Hey everyone,
Sorry for the typical ārequirementsā post, but Iāve been searching for a fountain pen and still canāt find the right one. Iām hoping to get some recommendations!
Iām looking for a pen similar to my Parker Urbanāperhaps a step up in quality. Hereās what I love about the Urban: the metal body feels great in hand, and the design is sleek yet understated. Itās been a reliable companion for over five years now, and I managed to snag it for just $5 or $10 during a clearance sale. Despite its quirks, itās stuck with me while others have come and gone.
Now, this might sound like an ad, but itās not! My relationship with this pen is a bit of a love-hate situation. It was plagued by ink skips and hard starts for years until I learned some nib-tuning techniques and sanded down the nib. Now, it writes beautifully, but itās set a high bar that other pens havenāt met. Iāve given away several pens to friends and family because they just didnāt click with me (pun intended).
One major sticking point for me is the cap mechanism. Most pens Iāve tried have screw-on caps, which makes jotting down quick notes a bit of a hassle. What Iām really after is a pen with a click-on, snap-on, or bump-sealed capāsomething with a satisfying seal that provides feedback when closed. Hereās a rundown of what Iāve tried so far:
- Majohn M800 Acrylic with Bock Nib: It should have been the holy grail in my budget, given the glowing reviews, and it does write well. But it lacks a certain something I canāt quite put my finger on. Also, it has a screw-on cap.
- Asvine V126: The screw-on cap was a drawback, and the vacuum filling mechanism kept breaking.
- Various Chinese Pens (Hongdian, etc.): These are well-regarded by the community, but they just didnāt feel right for me. Jinhao 82: The build quality was a bit too low for my taste.
- Jinhao X159: A great writer, but the screw-on cap meant I didnāt use it as much as Iād like.
- Jinhao Slip-On Cap Model: The slip-on cap was a plus, but I really want a cap that has a click, snap, or at least a bit of tactile feedback when it seals.
Iām willing to splurge up to $100 if it means getting a solid pen that fits my needs. But if thereās a well-built Chinese option for less, Iād be happy to snag it too.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your help!
Consider the Lamy Al-Star. Specifically not the Safari, not that thereās anything wrong with the Safari, but the Al-Star has an aluminum body and cap and feels much nicer in the hand. $47.
Genuine ones have a press-on cap. If you got one with a screw-on cap, what you actually have is a counterfeit from Wish.
Lamy pens are nice in that the nibs are easily user interchangeable, so if you decide that whatever your pen came with doesnāt tickle your fancy you can just spend a couple of bucks on a different one. Various widths (āgrades,ā in Lamy parlance) are available, as well as italic and oblique nibs, and also fancy premium gold ones, and their flexible spring steel variant. Any Lamy nib will fit any Lamy pen, which either provides you flexibility or locks you into their ecosystem, depending how you look at itā¦
The Pilot Cavalier is another option I can recommend. Itās all metal, slim, well built, and comes with a snap-on cap. $58.
The safari and Al star are both excellent pens, but I find them just a bitā¦ pedestrian.
I own many of both of course!
You raise some excellent points about the lamy eco-system. Though Iād have ignored Al-Star out of hand based on the looks, but I know that in-person things look much different than on web. Iāll try to find some local stores to see how it looks. Cavalier looks interesting but isnāt thicc or curvy enough for my tastes. Damn it! I again started fondling the hour glass figure of my parker while typing this. Something must be wrong with my brain.
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I wish I could be objective and scientific about it. But maybe try to put my thoughts into words: build quality to me is the overall feel of the body of the pen. Looks wise, uniform reflections on the body indicating that itās smoothly built. Smooth feeling in hand. Consistency in every operation. It also need to able to survive falls and being tossed around. So, body should be sturdy.
As for the nib, I can usually tune it to my liking so not too overly concerned about that. As long as itās got some spring factor to it, itās good enough for me.
The reason I donāt mention too much of this is that I am trying to keep an open mind. I donāt have any experience with high quality pens, just the usual chinese suspects, so maybe someone here has a better or more stricter definition of build quality in their mind.
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Bye Bye!
A little basic, but a pilot metropolitan?
Okay wow, sometimes simpler is better. If I can find this in metallic smooth finish (donāt like matte) itād be a serious contender. Thanks!
Iāve got a Sheaffer 300 white dot, and itās my favourite daily driver. The cap is a solid click-on, the seal is tight, and the build quality is right up there.
Sheaffer 300 white dot
Iād heard from here and there that Sheafferās build quality and QC went to shit a few years ago, so Iād ignored its offerings out of hand. But if build quality is good, and this looks very similar to parker, added to the top of the list. Thanks!
I agree completely.
Thinking through my own collection. The Jinhao 95 might be worth a try. Itās basically a metal version of the 82 but has a really nice capping feel. Itās kind of like the Pilot Explorer, where you press it on and you can feel that inner cap spring tensioning and then snaps closed. But the Jinhao is much more satisfying.
How is the overall build quality? I know that itād be dirt cheap to acquire but I donāt like spending all that effort getting it, tuning the nib to my liking, and finally just gifting it to someone else lol. Though I am very intrigued by Chinese offerings for snap cap, Iāve been looking for them for some time to save some cash if possible but nothing good turned up yet.
I think itās well worth it for the price. But Iām easy to please lol. Itās a metal pen with metal threads for where the grip section and barrel meet. The finial and trim pieces are pressed in, not threaded or glued. It feels solid but not bulky or heavy. And it uses the same nib as the 82 which is great in my opinion.
Iād say the one drawback I have is the grip is narrower side. So if youāre not comfortable with a grip thatās probably closer to a pencil then it may not be worth it for you.
Oh the black one looks gorgeous! Someone on reddit posted a similar looking pen on the post I made there. Hmmmā¦
My spouseās Hongdian Black Forest has a very satisfying cap. Iāve sat there uncapping and capping over and over just cause it feels so nice lol. I donāt normally like really hard nibs but it writes so nice I secretly covet it. Its also been super reliable.
If you donāt mind second hand (since theyāre not made anymore), a Pelikan Level has the most enjoyable closing cap Iāve ever experienced. Albeit Itās a sightly unusual but unique looking pen.
Oh I was this close to making a purchase on the Hongdian, and I know the feeling. I have been secretly coveting my sisterās wooden fountain pen by Hongdian. Thingās a beauty and writes like a dream!
Have you considered the majohn A1?
Full metal pilot capless clone for about Ā£15.
Itās the definitive āquick notesā fountain pen.
Scroll back in this community and you will see some.
