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Fountain Pen Under 50 Dollars


rafaelcor

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Hello,

I am new in the world of fountain pens and I want help choosing my first fountain pen under 50, I want something durable, with a good ink capacity(0.8mL or more), comfortable to the hand and with a smooth fine or medium nib.

 

Thanks,

 

Rafael Cordano

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Modern or vintage? Piston filled, aerometric or a C/C filled pen?

 

If I were you, I would have gone for a vintage user grade Parker 51 aerometric. Good ink capacity, smooth writer and sturdy pen. However, it has a hooded nib. And there are people who don't like pens with hooded nibs.

Edited by mitto

Khan M. Ilyas

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Seems like that volume is going to be the limiting factor - many converters won't hold that much (I don't think).

 

I can personally recommend:

 

Tthe TWSBI Eco - great pen.

 

The Pilot Vanishing Point Kakuno (what was I thinking!) with a Pilot CON-70 converter (or cartridge) would hold that volume. A Pilot Metropolitan could only get that volume from a cartridge - the larger converters don't fit.

 

A Lamy Safari or Al-Star will just hold that volume (in a converter, the cartridges might hold more).

 

Those are all inexpensive with good nibs.

Edited by LizEF
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As you can see, it's a question of compromises, and unfortunately spending more doesn't necessarily solve them; I've been looking for something in that range (preferably around $20), for the specific goal of getting more out of an ink, Edelstein Mandarin, which looks too pale with finer nibs. So the Pilot Metropolitan looks like a safe choice, but only comes in Japanese F or M, unless I scavenge a broad nib, which blows the budget; there's also the Pilot 78G, but some people seem to find it unreliable, and the colour combinations of the pen are particularly ugly to my eye (gold!); that takes me to the Lamy Safari, except I already have seven of those and it would a boring choice. There are less known options, I just found out about the Rotring Rivette for instance, which might be interesting for you (0.7ml converter, apparently).

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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As you can see, it's a question of compromises, and unfortunately spending more doesn't necessarily solve them; I've been looking for something in that range (preferably around $20), for the specific goal of getting more out of an ink, Edelstein Mandarin, which looks too pale with finer nibs.

 

Nemosine Singularity with one of its stub nibs? :) They are easily eye-droppered, if that works for you.

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Greetings, Rafael !

 

What do you currently use for daily writing ? There is a wide range of size and weight fountain pens, price under $50. However, I can recommend this pen, from Ebay. It is a durable, reliable, very inexpensive pen, suitable for experimentation. Your financial risk would be very low. I have bought and given dozens of this model.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cheap-Medium-Nib-Fountain-Pen-Black-Body-For-School-Teacher-Student/182641507679?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

Please get one of these. Try the pen. Tell us what you like and dislike about it. Such preferences will guide the direction of your next, more expensive ($50) pen.

 

Write with joy.

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

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A long international cartridge holds 1.6 ml of ink - so a Faber Castell loom or Basic fitted with long waterman cartridges would be a solution.

 

The Parker cartridges also hold over 1 ml ink - so a Parker 45 would also work, if you can find one.

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Nemosine Singularity with one of its stub nibs? :) They are easily eye-droppered, if that works for you.

 

Good suggestion, but I read some people had trouble with Nemosines? I am very risk averse, or rather, I am averse to losing my patience. Not that my 7 Lamy Vistas have been perfect, but eventually they became trouble free, and a few write even better than my more expensive pens.

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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Good suggestion, but I read some people had trouble with Nemosines? I am very risk averse, or rather, I am averse to losing my patience. Not that my 7 Lamy Vistas have been perfect, but eventually they became trouble free, and a few write even better than my more expensive pens.

 

So how about just a wider nib for one of your existing Lamys? Pretty much no risk there.

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I wanted reliability for my early foray into fountain pens, and for this reason I steered away from vintage - I didn't know enough to be confident. Your mileage will vary.
I was extremely pleased with a couple of Pilot Metropolitans. Easy. No fuss. Smooth. If I had it to do over again, I MIGHT choose the same, but for less than $50, a Faber Castell Loom is almost impossible to beat imho. You'd want to purchase a converter for it - it's packaged only with a cartridge - but you're still under the $50, and the Loom is a very nice writer. Consider it.

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another vote for the TWSBI Eco. you get a proper piston filler that holds an impressive amount of ink, and has a very nice nib to boot. plus the price is under $40!

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Hello,

I am new in the world of fountain pens and I want help choosing my first fountain pen under 50, I want something durable, with a good ink capacity(0.8mL or more), comfortable to the hand and with a smooth fine or medium nib.

 

Thanks,

 

Rafael Cordano

 

Welcome aboard......Rafael..for your consideration Esterbrook lever filler with a 2668 and or 9668 medium nib.

Don't overlook the Parker 45 cartridge converter fill with a sweet fine or medium nib...........................

 

Fred

 

Yowza! Yowza! Yowza! It isn't a contest. It's a show. Grand Prize: One thousand five hundred silver dollars.

 

Rocky aka Gig Young '69 an interestin' year........................................................

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I like to recommend the Platinum Plaisir. It's affordable (under $20 most places I think) and very reliable (it has a large enclosed feed/collector, and a special inner cap to prevent it from drying out). I believe Platinum ink cartridges hold about 1.1 ml of ink.

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if this is your first FP, you could do a lot worse than choosing a Jinhao x450 from eBay. That will cost you less than $10 shipped from China. :D

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Wow, thanks for all your answers, it is a difficult decision, I will keep searching and investigating.

 

Thanks,

 

Rafael Cordano

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For vintage:

Esterbrook J, Dollar, or SM Deluxe pens are really decent, you can find them restored from Anderson Pens, and Peyton Street Pens to name a few places. 9668 or 2668 nibs are their classic medium nib, while 9556 or 2556 would be a solid fine nib

 

Sheaffer Imperial II Deluxe, these have incredibly smooth nibs, and their fine or medium would be neither to fine, or broad, you can find new old stock from Peyton Street Pens. Because you want to write with it, I would ask to have the sac replaced before shipping, as even an intact sac that's 50+ years old, can easily fail after a few fills. These pens make fixing the sac as easy as it can be, but it's nice not to have to worry from their first use.

 

For Modern:

 

Twsbi Eco is a great pen for the price, far better quality than many piston fillers from China, or India selling for a similar price, holds tons of ink, has a variety of nibs to choose from.

Pilot Metro/MR is a steal for a quality reliable fountain pen. Always starts, and I never have to worry about it when writing.

FP Ink Orphanage-Is an ink not working with your pens, not the color you're looking for, is never to see the light of day again?!! If this is you, and the ink is in fine condition otherwise, don't dump it down the sink, or throw it into the trash, send it to me (payment can be negotiated), and I will provide it a nice safe home with love, and a decent meal of paper! Please PM me!<span style='color: #000080'>For Sale:</span> TBA

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The Sheaffer recommendation is a good one for vintage. All of the Sheaffers I have are smooth writers....especially if you get one with the inlaid nib.

 

If you could find someone local to you with a decent sized collection that would allow you to try a few pens, that would be very helpful. Where in the galaxy are you?

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The Sheaffer recommendation is a good one for vintage. All of the Sheaffers I have are smooth writers....especially if you get one with the inlaid nib.

 

If you could find someone local to you with a decent sized collection that would allow you to try a few pens, that would be very helpful. Where in the galaxy are you?

I live in a far away galaxy called Uruguay, brothers of Argentinians and Brazilians.

 

Thanks,

 

Rafael Cordano

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The Sheaffer recommendation is a good one for vintage. All of the Sheaffers I have are smooth writers....especially if you get one with the inlaid nib.

 

If you could find someone local to you with a decent sized collection that would allow you to try a few pens, that would be very helpful. Where in the galaxy are you?

If you could understand a bit of Spanish, this is the local offerts:

https://listado.mercadolibre.com.uy/lapicera-pluma-fuente#D[A:lapicera-pluma-fuente,L:1]

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I see a Lamy Safari, which would be a safe choice, and "only" twice the price as in the US; if it makes you feel any better, prices in Mexico are just as bad, and we're next door! There's also a Parker Vacumatic, it's not within your budget but it's not a bad price...

 

Apparently we all call the same thing by different names... Pluma Fuente... Estilográfica... Lapicera...

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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