🖋️🖤 For a beginner, I would recommend a pilot metropolitan definitely. It feels SO classy. The explorer is in a similar price range but the metropolitan just looks better IMO. There’s also the prera for those who like a lightweight feel. For a beginner pocket pen, I personally love the plastic Kaweco sports and all their colors! Also the majohn/moonman capless can provide you with a (close to) vanishing point experience- and the nibs are interchangeable with pilot nib units 😉 That being said… if I received the Pilot Capless Decimo (the vanishing point’s petite cousin) with a F nib as my first fountain pen, I’d probably never buy another. So far that has been my favorite and most unique writing experience. A bit steep in price but worth it for me (I now own 2 decimos and 1 VP is on its way in the mail). I love the community of everyone that’s fallen down the fountain pen rabbit hole 🤣💕🖋️
In 1995 a friend of mine gave me his black rotring 800 extra fine. He didn't like it, maybe it was too scratchy. I was in love. I had the perfect instrument to write, draw, and stab. I have since misplaced that pen. Today however I have thoroughly cleaned and revitalized a Parker 51 special, that my mother gave me many years ago. Great video, great info thanks
I like the rubric you set up for finding out what you like. I've heard mixed things on the Compass though, some say it isn't anything like a Pro-gear, but I've also heard that it does give you a sense of that experience. It really is important to try a good variety of writing experiences to see what you like the most.
I love the Kakuno! I also think the pilot explorer is a good choice. It’s thin it’s sturdy. The nib is amazing. I believe this was a good video. Thanks for the info.
My first fountain pen was the Hongdian N23 Year of the Rabbit, and I bought it strictly because of how it looks. I love it! My next two were Jinhaos, 82 then a 9019. Then I got my Twsbi Eco and that is my daily use pen. Absolutely love it! Somewhere in there I got an Hongdian N2. I’ll try some different brands one day, but as a newbie still (got my first one in Feb 2024) I love the Twsbi and the Hongdians. 🖋️📒
My first pen was a TWSBI Eco. I loved that pen so much, and for the first six months in the hobby had just Ecos. If I were to do it over again or could have had my first pen gifted to me, I'd go with the TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR instead. Love the weight and feel of that pen, and it seems sturdier and more substantial than the Eco. 🖋🖋🖋
my first fountie was a Parker IM. I still use it most days at work. I also have the dark green kaweco sport as a fun lil note taker at the computer desk at home
My first experience with fountain pens was a Sailor Junior Profit .....now I own three of them. Lol My second brand was a Twsbi Eco and both have a different feel however I'm OBSESSED. 🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️ Happy Writing!
My first pen was a TWSBI eco. And i absolutely love it. I found them because Neil Gaiman rights a lot of his first drafts was a Lamy Safari. My 3rd pen was the Lamy Al Star. I didn’t like any of the colors available of the safari. So I went with the upgrade 😅
I've got most of the stuff on the video list save the Kaweco (aesthetics, nothing against them) and the Sailor (not paying the price), including the pens mentioned on the "no fly list" so to speak. A word about the Platinum budget pens: The Preppy Crystal does not have all of the writing and barcode noise on it, and comes in an 03 nib (only, afaikt) for about $7. The Prefounte is an upscaled Preppy with a nicer-looking body and no obnoxious writing on them for about $11. I've had a small pile of Preppys that I've used daily for over a year now, and no cracking so far. (And much less of a loss than if one of my TWSBIs cracked.) One nice trait of the Preppy/Prefounte: A cheap washer and some silicone grease, and you can convert them to a dropper fill. All that said, if I narrowed choices down to 5, I wouldn't put them on my list either. OK, on to my personal top five, based on writing experience, appearance, and performance, in no particular order: 1. Pilot Metropolitan. Classy looks, has a traditional "serious" fountain pen feel and writes very, very well. Can run off cartridges or converters. Does not come with a quality converter. Price is around $20 most places for the basic pen, a bit more for the various colors. Excellent value. 2. Pilot Prera Iro-Ai. This is a great little pocket pen that comes with a converter and a demonstrator body. Great if someone wants to experiment with colored inks, see how the pen works, etc. Around $35. The regular Prera is also a nice little pen, but the included converter makes the Iro-Ai a better value IMO. 3. TWSBI Eco. Just a huge aesthetic leg up on the rest of my list. Great capacity. Nibs are good on the two I own, but not as good as my pilot nibs or my Jinhao nibs (see below). About $35 for the normal color ways, to $50 and up for limited colors. Best on the list for people who want to see their ink colors. 4. Jinhao x750: Very smooth writer for me. Metal body with a nice finish that looks like a higher end pen. Includes a converter with a generous capacity. One of the best writing experiences, on par with the Pilots IMO. About $5. Chinese. Looks suspiciously like a more famous pen, but doesn't claim to be it. But it's a nice pen. 5. Jinaho 82: Great little pocket pen. Looks suspiciously like a Sailor model. Same notes as the x750. Writes very well, and inexpensive. About $4-8 depending on where you get them.
I wish I had started with the Jinhao 9016. It has the perfect size for my hands, ink capacity, common easily changed nib, and affordable enough to get spares.
My first fountain pens (almost 30 years ago now) were Parker pens. A few years ago I got a Lamy Safari (fine nib) and then I got a Lamy All-Star (extra fine nib) following a Toby SketchLoose recommendation. I've been browsing the TWSBI range more recently trying to justify the cost :)
I started with a Lamy Safari; the exact model you have. I didn't acquire a Sailor Compass until my collection had grown to about 20 pens. I needed a good quality but affordable pen for work, that wouldn't break my heart if stolen or lost. Even after the experience of a 21k gold Sailor nib, I found the experience of the Compass to be excellent. But the screw cap wasn't a good fit for the workplace as I was capping and uncapping the pen repeatedly. I lucked out and caught mine for $20 on sale. Unfortunately, the price of this pen is now close to $50 which is pricey for beginners. The capping thing though led me to the Pilot Prera with the slip cap...perfect for work....and a great fidget item during boring meetings. The Lamy is a great starter pen as are all of your selections. I have a TWSBI Eco, Draco and 3 Kaweco AL Sport pens, all of which I enjoy. I have never tried the Pilot Metropolitan though. Kudos to your rubric for guiding your selections...as a former teacher using a rubric adds credibility to your choices. I really enjoyed this video. New subscriber.
I can definitely get behind the Safari. That was my first and it definitely served it's purpose. I went in hesitant, expecting fountain pens to be much more tedious and problematic, but the thing was rock solid and dependable. It really changed my perspective on them for the better. I think they're also probably the most durable pen you can buy for the weight, especially the matte finished ones that don't show scratches. I carried that thing exclusively for months and you'd never know it. The only problem is now I'm like a dozen pens in ranging all the way from Jinhao to Pelikan.
🖋 My first fountain pen was a 303 Youth (iridium tipped hooded nib, made in China) that my mother used in school in Trinidad when she was growing up. I don't know if it's because if was old or if the quality just wasn't great to begin with but the most I can say of it was that it was serviceable and at some point I completely forgot about it. That was about 16 years ago when I was still in high school. Recently a friend got into inks and gave me a Ferris Wheel Press Carousel as a gift with some ink to try and get me into the hobby with her. I can't say that I'm in love with the Carousel or anything, but it has a good flow and it did make me want to invest in a better fountain pen (which brought me here to see what would be a good start). I also have this old Parker Rialto (was my dad's) that I have lying around. It only has an empty cartridge, no converter or anything so I haven't been able to use it before. When I go to the stationery shop to check out the pens you suggested, I'm going to see if I can get something to make it useable.
I’m just starting my journey down this rabbit hole. I ordered two Lamy. A Safari with a medium nib and an all star in a fine nib. This way I get a feel for plastic verses metal and medium verses fine nib. We will see where I go from here. 😁😇🤣
✒️ Glad I found your channel! Thanks for giving some more interesting recommendations than the “standard 5.” My first fountain pen was a Lamy Safari (All Star? It was metal.) that I bought online about 10+ years ago. I knew nothing about fountain pens, except that I have a love for wonderful writing instruments and fabulous paper, and have since I was a kid. I really didn’t know what to look for except that it got excellent reviews, looked really cool, and came in a bunch of cool colors (mine was a metallic sage green.) What I didn’t think about was…the tripod grip. It seemed like a good thing that it would hold my fingers in the correct way to use the pen. It took about 5 minutes before my thumb over pointer finger smushed up hand “death grip” led to horrible pain using the Lamy. I even have this bone bump on my middle finger from the weird way I’ve held pens my whole life, how tightly I hold them, and how hard I press down, and if you’ve got that…any tripod grip will make you run screaming. That being said, I used it every day at work for years to jot down quick things, to dos, lists, etc in my Bujo because to write for under 5 minutes was fine. Also, I have small hands, it’s much too heavy for me. I like the plastic/resin pens because they’re lighter and don’t wear my hand out. Soooo…after a few years of being just a fine liner and Energel user, I wanted to dive in again…especially after I saw that adorable Kaweco Sport. I just got one about a month ago, and I love it, and now I want ten more pens, and stub nibs, and all the inks…I love that little pen. It’s so pretty, so light, feels like I’m skating over a pond, and I’ve spent the last week watching swatch videos and ‘best pens in this price range’ videos and making a list of all the inks I was to get, and pens/nibs I want to try. So, yes. With the Lamy, I didn’t really have much interest in getting another one, because it was the wrong pen for me. The Kaweco Sport is wonderful for me and now I want to spend all the moneez buying all the inks and a bunch of cool pens, and…yeah…I didn’t need another addiction, lol.
The 1.0 CI steel nib by Pilot is a fav nib of mine. It comes on a Metro, as well as another model.. Do you own a gravitas pen? He’s a superior designer, especially of metal pens.. though he, Ben Walsh, has branched out to acrylic, ultem and other plastics.
I use fp at work and a lot of ppl ask me if I realy like it then I went to Walmart and buy a pack of pilot Varsity at this day 3 of the 5 uses fountain pens. I like the look of the Lamy Safari but the grip is a no no for me.
Such a good list! I despise the the preppy and the snob in me wont touch a kakuno 😅 They both write fine and are great intros to japanese pen sizing, but they feel so cheap!! I can't I feel like its worth spending just a tad bit more for a better feeling pen. My first fountain pen was the actually the traveler's company one and it was a total fluke. I originally ordered a rollerball and hated it so much that I bought the replacement fountain pen unit and the rest is history 😍 If i had to recommend a starter pen it would have to be either the TWSBI eco or the Kaweco sport, most likely the Kaweco for their versatility. Kaweco nibs replacements are so easy to find and switch if your on your nib size experimental phase and you can use both cartridges or converters. The converter is teeny, but I feel like you would also be experimenting and changing inks often anyway when your new - I know I did. As for gold nibs, I have to recommend the love of my life, the pilot custom 823, it's smooth, juicy and a vac fill. The amber has that 70s ashtray vibe, but the nib alone is just delicious as you put it😂 The Sailor is also just as scrumptious, it was my first gold so I'm biased ☺
Lamy safari is my first fountain pen. Its only 7usd converted in my country, the alstar is like 10usd. I dont wana waste money and will jump to get pilot elite for my next purchase and might be last. I dont want to build a collection. I just want a pen that i will use.
Thank you for this video!! I am only half thru, but I am considering investing in one or two good fountain pens. I haven't used one since grade 10, I think (And now I am pushing 30 lol), and I miss the feeling you get while writing. And I only had some max. 15 Euro pens so far. Many kids in elementary school got the LAMY ones as their first fountain pen, and I can see why lol. In the time I had dozens of cheap ones that often didn't last the schoolyear, while the LAMY owners kinda just ... Always had the same one since the beginning. So they must be sturdy as hecc! But let's see, which one I will pick ♫ If it was anyhow possible, I'd love to test different pens out, without buying them first lol. I have no clue yet, what kinda nibs I enjoy or what weights or what kinda feedback on the paper. But that's a pipedream as of now, I guess. It is just ... I just don't want to accumulate too much materias that I don't use. If anyone has an idea on that topic, I'd love to hear.
Update! As a German potato, I have invested in the LAMY All star in purple. It is basically the same like the Safari, only in metal. In germany it is 30 Euro instead of 50. I had a look at the Safaris, and they all felt nice in the hand. But what I noticed was that they were already all scratched up a bit, which just didnt look like a 20 euro Pen to me. I have bought a little converter cartridge to go with it and filled it up with the ink the store employee recommended. So far I enjoy it a lot! Ink flows so juicy!
✒️✒️✒️ My first fountain pen was the Pilot Varsity and I’ve been falling deeper into the rabbit hole ever since! Picked up a lamy safari after that and have a pilot metropolitan on the way soon!
🖋 My first fountain pen was a Platinum Plaisir. I think it's a great first pen. It's an under $20 (US) aluminum pen that looks great and comes in lots of colours & special editions. I like the Kaweco Sport and Lamy Safari as first pens, too, or the TWSBI ECO/ECO-T. I've also heard good things about the Diplomat Magnum, but haven't tried it.
broski, i stumbled on your channel cause I just bought a hobonichi cousin, so i was just watching reviews. But i have been into fountain pens and journaling and stationary for a while, but first time hobonichi buyer. Also, im like 99 percent to 100 percent sure we know each other, I was your teacher at a school 💻, Im trying to be ambiguous becasue this is youtube comments, I also dont have an instagram or anything or I would DM you. Love your shit would love to connect and chat about fountain pens and stationary and all that.
My first as of 4 days ago is the Hongdian Black Forest fountain pen. I like the construction and feel. It writes well, as far as I can tell. I just don’t know what it is about the Lamy Safari that people really like about it. It looks to me as it was marketed towards the college student. Now if it writes significantly about its price then I can see. What do you think about the Faber-Castell Hexo or the Gravitas Quark. Is the Pilot Metropolitan a wide pen?
My first pen was muji aluminum and I still use it every day! Also I agree with your sailor choice. People should try a sailor and there are some lower to mid price steel nibs that are just as good as the gold nibs. I have a steel sailor shikiori that was like $60, and has the same beautiful large decorated nib as the pro gears for a fraction of the price, and they write basically the same! You got a good all rounder top 5!
I disagree with TWSBI being a great first pen. It's a good second pen, but not a first pen. Piston/Vac fillers are really bad for beginners in my opinion. Newbies should start with a cartridge/converter pen.
🖋️🖤 For a beginner, I would recommend a pilot metropolitan definitely. It feels SO classy. The explorer is in a similar price range but the metropolitan just looks better IMO. There’s also the prera for those who like a lightweight feel. For a beginner pocket pen, I personally love the plastic Kaweco sports and all their colors!
Also the majohn/moonman capless can provide you with a (close to) vanishing point experience- and the nibs are interchangeable with pilot nib units 😉
That being said… if I received the Pilot Capless Decimo (the vanishing point’s petite cousin) with a F nib as my first fountain pen, I’d probably never buy another. So far that has been my favorite and most unique writing experience. A bit steep in price but worth it for me (I now own 2 decimos and 1 VP is on its way in the mail).
I love the community of everyone that’s fallen down the fountain pen rabbit hole 🤣💕🖋️
In 1995 a friend of mine gave me his black rotring 800 extra fine. He didn't like it, maybe it was too scratchy. I was in love. I had the perfect instrument to write, draw, and stab. I have since misplaced that pen. Today however I have thoroughly cleaned and revitalized a Parker 51 special, that my mother gave me many years ago. Great video, great info thanks
I like the rubric you set up for finding out what you like. I've heard mixed things on the Compass though, some say it isn't anything like a Pro-gear, but I've also heard that it does give you a sense of that experience. It really is important to try a good variety of writing experiences to see what you like the most.
I love the Kakuno! I also think the pilot explorer is a good choice. It’s thin it’s sturdy. The nib is amazing. I believe this was a good video. Thanks for the info.
This is a great video. I just purchased my first fountain pen. I ordered the Kaweco sport. 🖋️
My first fountain pen was the Hongdian N23 Year of the Rabbit, and I bought it strictly because of how it looks. I love it! My next two were Jinhaos, 82 then a 9019. Then I got my Twsbi Eco and that is my daily use pen. Absolutely love it! Somewhere in there I got an Hongdian N2. I’ll try some different brands one day, but as a newbie still (got my first one in Feb 2024) I love the Twsbi and the Hongdians. 🖋️📒
My first pen was a TWSBI Eco. I loved that pen so much, and for the first six months in the hobby had just Ecos. If I were to do it over again or could have had my first pen gifted to me, I'd go with the TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR instead. Love the weight and feel of that pen, and it seems sturdier and more substantial than the Eco. 🖋🖋🖋
I started with a pilot metro and would recommend that as a starter. Easy to use, relatively cheap, cute colors, and nice to write with. ✒️
I also started with the metro it’s a gateway pen 😂
my first fountie was a Parker IM. I still use it most days at work. I also have the dark green kaweco sport as a fun lil note taker at the computer desk at home
We love to see more stationery content from you. Keep up the good work.
Sailor 1911 demonstrator was my first "real" pen, aside from disposables. Definitely agree with this as a beginner pen.
I have everything on the list except the Keweco and my absolute favorite is my Sailor 1911 Seasons.
My first experience with fountain pens was a Sailor Junior Profit .....now I own three of them. Lol My second brand was a Twsbi Eco and both have a different feel however I'm OBSESSED. 🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️ Happy Writing!
My first pen was a TWSBI eco. And i absolutely love it. I found them because Neil Gaiman rights a lot of his first drafts was a Lamy Safari. My 3rd pen was the Lamy Al Star. I didn’t like any of the colors available of the safari. So I went with the upgrade 😅
I've got most of the stuff on the video list save the Kaweco (aesthetics, nothing against them) and the Sailor (not paying the price), including the pens mentioned on the "no fly list" so to speak. A word about the Platinum budget pens: The Preppy Crystal does not have all of the writing and barcode noise on it, and comes in an 03 nib (only, afaikt) for about $7. The Prefounte is an upscaled Preppy with a nicer-looking body and no obnoxious writing on them for about $11. I've had a small pile of Preppys that I've used daily for over a year now, and no cracking so far. (And much less of a loss than if one of my TWSBIs cracked.) One nice trait of the Preppy/Prefounte: A cheap washer and some silicone grease, and you can convert them to a dropper fill. All that said, if I narrowed choices down to 5, I wouldn't put them on my list either.
OK, on to my personal top five, based on writing experience, appearance, and performance, in no particular order:
1. Pilot Metropolitan. Classy looks, has a traditional "serious" fountain pen feel and writes very, very well. Can run off cartridges or converters. Does not come with a quality converter. Price is around $20 most places for the basic pen, a bit more for the various colors. Excellent value.
2. Pilot Prera Iro-Ai. This is a great little pocket pen that comes with a converter and a demonstrator body. Great if someone wants to experiment with colored inks, see how the pen works, etc. Around $35. The regular Prera is also a nice little pen, but the included converter makes the Iro-Ai a better value IMO.
3. TWSBI Eco. Just a huge aesthetic leg up on the rest of my list. Great capacity. Nibs are good on the two I own, but not as good as my pilot nibs or my Jinhao nibs (see below). About $35 for the normal color ways, to $50 and up for limited colors. Best on the list for people who want to see their ink colors.
4. Jinhao x750: Very smooth writer for me. Metal body with a nice finish that looks like a higher end pen. Includes a converter with a generous capacity. One of the best writing experiences, on par with the Pilots IMO. About $5. Chinese. Looks suspiciously like a more famous pen, but doesn't claim to be it. But it's a nice pen.
5. Jinaho 82: Great little pocket pen. Looks suspiciously like a Sailor model. Same notes as the x750. Writes very well, and inexpensive. About $4-8 depending on where you get them.
I wish I had started with the Jinhao 9016.
It has the perfect size for my hands, ink capacity, common easily changed nib, and affordable enough to get spares.
My first fountain pens (almost 30 years ago now) were Parker pens. A few years ago I got a Lamy Safari (fine nib) and then I got a Lamy All-Star (extra fine nib) following a Toby SketchLoose recommendation. I've been browsing the TWSBI range more recently trying to justify the cost :)
I started with a Lamy Safari; the exact model you have. I didn't acquire a Sailor Compass until my collection had grown to about 20 pens. I needed a good quality but affordable pen for work, that wouldn't break my heart if stolen or lost. Even after the experience of a 21k gold Sailor nib, I found the experience of the Compass to be excellent. But the screw cap wasn't a good fit for the workplace as I was capping and uncapping the pen repeatedly. I lucked out and caught mine for $20 on sale. Unfortunately, the price of this pen is now close to $50 which is pricey for beginners. The capping thing though led me to the Pilot Prera with the slip cap...perfect for work....and a great fidget item during boring meetings. The Lamy is a great starter pen as are all of your selections. I have a TWSBI Eco, Draco and 3 Kaweco AL Sport pens, all of which I enjoy. I have never tried the Pilot Metropolitan though. Kudos to your rubric for guiding your selections...as a former teacher using a rubric adds credibility to your choices. I really enjoyed this video. New subscriber.
I can definitely get behind the Safari. That was my first and it definitely served it's purpose. I went in hesitant, expecting fountain pens to be much more tedious and problematic, but the thing was rock solid and dependable. It really changed my perspective on them for the better. I think they're also probably the most durable pen you can buy for the weight, especially the matte finished ones that don't show scratches. I carried that thing exclusively for months and you'd never know it. The only problem is now I'm like a dozen pens in ranging all the way from Jinhao to Pelikan.
🖋 My first fountain pen was a 303 Youth (iridium tipped hooded nib, made in China) that my mother used in school in Trinidad when she was growing up. I don't know if it's because if was old or if the quality just wasn't great to begin with but the most I can say of it was that it was serviceable and at some point I completely forgot about it. That was about 16 years ago when I was still in high school. Recently a friend got into inks and gave me a Ferris Wheel Press Carousel as a gift with some ink to try and get me into the hobby with her. I can't say that I'm in love with the Carousel or anything, but it has a good flow and it did make me want to invest in a better fountain pen (which brought me here to see what would be a good start).
I also have this old Parker Rialto (was my dad's) that I have lying around. It only has an empty cartridge, no converter or anything so I haven't been able to use it before. When I go to the stationery shop to check out the pens you suggested, I'm going to see if I can get something to make it useable.
I’m just starting my journey down this rabbit hole. I ordered two Lamy. A Safari with a medium nib and an all star in a fine nib. This way I get a feel for plastic verses metal and medium verses fine nib. We will see where I go from here. 😁😇🤣
✒️ Glad I found your channel! Thanks for giving some more interesting recommendations than the “standard 5.” My first fountain pen was a Lamy Safari (All Star? It was metal.) that I bought online about 10+ years ago. I knew nothing about fountain pens, except that I have a love for wonderful writing instruments and fabulous paper, and have since I was a kid. I really didn’t know what to look for except that it got excellent reviews, looked really cool, and came in a bunch of cool colors (mine was a metallic sage green.) What I didn’t think about was…the tripod grip. It seemed like a good thing that it would hold my fingers in the correct way to use the pen. It took about 5 minutes before my thumb over pointer finger smushed up hand “death grip” led to horrible pain using the Lamy. I even have this bone bump on my middle finger from the weird way I’ve held pens my whole life, how tightly I hold them, and how hard I press down, and if you’ve got that…any tripod grip will make you run screaming. That being said, I used it every day at work for years to jot down quick things, to dos, lists, etc in my Bujo because to write for under 5 minutes was fine. Also, I have small hands, it’s much too heavy for me. I like the plastic/resin pens because they’re lighter and don’t wear my hand out. Soooo…after a few years of being just a fine liner and Energel user, I wanted to dive in again…especially after I saw that adorable Kaweco Sport. I just got one about a month ago, and I love it, and now I want ten more pens, and stub nibs, and all the inks…I love that little pen. It’s so pretty, so light, feels like I’m skating over a pond, and I’ve spent the last week watching swatch videos and ‘best pens in this price range’ videos and making a list of all the inks I was to get, and pens/nibs I want to try. So, yes. With the Lamy, I didn’t really have much interest in getting another one, because it was the wrong pen for me. The Kaweco Sport is wonderful for me and now I want to spend all the moneez buying all the inks and a bunch of cool pens, and…yeah…I didn’t need another addiction, lol.
I have the Pilot Metropolitan. Awesome quality pen that costed me only around 22 dollars equipped with the converter from local dealer
The 1.0 CI steel nib by Pilot is a fav nib of mine. It comes on a Metro, as well as another model..
Do you own a gravitas pen? He’s a superior designer, especially of metal pens.. though he, Ben Walsh, has branched out to acrylic, ultem and other plastics.
🖋️ ¡Excelente video! Suscrito de inmediato.
El único detalle es que sí me gustan Kaküno y Preppy, pero coincido con usted.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Interesting choices. I don’t like metal pens so knocks out a lot of good options for me.
I use fp at work and a lot of ppl ask me if I realy like it then I went to Walmart and buy a pack of pilot Varsity at this day 3 of the 5 uses fountain pens. I like the look of the Lamy Safari but the grip is a no no for me.
Such a good list! I despise the the preppy and the snob in me wont touch a kakuno 😅 They both write fine and are great intros to japanese pen sizing, but they feel so cheap!! I can't I feel like its worth spending just a tad bit more for a better feeling pen. My first fountain pen was the actually the traveler's company one and it was a total fluke. I originally ordered a rollerball and hated it so much that I bought the replacement fountain pen unit and the rest is history 😍
If i had to recommend a starter pen it would have to be either the TWSBI eco or the Kaweco sport, most likely the Kaweco for their versatility. Kaweco nibs replacements are so easy to find and switch if your on your nib size experimental phase and you can use both cartridges or converters. The converter is teeny, but I feel like you would also be experimenting and changing inks often anyway when your new - I know I did. As for gold nibs, I have to recommend the love of my life, the pilot custom 823, it's smooth, juicy and a vac fill. The amber has that 70s ashtray vibe, but the nib alone is just delicious as you put it😂 The Sailor is also just as scrumptious, it was my first gold so I'm biased ☺
Lamy safari is my first fountain pen. Its only 7usd converted in my country, the alstar is like 10usd. I dont wana waste money and will jump to get pilot elite for my next purchase and might be last. I dont want to build a collection. I just want a pen that i will use.
Thank you for this video!! I am only half thru, but I am considering investing in one or two good fountain pens. I haven't used one since grade 10, I think (And now I am pushing 30 lol), and I miss the feeling you get while writing. And I only had some max. 15 Euro pens so far.
Many kids in elementary school got the LAMY ones as their first fountain pen, and I can see why lol. In the time I had dozens of cheap ones that often didn't last the schoolyear, while the LAMY owners kinda just ... Always had the same one since the beginning. So they must be sturdy as hecc!
But let's see, which one I will pick ♫
If it was anyhow possible, I'd love to test different pens out, without buying them first lol. I have no clue yet, what kinda nibs I enjoy or what weights or what kinda feedback on the paper. But that's a pipedream as of now, I guess.
It is just ... I just don't want to accumulate too much materias that I don't use.
If anyone has an idea on that topic, I'd love to hear.
Update! As a German potato, I have invested in the LAMY All star in purple. It is basically the same like the Safari, only in metal. In germany it is 30 Euro instead of 50. I had a look at the Safaris, and they all felt nice in the hand. But what I noticed was that they were already all scratched up a bit, which just didnt look like a 20 euro Pen to me.
I have bought a little converter cartridge to go with it and filled it up with the ink the store employee recommended.
So far I enjoy it a lot! Ink flows so juicy!
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My first fountain pen was the Pilot Varsity and I’ve been falling deeper into the rabbit hole ever since! Picked up a lamy safari after that and have a pilot metropolitan on the way soon!
🖋 My first fountain pen was a Platinum Plaisir. I think it's a great first pen. It's an under $20 (US) aluminum pen that looks great and comes in lots of colours & special editions. I like the Kaweco Sport and Lamy Safari as first pens, too, or the TWSBI ECO/ECO-T. I've also heard good things about the Diplomat Magnum, but haven't tried it.
it must be so easy to get girls when you know so much about pens.
broski, i stumbled on your channel cause I just bought a hobonichi cousin, so i was just watching reviews. But i have been into fountain pens and journaling and stationary for a while, but first time hobonichi buyer. Also, im like 99 percent to 100 percent sure we know each other, I was your teacher at a school 💻, Im trying to be ambiguous becasue this is youtube comments, I also dont have an instagram or anything or I would DM you. Love your shit would love to connect and chat about fountain pens and stationary and all that.
haha thats actually amazing. I read this and I was like no way! Absolutely would love to connect broski. Ill hit you up through linkdIn!
My first as of 4 days ago is the Hongdian Black Forest fountain pen. I like the construction and feel. It writes well, as far as I can tell. I just don’t know what it is about the Lamy Safari that people really like about it. It looks to me as it was marketed towards the college student. Now if it writes significantly about its price then I can see. What do you think about the Faber-Castell Hexo or the Gravitas Quark. Is the Pilot Metropolitan a wide pen?
My first pen was muji aluminum and I still use it every day! Also I agree with your sailor choice. People should try a sailor and there are some lower to mid price steel nibs that are just as good as the gold nibs. I have a steel sailor shikiori that was like $60, and has the same beautiful large decorated nib as the pro gears for a fraction of the price, and they write basically the same! You got a good all rounder top 5!
Loved this review
thank youu so much! I appreciate the comment
Muji aluminium is the one.
Have one coming tomorrow, first fountain pen. I have loved handwriting my whole life, never knew.
I disagree with TWSBI being a great first pen. It's a good second pen, but not a first pen. Piston/Vac fillers are really bad for beginners in my opinion. Newbies should start with a cartridge/converter pen.
Why are they bad?
subscribed because "fuckton".
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