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Almost everyone who writes seriously with a fountain pen came to it with the same experience: the first time they used one, their handwriting improved, their forearm relaxed, and the letter they were writing took longer than it should have — because they no longer wanted to hurry. A fountain pen does something no ballpoint can: it lays ink onto the page with almost no pressure, letting the paper receive it rather than forcing it out. The whole hand loosens, and the writing that emerges carries something of the person who made it. This is a guide to fountain pens as they are actually used and bought, from the honest first pen at fifteen dollars to the collector’s pieces of the great houses.
How a Fountain Pen Works
The mechanism is simple. Ink is stored in a reservoir — either a cartridge (a small sealed tube of ink), a converter (a refillable cartridge with a piston or squeeze mechanism), or a piston-filled or vacuum-filled barrel — and drawn by capillary action through a feed to the nib, where it flows onto the paper at the moment of contact. The feed regulates the flow so the pen writes wet enough to make a clear line but not so wet that it floods or blots. When the pen is properly designed and maintained, this system requires no active pressure — the pen is guided, not pressed.
Nibs — The Heart of the Pen
The nib is the single most important component. Nibs are made from steel or gold; both can write beautifully, but gold nibs (typically 14k or 18k) offer slightly more spring and are usually finished to a higher standard.
Nib sizes are named by line width: extra fine (EF), fine (F), medium (M), broad (B), and double broad (BB), with occasional stub, italic, and oblique grinds for particular writing styles. Japanese nibs (Sailor, Pilot, Platinum) run notably finer than their European or American equivalents — a Japanese medium is roughly a European fine. For daily correspondence, most Western writers do best with an F or M; for calligraphic use, a stub or italic. For pocket notebooks, an EF is often preferable.
Beyond size, nib character matters: some nibs are “wet” (heavy flow), others “dry”; some have “spring” (slight flex under pressure), others are firm and consistent. A pen shop that lets you try before buying is invaluable. Failing that, the reviews of any given pen will describe its character.
The Great Houses
Montblanc (Germany) is the most famous, and its Montblanc Meisterstück 149 is the definitive full-sized black resin fountain pen with a gold nib. Montblanc pens are conservative, superbly finished, and hold their value; they are the pen most likely to be inherited.
Pelikan (Germany) is the connoisseur’s choice. The Pelikan Souverän M800 in green-striped celluloid is one of the great writing pens of the twentieth century, with a piston-fill mechanism and a nib that many writers prefer even to Montblanc. Pelikan nibs are known for wet, smooth, slightly springy character.
Lamy (Germany) makes the sensible modern pens. The Lamy 2000 (Bauhaus-designed, in Makrolon and brushed steel) is the great sleeper of the pen world, and the Lamy Safari fountain pen in various colours is the standard recommendation for a first fountain pen — inexpensive, reliable, and available in a full nib range.
Sailor and Pilot (Japan) make some of the finest nibs in the world. The Sailor Pro Gear and 1911 lines are precise, elegant, and beautifully finished; the Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pen — with a nib that retracts into the barrel via a click mechanism — is a genuinely innovative pocket carry, and the Pilot Custom 823 (a vacuum-filler) is one of the most usable large pens ever made.
Other names worth knowing: Aurora (Italy, especially the 88 and Optima), Visconti (Italy, more flamboyant), Waterman (French, sensible), Kaweco (German pocket pens), and TWSBI (Taiwanese, transparent piston-fillers at very fair prices — the TWSBI Eco is the modern successor to the Lamy Safari as the best inexpensive pen for a beginner).
Fountain Pen Inks
The choice of ink matters almost as much as the choice of pen. A bottle of proper fountain pen ink runs $15-$40 and lasts a long time. The safe daily inks are the ones made by the pen companies themselves — Waterman Serenity Blue and Serenity Black, Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue, Pilot Iroshizuku (a range of superbly behaved coloured inks). For everyday correspondence, a mid-flow blue-black is the traditional choice — legible on any paper, formal enough for any occasion, and permanent enough for archival letters.
For letters meant to last generations, a genuine iron gall ink such as Diamine Registrar’s ink — the same class of ink used for centuries of legal documents — is the correct choice. It flows dark blue and dries to a permanent black-brown. Do not use it in a vintage pen without checking that the feed and sac can tolerate it.
Avoid: heavily saturated shimmering inks in expensive pens (they can clog feeds), and any ink not sold specifically as fountain pen ink. Never fill a fountain pen with India ink or drawing ink — the shellac binder will destroy the feed.
Care and Maintenance
A fountain pen used regularly needs almost no maintenance. A fountain pen left dry for weeks needs a full flush before being reinked — cold water through the nib and feed until the water runs clear, then thoroughly dry, then reink. Cartridge and converter pens can be flushed at the sink; piston-fill pens are flushed by drawing and expelling water repeatedly. Do not use hot water (softens plastics), soap (leaves residue), or ultrasonic cleaners (unless the pen is fully disassembled).
Buying a First Fountain Pen
For a first fountain pen at a modest price, the Lamy Safari, the TWSBI Eco, the Pilot Metropolitan, and the Kaweco Sport are the four most-recommended pens in the world — all under $50 and all capable of writing beautifully for years. A Lamy Safari fountain pen with converter and a bottle of Waterman Serenity Blue is a complete starter kit for under $75. From there, most writers find their way naturally to something more serious — and the second pen is often a Pelikan, a Pilot Custom, or a modest Montblanc.
Questions from the Writing Desk
Are fountain pens hard to use?
Not at all. A modern fountain pen from Lamy, Pilot, or TWSBI is designed to write reliably from the first stroke and requires no more skill than a ballpoint. The one thing to learn is the pressure — a fountain pen writes with almost none, so a heavy hand will actually write worse than a light one. Most new users find the pen re-trains their grip within a few days of daily use. Left-handed writers can use fountain pens comfortably; a nib slightly on the drier side helps with smudging, and there are dedicated left-handed nibs available from Lamy and others.
What is the best fountain pen for beginners?
The Lamy Safari, the TWSBI Eco, and the Pilot Metropolitan are the three most reliable recommendations for a first pen, each under $50. All three are well-made, take standard cartridges and converters, come in a full range of nib sizes, and write beautifully out of the box. The Safari is the safest bet — it is nearly indestructible, comes in many colours, and is used in stationery shops around the world as the demonstration pen for exactly this reason.
Are Montblanc pens worth the price?
Yes, but not for everyone. A Montblanc Meisterstück 149 is a superbly made pen with a first-class gold nib, holds its value well, and can be serviced by Montblanc anywhere in the world for the rest of the owner’s life. For a working writing instrument alone, a Pelikan M800 or Pilot Custom 823 gives up nothing in performance at half the price. The Montblanc premium is partly for the nib, partly for the finishing, and partly for the marque itself. If those things matter to you, the pen is worth every penny. If they don’t, there are equal writing pens for less.
How often does a fountain pen need refilling?
A standard cartridge holds about 1.4 ml of ink and gives about 8-10 pages of writing. A converter or piston-fill holds 1.0-2.0 ml. A large piston-fill (Pelikan M800, Pilot Custom 823) holds over 2 ml and can last two or three weeks of daily correspondence between fills. Ink usage varies enormously by nib width — a broad Italian nib will drain a converter in a few pages; a Japanese extra-fine will run for weeks on the same fill.
Can a fountain pen fly on a plane?
Yes. The standard advice is to keep the pen either completely full or completely empty — a half-filled reservoir can leak on pressure changes — and to keep the pen nib-up in a pocket or case during ascent and descent. Modern pens with well-designed feeds rarely leak in flight regardless, but the precaution is easy. The pen itself is safe to carry through airport security.
See also: Calligraphy · Fine Stationery · The Art of Letter Writing.
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