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Advice Needed - What's The Best Pen Under 50 Euro?


Niamhers

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I'm looking to buy my first Parker Fountain Pen. I'm on a budget of 50 euro including postage to Ireland but it would be nice to keep it closer to 30. Next year I'll be doing really important exams which are hours long at a time so I need a nice pen to get me through. Please, when making suggestions, keep in mind that I have large sloppy writing which is barely legible at the best of times and especially in exam situations when I am writing quickly (which is what this pen will be intended for).

 

The main things I am looking for in a pen are . . .

  • It must be durable and reliable
  • It must be comfortable to write with for long periods of time
  • I want to be able to write well whilst applying minimal pressure to avoid hand cramps
  • Low maintenance and not tempermental
  • Preferably fully metal (no gaudy plastic)

 

What pen would you suggest? I have looked at a few online for example the IM, IM Premium, Urban and the one which appealed to me most was the 'IM Premium Gun Metal Chiseled FP' but I'm pretty clueless so I'd love to hear any suggestions.

 

Also, where would you suggest I buy my pen from? So far I have been looking on Amazon but I want to buy from somewhere trustworthy, that has the cheapest prices and must ship to Ireland.

 

Any advice is much appreciated. Please include the price you would expect each pen to retail at and if possible somewhere there is a good deal on it. And with regards to the ink, is it better to use the pot of ink or to buy the refill cartridges? Which is more economical?

 

Thanks in advance,

Niamhers.

 

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NO, go for vintages one like:

Parker 45, one of the best qual/price

Parker 25, iconic

Parker Frontier, flighter, can get a new one form India ebay

 

 

I have a Parker IM and have drying problems when capped and not use for a day or so. Also is a heavy pen for a long session.

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That's an easy one. Lamy Safari. :)

 

There are plenty of options around, but the Safaris are just a no brainer. It is durable, reliable, very comfortable, very low maintenance - you can practically disassemble the pen with your hands if you REALLY wish. BUT it is plastic.

 

In my opinion, full metal pens tend to be very heavy and tiresome when you have pages and pages to fill.

 

Best of luck!

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I believe the best deal is to get a Pilot MR with medium nib, standard cartridges/converter or a Lamy Safari. Both of this pens are very good reliable pens.

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That's an easy one. Lamy Safari. :)

 

There are plenty of options around, but the Safaris are just a no brainer. It is durable, reliable, very comfortable, very low maintenance - you can practically disassemble the pen with your hands if you REALLY wish. BUT it is plastic.

 

In my opinion, full metal pens tend to be very heavy and tiresome when you have pages and pages to fill.

 

Best of luck!

The op said he was looking for a parker pen.

WTB Sheaffer Balance oversized with a flex nib, semi flex, broad, or medium in carmine red or grey striated.

 

Wtb Sheaffer Pfm in black or blue with a medium or broad nib.

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i second the lamy safari. its a very comfortable pen for long periods of writing and its really durable. there is a thread in frequently discussed topics about beaten up pens where there is a photo of one that looks like a dog chewed it for weeks and it still writes fine.

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You should be able to get a user grade Parker 51 for 50 Euros. If the hooded nib doesn't do anything for you than you can try a Challenger for vintage or an Urban for something new.

Owner of many fine Parker fountain pens... and one Lamy.

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You'll find that using the bottled ink and a converter is more economical over time but it can also be messy and hard to refill in the middle of the day if you run out (no FP is as easy to refill as a mechanical pencil, but cartridges are easier while you're out somewhere), the problem is that cartridges only come in a limited range of inks and you might want an ink that you can't find in cartridges (for notes that won't run if they get wet, for example) or a color that isn't available. Lots of FP fans find that bottled ink is the best way to refill their pens, the small inconvenience is outweighed by being able to pick the best ink and the lower cost (depending on the ink, there are some very expensive bottled inks), I just keep a couple of pens on me so I don't need to refill until I get home.

 

If you're willing to look outside of Parker there are some very nice Japanese pens for under US$20 like the Pilot Metropolitan (metal bodies, come in black, gold, silver or various other colors and often include a converter with the pen), if you want a Parker pen specifically the only advice I can give is that the ballpoint version of the Urban felt very badly balanced for me and I regretted purchasing it.

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Parker 45 or 45 Flighter (the Flighter is stainless steel)

Parker 51 or 51 Special

 

I just picked up a 51 Special pen/pencil set for <$50 US shipped on ebay.

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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Here you can find fountain pens under 36.74 Euro ($50).

http://www.bestfountainpen.com/best-fountain-pens-under-50.html

 

-William S. Park

Edited by william2001

“My two fingers on a typewriter have never connected with my brain. My hand on a pen does. A fountain pen, of course. Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane. - Graham Greene

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Hi Niamhers and welcome to FPN.

 

 

If you want advice to buy a new, current model pen under 50 Euro, Parker is not on my shortlist. not even on my longlist. The more expensive pens, starting at the Sonnet are better.

 

I would say: have a look at the metal pens from Lamy, like the Studio or the Logo. Or go for a Parsons essential from Italix.

 

 

If you want to go vintage then the aforementioned Parker 45 flighter is a very good pen. You want all metal, so the P51 is out, afaik.

 

 

D.ick

~

KEEP SAFE, WEAR A MASK, KEEP A DISTANCE.

Freedom exists by virtue of self limitation.

~

 

 

 

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For a slender pen, I suggest a Parker 45. (The "Flighter" is metal. )

For a "fatter" pen, I suggest a LAMY Safari / Vista / Al-Star. (The "Al-Star" is metal.)

A little bigger ? Sheaffer No Nonsense.

 

All three are durable, under 50 euros, cartridge feed for easy maintenance, and not "gaudy".

"Comfort" is subjective and personal. Properly cleaned before ink, all three will write continuously until the ink supply is depleted.

Edited by Sasha Royale

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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If it has to be a new Parker under € 50, I would advise to go all the way up to € 49.99 and have a look at one of the Urbans. The Nib & Feed unit is the same as on the IM series but the design of the Urban creates a perfect balance in any size hand, really ideal for long writing sessions. You need to invest like € 5 extra for the converter, otherwise you are more or less stuck to the limited ink offer from Parker. That said, the Quink Blue is a no-nonsense general purpose and reliable ink.

If other brands are an option, maybe a Sheaffer 100 or Sagaris, if you're lucky also a 300 would be a good choice. As far as I know, they all come with converters (my 300 did), Sheaffer has a bit broader ink spectrum if you prefer cartridges. If you are the adventurous type, go for the Kaigelu/Duofold (model 316) feeling for a meager € 20, including shipping from China :) Otherwise, the mentioned Lamy's are also good, for school use I would recommend an AL version over the plastics.

Back to Parker, the good stuff really starts with the Sonnet around € 80 and doesn't get much better until the Premier for over € 250.

Edited by erpe
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If it has to be a new Parker under € 50, I would advise to go all the way up to € 49.99 and have a look at one of the Urbans.

+1 on the Urban.

 

I have the Stealth Black model. Love the heft and feel of the pen in my hand. Comfortable to write with, being nicely balanced. Starts every time. Writes flawlessly.

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I would look for a 51 within your price range. Most of these pens work and work without problems. 51s tend to spoil you for other pens. They are not gaudy.

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+1 on the Urban.

 

I have the Stealth Black model. Love the heft and feel of the pen in my hand. Comfortable to write with, being nicely balanced. Starts every time. Writes flawlessly.

I have a matt dark blue Urban. Nice colour, and I love the shape. But the nibs are blah blah blah. Therefore I did not recommend it.

 

 

D.ick

~

KEEP SAFE, WEAR A MASK, KEEP A DISTANCE.

Freedom exists by virtue of self limitation.

~

 

 

 

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If it has to be a Parker, I second (third ?) the recommendation for a vintage or NOS pen.

 

IM/Urbans aren't reliable writers and suffer feed and/or ink drying out issues. They're very hard starters and prone to skipping.

 

My 70 year old Duofold is a more reliable pen than the two IMs I have.

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