Gotta Try 'em All!

[twin63]

In my experience good sub-$100.00 pens:

 

- Platinum Balance - get a medium nib

- Pilot Lucina - ditto

The Lucina is an excellent under-appreciated pen with a smooth steel nib. It LOOKS like a miniaturized version of a Pilot Custom 845. Comes in 4 colors. The only possible downside that I see for some users is that it is a somewhat smallish pen. So, if you have big hands, it is probably not for you, but if you fall within an average range of handsize this is a really great pen at a reasonable price. Available from Japanese sellers on Amazon. I have bought 2 with no problems in the transaction.

 

Not quite as smooth in writing experience as either 2 above, but still a surprisingly decent writer, is the Jinhao 159. Now available in a variety of colors and around $10.00. If you don’t mind a big, heavy pen, this could be your daily workhorse.

 

Having had and sold 2 Lamy Safaris, for me the above pens are all better writers. This is without doubt a subjective opinion. Many love their Safaris. You have tried one so you have some experience with that pen.

 

Have fun.

The Pilot Lucina with M nib is exactly what I was going to suggest. Excellent pen for the price. As Maurizio suggested, look on Amazon. I've bought 4 Lucinas for less than $50 each. Some retailers list them for $80.

[BergerDM]

Hi BergerDM,

 

 

 

My advice is look into the following:

 

1. Platinum 3776 Century

 

2. Pelikan M-200

 

Both are phenomenal pens... the Platinum has a solid gold nib and a slip-n-seal cap... so it never dries out... and their mediums and broads write really smooth. Go to Amazon Japan, (or eBay Japan).

 

 

The Pelikan looks beautiful... is feather-light... is the most perfectly balanced pen I've ever held when posted... and holds a decent amount of ink... and replacement nibs can be purchased for around $12. Go to Cult Pens or Endless Pens.

 

Best of luck in picking a pen that will really ring your chimes.

 

 

Be well and enjoy life.

 

 

- Anthony

 

I've seen some M-200s around here (my country's Ebay) around $115-140, only one with an F nib. 3776 goes around $200 if not more. Only way to get them at a reasonable price would be if I got someone to bring them for the US or someplace like that. If they're really worthy, I'd be happy to try them, I'll do a little research! Thanks for the suggestions!

[A Smug Dill]

What are some pens, under $100 but preferably in the range of ~$50, that you think are good everyday pens, with Japanese M or F/European F or EF nis?

 

 

Apart from Platinum #3776 Century and Pelikan M20x which have already been suggested, I'd say:

• Platinum PTL-5000A with 14K gold (Medium, if you so prefer) nib
• Platinum Balance is OK if you write with it 'every day', because it doesn't have a Slip and Seal mechanism in the cap like Platinum's #3776 Century, Procyon, Plaisir and Preppy models do
• Sailor Procolor 500 with steel (Fine and Medium-Fine only) nib
• Sailor Lecoule with steel (Medium-Fine only) nib — I like them, have three of them, but if you want something cheaper with the same type of nib you can get a Sailor Profit Junior instead if you're not particular about the shape of the pen body
• LAMY cp1 with easily replaceable steel nibs of any nib width grade — very handy for slipping inside pen loops, robust construction, and surprisingly comfortable to write with for such a slender pen; it's like holding a super strong pencil that writes with fountain pen ink nicely
• Delike New Moon 3 with (easily replaceable) steel nib — cheap as they are (cost me about A$7 apiece, with both an EF nib and an M nib in the package, and I bought one of each of the three colours available), they're very well constructed and well balanced for a metal pen, and I love them

[Sailor Kenshin]

I'm going to suggest the Wing Sung 3008: piston-filler, available in Ef and F, EF being superfine and F a bit garden-hoselike.

 

I got them off Amazon. The only problem is, you have to order them in packs of four, each pen a different color.

 

Wait...did I say that was a problem?

[Honeybadgers]

Like everyone else,

 

3776 century, pilot custom 74/91 (writes on average better than the 3776 but the 3776 is better looking and does better at sitting for long periods unused) and pelikan M205/M200 (avoid the demonstrator, that pen's plastic is made from cheese and discolors almost instantly. I badly regret getting the demo 205 over a normal one. The normal 205 is a great pen and the nibs are amazing, quite soft and bouncy by any standard, despite being steel)

 

Another consideration is an 18k parker sonnet, you can find them on Amazon for ~$80 quite regularly.

 

If you look around, lamy 2000's pop up for around $100.

 

I am selling a bunch of vintage gold nib japanese pocket pens for well under $100. check my signature, and I have about 30 more that aren't listed.

 

If you're patient and willing to wait a few weeks of regular searching, you could jump into the vintage world, too. Wahl Eversharp skylines, Sheaffer craftsman, sheaffer imperial, Sheaffer Statesman Snorkels, I'd recommend buying from a trusted restoration source like Peyton Street Pens or Nathaniel Cerf at ThepenMarket.com . Nathaniel in particular sells extremely well restored vintage pens for super low prices and describes any and all problems with excruciating detail.

Edited May 31, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[Honeybadgers]

 

I've seen some M-200s around here (my country's Ebay) around $115-140, only one with an F nib. 3776 goes around $200 if not more. Only way to get them at a reasonable price would be if I got someone to bring them for the US or someplace like that. If they're really worthy, I'd be happy to try them, I'll do a little research! Thanks for the suggestions!

 

Look harder. the 3776 from japan is about $75 USD. The M200 comes in several special editions well north of $100, but most are in the $90-100.

 

If you honest to god can't find one you like at a reasonable price and really want one, PM me and I'll work with you on buying one via USA amazon/Ebay and shipping to you (most worldwide shipping from the USA is about $15)

Edited May 31, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[BergerDM]

 

Look harder. the 3776 from japan is about $75 USD. The M200 comes in several special editions well north of $100, but most are in the $90-100.

 

If you honest to god can't find one you like at a reasonable price and really want one, PM me and I'll work with you on buying one via USA amazon/Ebay and shipping to you (most worldwide shipping from the USA is about $15)

 

The option I have been using to get pens at a more reasonable price is Grabr, which is basically a service that has you pay travellers to bring items that you want to you at a more reasonable price.

 

The prices I mentioned are for the local markets only; there are few people seeling fountain pens with intent, and those that do often look to get the best price they can. Are they abusive? Yes, they vary from double to triple the price the product would go for in the US market. But they definitely arrive faster. Since patience is a virtue, I'm not too concerned with speed of delivery. Quality of product matters a lot more to me.

Edited May 31, 2019 by BergerDM

[Pensei]

Under $100: Pilot Custom 74 or Custom 91. Their #5 nib in F is a miracle of pen value. (Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of the Platinum Century, although it's a fine pen. But for another $30 or so, I'd get the Pilot any day.) If someone quibbles that you can't can those pens for under $100, look on Amazon right now.

Under $50: Pilot Prera is a very attractive pen and a great writer, and it's well under $50 if you do a little shopping. I'm pretty firm on my under-$100 choice. But there are a lot of interesting pens for under $50. TWSBI might be of interest along those lines if you want to avoid the boredom of a C/C.

 

Final remark. If you have an interest in a piston filler, skip Starbucks for a week or so and get a Pilot Custom Heritage 92. Best value in pendom.

[Honeybadgers]

 

The option I have been using to get pens at a more reasonable price is Grabr, which is basically a service that has you pay travellers to bring items that you want to you at a more reasonable price.

 

The prices I mentioned are for the local markets only; there are few people seeling fountain pens with intent, and those that do often look to get the best price they can. Are they abusive? Yes, they vary from double to triple the price the product would go for in the US market. But they definitely arrive faster. Since patience is a virtue, I'm not too concerned with speed of delivery. Quality of product matters a lot more to me.

 

 

Most shipping from the USA to almost every country is about $15 for me. If you're interested in any of the pens and want them at the more reasonable prices, PM me and we can work out a way to ship you one. I can just buy it and re-pack it and ship to you.

[BergerDM]

Under $100: Pilot Custom 74 or Custom 91. Their #5 nib in F is a miracle of pen value. (Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of the Platinum Century, although it's a fine pen. But for another $30 or so, I'd get the Pilot any day.) If someone quibbles that you can't can those pens for under $100, look on Amazon right now.

 

Under $50: Pilot Prera is a very attractive pen and a great writer, and it's well under $50 if you do a little shopping. I'm pretty firm on my under-$100 choice. But there are a lot of interesting pens for under $50. TWSBI might be of interest along those lines if you want to avoid the boredom of a C/C.

 

Final remark. If you have an interest in a piston filler, skip Starbucks for a week or so and get a Pilot Custom Heritage 92. Best value in pendom.

 

The Pilot F nib I have on my Metro does write very well, but I wonder how I'd fare with a Japanese M nib. I like the width of the F nib on my Safari, and people say they'd be close enough.

 

The Prera is very overpriced around these parts, though the 78g is not. Would it be worth it checking it out?

 

I got the cheapest piston-filler I could find that's not a Chinese pen, which is a TWSBI Go that I'll be picking up tomorrow. Let's see what I find of it! Thanks for the suggestions, will keep them in mind!

[A Smug Dill]

The Prera is very overpriced around these parts,

 

Out of curiosity, how do you determine or conclude whether the Prera is overpriced? I mean, do you use the Japanese domestic market price, or perhaps its MSRP in the US, as the basis to working out the local mark-up? Or are you saying the Prera is just not good value compared to, say, Pilot's MR lines (MR Metro, MR Retro Pop and MR Animal), but not that there's a disproportionate mark-up compared to other Pilot models based on their MSRP elsewhere?

 

though the 78g is not. Would it be worth it checking it out?

Are you talking about the Pilot 78G, which is made in Japan? Or the 78G+, which as I understand it, is not made in Japan?

 

I have four Pilot 78G pens that I bought a few years ago. They were cheap, and they feel cheap. They don't seal well to prevent ink from drying out when capped and unused for a while, and are certainly no better than the Pilot MR in that regard. The type of nib and feed used are the same in both product families, except that the 78G nibs are gold-coloured; I think they offer no technical or practical advantage over the Pilot MR or the Prera, other than being very lightweight.

 

I got the cheapest piston-filler I could find that's not a Chinese pen, which is a TWSBI Go

I'm pretty sure TWSBI is a Chinese brand and Chinese-made:

After 50 plus years as an OEM manufacturer for different global brands, Ta Shin Precision decided to start selling under their own brand, and thus TWSBI was born.

_...‹snip›...

TWSBI's name stands for the phrase "Hall of Three Cultures" or "San Wen Tong" in Chinese. The character "Wen" translates into language and culture. The phrase "San Wen Tong" also brings to mind the Hall of the Three Rare Treasures created by Emperor Qianlong as a memorial to three great masterpieces of Chinese calligraphy. The initials of the phrase "San Wen Tong" was reversed and thus turned into "TWS". The last letters "Bi" was added with its literal meaning of "writing instruments". Thus combining the two segments, creating TWSBI.

[BergerDM]

 

Out of curiosity, how do you determine or conclude whether the Prera is overpriced? I mean, do you use the Japanese domestic market price, or perhaps its MSRP in the US, as the basis to working out the local mark-up? Or are you saying the Prera is just not good value compared to, say, Pilot's MR lines (MR Metro, MR Retro Pop and MR Animal), but not that there's a disproportionate mark-up compared to other Pilot models based on their MSRP elsewhere?

 

Both Japanese and American markets list it around $30. Here it is listed at give or take $85.

 

Are you talking about the Pilot 78G, which is made in Japan? Or the 78G+, which as I understand it, is not made in Japan?

 

I have four Pilot 78G pens that I bought a few years ago. They were cheap, and they feel cheap. They don't seal well to prevent ink from drying out when capped and unused for a while, and are certainly no better than the Pilot MR in that regard. The type of nib and feed used are the same in both product families, except that the 78G nibs are gold-coloured; I think they offer no technical or practical advantage over the Pilot MR or the Prera, other than being very lightweight.

 

 

78G, made in Japan. Good to know it is not something I should consider, thanks.

 

I'm pretty sure TWSBI is a Chinese brand and Chinese-made:

After 50 plus years as an OEM manufacturer for different global brands, Ta Shin Precision decided to start selling under their own brand, and thus TWSBI was born.

_...‹snip›...

TWSBI's name stands for the phrase "Hall of Three Cultures" or "San Wen Tong" in Chinese. The character "Wen" translates into language and culture. The phrase "San Wen Tong" also brings to mind the Hall of the Three Rare Treasures created by Emperor Qianlong as a memorial to three great masterpieces of Chinese calligraphy. The initials of the phrase "San Wen Tong" was reversed and thus turned into "TWS". The last letters "Bi" was added with its literal meaning of "writing instruments". Thus combining the two segments, creating TWSBI.

 

I meant Chinese copies of other models, such as made by Hero and others. I don't know if any models of TWSBI are such, but the Go I'm pretty sure I've never seen anywhere else. Edited June 1, 2019 by BergerDM

[BergerDM]

So, getting back to people:

Muji Aluminium: I have one close by that is budget friendly enough to give it a try, so I might just pick it up in the near future.

TWSBIs (Precision/Eco): I got the Go, which I believe has no difference nib-wise to the other models suggested (if there is, please do tell). As a F-nib user... it's a very, very dry nib and one that has a very small sweet spot. I didn't like it, but I definitely like the ease of the piston-filling much better than converters.

M-200: I found two options in my country, one Classic with green body and one Vintage (W. Gernany on cap) with black body, both a little over $100 and the vintage one a little more expensive. But I'm very tempted because I can pay them in installments.

3776: Having two Platinums in my line-up, a Plaisir F (0.3) and a mystery one that writes finer than that but only has Japanese Symbols on the nib so I can't figure it out, I like how they feel, so I will try to figure out how to get my hands on one at the right price.

Pilots: I LOVE the nib on my Metropolitan. If any of the models mentioned here write anything like that, I'm in, and will try to get my hands on them too. @Pensei, we only have Starbucks in airports around here, so I'll try to save on something else!

If anyone has more suggestions, feel free to drop them here, as they may be of interest to me and to others who end up visiting the thread!

[A Smug Dill]

3776: Having two Platinums in my line-up, a Plaisir F (0.3) and a mystery one that writes finer than that but only has Japanese Symbols on the nib so I can't figure it out,

 

 

A photo showing the pen overall and one clearly showing the nib markings will certainly help others identify your pen model and nib width grade.

[BergerDM]

 

 

A photo showing the pen overall and one clearly showing the nib markings will certainly help others identify your pen model and nib width grade.

 

I tried taking pictures of it, but I'll only get a decent camera in a few days - could not get focus on the symbols. The pen as a whole is a mystery to me; I posted it in the Japan forums to see if anyone had a clue but so far, no dice.

[Arkanabar]

Most shipping from the USA to almost every country is about $15 for me. If you're interested in any of the pens and want them at the more reasonable prices, PM me and we can work out a way to ship you one. I can just buy it and re-pack it and ship to you.

 

 

Unfortunately I'm in the postal black hole of Brazil - there is a reason many stores do not ship here, or if they do it's only the most expensive and covered options of shipping!

 

Ouch. I used to hear similar stories about Italy, where because of their postal services very low delivery rate (under 40%, IIRC) most people drove to Switzerland to drop off their mail.

 

Anyway, here's an article to help understand the barriers involved: https://thebrazilbusiness.com/article/sending-gifts-to-brazil-by-postal-service

[BergerDM]

So, another getting back to people and if others might benefit from this thread in any way.

 

From the recommendations I received, I got:

A P-51 with a F nib - smooth as F nibs can be and a joy to write with, but it's definitely for those moments when I'm more focused in getting my handwriting right and pen position in my hand correct.

A TWSBI Eco with a B nib - I wanted to try other widths and it did not disappoint. While the F nib on my Go barely lets ink out, this one gushes it forward. I paired it with Diamine Golden Brown for leisure writing.

A Wing Sung 3008 with F nib - Much better than I expected, to be honest. It is now filled with Diamine Asa Blue and is one I carry with me for my daily writing.

A Muji Aluminum - Great throw around pen, always have it in my pocket for when I don't want to grab a pen that's farther. A little slim, however, so not for longer writing.

A Sailor Lecoule (MF nib) - Literally just arrived, and while its line is thin (which is preferable for my purposes) it is really, really smooth. It will be my go-to pen for now.

On the horizon:

As my financial situation changed quite a bit since last time, I'll have to wait on most of the recommendations. Next will probably be a M-200 or a 3776.

[TSherbs]

 

 

I'm pretty sure TWSBI is a Chinese brand and Chinese-made:

 

I thought that they were in Taiwan.

[A Smug Dill]

I thought that they were in Taiwan.

Without getting political and without exploring how anyone feel towards the government of mainland China, you can ask (in English) the local Taiwanese people whether they are Chinese. Or you can ask them in Chinese, "你是不是中國人?" if you prefer, just in case you think there is any guile or ambiguity in how the question is worded in English.

 

If a company is domiciled in the Republic of China, founded and run by individuals who identify themselves as Chinese, and selling products manufactured in either the ROC or the People's Republic of China (PRC), with a brand name it declares to have Chinese roots, wouldn't you call that Chinese?

[TSherbs]

Without getting political and without exploring how anyone feel towards the government of mainland China, you can ask (in English) the local Taiwanese people whether they are Chinese. Or you can ask them in Chinese, "你是不是中國人?" if you prefer, just in case you think there is any guile or ambiguity in how the question is worded in English.

 

If a company is domiciled in the Republic of China, founded and run by individuals who identify themselves as Chinese, and selling products manufactured in either the ROC or the People's Republic of China (PRC), with a brand name it declares to have Chinese roots, wouldn't you call that Chinese?

I was attempting to be geographically and legally accurate, in case readers are confused. Their own website states that they are in Taiwan, I think. The rest doesn't interest me. For all I know, the actual owners are Scandinavians with Angolan citizenship. I don't care and wasn't speaking to that.