Fountain Pen Brands Yays And Nays.

[derschreibendeanwalt]

I am not trying to incite controversy. As a newcomer to this site, I hope to foster peaceable discussions that help us all enjoy this hobby. Nevertheless, I am curious to know which brands have been sources of suffering, and which have regularly caused joy. Here's an example. I own three Visconti fountain pens (and a Visconti rollerball and ballpoint). Of the three fountain pens, only the Van Gogh has been no trouble. Quality control issues have affected nearly every Visconti pen I own, fountain pen or otherwise. I have corresponded with Dante, who has been apologetic but not unduly helpful.

 

I own three Auroras, an 88, a Talentum, and an Optima. Only the Optima was bought used. The other two were flawless out of the box and continue to provide trouble-free pleasure. The Optima had to have its nib adjusted a bit, and the knob on the piston filler broke off recently, which means it's headed to the distributor for repairs. But I think those issues can be ascribed to its age and use by the prior owner. Of the two Pelikan M800s I have, one is perfect, the other somewhat scratchy. Of my Waterman pens, the Carene is flawless, the Exception required serious adjustment to stop it from skipping like a kid at hopscotch. And the LeMan, which I bought used, is not a good example. It came to me with a nib that wrote like an ice pick. Richard Binder turned it into one of my favorite pens.

 

So, with the understanding that one person's idea of pen heaven is the next person idea of pen hell, what brands do you gravitate toward, which do you avoid?

[biancitwo]

My fourth or fifth pen was a Pelikan, a 1980s M400 M nib. I bought it from Rick Propas, and it was perfect. I have since bought some other brands. Some of them are quite nice. But, my favorite brand has remained Pelikan. Ten vintage Pelikans from 1933-1958, and 5 modern models. The vintage have spectacular nibs. The modern ones have cursive italic nibs modified by Pendleton Brown (PB). I love them all. They are wonderfully made. Many complain of their modern large round nibs. All of mine have performed well out of the box. I just don't like stiff round nibs. So, when I receive them, I write with them a couple of days. Then they fly off to PB. They return superb. If I could have no brand but Pelikan, that would be ok.

[max dog]

When it comes to fountain pens, I think the German and Japanese brands produce the best fountain pens. The Italian brands seem to be pushing the envelope, but other than Aurora, Bock and Jowo (German nib makers) produce most of the nibs for the Italian brands.

[BlueJ]

My "collection" is about one quarter Parkers, all vintage, and one quarter Montblanc, also mostly vintage, so I guess that says something about my brand preferences. I have only one Pelikan now but respect the brand and may get more of it. I also have two Sailor pens that write very well. Writing quality rather than prestige, rarity or cosmetic appearance are my main motivators, though I have bought a few pens in part for their looks.

 

The only pen brand that has somewhat disappointed me is Noodler's. They are fun and instructive and look cute but they can be difficult to get working properly and aren't very durable. At least they are not expensive.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

Pilot is by far my most trusted modern brand (although my Falcon uses the Namiki version of the brand name). Pilot Custom Heritage 92 and 91, Capless Decimo, the Falcon, the no longer made MYU and Murex, and others. Actually it's at the point where it's unlikely that I'll buy more Pilots, since I have so many already.

 

I think well of Lamy based mostly on a single pen, the Lamy 2000, which is in my top several, although I liked my AL Star and Safari well enough. But there aren't any other from this brand that really interest me. My limited acquaintance with Pelikan gives me some confidence in that brand.

 

I don't know that I have enough information to say definitely avoid this or that brand, but my one Visconti, a Rembrandt, has been enough of a disappointment that I'd be very hesitant to buy another. And Delta, well, they're out of business now anyway, aren't they?

[Driften]

I think any brand can have good and bad pens. Any brand can have pens that need adjustment right out of the box. Some people might say a company like Pilot is best, but others have said every Pilot they have gotten has needed adjustments. You had some Visconti problems, but many others have not. I have never had an issue with a Pelikan, Pilot, Sailor, Platinum, Lamy, TWSBI, Aurora, or Montblanc but that does not make any of those brands "safe".

 

I think it's best is to buy from dealers that will stand behind what they sell and help with any issues.

[inkstainedruth]

I have more Parkers than anything else -- mostly (but not exclusively vintage or semi-vintage). But I also really love the Pelikans I have, and those are the ones I've paid the most apiece for (by FAR).

What Driften said is true though -- all brands have hits and misses. I swear by most of the vintage Parkers (having a bunch of 51s, a bunch of Vacumatics, three 45s, three 61s, and a few other models), and I'm a complete sucker for Vectors.... But the Urban (which was my second "good" pen)? That one gets sworn AT.... Because it's junk. I won't even do a PiF because I don't want to saddle anyone else with the piece of [expletive deleted].

And even my Noodler's pens have been pretty decent right out of the box (I didn't, mostly, have the issues other people have reported -- I didn't even particularly notice the "vegetal resin" smell that there have been complaints about) except for one of the Charlies -- and that might have been because I only had a small amount of some unknown ink sample and so I got a lot of burping into the cap (the downside of eyedroppers). The jury is still out on the Noodler's Boston Safety (also an eyedropper), because I haven't tried all that many inks in it yet: Kung Te Cheng (disappointingly) did not work well and I had clogging and hard starts; while the current ink, Luck of the Draw LE, may be a bit TOO wet (plus I'm having some trouble judging how much to fill the pen, and LotD is a b*tch to get off your hands -- even with liberal applications of Ink Nix....

I don't have any Italian pens. I've heard the reports about Visconti QC -- but a friend of mine LOVES hers. Mostly my issue with them was that while I like the look of the Van Gogh series pens, they're just a bit too heavy for the size. And my limited experience with MB has been that most modern ones are too heavy (and honestly, I'll put the M nib on one of my Parker 45s up against the F nib on a MB 146 any day of the week, and expect to win. For a *fraction* of the cost of that 146....

Truthfully, I have very few pens (besides that Urban) that I regret having bought. And one of the others? It was a Cross Verve which cost me a whole whopping buck plus sales tax. So I can't really complain (although I suspect I know why it was only on the market for a few years -- the design LOOKS snazzy, but the ink on my fingers suggest that it wasn't designed by someone who regularly used fountain pens. OTOH, the Cross Solo I bought from a friend's estate, is a nice smooth writer, even if the nib *is* a nail....

Oh, and I told four different people last summer that the Sheaffer Snorkel with the semi-flex Palladium Silver stub nib is NOT FOR SALE....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[kestrel]

I have had a few clunkers over the years but not enough to say steer clear of an entire brand. My first new Conklin was a headache and a half and made two trips to the repair shop before it became fun to use. In the first 18 months I owned it my Visconti Art Nouveau earned more frequent flier miles than I did, making three round trip flights to sunny Italy for repairs, but my other five Viscontis (Kaleido Voyagers and a Copernicus) were great when they arrived. The Art Nouveau is, finally, a joy to use as well. It was worth the hassle. Most of the vintage pen brands I have played with turned into good writers although some took more work than others. Even an Arnold or an American can write well if you are patient with it and a little lucky.

[langere]

I've had luck with virtually all pens, including TWSBIs. I love Italian pens. I am now using a vintage Aurora 88 that used to leak when I had J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor in it, but now that I am using Aurora Black, it's become a stingy writer and doesn't leak. Same with my Aurora Duo-Cart. With a Noodler's ink it leaks, but with another ink behaves well.

 

I have had other problems with other pens, but it's really been rather random. I have never had any problem with a single one of my Viscontis and I own 14 of 'em!

 

Erick

[fabri00]

I have several hundreds pens in my 30 years collection, from all brands and ages.

For all brands there are pros and cons.

I got also Japanese pens which everybody consider a must of perfection, with problems.

Furthermore pens are subject to different behaviour depending from the ink and from the the hand using it.

 

30 years ago pens where bought in shops and before to buy one, 20 were tested.

 

Now we expect to buy online and to get a pen fitting our hands.

 

With fountain pens it does not work ......

 

Is like with shoes, ill never buy online without testing on my foots.

[GaryUK]

My buying criteria would include brand along with my other particular likes in pens. Colour (orange top of list), material (I like silver if pen isn't orange), good reviews, value for money (expensive pen with big reduction), gold nib, presentation (box and other bits). I'm ashamed to be a bit of a snob brandwise. I'd rather have a less well performing Krone than a better Sheaffer. This is partly down to the many variables with pen performance. Since most of my more expensive pens are unused, oddly, good writing performance isn't often my main requirement. My Faber Castells are all great writers; my Montblanc Generation dries and skips - but I would probably save the Montblanc in a battle. My Faber Castell E Motion as a daily writer is as good as any pen I've ever used.

 

Gary

[Uncial]

My view - and it is only my view, as many here will very strongly disagree. You may disagree strongly too, because a lot of it is personal preference.

 

Jinhao: largely pretty rubbish. You doe essentially get what you pay for and while these can be great fun and you can throw any kind of ink into them without worrying too much, they aren't exactly great quality. They can be a bit of a gamble to buy, but (I may have silly been lucky) more recently they seem to have a better track record. Some of them will break or disintegrate quite quickly, being made of quite cheap plastics. Finishes will wear fast. That said, there are one or two models that seem sturdy and reasonably well made. The 159 isn't bad at all. Overall they usually come in at the price of a BIC or cheap ballpoint and tend to last a little longer. Great for starters and ink experiments.

 

Pilot: Can't complain at all. The designs of some pens can be a little dull, but I can honestly say I've never had a bad writer. The Custom 823 is to my mind one of the best pens made that money can buy.

 

Sailor: Nice pens. I avoid the medium nibs as they have a peculiar cut that creates an odd sweet spot. Some of the nibs can be a little spotty on the lower range, but overall they are good pens. The Pro Gear model is especially good (but only if you post). They can come in a dizzying array of nibs, many of which aren't really all that suited to western writing styles. In my experience it is pot luck as to whether you get a nib that is smooth or a nib with feedback (not unpleasantly so though). Only one, a standard 1911, came with a scratchy unusable nib that was smoothed out eventually. Some of the plastics for the standard range are a bit cheap feeling (but still robust) and some of the special editions (such as the Seasons Pro Gears) can have odd blemishes in the finishes. Good value and enjoyable pens when bought direct form Japan.

 

Omas: Well, it's all about the nib isn't it? They did have some incredible materials (Arco anyone?) and they are generally extremely wet writers. Very beautiful pens, but their piston nobs always make me nervous. Since folding, the second hand market sells second hand Omas' for a price I wouldn't personally pay. But at times I'm tempted!

 

Montblanc: Yes, they are brutally expensive, but I'm very fond of them. Some of the more recent designs have baffled me and it irritates me that some models don't post. Many will insist that they aren't writers pens, but I have at least two inked at all times. Montblanc is never out of my rotation and the nibs are a dream (if you like smooth, well tuned nibs). The standard line up is boring to some, but I like it's understated classic design aspect and it is extremely well balanced and very comfortable to hold. The 149 is up there with the Pilot 823 in my book.

 

Pelikan: Great pens but the nibs can be very, very firm. Some complain about chronic baby's bottom - I guess I've been lucky. Nice finishes, comfortable, well balanced pens. If you can stretch to match the cost the M1000 is a superb pen. It, the MB149 and Pilot 823 are my Trinity of perfection. The nib is heavenly.

 

Wing Sung: Mixed bag, lots of rubbishy pens with poor design elements and shoddy bits but you can score gold occasionally.

 

Parker: They are good workhorses. I find most of them to be boring. I like the design of the 51, but it's about as interesting as writing with a BIC. They just aren't for me, but I couldn't say they are bad pens. Many here adore the 51.

 

Waterman: Again, great workhorses. the black lacquer on some can be alarmingly soft. The medium nibs write like felt tips. Very smooth and wet, but kind of dull. Some designs are a little more interesting but I just can't garner a great deal of excitement about them. Vinatge Waterman is a whole different ball game. The 52 is worth pursuing,

 

Delta: Now gone, but they did produce good pens. I was annoyed by the stupid fusion nib which I think has probably tarnished my opinion of them. Some of the designs have very poor balance and aren't that comfortable for long writing sessions, but they sure do look pretty.

 

Visconti: Like Lambo's they are beautiful to look at. They have their issues, but if you get a working model they are an absolute dream. The palladium nibs are good, but I much prefer their old gold nibbed pens.

 

Platinum: Nice pens, good work horses, decent nibs. Finishes are...ok. Not bad, but nothing really special. I think they are usually priced correctly for the market.

 

Noodler's: Fun and frustration in equal measure. You don't really buy this because of how beautiful it looks though. Creative use of the term 'flexible'.

 

Conklin: I love the old model crescents, but they can be very finicky. New models are fine, but a bit over priced in my view. The modern Mark Twain is probably the best out of them. More recent models (such as the Durograph) have been better priced. The old Endura's are a joy - very fine pens.

 

Sheaffer: Again, vintage were great, especially the old PFM's. I don;t know what the modern PFM's are like so I can't say. The Prelude models are pretty good. I love the old conical nibs, but they can be quite dry writers. Repair can be a pain.

 

Nakaya: truly beautiful finishes but nibs that I cannot get on with at all. My only advice is try before you buy. My most expensive mistake.

 

Danitrio: Incredible nibs, great finishes and materials - a pen that is far superior as a writer than Nakaya, but the tolerances aren't quite as tight. Expensive....very expensive.

 

Baoer: A few quite good, robust models that will last a decent while. Nibs and feeds can be spotty though; again, it can be a bit of gamble buy, but they are cheap. Can't really say I find them pretty though.

 

Swan Mabie Todd: The pens that put me off vintage! I've had nothing but bad luck and every last model I've owned leaked like a sieve. I really want to love them. Many here will swear by them. the nibs are a joy and the designs are pretty.

 

Wahl Eversharp: Nice deco design pens, interesting nibs. I'd recommend, but bear in mind they can be quite small in the hand depending on what model you buy.

 

Lamy: I like the design of the 2000 but the nib's sweet spot just started to annoy me so much that I sold the pen. I still have a few Safari's and Al Star's. Work horses that are a bit ugly. They do a good stub.

 

TWSBI: I've a bit of a soft spot for TWSBI. I've sold a few but never had one crack, which is a very different experience to many others. The stubs are great. The Eco is fantastic value for what it is. The AL is a bit big if you post.

 

Montegrappa: Can have poor finishes on the mid-tier level and some mid-tier nibs can be poor. For the price it should be gold, but is often steel. Nice pens though. I'd recommend going expensive to get a good one.

 

FPR: The only pens I would recommend someone to avoid. Just awful on so many levels. Your mileage my vary; some love them.

 

Lingmo Lorelli: Did I spell that correctly? Anyway, they are alright. Piston nobs are loose and beyond irritating. They write fine. Time will tell how long they last. I donut have high hopes.

 

GVFC: I like them, but can never get hugely excited by them. Great quality, good nibs, some very nice designs at the very high end.

 

Stipula: A bit of a mixed bag really. Some of their special editions look unusable but are in fact very comfortable writers and well balanced. The nibs are pot luck. Not what it once was. Avoid the Splash model like the plague.

 

Netunno: Nice pens, great nibs. Rare to find one these days.

 

Markiaro: I really liked these and the company produced some very fine leather goods. The Starfish model is a little old style steel nibbed pen that hits the buttons for me. Worth chasing down but nibs could be a little hit and miss but have enough tipping to be worked on easily.

 

Ranga: There are lots of Indian ebonies out there and Ranga are one of the better ones. I find lots of the models far too big to use and have had trouble with the eyedroppers, but you can get converter ones which are worth a look. Sometimes you can get unsightly machine tooling on the barrel. Nibs are ok.

 

Asa: I think they might be the best of the Indian type pens out there. Nicely finished but you do pay for it. Standard nibs made elsewhere.

 

Esterbrook: The modern iteration is over priced junk that is best avoided. The old models are fun, easily repaired, swappable nibs - great little pens, but in recent years their prices have slowly risen. Still good value though.

 

Diplomat: Rarely heard of, although the Aero model caused a stir a while back (and quite rightly so). Nice pens, steel nibs that are a little dull, but not bad at all. The little flower print has a tendency to rub off.

 

Hero: Generally not bad. Some old models had weird slightly bouncy steel nibs. Not exactly beautiful, but perfectly functional and cheap.

 

Kaweco: Good designs but don't necessarily appeal to me. If you want something nuclear proof I'd recommend them. Nibs can be somewhat spotty, but they are good about replacements.

 

Edison: Nice pens, well finished, standard nibs. Some interesting deign aspects. I find them a little over priced for what they are (please don't lynch me).

 

Franklin Christoph: Interesting pens. Not for everyone, but the designs are good and they have nice balance and a certain pared back aesthetic. The specially tuned nibs are excellent and the cursive italics are the best out there in my view.

 

Conway Stewart: Good pens in lovely materials. Even the newly revived branding has garnered favourable attention. Definitely worth a look.

 

Scriptorium: Ever dream of a open that doesn't exist? Here is the place you can have it made. Highly recommend. Priced just right.

 

Crocodile: Boring, cheap Chinese pens. They're ok. Sometimes the feeds can make them very dry writers.

 

Laban: A brand that doesn't get a lot of attention but is definitely worth a look. Some great designs, nice nibs and decent quality for the price. Some are huge, but a lot of fun.

 

Italix: Many fans of this brand, but I'm not one. They are priced well for what they are and offer a bewildering set of nib types which make it a great place to buy if you want to experiment. I can't shake the feeling that they are rebranded Jinhao's, but to be fair, the pens I own from them have stood the test of time and the finishes are still flawless which is more than can be said of the vast majority of Jinhao's I've bought.

 

Wancher: Began life as a cheap Japanese pen maker with a most unfortunate name. Have begun to produce some really very interesting pens and have had a number of good associations with Sailor recently. The old makie-e pens they did years ago are screen printed but pretty good and nice writers.

 

I think I better stop, if you haven't already died of boredom reading this. Pilot, Pelikan and Montblanc are a good place to start, I really don't think you can go wrong, but it will likely depend very much on your personal preferences of course. If you go vintage I would say, be ready to get stung and be ready to tinker (sometimes endlessly). When you get a working pen it can be a joy, but you can have an awful lot of pain along the road to it.

Edited March 31, 2018 by Uncial

[ENewton]

Thank you for this long and thoughtful post.

[Buzz_130]

Nay: I echo the OP's opinion on Visconti. The most disappointing pen I own, and I won't purchase anything else from this manufacturer

 

Yay: Nakaya - amazing pen, 100% reliable, and I could build a collection of this brand alone

- Platinum, Sailor, and Pilot are all fine examples of modern fountain pens with outstanding quality control.

- Parker - amazing brand that grew to #1 in the world. Vintage pens are worth the reputation

- Esterbrook - love these pens

- Sheaffer - innovative vintage pen company that made fantastic pens in its day

 

Buzz

[senzen]

I had a bad time with all my fountain pens, until I gave up and eventually realized I was part of the problem, I just had no patience, had the wrong expectations, and didn't think of the wider system conformed of pen, nib, ink, paper and writer. After adjusting myself (Bzzzz! Rebooting!) and starting over, it took me a while to enjoy them, which meant matching 22 inks and pens. On the road there I had to give up on a Waterman Laureat which wrote very nice but leaked ink into the cap, a Platinum Cool which would never start, and several no name pens friends have given me but never worked right.

 

Nays:

 

Cheap Chinese pens. I have patience but it's not infinite and have no interest in tinkering; but others might.

 

Super expensive pens (>$250 USD) from "prestige brands". If I had the money I'd rather give it to someone who needs it and get by with a decent entry level pen. I'm no saint but that's how I was brought up.

 

Boring ink: black, blueblack.

 

Bad paper, if I can avoid it. Moleskine, yuck.

 

Yays:

 

Entry level: I like the concept of Lamy Vistas (transparent) but they evaporate quickly, a better alternative is the Pilot Metropolitan, for all of $11. If they only made something wider than M... And transparent .

 

Mid range: Lamy Studios have the same nibs but the one I have (one more on the way) is amazingly smooth. And its beautiful. It's got a problematic section for some though, but that's probably why you can find them at mid range prices.

 

High end: Parker Sonnets can be very nice but evaporate like crazy, and are pirated.

 

Very high end (to me: costs more than $150) pens can have nibs that are a pleasure to use and are more reliable: pelikan m600, Sailor pro gear, Waterman Le Man 100.

 

Awesome ink: J Herbin, Pilot Iroshizuku, Pelikan Edelstein, Stiupula Calamo, Rohrer & Klingner, Diamine, L'Artisan pastellier Callifolio...

 

Awesome paper: Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Tomoe River.

 

 

 

[max dog]

My view - and it is only my view, as many here will very strongly disagree. You may disagree strongly too, because a lot of it is personal preference.

 

Jinhao: largely pretty rubbish. You doe essentially get what you pay for and while these can be great fun and you can throw any kind of ink into them without worrying too much, they aren't exactly great quality. They can be a bit of a gamble to buy, but (I may have silly been lucky) more recently they seem to have a better track record. Some of them will break or disintegrate quite quickly, being made of quite cheap plastics. Finishes will wear fast. That said, there are one or two models that seem sturdy and reasonably well made. The 159 isn't bad at all. Overall they usually come in at the price of a BIC or cheap ballpoint and tend to last a little longer. Great for starters and ink experiments.

 

Pilot: Can't complain at all. The designs of some pens can be a little dull, but I can honestly say I've never had a bad writer. The Custom 823 is to my mind one of the best pens made that money can buy.

 

Sailor: Nice pens. I avoid the medium nibs as they have a peculiar cut that creates an odd sweet spot. Some of the nibs can be a little spotty on the lower range, but overall they are good pens. The Pro Gear model is especially good (but only if you post). They can come in a dizzying array of nibs, many of which aren't really all that suited to western writing styles. In my experience it is pot luck as to whether you get a nib that is smooth or a nib with feedback (not unpleasantly so though). Only one, a standard 1911, came with a scratchy unusable nib that was smoothed out eventually. Some of the plastics for the standard range are a bit cheap feeling (but still robust) and some of the special editions (such as the Seasons Pro Gears) can have odd blemishes in the finishes. Good value and enjoyable pens when bought direct form Japan.

 

Omas: Well, it's all about the nib isn't it? They did have some incredible materials (Arco anyone?) and they are generally extremely wet writers. Very beautiful pens, but their piston nobs always make me nervous. Since folding, the second hand market sells second hand Omas' for a price I wouldn't personally pay. But at times I'm tempted!

 

Montblanc: Yes, they are brutally expensive, but I'm very fond of them. Some of the more recent designs have baffled me and it irritates me that some models don't post. Many will insist that they aren't writers pens, but I have at least two inked at all times. Montblanc is never out of my rotation and the nibs are a dream (if you like smooth, well tuned nibs). The standard line up is boring to some, but I like it's understated classic design aspect and it is extremely well balanced and very comfortable to hold. The 149 is up there with the Pilot 823 in my book.

 

Pelikan: Great pens but the nibs can be very, very firm. Some complain about chronic baby's bottom - I guess I've been lucky. Nice finishes, comfortable, well balanced pens. If you can stretch to match the cost the M1000 is a superb pen. It, the MB149 and Pilot 823 are my Trinity of perfection. The nib is heavenly.

 

Wing Sung: Mixed bag, lots of rubbishy pens with poor design elements and shoddy bits but you can score gold occasionally.

 

Parker: They are good workhorses. I find most of them to be boring. I like the design of the 51, but it's about as interesting as writing with a BIC. They just aren't for me, but I couldn't say they are bad pens. Many here adore the 51.

 

Waterman: Again, great workhorses. the black lacquer on some can be alarmingly soft. The medium nibs write like felt tips. Very smooth and wet, but kind of dull. Some designs are a little more interesting but I just can't garner a great deal of excitement about them. Vinatge Waterman is a whole different ball game. The 52 is worth pursuing,

 

Delta: Now gone, but they did produce good pens. I was annoyed by the stupid fusion nib which I think has probably tarnished my opinion of them. Some of the designs have very poor balance and aren't that comfortable for long writing sessions, but they sure do look pretty.

 

Visconti: Like Lambo's they are beautiful to look at. They have their issues, but if you get a working model they are an absolute dream. The palladium nibs are good, but I much prefer their old gold nibbed pens.

 

Platinum: Nice pens, good work horses, decent nibs. Finishes are...ok. Not bad, but nothing really special. I think they are usually priced correctly for the market.

 

Noodler's: Fun and frustration in equal measure. You don't really buy this because of how beautiful it looks though. Creative use of the term 'flexible'.

 

Conklin: I love the old model crescents, but they can be very finicky. New models are fine, but a bit over priced in my view. The modern Mark Twain is probably the best out of them. More recent models (such as the Durograph) have been better priced. The old Endura's are a joy - very fine pens.

 

Sheaffer: Again, vintage were great, especially the old PFM's. I don;t know what the modern PFM's are like so I can't say. The Prelude models are pretty good. I love the old conical nibs, but they can be quite dry writers. Repair can be a pain.

 

Nakaya: truly beautiful finishes but nibs that I cannot get on with at all. My only advice is try before you buy. My most expensive mistake.

 

Danitrio: Incredible nibs, great finishes and materials - a pen that is far superior as a writer than Nakaya, but the tolerances aren't quite as tight. Expensive....very expensive.

 

Baoer: A few quite good, robust models that will last a decent while. Nibs and feeds can be spotty though; again, it can be a bit of gamble buy, but they are cheap. Can't really say I find them pretty though.

 

Swan Mabie Todd: The pens that put me off vintage! I've had nothing but bad luck and every last model I've owned leaked like a sieve. I really want to love them. Many here will swear by them. the nibs are a joy and the designs are pretty.

 

Wahl Eversharp: Nice deco design pens, interesting nibs. I'd recommend, but bear in mind they can be quite small in the hand depending on what model you buy.

 

Lamy: I like the design of the 2000 but the nib's sweet spot just started to annoy me so much that I sold the pen. I still have a few Safari's and Al Star's. Work horses that are a bit ugly. They do a good stub.

 

TWSBI: I've a bit of a soft spot for TWSBI. I've sold a few but never had one crack, which is a very different experience to many others. The stubs are great. The Eco is fantastic value for what it is. The AL is a bit big if you post.

 

Montegrappa: Can have poor finishes on the mid-tier level and some mid-tier nibs can be poor. For the price it should be gold, but is often steel. Nice pens though. I'd recommend going expensive to get a good one.

 

FPR: The only pens I would recommend someone to avoid. Just awful on so many levels. Your mileage my vary; some love them.

 

Lingmo Lorelli: Did I spell that correctly? Anyway, they are alright. Piston nobs are loose and beyond irritating. They write fine. Time will tell how long they last. I donut have high hopes.

 

GVFC: I like them, but can never get hugely excited by them. Great quality, good nibs, some very nice designs at the very high end.

 

Stipula: A bit of a mixed bag really. Some of their special editions look unusable but are in fact very comfortable writers and well balanced. The nibs are pot luck. Not what it once was. Avoid the Splash model like the plague.

 

Netunno: Nice pens, great nibs. Rare to find one these days.

 

Markiaro: I really liked these and the company produced some very fine leather goods. The Starfish model is a little old style steel nibbed pen that hits the buttons for me. Worth chasing down but nibs could be a little hit and miss but have enough tipping to be worked on easily.

 

Ranga: There are lots of Indian ebonies out there and Ranga are one of the better ones. I find lots of the models far too big to use and have had trouble with the eyedroppers, but you can get converter ones which are worth a look. Sometimes you can get unsightly machine tooling on the barrel. Nibs are ok.

 

Asa: I think they might be the best of the Indian type pens out there. Nicely finished but you do pay for it. Standard nibs made elsewhere.

 

Esterbrook: The modern iteration is over priced junk that is best avoided. The old models are fun, easily repaired, swappable nibs - great little pens, but in recent years their prices have slowly risen. Still good value though.

 

Diplomat: Rarely heard of, although the Aero model caused a stir a while back (and quite rightly so). Nice pens, steel nibs that are a little dull, but not bad at all. The little flower print has a tendency to rub off.

 

Hero: Generally not bad. Some old models had weird slightly bouncy steel nibs. Not exactly beautiful, but perfectly functional and cheap.

 

Kaweco: Good designs but don't necessarily appeal to me. If you want something nuclear proof I'd recommend them. Nibs can be somewhat spotty, but they are good about replacements.

 

Edison: Nice pens, well finished, standard nibs. Some interesting deign aspects. I find them a little over priced for what they are (please don't lynch me).

 

Franklin Christoph: Interesting pens. Not for everyone, but the designs are good and they have nice balance and a certain pared back aesthetic. The specially tuned nibs are excellent and the cursive italics are the best out there in my view.

 

Conway Stewart: Good pens in lovely materials. Even the newly revived branding has garnered favourable attention. Definitely worth a look.

 

Scriptorium: Ever dream of a open that doesn't exist? Here is the place you can have it made. Highly recommend. Priced just right.

 

Crocodile: Boring, cheap Chinese pens. They're ok. Sometimes the feeds can make them very dry writers.

 

Laban: A brand that doesn't get a lot of attention but is definitely worth a look. Some great designs, nice nibs and decent quality for the price. Some are huge, but a lot of fun.

 

Italix: Many fans of this brand, but I'm not one. They are priced well for what they are and offer a bewildering set of nib types which make it a great place to buy if you want to experiment. I can't shake the feeling that they are rebranded Jinhao's, but to be fair, the pens I own from them have stood the test of time and the finishes are still flawless which is more than can be said of the vast majority of Jinhao's I've bought.

 

Wancher: Began life as a cheap Japanese pen maker with a most unfortunate name. Have begun to produce some really very interesting pens and have had a number of good associations with Sailor recently. The old makie-e pens they did years ago are screen printed but pretty good and nice writers.

 

I think I better stop, if you haven't already died of boredom reading this. Pilot, Pelikan and Montblanc are a good place to start, I really don't think you can go wrong, but it will likely depend very much on your personal preferences of course. If you go vintage I would say, be ready to get stung and be ready to tinker (sometimes endlessly). When you get a working pen it can be a joy, but you can have an awful lot of pain along the road to it.

Wow that is very impressive. I think I would generally agree with everything on the brands you listed I am familiar with.. For Montblanc I would add with the EF and OB nibs I have, I have yet to find a modern nib that can match Montblancs for character and pleasant writing experience. And with the OB, there is nothing new in the market that can compare. Would be awesome if they could bring back the 14C type nibs from the past with some flex. Edited March 31, 2018 by max dog

[KreepyKen]

Uncial's post is most impressive. I learned a lot.

 

A few of my thoughts:

• I think I'm done with Yafa pens (Conklin & Monteverde). I have one of each (Conklin Duragraph and Monteverde Invincia Deluxe). They're both fine. Both nice looking. I got stubs on both of them, and their feeds have trouble supplying enough ink, so they skip/hard start. I think they'd behave better with EF/F/M nibs. My problem with the company is their recent trend of buying super cheap Chinese pens in bulk and rebranding them. The $16 Monteverde Monza = $2 Jinhao 992. The $40 Conklin Victory = $3 Baoer 517. They've had a couple others. I'm super disappointed in this business strategy, and have come to the conclusion that they likely don't make any of their own pens. Some of their pens are nice looking, but I don't think I'll mess with any of them. Exception: Monteverde inks are really nice. I don't know who makes them, but they're great and I'll continue to buy them.
• Jinhao: I've had more bad luck with them than good. Their medium nibs are fat, mushy, and unenjoyable to use. I have a model 3005 (discontinued) with a hooded nib that's very stublike (very fine stub) and I LOVE that pen. My 992s write okay. My 159 fell apart. My 159, x450, and x750 have nibs that are sloppy and too broad. The only thing #6 Jinhaos are good for is putting a different nib into.
• Baoer: MSub-brand of Jinhao, but I've had a higher success rate with them. Nothing too awesome, though.
• Wing Sung: The company is dead. Hero bought them, and now licenses the Wing Sung name out to other companies (at least two). Complete mixed bag regarding quality. The 3203 is my favorite.
• Sailor: My favorite brand. They have a range of models & sizes and are always coming out with cool & interesting colors. They do a lot of special editions with various companies. Oh, and they're amazing writers. There will be many more Sailors added to my collection.
• Platinum: Another of my favorites. Less interesting than Sailor, but just as awesome writers. They also do interesting collaborations with companies (like Wancher).
• Lamy: Never had a problem with them. The 2000 does have a sweet spot, but I got used to it. All of mine are nice writers.
• Visconti: Bought a Homo Sapiens. It was absolutely beautiful. It was also an absolutely horrible writer. Skipped and hard started constantly. I exchanged it for a Pilot C74, Lamy 2000, and Vanishing Point. Much happier. I would never buy another Visconti online. I would only buy one if I could test it in person first.
• ASA: I have one and it's both beautiful and an amazing writer. It's hand made.
• Speaking of hand made pens, Uncial mentioned Scriptorium. I don't have any of her pens (yet), but I do have pens from Shawn Newton and Jonathon Brooks. They're both stellar writers and both gorgeous pens. I've met both of them (and their wives), too...and they're super cool people. If you like the idea of having a custom-made pen by an artist, I recommend both of them. My ultimate grail pen right now is an urushi-lacquered pen from Jonathon Brooks.
• Franklin-Christoph: I love them. I have 3 of theirs, plus another from a Kickstarter coming later this year. They use Jowo nibs, but some of them are modified (Masuyama & Jim Rouse), and they'll test & tune them to make sure they work great. Right now, I have a fine italic nib on my Model 31, and it's such a fantastic writer. And it's fine enough to use as an everyday pen.
• Faber-Castell: I only have one: a Basic. Beautiful writer...the nib is superb. Eventually, I'll get one of those Pure Black e-Motions. It's high on my "to buy" list.
• Nakaya: I don't have any (only a matter of time). The company is run by (I think) the son of the founder of Platinum. They're hand-made and urushi-lacquered pens. Although the nibs are branded as Nakaya, they're actually Platinum nibs, so if you like the way Platinum pens write, then you should expect the same type of writing experience from Nakaya. They're very high on my "someday" list.
• Pelikan: I have one m200 and it's a phenomenal writer. I'd like to get a larger pen (m600 or larger), but they're expensive. I'm holding out for a brown tortoise in a larger size.

[BlueJ]

"Lingmo Lorelli: Did I spell that correctly? Anyway, they are alright. Piston nobs are loose and beyond irritating. They write fine. Time will tell how long they last. I donut have high hopes."

 

I wasn't aware there was a piston-fill version of the Lorelei, mine is C/C (or perhaps Uncial is referring to the converter knob?) Mine writes well after a bit of smoothing. It does sometimes run dry or skip on very absorbent paper. It is my only Chinese pen at the moment.

[ENewton]

Of all my pens--Parker (vintage), Waterman (vintage), Shaeffer (vintage), Lamy, Pilot, Sailor, Platinum, Kaweco, Monteverde, Dollar, and Jinhao--the only ones that have disappointed me are the Kaweco and the Monteverde.

 

I expected to love the Kaweco--such an attractive design, with a solid history--but the plastic body feels cheap, and the nib feels cheaper. I have finally justified the purchase by converting the pen to an eyedropper, which greatly improves the flow. (My first attempt at rationalization was that the pen would be good for travel, but then it caused me some embarrassment on an airplane. It stays home from now on.)

 

I have the same objection that KreepyKen has to the Monteverde and am similarly unimpressed with the stub nib, but in addition, I think the pens are "nice looking" mainly in photographs. I have the Invincia Deluxe with the "rose gold" paint, which looked very unlike actual metal plating from the start and began to show signs of pitting within a few weeks of intermittent use. The Jinhao also doesn't keep its finish on the grip section, but it costs just a few dollars, whereas Yafa charges a good bit for the Monteverde.

 

All in all, the Monteverde is the one pen I am chagrined to have bought. I might even buy another Kaweco--a metal one, as opposed to plastic--if I could swap in a better nib than Kaweco offers for the pen.

[Runnin_Ute]

Even with brands I have had less than ideal experiences with, they are few enough that at this point I wouldn't necessarily stay away.

 

Parker - I have ten. Six 45's, two 51's and two IM's. I won't recommend the IM. Dries out, but the nibs are ok, if you can get it so you aren't fighting it. No issues with the others.

 

Pelikan - Six of these, half are M200's. My absolute favorite of the bunch is the 140 though.

 

Esterbrook - Seven. Transitional, LJ, SJ and four double jewel J's. Easy to fix, wide array of nibs, easy to change fun.

 

Those account for over 2/3 of my collection.

 

The only other brand I have multiples of is TWSBI - a 580 and an Eco. Plus pens from True Writer (Levenger), Kaweco, Pilot, Jinhao, Noodler's, Lamy, Platinum and Waterman.

 

I haven't had the Kaweco long enough to make a real judgement- one or two fills. It was a PIF, smaller than I care for. The Konrad was a decent writer out of the box. No fiddling. Mine is one of the vegetale resin models. I didn't find it smelled bad at all. I have changed the nib though to a Goulet branded B... The Jinhao (a 599) has been made into a stub. Decent or better. Good for testing inks. The Lamy has served me well for 20 years.