Shop the Esquire Beginner’s Guide to Fountain Pens
You—yes, you—you’re an artist, even if you don’t know it. Think about it: When you compose a letter or write in a diary by hand, you’re inadvertently creating nothing less than a piece of found art, unique to you. Like our smell, our handwriting is utterly distinctive, and for many of us it causes the same recoil as the sound of our recorded voice. The promise all good fountain pens deliver—be they expensive or affordable—is that they make your handwriting better than you ever imagined. At the very least, they make handwriting more fun than you ever imagined. Like wearing a well-tailored suit, using a fountain pen elevates you to your best self.
And when you write something by hand with a pen you love, even a shopping list, you’re creating something in the moment. How often do you do that these days? Take the time and care to make your handwriting look cooler than it otherwise ever would, and surely your thoughts will follow.
Fountain pens are akin to watches, with a long, storied tradition of collecting. Enthusiasts are easily divided into vintage pen lovers and contemporary pen fanatics. For the sake of brevity, we’re concerned here with modern fountain pens mainly for new buyers (as opposed to calligraphy pens, which are different). There are plenty of low-end pens that are bright and fun and write beautifully. Believe it or not, you don’t need to spend more than £30 for a nice one. But those grail pens, such as the Montblanc Meisterstück 149 or the Visconti Homo Sapiens, are just as worth buying. The pen-collecting community—both young and old, surprisingly—is fractured into micro-obsessives, no matter the price point, and the industry has enjoyed a pandemic-era boom that has yet to subside.
Here’s the thing: Fountain pens are not for everyone, but there is a fountain pen for everyone—trust me. There’s no getting around the fact that you have to deal with a certain level of maintenance, but it’s not as daunting as you think—and for some it may be part of the appeal. Whether you’re interested in a luxury show pen for signing important documents or that adorable, inexpensive workhorse for taking notes at work or school, we’ve focused on pens—no matter the price—that offer a consistent, pleasurable writing experience. So you can use this guide as a starter kit for a budding pen obsession or merely as a reference for that one-off gift. These are the best fountain pens on the market, organised by budget.
The Best Pens Under £100
This is how they get you hooked, kids. Bright colors, easy to use and clean, inexpensive. Starting with the Platinum Preppy at £7 and the Kaweco Perkeo at £15, you don’t have to spend much at all to get started with a good writing instrument. Here, then, are our choices for low-end pens with high-end results.
Twist Fountain Pen Neon Green
This is meant to be a kid’s first pen. It’s designed in such a way that forces you to hold the pen “correctly,” which is a thing with fountain pens. Some people don’t like the way it feels; we love it. Never mind the fact that it comes in an array of bright, vibrant colours, it’s lightweight—but not cheap or flimsy—has a tactile grip, and is a smooth writer. Pelikan is a venerated company with stellar fountain pens in a range of prices—their M800 is certainly a grail pen—but for starters, we just love the Twist experience.
AL-Star
The Lamy Safari and, for a few bucks more, our choice, the Lamy AL-Star are durable pens with a legion of followers. Fountain pen collectors don’t all go after super-expensive pens. Collectors love the Lamy AL-Star because it comes in a lot of colors. With an aluminum casing and a snazzy clip, it’s simply a gorgeously made pen for not a lot of money. Writes wonderfully; fans of Lamy pens swear by their proprietary nibs.
ECO-T
For our money, TWSBI makes the two best pens under£$100. First there’s the Eco, which is just a superlative writing experience for the price. A solid writer, under £50, and easy to disassemble for cleaning. The only drawback would be for someone who prefers a traditional aesthetic or using ink cartridges. The TWSBIs are modern, but if you like to see your ink showing off, the clear look provides consistent delight.
Vac700R
Under £50, the field is crowded with quality pens. Curiously, from £50 to £100, there’s less competition. While we find much to like about the Nahvular Original Plus (£45), the standout is this vac pen from TWSBI. The vac refers to the filling system, which, incidentally, makes it a preferable pen for airline travel. (Like the Eco, this pen doesn’t take ink cartridges.) The 700R is a wet writer, meaning the ink flows liberally. It’s smooth with little if any feedback. Just a fantastic writing experience for the price.
Funky Styles Under £200
In keeping with the theme that there is a fountain pen for everyone, here are a trio of weirder selections that offer a range of styles within the £100 to £200 range.
Demo
Demonstrator refers to a translucent pen, which allows you to see how it all works. The Opus 88 line has an appealingly large ink capacity and a hip, modern look. One way Opus differs from other companies is that it uses an eye-dropper filling system that’s a breeze to clean and maintain. It’s another good candidate for airline travel, because the shutoff valve prevents the ink from leaking when there are drastic temperature or air-pressure changes. The vac system, as on the TWSBI 700R, and Opus’s eyedropper system both have the shut-off valve feature. In order to flow more ink from the reservoir to the feed, you just unscrew the blind cap, then loosen the blind cap when not using the pen or when traveling to be sure it won’t accidentally burp ink.
Above all, this wet-writing pen flows nicely and is easy to fall in love with.
Euphoria in Vodka on the Rocks
Gotta love Benu for bringing some much-needed glam to the game. At first blush, its pens look like vibrators or something you’d spy in a weed dispensary—glittery and too fabulous for their own selves. But these pens, in particular the Euphoria, aren’t just pretty, they are consistent, durable writers. There’s a bit of feedback on the nibs, but I like that granular resistance. This enterprising and altogether winning company, less than a decade old, provides stellar quality control and reminds us to put the “fun” in “funky.”
Grail Pens
These are the sought-after pens to start a serious collection. (And they aren’t always pricey—many would consider the TWSBI Vac700R a grail pen.) This is going to be our biggest section, because... well, it’s fun. We dream about these pens.
2000 Fountain Pen
Form and function shine in this Bauhaus-designed gem that’s Lamy’s most decorated offering. This humble pen is a celebration of utilitarian efficiency; it feels like a perfectly calibrated instrument in your hand. And there are subtle pleasures, such as the sound of the click of the cap. Like the E95s, it’s the kind of pen any collector needs in their collection but could easily be the only pen someone would ever need.
Pro Gear 1911
As an ’80s-’90s hip-hop guy, I always think of Guru rapping, “It’s mostly the voice.” When it comes to fountain pens, it’s mostly the nib that separates elite pens from the merely really good ones. Sailor’s nibs rank among the most highly regarded in the world of writing. For some, they could be an acquired taste, especially if you prefer a silky-smooth experience; Sailor nibs feel almost as if you’re writing with a graphite pencil. But for others—like me!—that’s not a drawback at all. It has its own appeal and vibe.
The 1911 line comes in many variations, which accounts for the wide swing in prices. The 1911 Themis we tested came in a muted gray, and though seemingly conventional, it feels flawlessly balanced. The 1911 writes so beautifully it could easily be my favourite pen.
Homo Sapien
Prepare yourself: The Visconti Homo Sapiens announces its presence with authority. You either must have one, or it is just going to be too much pen for you. A big, masculine instrument, it’s made from basaltic lava from Mount Etna and has a few distinctive traits that separate it from other pens in its class. There’s the vacuum-filling system, the hygroscopic (sweat absorbing) black lava material, the spring-loaded Visconti bridge arc clip (some folks hate the clip), the twist-lock cap mechanism, and the removable Visconti V medallion at the top of the cap that allows for personalisation. It’s a statement pen, but one that writes like a dream.
Meisterstück Gold-Coated 149 Fountain Pen
If you’re looking to make a statement, Montblanc is the company, and the Meisterstück 149 is the pen. Just go into any Montblanc location and you’ll be treated like royalty. The company understands luxury. Is the 149 expensive? For the average consumer, even most pen collectors, yes. Does it disappoint? No, it does not.
This gorgeous, luxe writing experience has your hand gliding across the page. It’s not a small instrument, but neither is it too heavy. It’s weighted to exact precision. Sure, this is a fancy-pants pen, but for what it is, perfection.
Line D Eternity
S.T. Dupont is most famous for its high-end lighters, even though they have also been making fountain pens since the late 1800s. We fell in love with the art deco refinement of this graceful writer—it’s got a Fred Astaire sort of duende. It’s a thin pen and weighty, though not so heavy that your hand cramps after writing a few pages. Silky and aristocratic, the kind of special gift one hopes to get once in a lifetime.
Rhodiarama Notebook
Your classic Rhodia journal with paper specifically suited for fountain pens.
Portobello Notebook in Panama
For something to match an expensive luxury pen, we love Smythson of Bond Street.
Triomphe Writing Paper A5
We love this tablet for correspondence—perfect for letter writing.
Legacy Collection Leather TwinFlip Pen Case
Galen just makes gorgeous penholders, bags, and cases—like this one.
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