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I'm currently looking for a decent pen which I could use to take pleasant notes in high school.
Would prefer it if it doesn't leak through the page and one of the main factors has to be whether it's ergonomic or not. Don't forget that it has to write quite well and smooth. I don't really mind the colour however black would be appreciated.
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keyboard_arrow_downtomcat
11
Oct 5, 2016
My questions are- what is your price range, what do you mean by ergonomic, and what sort of look do you mean when you say 'appeal to other audiences'
DaBossGamer
1
Oct 27, 2016
tomcatSorry im a bit late hehe, anyway..price range --> under or equal to 30 dollars. For the look, Im talking about something that when your classmen look at, their impression of the user heightens, something that looks professional yet ergonomic (more on that) at the same time. By ergonomic I mean a pen which I can use with the utmost comfort, and perhaps even able to write a certain period of time (60min) without the discomfort that you might feel with pens that you get from walmart for $1 for 50. You get what I mean? However rest assured, I found a fountain pen to my liking and i've ordered it from amazon - its going to come tomorrow im pretty HYPED.
sveerhoff
31
Oct 5, 2016
If you are looking for a decent fountain pen, consider the Lamy Al-Star, Lamy Safari, or Pilot Metropolitan (series). Now I do not know how big or small your hands are, the Lamy is a relatively light, long pen, and the Metropolitan series is a shorter pen. Both are good writers, but it is also dependent upon the type of ink.
Bleed through on paper is determined by several factors: one is the paper itself, another is the type of ink. Different brands of ink are wetter or drier. I generally use Lamy Blue ink, or Diamine Onyx Black. Both work well in my Lamy pen.
I use the spiral notebooks from Hamelin brands, branded Black and Red, they have good paper, but tend to be a little pricey.
Most fountain pens can be fitted with a converter so that you can fill from an ink bottle (which is far more economical than cartridges)
Bleed through on paper is determined by several factors: one is the paper itself, another is the type of ink. Different brands of ink are wetter or drier. I generally use Lamy Blue ink, or Diamine Onyx Black. Both work well in my Lamy pen.
I use the spiral notebooks from Hamelin brands, branded Black and Red, they have good paper, but tend to be a little pricey.
Most fountain pens can be fitted with a converter so that you can fill from an ink bottle (which is far more economical than cartridges)
revefuse2b
19
Oct 5, 2016
I think it's difficult to do better that a plastic LAMY Safari when it comes to price and dependability. Comes in many colors including black; nibs are changeable; proprietary converter or cartridge ink reservoir. It has depressions in the section to be ergonomic. Writes and sketches great when rotated 180deg, too, thanks to good ink flow. My only complaint is that it's a bit long for shirt pockets, but it has an excellent clip. I've used Safaris since they came out in 70s, and while I have (way too) many other pens, I always have Safaris in rotation.
TWSBI Eco is a good second choice for price and quality, I think. Has, to my mind, the added benefit of being a piston filler.
Toddpop
0
Oct 5, 2016
I second the votes for the Pilot Metropolitan... it is great out of the box, comes in many color choices, has a snap cap and metal body for ease of use and durability, and comes with the cartridge converter included so you can use bottle inks!
I have pens that cost 15X more, but I carry my Metropolitan every day... I even bought a roller ball version for the times I need to sign multiple part forms!
JaneInAZ
13
Oct 5, 2016
I would suggest a Pilot Metropolitan fine nib (comes in black) or a Lamy Safari or Al-Star in fine or extra-fine. They are relatively inexpensive and very durable. And the fine nibs will be more ink friendly on American notebook paper. Check out Gouletpens.com. They have them all at very good prices. And they have great videos to help you out, as well.
ciphertext
6
Oct 5, 2016
www.jetpens.com is a good resource to visit when making a pen selection. There are several options available to you in a black, silver, or clear body that fall within a $10-20 price range. In that price range, you will find almost exclusively the Pilot Metropolitan series and one J. Herbin pen. The reason I included clear, is that you mentioned audience appeal. Some of that appeal can be influenced by the color of ink that you use in your pen, though with most pens you would need to purchase the ink and converter separately. For instance, the Pilot Prera, is a clear fountain pen in which I use the excellent Pilot brand inks in a dark crimson (more wine colored). Pilot premium inks aren't cheap (sometime $30+ for a smallish bottle) but are very good inks. Most pens from Pilot are going to give you hassle free operation.
If you step up your price range to $20-50, then you have a lot more options available to you at JetPens.com. One of which is the afore mentioned Pilot Prera. Kaweco has some very good pens in that range too, such as the "classic sport" and "ice sport" pens. Lamy pens, of which the venerable Safari model, is present in this price range as well. Those are the pen selections that I would personally recommend.
I encourage you to view that website and perform your own search in conjunction with your own configurations of the filters. Remember too, that if you purchase a converter (Pilot's are usually $7) with your pen, you have the option of using different ink colors and brands. That will significantly add (or detract) from your writing experience.
If you are going to be writing on regular "notebook" type paper, then your best bet will probably be to use a Pilot Metropolitan at the less expensive end. Pilot nibs are very good steel nibs and don't tend to grab the paper. Their ink hasn't failed me yet either. I would go with a fine or extra fine nib, simply because the smaller nib would put less ink to the paper and therefore would reduce your bleed through. I don't think you will be able to eliminate the bleed through if you are only using standard notebook paper. You will need to do some research into the various inks available and choose appropriately. Alternatively, you could take notes/write on heavier weight printer/copy paper. The higher weight means each sheet incorporates more fibers into the finished product that will inhibit bleed through more so than standard "notebook" paper.
Good luck!
If you step up your price range to $20-50, then you have a lot more options available to you at JetPens.com. One of which is the afore mentioned Pilot Prera. Kaweco has some very good pens in that range too, such as the "classic sport" and "ice sport" pens. Lamy pens, of which the venerable Safari model, is present in this price range as well. Those are the pen selections that I would personally recommend.
I encourage you to view that website and perform your own search in conjunction with your own configurations of the filters. Remember too, that if you purchase a converter (Pilot's are usually $7) with your pen, you have the option of using different ink colors and brands. That will significantly add (or detract) from your writing experience.
If you are going to be writing on regular "notebook" type paper, then your best bet will probably be to use a Pilot Metropolitan at the less expensive end. Pilot nibs are very good steel nibs and don't tend to grab the paper. Their ink hasn't failed me yet either. I would go with a fine or extra fine nib, simply because the smaller nib would put less ink to the paper and therefore would reduce your bleed through. I don't think you will be able to eliminate the bleed through if you are only using standard notebook paper. You will need to do some research into the various inks available and choose appropriately. Alternatively, you could take notes/write on heavier weight printer/copy paper. The higher weight means each sheet incorporates more fibers into the finished product that will inhibit bleed through more so than standard "notebook" paper.
Good luck!
UBockinMe
14
Oct 5, 2016
Dude... Get a fountain pen and be patient with the learning curve. Obviously youtube will be your best friend while you learn. I've been using fountain pens for years. I hated ballpoint pens and so began trying to figure this thing out in college. TONS of notes were taken. Then off to the workforce I went, FP in hand. Here's what I'd suggest. Get some good paper that's FP friendly... Rhodia makes a killer paper and so does Apica. I use both. Rhodia has some cool dot grid, but Apica has tons of notebooks. You could get 1 for every class for notes & get organized!
Pens: That's a tough one. Lamy Safari is an amazing pen, but some think it can be tricky for a beginner. Ink flow can be an issue with some inks.
TWSBI Diamond 580 is awesome. Always a great flow and massive ink storage, but are not in black.
My recommendation for you - Price, ease of use & color: Pilot Metropolitan. Get a "Fine" nib size, especially if using it for taking notes.
Get a converter and a bottle of ink in any of your favorite colors. While I dig getting into crazy colors (hundreds of ink choices), black, blue, or a blue/black have always been the easiest on the eyes when going back through notes to read, re-read. Diamine & Noodler's are both fantastic ink companies. JetPens dot com will be your best friend. >Guide Section>Metropolitan write up & other good info
Remember, FPs are unique. If you like tinkering, deconstructing, learning cool stuff, get into this. Your friends may laugh, but when you handwrite letters to people & get awesome responses back you've secretly won the war. Good luck on your mission.
My recommendation for you - Price, ease of use & color: Pilot Metropolitan. Get a "Fine" nib size, especially if using it for taking notes.
Get a converter and a bottle of ink in any of your favorite colors. While I dig getting into crazy colors (hundreds of ink choices), black, blue, or a blue/black have always been the easiest on the eyes when going back through notes to read, re-read. Diamine & Noodler's are both fantastic ink companies. JetPens dot com will be your best friend. >Guide Section>Metropolitan write up & other good info
Remember, FPs are unique. If you like tinkering, deconstructing, learning cool stuff, get into this. Your friends may laugh, but when you handwrite letters to people & get awesome responses back you've secretly won the war. Good luck on your mission.
kurtextrem
7
Oct 5, 2016
Pentel BL407-A. Pentels gel ink is the best out there, hands down. I've tested everything (yes, Pilot G2 as well).
The BL407 compliments it with a non-plastic metallic housing.
http://www.pentel.com/store/energel-bl407-alloy-config
Schneiderkunstler
5
Oct 5, 2016
Unless you're using good paper, all my fountain pens -- and rollerballs -- ALL bleed through the paper, even my Filofax paper. I would suggest purchasing, as mentioned below, a Lamy Safari ballpoint which is also not expensive. After that, Faber-Castell's e-Motion is very nice in the hand and they make less expensive versions, or Caran d'Ache's 849 is smaller, but quite nice. Take a look at Fahrneyspens.com.
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