[amk]

As I understand it, one of the advantages of an ebonite feed is that you can heat set it, that is, using a source of gentle heat to make it fit the nib more closely. Have you tried this with your leaking ebonite feed pens? it might make a difference.

[Tresconik]

Here is an image of the first nine pens! Please excuse my poor handwriting:

 

 

Do you have a 74 or 91? In your original post you say it's a 74.

 

 

I hope that helps!

This makes me cringe. The nib is NOT supposed to look like this. There is no logic to what you're saying about the feed stopping the nib from being splayed.

 

I understand you're new and enthusiastic, but you should not dismiss what Jar and Jon are saying because you think you know better. We are not all equal on this forum. Some know much more than others.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I'm cringing at the sight of that poor pen.

 

Although I don't get the current obssession with flex, you won't find it unless you go for a dip pen (easy, cheap!) vintage (gotta know the market), or if you have enough hand muscle, an Ahab or something. (There may be other modern 'flex' pens, but I'm not up on them).

[Plexipens]

 

 

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/001/360/1362599_02bcdea730.jpg

[minddance]

Wow, what you did with/to that Platinum soft fine and Pilot Elite and Pilot 91 soft fine, personally, I wouldn't do. But of course, they're your pens, feel free

 

In my limited experience, vintage flex nibs might make you much happier.

[woleizihan]

Don't know if it's relavant but one thing I heard a while ago from some reputed retailer was that "vintage pens are more flexible probably because people used them a lot and pushed the nibs a lot so the nib eventually got more flexible". Don't really make a lot of sense to me and I think there are definitely anincreasing number of people who are trying to push the nibs harder than intended.

[JonSzanto]

Don't know if it's relavant but one thing I heard a while ago from some reputed retailer was that "vintage pens are more flexible probably because people used them a lot and pushed the nibs a lot so the nib eventually got more flexible". Don't really make a lot of sense to me and I think there are definitely anincreasing number of people who are trying to push the nibs harder than intended.

 

There is not a bit of truth to that. When metal is pushed beyond the range of flexibility with which it's alloy and shape are intended, it fatigues. It does not get soft, it is broken, and no longer holds it's shape. In a nib, the "spring-back", which is so important in a good flexible nib for the style of writing intended, is greatly diminished. At worst, the nib will be sprung, ceasing to work properly at all.

 

No, that is not something I believe is grounded in reality.

[brerlapine]

A great number of responses! Thank you for all the attention! Really didnt think anyone would care about my post. This means a lot. Thanks.

 

What do you think about these reviews from more established fountain pen connoisseurs like yourself?

 

http://www.gourmetpens.com/2016/02/review-platinum-3776-century-bourgogne.html?m=1

 

http://www.sbrebrown.com/2016/03/platinum-3776-century-bourgogne-fountain-pen-review/

 

They both give the nib a little flex.

Edited November 24, 2017 by brerlapine