Fountain Pens reviews from Reddit

Summary

We analyzed 440 Reddit reviews across 9 subreddits and 70 posts to rank the best Fountain Pens brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/fountainpens, r/hobonichi, r/ilovestationery, r/machinedpens, r/Calligraphy. Top-rated brands include Pilot (4.5/5), Lamy (4.6/5), Platinum (4.5/5).

Stats

Reviews440

Subreddits9

Posts70

Brands40

Products73

Top communities

r/fountainpens371 r/hobonichi23 r/ilovestationery13 r/machinedpens11 r/Calligraphy10

440 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

Pilot

4.5

(101)

"Pilot Explorer F is very smooth, especially with Pilot Iroshizuku inks."

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

"... but I prefer metal body: Platinum Plaisir and Pilot Metropolitan"

"My favorites are a Pilot Kakuno EF with DA Document Black or Brown."

"My go-to is a Pilot Kakuno EF with De Atramentis Document Black."

"I highly recommend the Pilot Kakuno EF as an alternative to the smaller fineliners."

"My favorite drawing combo is a Pilot Prera with a fine nib and Platinum Carbon Black."

"I’d recommend starting with a Pilot Kakuno with an Extra Fine nib, and a bottle of Platinum Carbon Black."

"I highly recommend the Platinum Preppy or Pilot Kakuno for beginners."

"I suggest getting a pilot kakuno demonstrator model."

Lamy

4.6

(59)

"I use a Lamy Safari with a fine nib and DeAtrsmentis Document Ink."

"I use a Lamy Safari and AL-Star with the lamy black ink with the converter, and a purple ink from colour verse."

"I agree with a Lamy 2000, but there are other options as you see."

"My beginner choice-LAMY. I am very happy with it. It should be within budget I guess."

"They are solid and dependable, mine have never given me any issues and are very robust."

"Lamy Safaris are amazing starter pens. They normally cost around $25 USD and are extremely sturdy."

"Lamy 2000"

"The pen I’m most likely to carry around is my Lamy 2000."

"I'd probably take my Lamy, or I have a Majohn A1 pen that's built like a tank."

"I'd say your Safari is perfect."

Platinum

4.5

(56)

"Platinum Preppy and Pilot Vpen ... plastic body"

"Preppy. You can also use the Carbon ink without having to buy a converter."

"I would start with Preppy and Platinum Carbon cartridge: great cap seal."

"Many of our artist friends use Platinum Desk Pen with Platinum Carbon Black cartridges."

"I have been using platinum carbon black ink with this platinum pen for years now."

"My fountain pen of choice for this is a Platinum Preppy with Platinum Carbon Black ink cartridges."

"I would suggest Platinum Desk Pen EF for fine lines."

"I highly recommend the Platinum Preppy or Pilot Kakuno for beginners."

"My preferred ink is Platinum Carbon Black. I've gone through numerous bottles of that stuff over the years."

"You must use pigmented waterproof inks if you want crisp and clean lines. Platinum carbon black, R&K SketchInks and De atramentis document inks are amazing for that!"

Jinhao

4.3

(41)

"I got a Jinhao X159 with a “F” nib recently. The writing is surprisingly smooth and for under $7 USD I can’t recommend it enough."

"12 pack of Jinhao sharks. They have no right being as good as they are."

"I love the Jinhao 82, which I've inked with Ferris Wheel Press' Bumbling Blossom ink."

"Jinhao 82. I have multiple extra-fines, and they handle shimmer like no extra fine ever should."

"Jinhao Shark is unbeatable."

"I got a Jinhao 80 that looks like a Lamy 2000 and I am in love with the way it writes!"

"They are as cheap as chips - currently, you can buy 5 Jinhao dupe Lamys for £10 on Amazon."

"I also have a class set of Jinhao Swans and Sharks."

"I also have a Jinhao 82 with a fude nib!"

"Jinhao's (sharks, but you can get multipacks with 82's as well), but also Platinum Preppy's and Pilot V-pen/Varsity's."

TWSBI

4.6

(33)

"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."

"I use twsbi eco and lamy safari regularly."

"I am enjoying a TWSBI ECO pen. It is a big pen in the hand, which I like, and has an enormous ink reservoir. It writes well and fluidly on every kind of paper I have tried."

"I have TWSBI Ecos as dedicated shimmer pens, and I find that the M, B, and 1.1 stub nibs work wonderfully for shimmers."

"I just got the TWSBI Eco in 1.1 stub for shimmer inks and wow, I am blown away!"

"TWSBI Precision"

"Twsbi has a ton of pens for less than $100. I have the Diamond 580 with EF nib and am considering getting another with a broader nib to handle shimmer inks."

"The only pen I currently use every day is my Twsbi Eco, as it is so damn nice!"

Kaweco

4.4

(21)

"I've got a good nib Kaweco. It came with the Ultem version. The gold nib is incredibly smooth."

"I use my shimmer inks in a couple shimmer-dedicated B nib Kaweco Sports."

"I highly recommend an ExtraFine nib. In my case a Kaweco Sport works really well."

"I highly recommend an ExtraFine nib. In my case a Kaweco Sport works really well in that kind of paper."

"I always suggest the Kaweco Sport. Small inexpensive pens that can fit in a pocket or small bag."

"As a fellow shimmer ink user, I can recommend a pen from personal experience: Kaweco Perkeo."

"Kaweco sport and twsbi."

"I'd go with a Kaweco Sport or Perkeo, both great pens, both under £25."

"I like the Kaweco steel nibs, Fine is what I use."

Hongdian

4.5

(13)

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

"All the hongdians. So good and good variety of body materials and nib options."

"The Hongdian Black Forest is really great. Nice weight, all metal, writes like a dream."

"Hongdian black forest for metal body."

"Hongdian, they have so many great pens."

"My go to for everyone is the Hong Dian Black Forest series."

"Hongdian pens are available on Amazon.co.uk with free shipping and are within your price range."

"Hongdian Year of the Rabbit is a cheap but really solid pen to me."

"Hong Dian. I thought the forest was too thin, but I've loved every other pen I've had from them."

"I got a Hongdian Year of the Rabbit and it’s a very fine pen."

Opus 88

4.6

(8)

"Opus 88 for a eyedropper with shut off valve."

"The Opus 88 pens are great for traveling."

"Opus 88 Demo"

"Opus 88, every time."

"Have you looked at the Opus 88 line? My personal favorite is the Koloro."

"Opus 88 <M> Demo was not really cheap (100 EUR)..."

"Opus 88 Pens"

"The Opus 88 pens are around $120."

Asvine

4.5

(8)

"The Asvine P-20 is a great piston filler in that price range."

"I got an Asvine off Amazon for about that and it’s shockingly good"

"I can recommend the Asvine V126 for about $22. IMO, the build quality and writing experience is on par with some $100+ pens."

"Asvine ... V126 ... around $25 vac-fillers."

"Asvine V126 - All from personal experience, these write well and seal well."

"Asvine followed by Hongdian followed by Majon(Replace the nib with a Kaigelu nib)."

"Right now Asvine and Hongdian are killing it in the Chinese market."

#10

Fountain Pen

4.9

(7)

"I'm using a fountain pen."

"If it takes ink, it's fp."

"Journaling, random notes and collecting them along with inks!"

"They are an important part of our daily life."

"I'll always use a fountain pen."

"So much better than ballpoint pens as I learned quickly."

"Want to buy a fountain pen with a flexible nib to practice writing/calligraphy."

#11

Majohn

4.6

(7)

"Some suggestions at the $25 point, Majohn P136, Yongsheng 629 or 630, Asvine V126."

"Majohn p136 is the best value pen I’ve ever bought."

"Majohn A1, Twsbi Eco, Muji aluminium pen, Hongdian black forest, Jinhao X750"

"Look at the Majohn P136, such an excellent pen at a really low price."

"Majohn A1, but buy it through AliExpress because it’s marked wayyyyy the hell up on Amazon."

"Majohn P136 looks boring but it is actually a Mont Blanc 146 clone with a solid piston assembly."

"Majohn A1."

#12

Sailor

4.1

(7)

"Sailor Fude de Mannen with De Atramentis Document ink is a classic among urban sketchers."

"I'm partial to the Sailor Pro Gear Slim/Pro Gear Slim mini w/MF nib."

"Sailor fude de manen will give you varying line weights depending on the angle."

"I really enjoy using the Sailor Pro Gear Slim in an <MF> nib."

"There are a lot of nice Sailor exclusives in Japan."

"Some cool Sailors are under $100 in Amazon."

"Suffering with dryness and flow of Sailor Pro Gear slim on dense 90g Rhodia papers."

#13

Faber-Castell

4.3

(6)

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

"Faber-Castell Loom is great for how cheap it is."

"Faber castell loom or TWSBI eco."

"Faber Castell Loom or Grip. Hongdian N7. TWSBI eco."

"Faber Castell Loom."

"How about a Faber-Castell? Maybe an E-motion or Ambition?"

#14

Karas

5.0

(5)

"I have personal experience with the ensso bolt and karas, and both are fantastic."

"I got a Karas INK V2 in copper and it's by far my favorite machined pen."

"Karas is my go to."

#15

Noodler's

4.4

(5)

"I've had great luck with Noodler's X-Feather which comes in black and blue."

"The most feather-resistant ink I know if is Noodler's X-feather."

"Use Noodler’s X-feather and a Japanese extra fine nib best change of stoping that on any low grade paper"

"For me, I would say a fine to extra fine nib with something like Noodlers X feather blue or De Atramentis Document Ink."

"Platinum Carbon, Noodler's X-Feather either one will be fine."

#16

Wing Sung

4.2

(5)

"Wing Sung 601 is a vac filler, huge ink capacity, and built like a tank."

"Wingsung ... 699 ... around $25 vac-fillers."

"I would get a Wing Sung 699 or a Majohn P136 if you want something that looks fancy."

"Wing Sung 601 Flighters are a ~$15 new option worth considering."

"I really like the Wing Sung 601. It's available in a stainless steel version for ~$20."

#17

WingSung

4.2

(5)

"You should also consider the Wing Sung 630, which has an excellent No. 8 steel nib."

"Yongsheng 601. It's a knockoff of a Parker 51, but beware there are actually knockoffs of Yongsheng on the market."

"WingSung 630"

"Wing Sung 601 is the best Chinese copy of Parker 51."

"I like the Wing Sung 601, its like a cheaper Parker 51."

#18

Midori

4.8

(4)

"Midori MD kills some ink colors, because it's ivory and some inks look very pale on it. But it's great for technical drawings . i'm an engineer and it's my favorite paper for my work notes."

"IMO, Midori MD and Tomoe River Paper are the best."

"IMO Midori MD."

"If you want "scratchy" - Midori MD."

#19

Moonman

4.0

(4)

"I much prefer mine to my Lamy AL-Star."

"Personally i love the moonman pens from amazon."

"Could try a Moonman C1 in medium. Big clear demonstrator body that you can see the shimmer roll around in."

"There are some good values from Moonman/Majohn and JinHao but the quality and consistency varies from model to model."

#20

Parker

4.0

(4)

"Can probably find a parker 45 flighter for under 40."

"The all-metal version of the Parker Jotter gives you the classic Parker Flighter for a pretty good price."

"If you're lucky you may find Parker 45 Flighter for this amount of money"

"I very much like my Parker Jotter stainless steel body."

#21

Benu

4.7

(3)

"Benu"

"I've got a TWSBI Eco and a Benu in medium that have both worked great for shimmer inks!"

"I would say that a jowo #6 would be your best bet (at a minimum), such as used in benu pens."

#22

FPR

4.3

(3)

"Get an FPR with an ultraflex nib and an ebonite feed"

"So it's c/c pens for me - in particular a couple of FPR pens with flex nibs."

"FPR has several pens under $40 that are wonderful."

#23

PenBBS

4.0

(3)

"Take a look at the PenBBS 456 for a very good vac filler."

"The p20 and 456 respectively are the ones I've used the most and they're both very solid pens."

"PenBBS 456 a cheap alternate to Pilot 823."

#24

Tomoe River

5.0

(2)

"If you like "waxy" paper - Tomoe River or Rhodia blocks."

"Tomoe River is my favourite: it's very thin but holds inks extremely well. It's not good if you don't want ghosting. I don't mind ghosting. It's a wonderful paper to exhalt natural properties of chromashding and sheening inks"

#25

Pelikan

5.0

(2)

"Likewise the Pelikan M600 for piston filler."

"How much do you want to spend? A Pelikan M600 or higher would fit the bill nicely."

#26

Kaweco Sport

5.0

(2)

"I’m a big fan of Kaweco Sports."

"Plus a kaweco sports broad and double broad."

#27

TWSBI Eco

5.0

(2)

"I use primarily twsbi eco on medium and broad nibs."

"I've got a TWSBI Eco and a Benu in medium that have both worked great for shimmer inks!"

#28

de Atramentis

4.5

(2)

"But using something like the de Atramentis Document line or Rohrer and Klingner Sketch inks would be great!"

"Dry permanent ink and fine nib would be my recommendation since standard book paper is among the worst for pens."

#29

Ranga

4.5

(2)

"Ranga pens are made in India, and I've found great joy in them."

"Ranga's group buy pens or Kanwrite Legacy."

#30

Cult Pens

4.5

(2)

"Pricing is good, and you can be confident you're getting genuine stuff, rather than cheap copies."

"My recommendation is that you shop around. You'd be surprised by what you can buy for $80 to $100 if you shop carefully."

#31

Edison

4.5

(2)

"Edison pen co. they do fantastic custom work."

"Edison offers a lot of nice filling system options."

#32

Gravitas

4.5

(2)

"Gravitas is great."

"The pen is great though. Credit where it's due."

#33

Waterman

4.0

(2)

"Waterman fountain pens are good for this. As are Lamy."

"Probably a Parker Urban or Waterman something for that price"

#34

Sheaffer

4.0

(2)

"You might try a Sheaffer calligraphy pen set. You can get three interchangeable italic nibs."

"You might try a Sheaffer calligraphy pen set. You can get three interchangeable italic nibs (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 mm as I remember) for under $20."

#35

Big Idea Design

4.0

(2)

"I like Big Idea fountain pens. I love the compact size. I like being able to use either the mini converter or cartridges."

"Not to diss on BID as others have recommended. They are good but they are charging through the roof for a made in China pen for Made in USA prices."

#36

Click

4.0

(2)

"Click aristocrat."

"I’m quite fond of their Aristocrat, a flat cap beginner pen."

#37

Kanwrite

3.5

(2)

"Kanwrite would be my first choice, their Desire pen is 800 INR and quite good."

"Kanwrite desire."

#38

Sharpie

2.5

(2)

"For practicality’s sake, I think I’d recommend a regular Sharpie over an fp."

"So I think a marker or sharpie is a better choice."

#39

Ensso

5.0

(1)

"Ensso is great."

#40

Hero

4.0

(1)

"Hero 616"

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