Fountain Pen reviews from Reddit

Summary

We analyzed 615 Reddit reviews across 10 subreddits and 100 posts to rank the best Fountain Pen brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/fountainpens, r/hobonichi, r/BuyItForLife, r/pens, r/DarkAcademia. Top-rated brands include Pilot (4.5/5), Lamy (4.4/5), TWSBI (4.6/5).

Stats

Reviews615

Subreddits10

Posts100

Brands40

Products72

Top communities

r/fountainpens534 r/hobonichi23 r/BuyItForLife19 r/pens15 r/DarkAcademia9

615 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

Pilot

4.5

(135)

"Pilot Metropolitan. Not super expensive, looks good, feels right."

"I think either a Platinum Plaisir or Pilot Metropolitan might be a good choice."

"Kaküno is the best inexpensive writer for me as someone who prefers a fine and very fine line."

"Pilot Kakuno and a little bit worse Platinum Preppy."

"I have a Pilot Kakuno, Platinum Preppy, Kanwrite Desire, and a couple of Jinhao pens."

"Pilot metropolitan. Well built. Fantastic nib. Looks nice but not too nice."

"Pilot (JP) - Excellent nibs and quality control, the CON-70 converter is great, their budget friendly pens are just as good as their luxury pens."

"Buy from a well known reputable brand that consistently produces smooth nibs. Probably pilot is your best bet."

"Pilot Prera/Lighthive/Metropolitan. Buy a box of cartridges, a syringe and a bottle of ink."

"For a premium vac experience, the Pilot Custom 823 is a lifetime writer."

Lamy

4.4

(107)

"I would recommend a Lamy Studio. The design is sleek, it works with converters and writing with it is areal treat."

"Lamy CP1 - my favourite, slim and awesome (the slimmest body on a modern market)"

"This from someone who also owns MB 149, several Pelicans, Lamy 2000, and Aurora Optima, all great writers but more expensive."

"In your case, I would try a Lamy Studio. They are easy to find in Germany, and will last you a lifetime."

"Lamy (DEU) - starter pens that punch way over their price point, the nibs are interchangeable on most pens, easy to clean, and their pens come in a ton of different colors."

"They're much more subtle-looking than a lot of fountain pens, but are durable, excellent writers."

"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."

TWSBI

4.6

(56)

"The TWSBI Eco is also a nice choice and it's fun to see the ink."

"In that price range look no further than TWSBI Eco"

"Another recommendation for the TWSBI GO. Very affordable, fun and EASY to use, easy to clean."

"Agree with TWSBI Go in your price range."

"TWSBI Go's are good for under $30."

"I have a ton of TWSBIs and have never had a crack. They reformulated the resin after the early days."

"TWSBI, Lamy, Kaweco. All 3 have great EFs."

"A TWSBI has a built in piston, can be had for $33-50 and writes really well."

"A "Twsbi Eco" is a very good place to start for fountain pens."

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

Platinum

4.3

(60)

"Platinum Plaisir. Fitted with Slip & Seal to prevent dry-out."

"I got a Preppy EF and just switched the nib + feed into a Platinum Plaisir and got a nice metal pen that's lightweight and comes in some nice bright colors for under $40."

"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."

"For kawaii, how about Platinum's Little Meteors, especially the Sanrio editions that are all sparkly in purple and pink?"

"I’m a diehard platinum preppy fan."

Kaweco

4.4

(36)

"I second the Pilot Prera, very good compact pen in this price range. Actually, for $60 budget you can afford both a Kaweco Sport and a Prera."

"TWSBI, Lamy, Kaweco. All 3 have great EFs. Kaweco is my favorite."

"Kaweco makes really good pens. I second the suggestion."

"I swear by my Kaweco Student. Bought two, and have loved them both."

"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?"

Pelikan

4.4

(28)

"This from someone who also owns MB 149, several Pelicans, Lamy 2000, and Aurora Optima, all great writers but more expensive."

"I think the M200 is a lovely choice."

"The Pelikan M200 is a perfect choice, honestly."

"The M200 is a great choice. It's small, lightweight and reliable."

"I’d recommend a Pelikan M800 or M1000, which are perfect for pens that will be used mostly for signatures."

"I think Pelikan m800 or m1000 are wonderful pens and they have a bit more flair than montblanc."

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

"My vintage Pelikan M800."

"Pelikan M800 Green Demo 2023"

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

Lamy Safari

4.9

(15)

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

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

"Lamy Safari is also very good, and you can change nibs easily."

"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."

Parker

4.7

(15)

"You could get a lovely Parker 51 in your budget."

"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."

"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!"

Sailor

4.4

(16)

"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."

"Pilot VP. Sailor Pro Gear."

"Sailor, very good nibs but you might not like the feedback and the converters have a low ink capacity."

"Sailor (JP) - very satisfying pencil like feedback on their nibs"

#10

Pilot Kakuno

5.0

(13)

"If OP likes everything but the nib on the Kakuno, just getting another with a Fine nib is the way to go."

"My first suggestion would be to try the same pen with F nib. I have zero issues with my Pilot F nib."

"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."

#11

Asvine

4.3

(11)

"Go with Asvine. I have a V200, V126, and a P39. Absolutely no complaints."

"Another vote here for Asvine if it’s your first one and you do not to spend a significant sum."

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

"Brands like Asvine, Hongdian, Nahvalur, and Majohn offering affordable models."

"Asvine and PenBBS are where I'd go for vacuum or piston fillers in that price range. The p20 and 456 respectively are the ones I've used the most and they're both very solid pens."

"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"

#12

Platinum Preppy

4.9

(9)

"Platinum Preppy- they have a 0.2 EF nib and they are really cheap to try out."

"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."

"Try a Platinum Preppy."

#13

Waterman

4.0

(11)

"Please consider the Waterman Carene. 18k nib that writes like silk."

"I personally have owned a carene for the last 7 yrs and it still looks brand new."

"I particularly like to recommend a Waterman Carene (very popular professional option)."

"My absolute favorite for a fountain pen that can be a daily writer but still an eye catcher is the Waterman Carène Marine Amber."

"It’s beautiful, writes well and is office appropriate (not too flashy)."

"I would recommend to not go for a too broad nib – otherwise large fractions will be hard to read."

"Nice pen with a gold nib in the $250-ish range."

"Would be my pick for a $300-ish pen with a metal body."

"Waterman Carene. almost not using cap at all."

"Waterman Allure"

#14

TWSBI Eco

5.0

(8)

"If it's your first pen, I'd recommend the Eco! It's not terribly expensive and I think they're great!"

"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."

#15

Jinhao

4.0

(8)

"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."

"Jinhao 9019 EF?"

#16

Diplomat

4.3

(7)

"Diplomat Magnum is thin and light."

"Diplomat Magnum is thin and light"

"Then you may like the Hongdian 1851 or Diplomat Magnum"

"Diplomat Traveller"

"My opinion would be platinum preppy or diplomat magnum. Or just both."

"Diplomat Traveller, Diplomat Excellence A2 (steel nib version), Taccia Spotlight."

#17

Hongdian

4.3

(7)

"All my Hongdian pens were very affordable and write beautifully. They all came with a converter."

"The Hongdian M2 is a really great pocket pen."

"Brands like Asvine, Hongdian, Nahvalur, and Majohn offering affordable models."

"Hongdian M2, Lamy Safari, Pelikan M200, Kaweco Sport Brass"

"Try a HongDian C1 and see if that works. The price is right, the pen is a solid writer and the hooded nib would not ink up her fingers."

"Check out Hongdian Chinese pens. Lots under $30."

"Hongdian c1 is good too."

#18

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."

#19

Opus 88

4.7

(6)

"One more to add to your options is Opus 88. They are eye dropper filled, easy to see how much ink you have left, and have a very large ink capacity."

"Japanese eyedroppers like Opus 88s, Majohn C4, or the Pilot custom models that have shutoff valves."

"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."

#20

Faber-Castell

4.0

(7)

"F-C e-Motion is a great pen. F-C nibs are beautifully tuned steel nibs."

"Diplomat Aero or Faber Castell e-motion"

"Faber-Castell E-Motion: All metal body options, with gillouche pattern."

"Pelikan/Faber Castell have great wet nibs but with more feedback."

"If you want something that isn't a Montblanc copy then the Faber-Castell e-motion is a very good pen."

"Faber-Castell make some superb steel F and EF nibs."

"Faber-Castell EF pens are quite fine too."

#21

Faber Castell

4.2

(5)

"The Faber Castell e-motion is gorgeous goes for around 190€."

"The e-Motion is more expensive, but uses a stainless steel nib just like the Essentio."

"Faber castell grip medium. they also have some sparkly versions."

"Faber Castell Grip (has many colorways) or Sparkle?"

"If you like the triangular shape and want a rubberized grip surface, get the Faber Castell Grip!"

#22

Kanwrite

4.0

(4)

"Both are amazing writers."

"My friend has been using his Desire on an oil rig regularly for the last two years with Private Reserve Document ink for writing logs."

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

"Kanwrite Desire is good, except the smell of the converter."

#23

Muji

4.0

3.5

(2)

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

"If you want the cheap route, an Admok M800 or a Jinhao 9019."

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