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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 1/3rd 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.