Best Fountain Pen For A Beginner?

[teryg93]

Hi all,

 

I'm a fan of fountain pens (my current favorites are light thin pens, like the Parker Rialtos, possibly because I have small hands). For regular writing, I use fine nibs.

 

I'm interested in calligraphy but my first goal is to improve my handwriting. I've read posts here and I see that the Getty & Dubay book, "Write Now," would be a good place to start. But I'm wondering about pens. Is there a best pen or best style of pen that might be best for a beginner? I see pens with all kinds of different interchangeable nibs and I'm not sure if that's what I should be looking at, or if I should just be working with the pens I have (all round-tipped fountain pens).

 

Suggestion?

 

Thanks,

Tery

Edited August 6, 2016 by teryg93

[MKeith]

Tery,

 

Just a couple of questions. Are you looking for a pen for calligraphy or just normal writing? What is your budget?

[teryg93]

I think for calligraphy. My idea was that this would be progressive--I can start by improving my handwriting, which I use on a day-to-day basis, then move on to calligraphy, starting with something on the simpler side. I've always wanted to learn calligraphy but have never had time before. I was just able to retire from my FT job, so now I have time. I would assume that, for normal writing, the Parker 88 fountain pens I've fallen in love with will work, though they don't seem to have things like italic nibs, if that's important.

Budget--for this first time, I'd like to stay in the $30 range. Used from ebay is fine. That's actually where I'm getting my fountain pens from these days since I seem to like the older ones better than the new Vectors.

[MKeith]

My suggestion would by a Lamy Joy or Safari with the interchangeable round and calligraphy nibs.

Edited August 6, 2016 by MKeith

[eliweisz]

You may consider Rotring ArtPen with interchangeable nib sections.

[teryg93]

Thanks. I see that the ArtPens get really good reviews with the exception of the converter, and they seem to be on sale on Amazon. I think I'm going to get those and look for the converter later. I prefer bottled ink to cartridges. More choices that way.

[Randal6393]

My long-time favorite italic pens are the Sheaffer NoNonsense pens, the Platignum pens, and the Osmiroid. All date from the 1960's or 1970's, and all are fairly inexpensive on eBay. Watch the shipping costs!

 

I have Sheaffer NoNonsense Italic Fines that I first wrote with over thirty years ago. Still writing fine, still my sharpest, clearest pens. Although I admit I hone the tips myself every five years or so. My Platignum Silverline pens with Italic Medium nibs are a bit small but they write well and just glide over the paper.

 

Now, as for modern pens, the Noodler pens -- Creaper, Konrad, and Ahab -- are excellent. You may have to investigate a new nib or learn how to make a Noodler flex or regular into an Italic nib. But they work quite well.

 

I have many pens that cost more than these old standbys. But none that write better.

 

Best of luck,

Edited August 7, 2016 by Randal6393

[Randal6393]

Thanks. I see that the ArtPens get really good reviews with the exception of the converter, and they seem to be on sale on Amazon. I think I'm going to get those and look for the converter later. I prefer bottled ink to cartridges. More choices that way.

You should do well with the ArtPen. I have three that I first got in the late 1980's.

 

Hooray for good pens!

 

Enjoy,

[Pen Engineer]

My suggestion would by a Lamy Joy or Safari with the interchangeable round and calligraphy nibs.

could not agree more.... the basic safari

[ksm]

I haven't seen 'Write Now' book, but from what I've heard I deduce that it presents a variant of monoline cursive italic (i.e. italic like script that can be written with ballpen, pencil or round tipped pen).

 

Any "round" tipped fountain pen would be good for it. Just make sure it has no "baby bottom" problem. (i.e. it starts without any additional pressure on nib).

 

If you intend to add a little flare to your writing, get a cursive italic nibbed pen, i.e. Lamy Joy, Rotring ArtPen or Sheaffer Calligraphy Pen (set).

If you decide on using italic nib, then read carefully instructions on writing with such a pen. It needs to be kept at specific angle to paper and to baseline to achieve visually pleasant result.

[ac12]

The Parker Vector was made with an 'italic' nib for calligraphy. I can't say how good or bad that nib might be, as I have not used one.

The Vector is similar in size to your 88, so should fit your hand.

But I think the only place to find one is the used market.

[celesul]

For practing handwriting, your regular pens are fine. Though if you're writing Italic style, italic nibs can have a very pleasant effect.

 

I really like the Pilot Plumix for a starting calligraphy pen. It doesn't have the nib options that the sets do, but it's very affordable and accessible, and it's extremely comfortable to hold. It's one of my lightest weight pens, and the shaped grip helps to teach good habits without being biting. It does look uncannily like a squid, which I find mildly amusing, but a lot of people swap it into other low priced Pilot pens, as they want something less absurd.

 

I've also got a Hero calligraphy set, which I'm mixed on. It comes with three different sized nibs, two of which are nice and one which is hopelessly misaligned from the feed. Super cheap though.

Edited August 11, 2016 by celesul

[teryg93]

I got a set of Art Pens, then I saw on ebay a Parker set with 4 nibs and a Parker Arrow that was made in the UK (so far, my Parkers made in the UK and USA are far better than the new one I bought; I don't know where that one was made). So I had to have that. I might need some better paper than I have. Then I'll be all set to go.

[eliweisz]

I got a set of Art Pens, then I saw on ebay a Parker set with 4 nibs and a Parker Arrow that was made in the UK (so far, my Parkers made in the UK and USA are far better than the new one I bought; I don't know where that one was made). So I had to have that. I might need some better paper than I have. Then I'll be all set to go.

 

Good luck!

[teryg93]

Thanks! I've filled the Art Pen and am going to put the fine italic nib on the Parker and give it a go!

[eliweisz]

Thanks! I've filled the Art Pen and am going to put the fine italic nib on the Parker and give it a go!

Will be happy to see your writing samples. Don't be shy!

[Pen Engineer]

Will be happy to see your writing samples. Don't be shy!

Is that a mug of beer in your photo?

[eliweisz]

Is that a mug of beer in your photo?

Yes, it is.

[inkstainedruth]

The Parker Vector was made with an 'italic' nib for calligraphy. I can't say how good or bad that nib might be, as I have not used one.

The Vector is similar in size to your 88, so should fit your hand.

But I think the only place to find one is the used market.

 

I have a Vector calligraphy set that I got a few years ago on dBay. The set I have has four different italic nib units -- fine, medium, broad, and extra broad (although I've only tried the fine italic). The nib isn't bad. Don't know what prices are like these days, but for me, it cost more in shipping than the set did (it came in a nice metal tin but that didn't fit in the smaller size priority mail box ). How it compares to other sets I couldn't say, but I've always been fond of the UK made Vectors in general. Even though it was a couple of years ago, the set including shipping was well within the OP's budget (I think it was under $24 US, although I ended up getting a twist converter for the pen later on). The set I got had 4 nib units, a slide converter, and (IIRC) cartridges in several different colors.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth