Smoothest Writting Fountain Pen Under $100

[penviper]

I hv tried couple of pens in my possession, namely the TWSBI 580, MB149, few MB LE FPs, Visconti LE, and Sailor demo. I still find that Sailor 1911 21K nib has the smoothest writing feeling among all, it like a butter....silky smooth.... but I had sold it.... , while I could understand that it also depend on the type of paper and ink wetness for the smoothest, ....I only had one type of ink(montegrappa black ink) and using normal note pad to test with all my FPs.

 

Now I'm looking for a daily writer with price under $100... Wonder you guys could advise or recommend me one FP with the smoothest nib(F to M) in your opinion at this price? consistent favorites. esp those who owns and wrote with lots of FPs in their possession (10-1000FPs, lol) or if you are a NIB MASTERCRAFT! And this would be my next purchase..Rem under $100..thanks in advance.

 

 

 

Cheers! and Happy writing!

Edited January 17, 2015 by penviper

[PabloAU]

My smoothest in that price range were my TWSBI Vac 700 (M) and my Levenger True Writer (F).

 

That said, at that price I'd be looking toward a Pilot Custom 74 or Custom Heritage 91, bought from a Japanese retailer. I own neither of these pens... but do own a Custom Heritage 92, which shares the same nib as these; and also own a Custom 742, the bigger brother to the 74. These pens have gold nibs with a bit of spring to them, which I much prefer over a smooth but rigid steel nib.

[whitedot]

A Lamy Z50 OM, but I went through very many that were not half as smooth and some that were terribly made. Pilot 14K #5 nib is a close second, and Pilot's performance has been more consistent than Lamy's. In general, Japanese QC is tightest; it is deeply ingrained in their culture and way of business. I still cannot say whether Pilots are the smoothest, and I definitely cannot say for certain whether a Pilot you buy would be as smooth as mine. I just have a higher level of comfort with Pilot than I do with some brands.

 

Truth is - YMMV. You will get a lot of different answers, which I would treat with a massive hunk of salt. Very few of us have gone through enough FPs of multiple brands to say conclusively, that X or Y's nibs are consistently the smoothest. Plus, we all write with different pressure, paper and ink and perceive smoothness differently, which affect our answers.

 

Pick a pen under $100 - your TWBSI 580, for example, and send it to a nibmeister, describing in detail how you write and how much feedback you prefer. If you can, send it with an ink sample and sheets of paper that you normally use. You will receive a nib that is the smoothest under $100, suited to your hand. Otherwise, it's just a shot in the dark. This is as honest an answer as you are going to get.

Edited January 17, 2015 by whitedot

[jisip]

You never said that it's restricted to modern, so...

 

A Pelikan No. 200 Blue Marble with a gold-plated B nib. It has a sweet spot that when found gave almost a glide to the pen. Also had a batch of Parker 25 Flighters with Broad nibs that are just divine. Nib size, flow, tipping, and grind among others contribute to how smooth a nib would be.

 

Then again:

Pick a pen under $100 - your TWBSI 580, for example, and send it to a nibmeister, describing in detail how you write and how much feedback you prefer. If you can, send it with an ink sample and sheets of paper that you normally use. You will receive a nib that is the smoothest under $100, suited to your hand. Otherwise, it's just a shot in the dark. This is as honest an answer as you are going to get.

 

I agree with whitedot. Find a pen that can easily swap nibs, buy a spare, and send it out to a nibmeister. I'm into CIs so I can't really comment on a regular nib grind, but I recently mangled my MB149's nib while removing it without the tool. I just got it back and it's back to writing smoothly, with flow adjusted to my particular preference as a bonus. Go for it!

[amk]

My Parker Slimfolds are buttery smooth. Just luck? maybe. And you could get two or three for your budget.

 

But whitedot has it right. Find a nibmeister.

[The Blue Knight]

I've heard Faber Castell nibs are very smooth

[dneal]

I don't think brand or price really matter, unless you're talking "out of the box", which is a crapshoot. Factors that are important:

 

Alignment - If the tines aren't aligned, you're going to feel scratchiness from the relatively sharp edge of the inner tine.

Polish - Pretty self-explanatory, and again the inner tines are critical. Too much and you get baby's bottom though...

Geometry - The shape of the tip plays a role. You can polish a crisp italic, but it will still have "sharp" edges outside of the sweet spot. Rounded surfaces will be smoother.

Width - Generally a wider nib is easier to make smooth than a finer nib, because there's more area to graduate geometry. A needlepoint or xxf only has so much area and the geometry is going to be more acute.

[Aditya D]

A MontBlanc 22.It has a very smooth,wet 14ct gold nib,which has a good amount of flex to it(semi flexible).I got mine for 72 USD.

 

A Sheaffer 100 too has a nice,smooth nib with a little bit of feedback,the kind which lets you know that you are using a fountain pen.It makes for a good daily usage pen.It has a steel nib which does not offer even the slightest bit of flex,but for the price of this pen it is hard to expect it to have any.From where I am,it retails for 36 USD.

 

A Parker 51 Aerometric is another pen which makes for a really good daily writer with its smooth,14ct gold nib.The thing is,it is hard to find one which is fully restored,at your price point.However if you search real hard you might be able to find one for below $100.I got my Parker 51 Aerometric Black with a gold plated cap and 14ct gold nib for USD 69.In my experience,it is very difficult to find such a good deal on these pens but it is definitely worth a good try,owing to the writing performance of this pen.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Aditya D

[FountainPages]

Picasso and Hero come to mind for inexpensive well sorted writers

[carlos.q]

My smoothest, under $100 pen is my charcoal gray M nib Lamy Safari. Without a doubt.

[Randal6393]

My smoothest writers are Noodler Konrads and Ahabs that I have fitted with tuned Goulet 1.1 nibs. If you develop the skill to tune your own pens and adjust your own nibs, you will never have to worry about which pen to use again. You will know.

 

Enjoy,

[WaskiSquirrel]

I agree with Randal6393. I have a variety of pens at this price point. I love my Noodler's with their flex nibs. But, the pens that write the most smoothly with the best flow are the Noodler's Konrads with the Goulet nibs.

 

For what it's worth, I suspect the Goulet nibs would work as well on other pens, but I have not tried this.

[Stu L]

$100 gets you a Parsons Essential from Italix, with a choice of many nibs (italic or normal). I've been known to go on about this pen a bit, but it really is amazingly smooth and enjoys a reputation for super smooth nibs, along with top notch customer service.

 

Well worth your consideration IMO

[dneal]

I agree with Randal6393. I have a variety of pens at this price point. I love my Noodler's with their flex nibs. But, the pens that write the most smoothly with the best flow are the Noodler's Konrads with the Goulet nibs.

 

For what it's worth, I suspect the Goulet nibs would work as well on other pens, but I have not tried this.

 

Goulet are standard #6 nibs (I thought they used to sell #5's also...) and would be interchangeable with any other Jowo or Bock #6... From Edison to Conway Stewart.

[ac12]

Pilot Metro with the M nib.

Probably many of the other Japanese pens would also write SMOOTH.

 

Vintage pens can be a (bleep)-shoot. If you buy from a "good" restorer, you can rely on it being a good writer, if you tell him what you want first. Off eBay, it is the roll of the dice. Example, I have an Esterbrook that is a very smooth writer, but I also have one that is rather scratchy (worn nib).

 

Any other pen at about the $70 and below mark and send it to a nib meister. I don't know where you live, so this amount can go up/down, depending on shipping to/from the nib meister and what he would charge for the nib adjustment, to keep you under $100 total.

 

Comments about smoothness in writing.

• In general, the smoother you want the nib, the wider you want the nib to be; M rather than F. This is to spread the load of the pen on the paper over a larger area. Also the wider nib will glide over surface texture that the smaller nib will fall into.
• You also want the pen to be on the wet side, as the ink acts as a lubricant between the nib and the paper. But not too much ink, as that creates other problems such as feathering, bleed through and slow drying.
• You also want SMOOTH HARD paper. Paper makes a BIG difference.
• And YOU are the 4th variable. You need to write with a light touch. Pressing down increases friction which makes the pen write less smooth.

Some times the nib adjustment is easy, but if you do not know what you are doing, you can easily botch the adjustment and ruin the nib. There have been a few nibs that I gave up on and had an expert work on it for me. So...if you have no nib adjustment experience (which I am guessing you don't), best to send it to a nib meister:

- John Montishaw

- Mike Masuyama

- others

Edited January 17, 2015 by ac12

[sandy101]

The Italix Parson's Essential from Mr Pen is a good choice at your price point.

 

I have an 'M' nib and it works a dream.

[hypnostene]

I agree with everyone recommending the Italix Parson's Essential. The nibs are wonderfully smooth and the pens look great (in my case, I have one of the italics).

 

I would also agree with the Pilot Custom 74 suggestion. If you look well, you can get a new one for under 70$ usd. I currently use one as my everyday writer. Very smooth (despite being a fine nib) and a joy to use all around.

[william2001]

http://www.bestfountainpen.com/best-fountain-pens-under-100.html

-William S. Park

[redisburning]

I don't think brand or price really matter, unless you're talking "out of the box", which is a crapshoot. Factors that are important:

 

Alignment - If the tines aren't aligned, you're going to feel scratchiness from the relatively sharp edge of the inner tine.

Polish - Pretty self-explanatory, and again the inner tines are critical. Too much and you get baby's bottom though...

Geometry - The shape of the tip plays a role. You can polish a crisp italic, but it will still have "sharp" edges outside of the sweet spot. Rounded surfaces will be smoother.

Width - Generally a wider nib is easier to make smooth than a finer nib, because there's more area to graduate geometry. A needlepoint or xxf only has so much area and the geometry is going to be more acute.

 

frankly, this is the only relevant post in the thread.

 

you can describe the smoothest nib in the abstract, which means that it has very little to do with the brand.

 

consider examples of very common pens that many people own both of; perhaps we can talk about the Lamy 2000 and the Pilot VP. Get 10 copies both pens in the same nib width (measured, not indicated), segment them into pairs and probably 7/10 times the Pilot will have less friction. But the other 3, it will be the Lamy. Which pen is smoother? Well, in the aggregate it's the pilot. But does that do you any good if you lost the nib grinding lotto? I have seen this very example play out on this forum.

 

fountain pen nibs are not terribly complicated. when you lose the grinding lotto with a knife or if you're really unlucky a camera lens or mechanical watch you are up the creek. but a nib? shim and align the tines, apply increasingly fine abrasives and then spend your money on paper and ink if smoothness is really your most important focus.

[redisburning]

also you have plenty of nice pens already.

 

rather than spending money on another pen, I would just use one the ones you already have and consider it a wash.