Your Best Cheap Pen?

[Beechwood]

8 hours ago, ParramattaPaul said:

I have a Twist. I bought it at the same time that I bought a Diplomat Magnum.  Unlike some other members, I like the Magnum (broad nib) for what it is, a low cost, utilitarian pen, and for that reason I have yet to use the Twist.  I'll have to give the Twist a try this week.

 

 

I have to say Paul that I think Pelikan intended the Twist for children,   the section is shaped to educate the young hand as to how to hold the pen correctly.

 

One unusual feature is that you are meant to use the Twist with two cartridges, one fitted as usual, the spare sits in the barrel in the opposite direction (so that the cartridges are base to base) this keeps the cartridge seated on the nipple.

[JerryC]

Pilot 78g fine

Lamy Safari ef

Hero 616

[Manofadventure]

A 1950s vintage Tropen Scholar piston filler with a very wet M nib with flex upto BB, purchased for the princely sum of US $ 27, in 2017.

[InkNsap]

I have just gotten a Pilot 78g+ in EF and I’m itching to buy the Fine one in a different colour. I promised my boyfriend no more fountain pens this year. I don’t know what to do. ☹️ I’m thinking of asking it for Valentine’s Day. 
 

— Valentina 

Quote

On 12/23/2011 at 1:55 AM, Bigeddie said:

Either a Pilot 78g in fine or broad, or a Reform 1745.

 

On 12/23/2011 at 3:56 AM, smodak said:

pilot 78G fine. $9.99 shipped from ebay.

 

On 12/27/2020 at 11:24 PM, JerryC said:

Pilot 78g fine

Lamy Safari ef

Hero 616

 

 

[Stompie]

5 hours ago, InkNsap said:

I have just gotten a Pilot 78g+ in EF 
 

— Valentina 

 

 Pray tell, where did you get this from? I have been trying to source one but can not find any in the UK!

 

Thank you!

[InkNsap]

I haven’t actually received it yet! I bought it from AliExpress. They have so many choices there for the Chinese market. 
 

Quote

48 minutes ago, Stompie said:

 Pray tell, where did you get this from? I have been trying to source one but can not find any in the UK!

 

Thank you!

 

 

[TitoThePencilPimp]

A black kaweco liliput I payed $30 for on amazon. 

[mizgeorge]

5 hours ago, Stompie said:

 Pray tell, where did you get this from? I have been trying to source one but can not find any in the UK!

 

Thank you!

Awesome pens have them in the UK. Not as cheap as buying from China, but closer to instant gratification (and free shipping)  The new pastel ones come with ink too.

[ParramattaPaul]

11 hours ago, InkNsap said:

I have just gotten a Pilot 78g+ in EF and I’m itching to buy the Fine one in a different colour. I promised my boyfriend no more fountain pens this year. I don’t know what to do. ☹️ I’m thinking of asking it for Valentine’s Day. 
 

— Valentina 

 

As my late wife would remind me on occasion; it is a woman's perogative to change her mind.

[mr T.]

My best inexpensive pens are the Jinhao X750 and the Jinhao 992. 

[peroride]

On 12/22/2011 at 5:25 PM, DFerguson said:

in YOUR opinion of cheap, what would you say the best pen you own is?

Platinum Preppy 0.2 mm 

[rkesey]

If we're talking about pens we got lucky on, mine would be a NOS Sailor Fude De Mannen I paid $30 for, and a NOS Elgin with a gold M nib I paid $14 for; then there was a Parker 21 and a few Estie J's that came in for $20 or less apiece. If we're talking new, I guess my Lamy Safari--not much to look at, but it's never failed me.

[InkNsap]

It got here really quickly! So AliExpress works! I ordered it on the 30 and it arrived today. 
 

On 1/3/2021 at 5:57 PM, Stompie said:

 Pray tell, where did you get this from? I have been trying to source one but can not find any in the UK!

 

Thank you!

 

[Detman101]

Definitely my PENBBS-355(flex)!
Absolute perfection!
 

[Stompie]

8 hours ago, InkNsap said:

It got here really quickly! So AliExpress works! I ordered it on the 30 and it arrived today. 
 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

I was thinking of getting the Medium nib

[Luci]

On 12/24/2020 at 7:45 AM, Beechwood said:

One unusual feature is that you are meant to use the Twist with two cartridges, one fitted as usual, the spare sits in the barrel in the opposite direction (so that the cartridges are base to base) this keeps the cartridge seated on the nipple.

Pelikan school pens also have this feature, and are a great cheap pen if you’re in Europe and don’t mind using cartridges. 
 

other favorites are Lamy Safari and Parker Vector. 
 

I bought a JHerbin branded pen in Tokyo once, which I think was really a Pilot Kakuno. I remember it as being inexpensive and it wrote like a dream. Sadly I seem to have mislaid it. 

[A Smug Dill]

On 1/3/2021 at 11:29 PM, InkNsap said:

I have just gotten a Pilot 78g+ in EF

 

I don't know about the Chinese-made Pilot 78G+, but the gripping section on the older Japanese-made Pilot 78G is interchangeable with that on the Pilot MR. I'd forgotten about that, until earlier this week when I wondered why one of my MR pens (sitting in two pieces in a drawer) was missing its section; I'd replaced the nib on it with a Pilot Plumix steel (italic) F nib, but because I increasingly dislike the step-down on the MR, I'd transplanted the whole section across to an old 78G, which I have been using on and off for the past few weeks.

 

Since then, I got busy and set up a bunch of interchangeable sections fitted with ‘donated’ EF nibs from one each of Pilot Penmanship, PenBBS 494 and Pali 013, as well as italic F, M and B nibs from a Pilot Enso Plumix lettering set, and (standard, round-tipped) Pilot F and M nibs, to spare myself having to remove the friction-fit nibs and feeds each time I want to try an ink with a different nib.

 

(That is certainly not what I will be using for ink reviews, though.)

[Mech-for-i]

3 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I don't know about the Chinese-made Pilot 78G+, but the gripping section on the older Japanese-made Pilot 78G is interchangeable with that on the Pilot MR. I'd forgotten about that, until earlier this week when I wondered why one of my MR pens (sitting in two pieces in a drawer) was missing its section; I'd replaced the nib on it with a Pilot Plumix steel (italic) F nib, but because I increasingly dislike the step-down on the MR, I'd transplanted the whole section across to an old 78G, which I have been using on and off for the past few weeks.

 

Since then, I got busy and set up a bunch of interchangeable sections fitted with ‘donated’ EF nibs from one each of Pilot Penmanship, PenBBS 494 and Pali 013, as well as italic F, M and B nibs from a Pilot Enso Plumix lettering set, and (standard, round-tipped) Pilot F and M nibs, to spare myself having to remove the friction-fit nibs and feeds each time I want to try an ink with a different nib.

 

(That is certainly not what I will be using for ink reviews, though.)

 

LOL, I had a pen case of prepared Jinhao 51a Open Nib version fitted with various no.5 nibs from custom grind architect to XXF to BB , they were my cheap pen to had currently. The no.5 nib, just pull off / push on cap and the typical standard C/C made it more starter friendly. I also like the fact that Jinhao offer different barrel materials , the long wooden barrel journal edition in particular are very nice

[RJS]

I own quite a lot of cheap pens I'm fond of. I got a Kaweco Al-Sport in a sale for £30 and I love that pen- one of my favourites. But it's usually double that price. I'd say the Faber-Castell Loom is my favourite for £20- very comfortable to hold and an excellent nib. 
 

I own a few cheap Chinese pens (£1-3), and a couple of those I like better than certain £60 pens I own. From my experience the quality of £2 Chinese pens is generally equal to that of £15-20 Western or Japanese pens. The only rubbish Chinese pens I've had cost 1 pound or less.

[aimi]

I'm sure it's been mentioned somewhere in the last 23+ pages, but the Pilot Kakuno is so reliable, comes in cute colours, and has that adorable nib imprint!