Best fountain pen on Reddit

454 reviews from r/fountainpens, r/hobonichi, r/BuyItForLife and 6 more subreddits

454 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

Pilot

4.5

(95)

"Fave pens with comfy, wide grips, not too heavy."

"Pilot Vanishing Points are great because of the clicker."

"My recommendation would be from Pilot either the Kakuno or Explorer. They write really well for a budget-friendly pen."

"I’d go with Preppy just because it doesn’t dry up and doesn’t leak if you don’t get faulty one"

"I've had mine for a while, and I'm still impressed at how well it writes!!"

"Nothing beats a Pilot custom 74... With a Con-70 converter, pilot's nib QC is great."

"Get a Pilot Metropolitan."

"For a gold nib, the pilot custom heritage 912."

"I agree with some others’ recommendations for the Pilot Käkuno."

"Pilot Kakuno or Pilot Metropolitan."

Lamy

4.5

(86)

"It’s nearly indestructible, has a fantastic gold nib, and a large capacity piston filler."

"Anything by lamy is good."

"I agree with the others suggesting a Lamy Safari over a Kaweco sport."

"I'd suggest Lamy Safari or Al-Star as a starter pen - tough, generally work perfectly out of the box."

"They have a neat system of attaching the nib to the feed such that it is quite easy to change"

"I would get a Lamy Safari/Vista/Studio and get the italic nibs 1.1, 1.3, 1.5 and maybe 1.9 exists?"

"Upgraded to the gold nibs and I love them even more."

"The best metal pen overall is the Lamy Studio."

"The only one I own personally is the studio and it’s a banger."

"It’s got a long history and is a wonderfully designed tool."

TWSBI

4.5

(43)

"TWSBI ECO all the way. They are inexpensive, great quality, and so easy to use."

"Twsbi is also a good brand."

"There is a reason that TWSBI gets so many good reviews. The pens are durable with consistently reliable nibs."

"I definitely would prefer the TWSBI ECO in transparent/violet with a medium nib."

"TWSBI Precision."

"The advantage of a Lamy Safari over something like a TWSBI Eco is relatively inexpensive interchangeable nibs."

"The TWSBI Eco is a solid, affordable choice."

"I have found TWSBI Eco to work perfectly for my hands."

"I use Lamy and also TWSBI and they both work great with Hobonichi, <3"

"TWSBI eco!!! Large capacity ink holder which lasts longer than 4 hours."

Platinum

4.3

(42)

"I'd recommend going for either Platinum Preppy, Prefounte, or Plaisir."

"Platinum Preppy 02 (under €10) and Pilot Kaküno EF (under €15)."

"Lightweight. Comfortable plastic/resin grip section."

"Platinum Preppy and Pilot kakuno are both great options to consider."

"I’m a diehard platinum preppy fan."

"Platinum preppy with medium nib."

"If you know you love the Preppy, you can get a Platinum Plaisir."

"Platinum preppy is a great little fp to start with."

Kaweco

4.4

(25)

"Personally, the Kaweco Student is my fave for beginners."

"I also love using my acrylic Kaweco Sports."

"Kaweco liliput it’s the little brother of the supra"

"Thinnest in my collection are the Kaweco Lilliput and a couple 45s."

"Kaweco Lilliput is the thinnest I know"

"Kaweco Liliput? Pilot e95s?"

"Forget the Chinese brands flooding the market, they are so hit and miss. Just get a Kaweko!"

"I just put a double broad nib in a Kaweco Lilliput."

"I'm a huge fan of both the Kaweco Student and the TWSBI Eco, both of which are under $100."

"I've had my Kaweco brass sport pen for a little over 10 years. Buttery smooth writing experience."

Lamy Safari

4.9

(14)

"I suggest a lamy safari with either a medium or fine nib for general use."

"My 8-year-old loves her Lamy Safari."

"Just here to echo others’ suggest for a Lamy Safari."

"Lamy Safari, budget friendly and very good for start."

"Personally I started with a Lamy Safari."

"Cheap - Lamy Safari."

"* Lamy Safari."

"Have her try a Lamy Safari."

"My third grader loves her Lamy Safari."

"Agreeing with everyone on Lamy (Safari) being a solid beginner fountain pen."

Pelikan

4.3

(16)

"Pelikan Twist is a very comfortable and rugged pen."

"Is the best in this price point, bar none."

"How about pelikan m200?"

"A 'buy once, cry once' option is Pelikan."

"I also have a Pelikan M205 and Lamy safaris for the same reason."

"Any fountain pen helps tbh, but bigger grip diameter leads to writing longer with less discomfort."

"Big chunky soft grips."

"My vote goes to Pelikan Twist and Faber Castell Grip."

"For a first pen I would suggest a Pelikan Twist."

"I have a Pelikan Twist fountain pen that has three grips built into the pen as ergonomic design."

Parker

4.7

(13)

"You could try getting a Parker sonnet or a waterman Carene, both come with beautiful 18k gold nibs."

"If you have £100 the Parker 51 is a Great fountain pen."

"I would say either a vintage Parker 51."

"It was literally designed for travel, and for travel in unpressurized airplanes, specifically."

"Parker 51 (vintage obv.) - it was literally designed for travel."

"Parker Sonnet."

"There are lots of thin vintage and classic pens. Parker 45s are a good place to start."

"Parker 45 if you can find it on eBay!"

"I use them both all the time—fantastic pens!"

"Parker 51 if your want a vintage one of ok diameter grip."

Jinhao

4.2

(14)

"Fave pens with comfy, wide grips, not too heavy."

"Jinhao 82 are fun because you can buy a few and mix and match to make your own colors."

"I love the Jinhao 80, 82, and 100."

"Any fountain pen helps tbh, but bigger grip diameter leads to writing longer with less discomfort."

"Cheaper alternatives include the Majohn A1 and Jinhao 10."

"Jinhao X450."

"I put an FPR flex nib in a Jinhao x450."

"Jinhao works."

"<$5 jinhao 82, 9016, 51a, 86, etc."

"I would say a Jinhao, almost any model will do just fine."

#10

Pilot Kakuno

5.0

(11)

"I would go for kakunos - one for each color."

"If I were allocating $50, I’d get the pilot kakuno with a converter."

"Pilot Kakuno and Platinum Preppy are cooperative, lightweight, affordable pens."

"The Pilot Kakuno has consistent build quality and is an excellent value."

"Pilot Kakuno is a great pen."

"I’d say start with a Pilot Kakuno or Lamy Safari."

"For entry level, you can't really go wrong with pilot kakuno."

"The Pilot Kakuno EF nib in my Pilot MR3 fountain pen."

"I really like my Kaküno."

"Good affordable pens"

#11

Sailor

4.6

(11)

"For 120-130 Canadian dollars you can buy a Sailor Pro Gear Slim."

"Sailor is a good brand. They make excellent writing pens."

"I have the same Pro Gear Slim and it's fantastic."

"Other than these notes, that's a brilliant choice of pen."

"Sailor Profit Casual, Profit Light, Profit Standard, and Professional Gear Slim models at Japanese domestic market prices."

"I personally would chose one with a very fine nib (Sailor Pro Gear Slim MF or finer would be my favorite)."

"Sailor > Pelikan > Mont Blanc."

"Used Lamy 2000, Sailor and Platinum Pens;"

"Sailor is a good brand. They make excellent writing pens."

"I find that some Japanese pens (Pilot, Sailor) with gold nibs can be found 'reasonably' priced and new on eBay."

#12

Platinum Preppy

5.0

(7)

"A range of nibs on Platinum Preppies or Pilot Kakunos is a great place to start."

"I’d recommend a Platinum Preppy."

"Three separate pens in nib sizes EF, F, M along with ink cartridges would be a great starting set."

"The Platinum Preppy is an excellent pen."

"Platinum preppy if you think she will lose it."

"* Platinum Preppy."

"Platinum Preppy or Pilot Varsity."

#13

TWSBI Eco

5.0

(7)

"Or TWSBI Eco - they’re both solid pens."

"The TWSBI Eco."

"The TWSBI Eco of Vac700R would be my choice."

"I have used my TWSBI-eco every day for the past two years and she is still going strong."

"The Twsbi Eco might be in your price range."

"For pen I would suggest a twsbi eco."

"TWSBI Eco and an Iroful notebook."

#14

Kaweco Sport

4.8

(6)

"You could get her a kaweco sport for a first pen."

"I'm a big fan of the Kaweco Sport."

"* Kaweco Sport - A big YES on that one."

"It is a tough little trooper of a pen that works well for kids."

"Kaweco Sport."

"Does he have a kaweco sport maybe? a metal version, maybe the aluminum one."

#15

Asvine

4.1

(7)

"Switching from a converter pen (pilot metropolitan animal edition) to a piston filler (asvine v126)"

"In your price range, Asvine has some great options."

"Asvine V126."

"Asvine v126. easily."

"Perhaps a HongDian N1-S, Asvine P20, or Admok M800."

"Asvine P20"

"Asvine P20 and have a better pen"

#16

Opus 88

4.5

(4)

"Opus 88 with a <B> nib with a cursive italic grind."

"If you are in Europe, check out the Opus 88 line of eyedropper pens."

"The opus 88 pens. Hold enough ink for the trip."

"Take a look at opus 88, they make pens that you can fill through an eyedropper."

#17

Kanwrite

4.5

(4)

"I also agree that kanwrite makes good and very affordable fountain pens."

"Both are amazing writers."

"Kanwrite makes great nibs and shit bodies."

"You can buy the kanwrite desire which comes in various nib sizes."

#18

Waterman

4.3

3.0

(1)

"Is a pen with a nice fat grip."

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