Beautiful everyday fountain pen?

[ianp82]

I am a writer. I buy a new fountain pen when I start a new book. It takes me about four years to finish a book, so that means I use a fountain pen every day for about four years. I don't write in longhand, but I edit in longhand.

I just finished my most recent book using a Sailor Professional Gear Realo Fountain Pen Piston Black Fine Nib. I loved the pen, though I wish it was a bit heavier.

Honestly, it didn't occur to me until earlier today that some fountain pens aren't meant to be "everyday" pens. I know I'm leaving this a bit broad, but I'm hoping for some suggestions as to a good everyday fountain pen in the $200-$500 range.

I really love the unique look of the limited edition Montegrappa pens, but they are priced a bit high for me.

https://www.montegrappa.com/en/collections/edizionilimitate/i-colori-dell--oceano-1314.html?c=9

https://www.montegrappa.com/en/collections/edizionilimitate/skulls---roses-1303.html?c=9

 

[Karmachanic]

A pre-loved, new to you, MB 149

[freaca menta]

Waterman Caréne is a lovely pen with a good balance and great nib. If you want more ink capacity - have you looked at an Opus88?

[OCArt]

Pilot 823 is known as "the writer's pen" because of its large capacity. They are excellent writers and handsome too.

[jchch1950]

I will add my opinion to the Opus 88. They hold high amount of ink and they have a closing system that can keep the ink fresh for long periods of nonuse.

[txomsy]

I will start by asking the obvious.

 

What is "beautiful" for you?

 

And then some more

 

What makes it an EDC pen for you?

 

Without knowing if you prefer flashy or understated pens, streamlined, baroque, colorful, subdued, etc... and whether you prefer slim or thick pens, large or small, large capacity or reduced... it is extremely difficult to make good recommendations.

 

Other than the obvious: a Monblanc 146 or a Pelikan 200-400 that everyone recommends.

 

Looking at the Montegrappa LE, it comes to mind the Visconti Van Gogh Starry Night.

 

Or several of the many wonderful, hand made, Gravitas pens. You can find some Gravitas that look similar to the Montegrappa examples you gave at a fraction of the price, knowing they are hand-made and much praised in reviews by their owners. Plus they have a Jowo #6 nib unit and you can get a Jowo "flex" nib for them. Note that I do not have any Gravitas pen (though I've long wanted and I'd like to get one one day when budget allows again) nor am related to them anyhow. So pick it with a grain of salt.

 

https://www.gravitaspens.com/shop/p/gravitas-pocket-fountain-pen-black-fawne-ey9na-f8chb-ktex5-xkmcp

 

https://www.gravitaspens.com/shop/p/gravitas-entry-fountain-pen-teal-99l5h-nplmd-gx4tz

 

https://www.gravitaspens.com/shop/p/gravitas-entry-fountain-pen-rainbow-skittle-kehjf

 

https://www.gravitaspens.com/shop/p/gravitas-fountain-pen-black-and-silver-skull-edition

 

 

Problem seems to be that, being a one-man company, they seem to be short on stock right now (Christmas is coming). But there is plenty of choice remaining and the missing models are scheduled for re-stocking.

[welch]

Parker 51, the best pen from the time when an owner might use a pen all day. And refurbished 51s are available for a lot less than $1000.

 

https://parkerpens.net/parker51.html

[Carrau]

You’ve been given a number of fine recommendations above, to which I would add any number of the models by Edison.  They easily fall within your price range, with tremendous range of materials, nibs, and filling systems that you can customize.  Edison’s nibs are usually well tuned, and they are well made pens.  Detailed specs for all their pens are on their website, affording you to have a good idea of what you are ordering.

[ianp82]

These are some really great suggestions. Thank you all for taking the time.

To answer your questions txomsy, I have a couple of understated pens, so this time around, I'm looking for something a little more colorful and showy.

 

I prefer gold nibs. I like the nib on my Sailor Professional Gear Realo Fountain Pen, but I don't love how flimsy the pen feels. I much prefer the size and weight of my Waterman Expert L'Essence du Bleu, but I don't love how it writes. If only I could combine the two!

 

[Doc Dan]

I am a writer and I am jonesing for a Pilot 743. It is simple elegance and large enough for my mitts. I did think about one of the Sailor King of Pens models. 

[Surlyprof]

11 hours ago, ianp82 said:

To answer your questions txomsy, I have a couple of understated pens, so this time around, I'm looking for something a little more colorful and showy.

Have you considered the pens from Leonardo?  I doubt the Momento Magico or Zero will meet your weight requirements but the Momento Zero Grande might (approx. 30g).  I personally prefer the smaller Magico but, if you like larger pens, the MZ Grande or Furore Grande may fit what you are seeking.

[Penguincollector]

   Do you have a Pelikan Souveran yet? I really enjoy the weight and feel of my M800. Depending on the barrel color it can be really showy, like the red and black ones with gold trim, or really elegant, like the Stresemann M805 in black and grey. They are in your price range if bought outside the US, and a vintage model will have the see through binde. 
 For maximum bling, I would look at some Italian brands like Aurora, Maiora, or Nettuno or Japanese maki-e. Platinum has the Kanazawa line in your price range, and Namiki can be found for under $500 overseas. 

[nibandpiston]

I second the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande, maybe in Dark Hawaii or Flame. They have 14k nibs and weigh 1.1oz/31.18g. 

[Penguincollector]

11 hours ago, Doc Dan said:

I am a writer and I am jonesing for a Pilot 743. It is simple elegance and large enough for my mitts. I did think about one of the Sailor King of Pens models. 

 
  I really want the 743 in Verdegris with an FA nib. Maybe next big pen purchase. 

[langere]

How about the Montegrappas that are not limited editions?  I like the Montegrappa Elmos, for example.  They have similar color schemes that the pens you indicated you liked have.

 

Erick

[ianp82]

5 hours ago, Surlyprof said:

Have you considered the pens from Leonardo?  I doubt the Momento Magico or Zero will meet your weight requirements but the Momento Zero Grande might (approx. 30g).  I personally prefer the smaller Magico but, if you like larger pens, the MZ Grande or Furore Grande may fit what you are seeking.

These are beautiful. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Baka1969]

If you want some flair I'd say go Visconti. There are a number of beautiful pens from the Italian pen maker. 

 

One of my favorite writers, however, is my Lamy 2000. Although I admit to being somewhat of a Lamy fanboy, I just love how well the Lamy 2000 writes. So much so that I'm picking up a second version in stainless and fine nib to be a companion to my black one with medium nib. 

 

I also have an Opus 88 Koloro with all of their nibs as accessories. Including the stubs. They write well enough and do store a nice amount of ink, they don't especially feel overly special. A great pen and nice looks. Just not one that is most cherished. 

 

My Montblanc pens are probably my favorite writers. They just sing on paper to me. My favorite is my Meisterstuck 146 (LeGrand) pens. To me they're the most comfortable in the hand. As the 149's bulk isn't best suited for long writing sessions. The 144 (Classique), to me, is a great writer that is a bit too thin for multi-page writing. 

 

The Pilot Elite fountains are also terrific writing pens that offer something a bit special in look and feel. 

 

One last suggestion is from Pelikan. I have the M600. Even though it's not MY favorite, many, many owners are super fans. 

 

Finally I will give an opposing view of the Waterman Carene. I have two and neither are my favorites. I think they write nail hard and don't feel as wonderful as they should to me. They look amazing but QC have also plagued them. 

 

Those are just my opinions. The Lamy 2000 and MB 146 are my two favorite models. 

[Doc Dan]

1 hour ago, Baka1969 said:

 

 

The Pilot Elite fountains are also terrific writing pens that offer something a bit special in look and feel. 

 

 

I agree with this. The Pilot E95s Elite is the smoothest writing pen I have ever used or tried. I didn't mention it earlier because the converter is small. To get capacity the cartridges are best. It is a fine pen and incredibly aesthetically beautiful. 

[Doc Dan]

7 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

 
  I really want the 743 in Verdegris with an FA nib. Maybe next big pen purchase. 

 

7 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

 
  I really want the 743 in Verdegris with an FA nib. Maybe next big pen purchase. 

 

I'm not sure how I got two quotes or how to fix this. Oh well.

 

That Verdegris is a nice and unusual color. 

[Baka1969]

3 hours ago, Doc Dan said:

I agree with this. The Pilot E95s Elite is the smoothest writing pen I have ever used or tried. I didn't mention it earlier because the converter is small. To get capacity the cartridges are best. It is a fine pen and incredibly aesthetically beautiful. 

 

I guess because I rotate my pens frequently capacity isn't my ultimate requirement. I use the Con 40 in the Pilot Elite pens I have and they seem to give me enough use. Even when they need to be filled, it takes two squeezes and they're filled again. A fairly quick process.

 

I think the need for 2+ ml of ink capacity is a bit overstated. It doesn't take that long to fill a pen. Maybe if you were dipping a nib and had to freshen the nib every other sentence I could understand? However, even pens with modest capacity will give you several pages of text on an A4 sized paper before needing a refill. At the very least. Does anyone need a ream's worth of capacity? 

 

I am going to chose a better writing pen that is comfortable for longer writing sessions over a pen with a bazillion (yeah that's a real term) ml of ink capacity. Heck, if you really just want a ton of ink, just get a TWSBI and add a gold JOWO nib and be done with it.