A fountain pen for every type

[cashew]

Wow, it's cold this morning.🥶

So, I'm suddenly struck with wanting to yammer about fountain pens again. Obviously, I have strong feelings about how a fountain pen is used, but I've also accepted that the reason I use a fountain pen is not the reason others use fountain pens and only promoting pens that fit my needs isn't going to convince anyone. While I do think that students really ought to switch over to fountain pens due to disposable pens being a real environmental problem (did you know that nearly 20% of China's plastic waste is pens?!), I'm fighting a losing battle.

Instead, let's talk how there's probably a fountain pen that exists to fit your very specific type. One of the fountain pen's biggest assets is that it is a hugely customizable writing instrument. Once you figure out what you want, you can definitely find a pen that fits your needs (although maybe not so much your budget😥).

Businessman who needs to visually impress others with their monetary worth
Montblanc 149 (~$1000)

Senator who needs to satisfy their penis envy
Montblanc 146 (~$500)

Average Joe who wants a Montblanc visual effect but can't afford it
Sailor 1911L Black/Gold (~$200-$300)

Student who wants a Montblanc visual effect but can't afford the Sailor
Jinhao x450 Frosted Black (~$10)

Western language calligrapher who wants a portable flex nib
Pilot Falcon/Elabo (~$180)

Western language calligrapher who wants a flex nib in a classy body
Pilot Metal Falcon (~$250)

Western language calligrapher who wants a flex nib with high ink capacity
Pilot Custom 912 with FA nib + CON-70 converter (~$230)

Western language calligrapher who wants a flex nib on the cheap with huge ink capacity
Noodler's Konrad with Flex Nib (~$20-$40)

East Asian language fountain pen calligrapher
Sailor 1911L with Naginata Togi Nib (~$600)

East Asian language fountain pen calligraphy student
Fulin Naginata Grind (~$10-$15)

East Asian brush calligrapher who wants a fountain pen equivalent
Sailor Naginata Fude de Mannen (~$1000)

East Asian brush calligrapher who cannot afford Naginata
Sailor Fude DE Mannen (~$15-$20)

Middle Eastern calligrapher who wants fountain pen nibs
Any decent fountain pen with Architect nib (+$50 to pen price)

Student who wants an ecologically sound replacement for their rollerballs
Pilot Kaküno (~$12-$15)

Student who wants a more classy looking fountain pen with smooth nib
Pilot Metropolitan (~$20)

Student who wants a fountain pen that fits in their back pocket
Pilot Petite1 (~$3)

Student who wants broader nib options and readily available nib replacements
Lamy Safari (~$25-$30)

Student who wants nib variety but hates the triangle grip of the Safari
TWSBI Eco (~$30)

Student who wants a pocket pen with broader nib options
Kaweco Sport Classic (~$20-$30)

Someone who wants a really classy pocket pen and a wide variety of nib options
Franklin-Christoph p66 (~$155-$250)

Someone who wants a large ink capacity fountain pen with nib options without burping issues
Opus 88 Koloro (~$100) + Franklin-Christoph Nibs (~$20-$100)

Opus 88 pens have a plug that stops ink flow when not in use (AKA Japanese eyedropper) and uses standard JoWo #5 nibs (which Franklin-Christoph sells separately). Nib swapping is as easy as unscrewing the nib unit.

Someone who wants a large ink capacity work horse with an industrial aesthetic
Lamy 2000 (~$100-$200)

Someone who wants a large ink capacity work horse with a classic aesthetic
Pelikan M400 (~$230-$400)

Someone who wants a large ink capacity work horse with a modern aesthetic
TWSBI 580ALR (~$60)

Someone who wants a cool filling mechanism
Pilot Custom 823 (~$300)

Someone who wants a cool filling system that's cheaper
TWSBI Vac700r (~$70-$80)

Someone who just wants a unique filling system
OASO Automatic Ink Fountain Pen (~$10-$50)

Office worker who wants a convenient capless fountain pen
Pilot Vanishing Point/Capless/Decimo (~$150-$300)

Someone who wants a cheaper capless fountain pen
Platinum Curidas (~$80-90)

Someone who doesn't write very much
Platinum Century 3776 with Slip-n-Seal cap✝ (~$180-$250)

✝Platinum has a proprietary cap design that keeps the pen wet for up to TWO (2) years.

Someone who doesn't write very much and doesn't want to spend too much money
Platinum Preppy (~$4)

Someone who doesn't write very much, doesn't want to spend too much, but thinks the Preppy is ugly
Platinum Plaisir/Prefounte/Little Meteor (~$10-$25)

Someone who wants to collect fountain pens for pretty colors
Sailor Pro Gear/Pro Gear Slim Cocktail/Bungubox/Kingdom Note/etc. Series (~$300-$600 per pen)

Someone who wants to collect fountain pens for pretty colors at a cheaper price
Lamy Safari Limited Editions (~$30-$70)

Someone who wants Maki-e/Urushi aesthetic
Nakaya/Namiki pens (>$1000)

Someone who wants an erasable fountain pen
Pilot V Pen (~$2-$4)

Someone who wants an erasable fountain pen with a cuter aesthetic
DianShi DS-998 (~$2-$4)

Someone who wants an erasable pen with a different aesthetic
Any fountain pen + Kiwi Erasable Ink ($15.85 for 30ml bottle)

If you're still not covered...well, there are still many pens out there that I haven't brought up. Leave a comment and let me know.

Comments

[conuly]

While I do think that students really ought to switch over to fountain pens due to disposable pens being a real environmental problem (did you know that nearly 20% of China's plastic waste is pens?!), I'm fighting a losing battle.

There is a perhaps less difficult middle ground for your reluctant students, which is refillable ballpoints.

[cashew]

Refillable ballpoints are part of the waste. Plastic from empty ballpoint refills make up nearly 400,000 metric tons of Chinese plastic waste a year. A single high school student uses roughly 200 refills in a school year.

[sailorstarsun]

All your posts about pens gave me the urge to dig out my Kaküno again. And then I was like, 'I need a special notebook for this pen!' So I went out and bought a nice notebook to use my pen with. And now I have my fountain pen, and I have a notebook to use my fountain pen with.... and I have absolutely nothing to write. ;_;

(Also, your descriptions of pens had me laughing out loud at times. ^^ )

[cashew]

I hope the Kaküno is working better the second time around. I've always had a good experience using it, so I hope you can find it equally enjoyable.

And you don't need to write anything special! I just write down what I eat every day and stuff, just for the joy of writing. ^_^