Starter Fps - Why Are They So Fugly?

[KCat]

Okay, so that's subjective.

 

The deal. My seven year old granddaughter saw my FPs earlier this month. I let her write with the ones that were inked. My Decimo and three Pelikans (a Binderized m200 and two stock m620s - my Grand Place was her favorite https://www.penaddict.com/blog/2016/5/20/the-pelikan-m620-grand-place-fountain-pen-a-review

, and Piazza Navona).

 

She's 7 but she's smart as a whip and when I showed her how to hold it and told her not to use pressure she was on it like an artist. She had it down immediately and was doodling carefully and loving my pens. I would like to make the process a little easier and a little less intimidating for her but she really loved the swirls of my Grand Place. UGH!

 

All the pens for kids are just so... kiddie clunky and ugly. (IMO). She is really so far beyond that in some ways (in a G&T program, etc.) and I don't want to treat her like a baby. But I also don't want to give her a $500 pen. Because while I'm sure she will write correctly with it, I'm not sure she won't lose it at school.

 

I looked around and just didn't see anything in the $20-$50 range that was even remotely pretty. Everything was solid plastic, single color, or clear or chunky or metal. She is petite and needs lightweight but I'd like it to be something somewhat pretty. I can give her my Pilot Prera but it's a little bland. (Beige) Prera is probably the least objectionable of all the starter pens I saw. Still not "pretty" from this little girl's POV.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Didn't see anything on Goulet that I liked and I know they have a decent selection.

Edited February 26, 2020 by KCat

[Estycollector]

I got my granddaughters a Pelikan Twist.

[Anderglan]

LAMY abc

 

https://www.lamyshop.com/fuellhalter-lamy-abc.html

 

--- my 7 y/o son ist just learning upright-cursive with it. Yeah, upright-cursive is a thing, at least in some parts of Continental Europe

[Tadeo]

Take a look at penbbs pens. They come from China, but seem worth the wait.

Moonman is another good option, also from China.

[Inky.Fingers]

Have you consider a Moonman M600 Fountain pen?

[hari317]

..

Edited February 26, 2020 by hari317

[catbert]

Pilot Kakuno?

[KCat]

Okay. Obviously I did a TL;DR post.

 

I looked at all the kids pens and starter pens. They be ugly. I don't like them. I don't want to buy one. No Lamy ABC. No Pelikan Twist.

 

I'd like a pen that looks like a nice pen and not like a kid's pen.

 

I don't know Anything about the Moonman 600 but it looks interesting and more like what I might be looking for. If it isn't metal body, then that would possibly work as long as it isn't oversized. As I said, she is quite petite although she handled my m620s just fine.

Edited February 26, 2020 by KCat

[Antenociticus]

There are excellent Delike New Moon (2) pens that come in pretty acrylics for around $20. Light and not too big (130mm capped). Well-made and quite sturdy. Cartridge-converters. Very fine nibs, though.

Edited February 26, 2020 by Antenociticus

[Anderglan]

Okay. Obviously I did a TL;DR post.

 

I looked at all the kids pens and starter pens. They be ugly. I don't like them. I don't want to buy one. No Lamy ABC. No Pelikan Twist.

 

I'd like a pen that looks like a nice pen and not like a kid's pen.

 

What about LAMY nexx, LAMY safari, LAMY AL-star, to name but a few -- my daughters C and A use them, and they're almost grown-ups, at least they're junior highschool kids

Edited February 26, 2020 by Anderglan

[A Smug Dill]

All the pens for kids are just so... kiddie clunky and ugly. (IMO). She is really so far beyond that in some ways (in a G&T program, etc.) and I don't want to treat her like a baby. But I also don't want to give her a $500 pen. Because while I'm sure she will write correctly with it, I'm not sure she won't lose it at school.

 

I looked around and just didn't see anything in the $20-$50 range that was even remotely pretty. Everything was solid plastic, single color, or clear or chunky or metal. She is petite and needs lightweight but I'd like it to be something somewhat pretty.

 

Seriously?

 

My "nieces" -- actually a close family friends' daughters, aged 9 and 6 -- adore the Daiso-Hauser fountain pens I specially prepared for them, by adding a converter (not included in the retail package) filled with Noodler's Blue Ghost invisible ink. Net out-of-pocket expense to me is less than $10 each, and we're talking about Australian dollars there. I like the writing experience with those pens myself, and that is why I chose to give them to the girls, when I could have inked any other model of pen with invisible ink for them if that was the only theme of the gift.

 

I bought every colour of Platinum Prefounte available, and they can choose whichever two out of those they want next.

 

My PenBBS 308 and 309 pens are all in the (Australian) $20–$50 range, and I bought them because they're pretty.

 

Ditto my several Moonman M100 and M200 pens, as well as my Delike New Moon 2 pens.

 

My wife and I gave away acrylic-barrelled Jinhao 51A pens as bomboniere (aka wedding favours) late last year, after I tested a few candidate pen models and decided they are the best "starter" pens for non- fountain pen users out of the lot. They cost us less than $5 each, and come with compatible converters. (I cleaned, flushed, tested and polished every single one of them, and I can attest that they're good writing instruments. I have another ten of my own because they're so good.) Net cost to me is less than $5 each.

 

If you want to do "better" than Chinese pens, I have a few Sailor Lecoule (Garnet, Morion, Crystal, etc.) pens with which I'm perfectly happy, and they cost me less than ¥2,600 (i.e. less than US$26) each with custom laser 'engraving' each. They have the same form factor as Sailor Professional Gear Slim models, and my only criticism is that they're rather lightweight, but that wouldn't be too much of a concern for little girls. I have left one of them capped and unused for more than three months, and still it was ready to write as soon as I uncapped it, with no hard starts or anything like that.

 

Edit:

With all due respect, and noting that the US is not the centre of the community of today's fountain pen users, any more than to which Australia, China or Japan could lay claim...

 

Forget "American", forget Goulet or any other particular retailer, when thinking about what's available in the market. You're welcome to limit yourself to only buying from your preferred suppliers by whatever criteria, as is your prerogative — which I duly acknowledge — as a consumer; but they're not representative or definitive of what's available today. Goulet doesn't sell Sailor pens, but that doesn't mean Sailor pens aren't available and well-known to hobbyists in USA as well as worldwide.

 

Every pen model available brand new that is offered/sold on Amazon (including from Marketplace sellers based in Southeast Asia), Rakuten Global Market, Cult Pens (UK), La Couronne du Comte and Fontplumo (in the Netherlands), etc. as well as the "official" PenBBS shop on Etsy is part of the equation of what's available.

Edited February 26, 2020 by A Smug Dill

[KCat]

Fully aware that Goulet is not the center of the pen selling universe. I was using it as a way of expressing what I dont want. And Im no more Ameri-centric about pens than you are. This is why I came here to ask. I thought, you know, I have limited time right now, Im in a deep depression and ready to pack up my **** and run away from home, so I will ask my friends on FPN for suggestions on pretty but appropriate pens for my grandkid. And SERIOUSLY, Im sure she will enjoy anything I give her. BUT, she loved my pretty Swirly pen so I wanted to surprise her with something special because I have ONE granddaughter and will probably only ever have ONE granddaughter so it is my prerogative to want to do it that way vs. giving her a childs pen or in addition to. Heck, she may end up liking the Safari or Prera better. But I know her tastes typically lean toward flash so I sought flash. Forgive me if you thought this to be snooty or whatever you thought.

 

you want to go snark, I can go snark with the best of em.

 

Thank you, however, for including some actually useful data in amongst the snark.

 

Good night. Have a good week.

 

Thanks everyone. Im going to bow out and just do my own ducking search from here. (Thanks iOS for the help there)

 

Ta muchly.

[Shaggy]

How about one of the clear Preras with colored translucent ends?

 

Or a nice vintage pen a Lady Sheaffer is petite and pretty, and should be around the same price.

[amberleadavis]

How about this one for $10?

 

https://www.dromgooles.com/platinum-prefounte-fountain-pen.html?id=41013669

[A Smug Dill]

And SERIOUSLY, Im sure she will enjoy anything I give her. BUT, she loved my pretty Swirly pen

Every acrylic-bodied pen in the photo below cost me less than US$50 individually.

 

 

(Shown: Moonman S1, three Moonman M100, three Moonman M200, Moonman M600S, three FPR Himalaya v1, two Delike New Moon 2, PenBBS 309, PenBBS 308, Lingmo Lorelei 667, two Lingmo Lorelei 019)

 

There are plenty more "swirly" or other patterns in those models that I don't personally have.

 

Thank you, however, for including some actually useful data in amongst the snark.

I try. Others' personal values and preferences have nothing to do with what's available in the market, and I try to open the field wide in response to their questions or musings. If they choose to narrow their field of search based on some other criteria, that's their prerogative, but I wouldn't presume to limit their choices in ways they choose to limit themselves.

Edited February 26, 2020 by A Smug Dill

[catbert]

Okay. Obviously I did a TL;DR post.

 

I looked at all the kids pens and starter pens. They be ugly. I don't like them. I don't want to buy one. No Lamy ABC. No Pelikan Twist.

 

I'd like a pen that looks like a nice pen and not like a kid's pen.

 

I don't know Anything about the Moonman 600 but it looks interesting and more like what I might be looking for. If it isn't metal body, then that would possibly work as long as it isn't oversized. As I said, she is quite petite although she handled my m620s just fine.

 

Well I read the whole OP. Was thinking of these limited edition Kakunos, which don't seem clunky or childish to me — but, as you say, taste is subjective. Hope you find something that fits the bill.

[seoulseeker]

Generally agreed but I would suggest looking into the waterman audace line.

 

[Mech-for-i]

Really you are just looking at the wrong place ; that's all ; for the price stated there are plenty of good classy stylish and definitely not funky fountain pens out there. And I would say let's get over that metal equate boring, bland and plastic equate inferior stereotyping .. a light weight metal pen might not be a bad idea for a child.

 

You would be advised to frequent the Chinese fountain pen forum if you want to look for exciting affordable but not the childish funky type of decent fountain pen in the said price range .. as of this moment the Mfr(s) over there are the one who really provide ( such ). I would say while some Japanese, and European Mfr offer us something in the said range, they generally are either too much of serious workhorse themed ( like say the Prera ) or they are styled more teen ( which to many that's just as funky as child / school pen models )

Edited February 26, 2020 by Mech-for-i

[Shaggy]

 

 

Well I read the whole OP. Was thinking of these limited edition Kakunos, which don't seem clunky or childish to me but, as you say, taste is subjective. Hope you find something that fits the bill.

 

Just bought one for my old azz to use!

[JulieParadise]

My children (10 & 11 years old now) love and use (since starting school at the age of 5/6) their Kaweco Sports most. They also use their Pelikan M100/150 daily (got these used for ca. 30 Euro), Lamy Safari, Wing Sung 3008 (demonstrators), Pilot Petit and Pilot Kaküno.