Fountain Pen Under 50 Dollars

[siamackz]

My Lamy Safari is reliable + I can change nibs easily, so I won't get bored. Pilot Metros work well in that budget.

Esterbrooks if you want vintage. I am selling three, PM me if you are interested.

[Mech-for-i]

Well I did take a look and put in 1500 Peso as maximum price for a list , and it seems quite a list too; there are, but only if we are talking used / vintage ... cause when I put in a condition for new pens there is either the Lamy Safari or the Parker Vector. There is some decent Parker, Sheaffer in there but their condition seems to be more of an as-is used. While it can be fun and joy for many here to have an vintage pen. For a new comer I am not too keen on advising for such.

 

I would recommend instead to stick with trust and true new item , whether its purchased local or via online retail. These days commercial courier fright and mail delivery of small retail items should be fairly routine ; but I am not familiar with how they might or might not work in Uruguay. provided condition allows, I would recommend going online shopping and finding something new. $50.00 is not a large budget but its large enough for plenty of choice and good entry into the fountain pen world. Your next stop should be the Pen Review section on this forum where you will find plenty of info regarding specific model(s) of pens.

 

As for specific pens. I guess the typical answer these days for such a price range and new comer need usually yields answer like the Lamy Safari, Platinum Plasir, Pilot Metro etc etc ... I would though add that recent new Chinese pens , especially the Wing Sung 698 / 618 , Caliarts Ego / Ego 2 probably fulfill your need for a pen with capacity in this range as well as delivering a Fine nib ( but you can switch out theirs for a M nib also ). The Chinese Pen forum section had more in depth info and user feedbacks.

 

The big question is how do you write , slow and methodical or pretty quick jotting need. Do you need to use the pen daily for what type of writing ... there are plenty of hidden gems on the market and you do not need the big names to provide. You might want to narrow down your need to more specific details, like do you want or need a light weight pen or what kind of size you prefer. Do a metal barrel endear you ( they are sturdy ); any particular color you want or wanting to avoid. let us know ..

[RocketRyan]

You may get a sheaffer prelude for around that if you shop hard.

[rafaelcor]

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.

And what about a Faber-Castell Writink?

 

Thanks,

 

Rafael Cordano

[corgicoupe]

Retro 51, but get the extended version that will accept a converter.

[sandy101]

And what about a Faber-Castell Writink?

 

Thanks,

 

Rafael Cordano

 

If it will take a long international cartridge, then it will. I don't know myself.

[friedrichwild]

Twsbi Eco

Faber Castell loom

Parker 45 (i prefer the all metal version which is called "flighter").

 

The parker 45. i like the it most (you can find it with a gold nib under 50$) but you have to buy it used since it is not in production now.

[akrohn2010]

And what about a Faber-Castell Writink?

 

Thanks,

 

Rafael Cordano

 

Several reviews I've found on the Writink (for instance: https://thedailybedlam.wordpress.com/2017/01/29/review-faber-castell-writink-f-nib/) suggest that you can fit two standard cartridges in the body, one to use and one to store. If that's the case, it sounds like it *might* fit a long international cartridge as well (38mm for a short vs 73mm for a long, I believe?) I've heard great things about Faber-Castell pens though do not own one - might be a good option!

 

If that doesn't work I'd give another recommendation to the TWSBI Eco if you can find shipping low enough to fit your $50 budget -- it's less than $30 and fits all your requirements. If I had to keep one pen of my collection only I'd probably keep my Eco. It's durable, nearly 2ml of ink, great writer, never had a problem with it. As long as you like the design it's an awesome pen.

 

Best of luck!

~AK

Edited August 9, 2017 by akrohn2010

[Arkanabar]

This is where I live -- modern, inexpensive pens. By the way, most international converters hold 0.8ml of ink, so just about any pen should meet your capacity need.

One of the things I always ask people when they ask "What pen should I get?" is "What pens do you like so far, and why?"

Do you have known preferences with regards to girth (thick, thin, in-between), length, weight, material (brass, plastic, ebonite, cellulose nitrate), line width, section profile (round, triangular, ridged, rubberized), clip type, or anything else?

Most of Pilot's steel-nibbed pens use the same nib and feed, including the Plumix (aka the Squid Stub), the Kakuno (they etch a smiley onto the nibs of these airweight school pens with nice section girth at ~10.5mm, but no clip), the Metropolitan (26g of brass, with a narrow 8.4mm plastic section and a rather sharp step between section and barrel), and the Prera (short, midweight, mid-girth, available in the same stub as the Plumix). They're all reliable and smooth. Pilot cartridges are so wide open, you can refill them with any eyedropper on hand, once you remove the little sealing disc. But keep those handy; people even reseal them.

I would NOT convert a Nemosine Singularity to eyedropper. Far too often, I find myself unscrewing the section from the barrel when I'm trying to remove the cap. But it is an excellent international c/c pen.

If you're interested in ebonite, you can go for a Fountain Pen Revolution Himalaya. Even with their highly praised flex nib, it's under $35, and you'll get a free Muft eyedropper. It's a syringe filler with capacity around your requirement, but can be converted to eyedropper, in which case it will hold a LOT of ink.

My favorite recommendation is the Platinum Plaisir; I'd recommend the medium (0.5mm) nib. You can refill the cartridges (which meet your volume requirement) with a disposable polyethelyne bulb pipette, and a number of online pen retailers sell them. It's a lightweight pen with anodized aluminum cap and barrel, and about 10mm section girth. The cap seals really well, and I've had them write on the very start of the first stroke even after sitting untouched for months.

 

The Faber-Castell Loom is a solid choice, with medium girth and solid brass construction, making it pretty heavy. I haven't compared one to my Jinhao X750 (36g), but I imagine they're about comparable. -- Goulet says the Loom weighs 32g. Jinhao's X450 and 159 are both heavier, at 42g and 50g, respectively. All are international c/c pens.

[hachikomustang]

Pelikan M200

[Bluey]

Pelikan M200

Under 50 USD?? You'd probably just be able to afford the Pelikan logo bit for that, or maybe the clip as well if the seller is generous.

Edited August 16, 2017 by Bluey

[ParkerDuofold]

Pelikan M200

Hi HachikoMustang,

 

As Bluey points out... you'd be hard-pressed to find an M-200 for $50... unless it fell off the truck.

 

However, you COULD get a Pelikan Stola Mk. III for under $50 and they're decent c/c pens with a pleasant nib... but they are on the short side and cannot be posted.

 

Be well and enjoy life.

 

 

- Anthony

[Runnin_Ute]

Hi HachikoMustang,

 

As Bluey points out... you'd be hard-pressed to find an M-200 for $50... unless it fell off the truck.

 

However, you COULD get a Pelikan Stola Mk. III for under $50 and they're decent c/c pens with a pleasant nib... but they are on the short side and cannot be posted.

 

Be well and enjoy life.

 

 

- Anthony

It can be done, but takes a bit of luck. I got a M200 old style blue marbled with OB nib for $46 before shipping on eBay about 2 years ago. Same seller also sold an identical one with a Medium for a near identical price the same day. Edited August 16, 2017 by Runnin_Ute

[Pensei]

The ECO will hold the most ink. If you can give up a bit of ink capacity, I think the Pilot Prera and Faber Castell Basic are the best pens under $50.

[SoulSamurai]

The ECO will hold the most ink. If you can give up a bit of ink capacity, I think the Pilot Prera and Faber Castell Basic are the best pens under $50.

 

Just a heads-up: I picked up a Faber-Castell Basic and HATED the balance; it's a plastic pen with a plastic body and a chunk of metal on the tail, making it very top-heavy even when not posted. If you're not fond of top-heavy pens, maybe give the Basic a miss.

[akrohn2010]

 

Just a heads-up: I picked up a Faber-Castell Basic and HATED the balance; it's a plastic pen with a plastic body and a chunk of metal on the tail, making it very top-heavy even when not posted. If you're not fond of top-heavy pens, maybe give the Basic a miss.

I was similarly not impressed at one that I tested at a store -- was close to buying one and was turned off by the feel. Heard nothing but good things about the Loom though...

 

Rafael -- did you end up making a decision?

Edited August 19, 2017 by AK-47

[rafaelcor]

Well, I am tempted to buy a TWSBI ECO, and with all I had heard about it appears to be a begginer fp.

 

Thanks,

Rafael Cordano

[WirsPlm]

Honestly ink capacity doesn't matter a whole lot unless you're writing pages and pages literally every day, and then the easiest thing is to just carry a couple backup pens with you so you can swap if needed.

 

That said, the Pilot squeeze filler holds that much ink I think, and fits the Metropolitan, 78G, Plumix, Prera and Kakuno. I started off with 78Gs and Metropolitans and honestly they're still some of my favorites because they're reliable, easy to use, sturdy and are nice enough to not look cheap but not so nice they look flashy. They're great daily workhorse pens.

 

I love my Noodlers and Esterbrook pens too, but they aren't nearly as spillproof or reliable as the Pilots. My Nemosine is a great writer but the cap edge has cracked and I do unscrew the barrel while trying to unscrew the cap every so often, so it's not as sturdy or easy to use as the Pilots.

[ShugPug]

Just a heads-up: I picked up a Faber-Castell Basic and HATED the balance; it's a plastic pen with a plastic body and a chunk of metal on the tail, making it very top-heavy even when not posted. If you're not fond of top-heavy pens, maybe give the Basic a miss.

There's also a Carbon Black version which is significantly lighter (I have and love both as my everyday pens in broad and extra fine). Whilst I have little to compare them to, the nibs are smoother than any other pen I've used.

[akrohn2010]

Honestly ink capacity doesn't matter a whole lot unless you're writing pages and pages literally every day

 

This is a great point - in general a cartridge or standard converter is enough for quite a bit of writing unless you use a broad or wide stub nib.

 

The one exception I've found is travel. I don't bring my whole pen collection when I vacation or take trips (maybe some of you do?), so I usually taking my Eco since it means I don't have to mess with taking extra ink in my luggage with that 2ml capacity and an EF nib...

 

~AK