Best Cheap Fountain Pen

[Stephen2020]

Hero 329, Platignum Studio 5.

[Penman222]

Kaigelu 356. It is a Chinese copy of the Parker Sonnet. Check the reviews, it is a very nice pen for 7 or 8 dollars shipped.

[circlepattern]

I'm not sure if you will consider this a full-on fountain pen since its nib is a little strange. But the Hero 616 for a couple of dollars will set you off VERY well. Super cheap and write decently in my point of view. Yes, it is knock-off of the parker 51, but that doesn't subtract from its quality a single bit.

[cellmatrix]

Seems like everyone wants you to buy a new pen. I suggest getting a nice vintage parker 45 with a gold nib. They can easily be had for $25 or less and are smooth wet reliable durable writers. They are the best bargain out there for the price and a great first introduction to fountain pens.

[circlepattern]

Seems like everyone wants you to buy a new pen. I suggest getting a nice vintage parker 45 with a gold nib. They can easily be had for $25 or less and are smooth wet reliable durable writers. They are the best bargain out there for the price and a great first introduction to fountain pens.

I don't see them sold for that much, searched it up and turns out they usually cost ~$100.

[cellmatrix]

I'm not sure where you got the idea $100 is the usual asking price. I just checked ebay and while NOS and certain really nice models like flighters might cost you upwards of $70, I can still see good used pens going for $25 or less on the auctions. There seems to be some especially good ones coming from the UK recently. My advice is to research a bit and wait for a good price. Hope this helps.

 

Edit to add: some helpful tips in looking for a gold nib on the parker 45: often the sellers don't know but you can usually tell by looking at a high mag picture of the nib. If its silver then obviously it's not gold, if its gold including the tip it's probably only gold plated, if the nib is gold but tipping is evenly silver colored then it more likely is a solid gold nib. After having said all this, while the gold nibs have a nice soft springiness, the steel/octanium nibs are quite nice too.

Edited June 5, 2013 by cellmatrix

[GabrielleDuVent]

Seems like everyone wants you to buy a new pen. I suggest getting a nice vintage parker 45 with a gold nib. They can easily be had for $25 or less and are smooth wet reliable durable writers. They are the best bargain out there for the price and a great first introduction to fountain pens.

 

We're a bunch of enablers who feels some selfish joy in luring innocent, hapless people into our cult.

 

Pelikano is also closing out on Goulet's, so the price is marked down. I might get one.

[cellmatrix]

 

We're a bunch of enablers who feels some selfish joy in luring innocent, hapless people into our cult.

yes I know its easy to get caught up in retailer marketing and enthusiasm to go out and buy their new products and thats a large part of what goes on in FPN, at least from my couple years of observation here. The point of my post was that instead of automatically buying something new, to consider repurposing. Because of the mass switch to the ball point, there are a whole lot of nice vintage fountain pens out there sitting around not being used anymore. Many of these are really well made, and the parker 45 is one of them. When it comes to saving resources, the fountain pen is great because you can refill it instead of throwing it away. Buying something which was already made, compared to having something new be built, is also a way of saving resources. Anyway, this is what I am trying to respectfully contribute to the discussion, cheers/sayonara.

Edited June 5, 2013 by cellmatrix

[Luiz]

A question I wondered myself... I have the Lamy with metal body that was $40 from goulet pens. So far writes well and looks great.

[Vendome]

My best cheap (well bargain) pen was a N.O.S. Parker 88 I bought last year.

 

It's a posh version of the Vector, having a brass body, epoxy resin coated, with a gold plated nib, rings and clip. Looking at Tony's Parker site, it appears they originally cost about £33 and I got mine for £15 with free p+p. It came in a deluxe presentation case as well.

[NedC]

Sailor HighAce Neo, smooth, well made, elegant and business-like and only about $16.00 though a converter is extra.

[Ike Levens]

I have never understood why they don't get more love either. My hubby and I have a couple of Pelikano pens. They have been dependable writers.

It's because of the looks. This is a school pen that looks a lot less respectable, in my opinion, than the Sheaffer or osmiroid school pens. How those cost more than a 78G is a complete mystery to me. those pilots, and the metropolitan, are really great value. I do, however, have to say that vintage Parkers can be even better value.

[GabrielleDuVent]

It's because of the looks. This is a school pen that looks a lot less respectable, in my opinion, than the Sheaffer or osmiroid school pens. How those cost more than a 78G is a complete mystery to me. those pilots, and the metropolitan, are really great value. I do, however, have to say that vintage Parkers can be even better value.

 

Glad to know 78G is a good pen, because I just bought it! My first Pilot.

[apkayle]

Kaigelu. Cheap, beautiful, and durable pens.

[arcadeflow]

There are so many choices, I guess one should try a couple of the cheap ones to learn more about it, start cleaning, changing inks and figuring out about nib preferences.

 

I ordered a 78g, a Metropolitan, a Prera, a Petit 1 (all from Pilot) and a Pentel Tradio mini. I will probably get a Preppy too. I hope I find something I like in them, and the cheaper pens will always be useful to carry outside. The 78g and Metropolitan are more of a middle priced ones, and the Prera is a higher priced. The other ones are "disposable" and cheap. One thing I hate is when people want to borrow your pen for a little, I hope I'm using a cheaper pen so I don't get angry if they damage it or try to steal it (amazing how people tend to "forget" the pen they are holding was borrowed from you).

[cellmatrix]

I don't see them sold for that much, searched it up and turns out they usually cost ~$100.

NOS parker 45 ---> $25 (peyton street pens)

Edited June 6, 2013 by cellmatrix

[richardandtracy]

I would also advocate the stainless steel finished Kaigelu 356. It's as nice as a Sonnet, for much less.

If a £5 pen is just too cheap, go for the Kaigelu 316 in charcoal. That is a Parker Centennial lookalike and at £18 including a very nice box from ycpen, it's a mere £417 cheaper than the pen it looks & feels like. I use my Kaigelu & Pearl/Black Centennial interchangably. I suspect, though, you'll spoil pens for your friend if you suggest that one, as almost everything else will feel like a step down the ladder.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[PlayerX]

Bic disposable fountain pen, it's what got me started

[Clancy]

http://www.isellpens.com/Pilot_78G_Fountain_Pen_Forest_Green_p/p78gfpfgreen.htm

[bluejay]

78 g is a great nifty pen. Can't go wrong with that as a starter. Why don't you get him to spend $40-50 on a gold nib parker 51. They are cheap and workhorses. Way better writing experience than a scratchy steel nib.