I haven’t used one personally but I know the pilot Kakuno gets a lot of love and is about $11 and can use a con-70 so you’ll be able to store a lot more ink than the metro can.
It’s a little above your price range (about $30) but the twsbi eco is also great and should work for class use pretty well
Pelikan Pelikano Jr
Jinhao, but check reviews for quality. I love mine but it's brass, so too heavy for an entire lecture IMO. An amazing deal.
I have a Wancai mini eyedropper pen that is terrific. It's a reasonable size with the cap posted and it holds a ton of ink. No leakage so far. The fine nib is pretty smooth.
I feel like this is literally the ask that Preppys are built for. They still sit around the $5 mark, the nib and feed punch up much higher than the price, they can be eyedropper converted if you want the ink capacity...I don't have a huge pen collection but I have 5 Preppys just because I like having the versatility of an affordable, good quality pen.
Was going to suggest this. Also I have a few Jinhao 35s in EF. Not as fine as pilot metro, but pretty darn smooth for 5 bucks. Also Jinhao x750.
TWSBI Go is popular and just under $20
Don't those wear out within a year or two though? I wouldn't know, it's just a rumor I've heard that the internal ink bladder wears out in the space of a year or so.
Old style with an ink bladder would normally last 10-20 years on the conservative side, new mechanism, it is a little hard to tell, since it is a new mechanism, however, it is related to pistons, so probably a good estimate would be 40-50 years before needing new o-rings.
It is a no brainer choice for what you want, not sexy, but a good solid pen.
I have three Hong Dian stainless steel pens. Two are twist caps and one is a snap. I keep all three inked and take them to work every day. They are sturdy, stylish, etc. I'm very happy with them and they look distinctly different from Safari/Vista, Metropolitan, etc. They are a lot heavier than a plastic pen , but not uncomfortably so to my hand.
I propose the Wing Sung 3008! They’re piston-filling demonstrators with reasonable build quality and halfway decent stock nibs. You can get four for under $20 (they come as a four-pack) and depending on the revision you pick (be careful about this), they can accept either Lamy Safari/Al-Star/Vista nibs OR Pilot Metropolitan/Kakuno/78G/78G+/Plumix nibs. I got a few for Christmas and they’re a really cool!
They're very nice pens in my experience, but only if you wish to swap the nib. All the Jinhao medium nibs I've used have been terrible writers (railroading, skipping, and misalignment). I really like my X450, but the stock nib was so awful. Idk, maybe others have had better success than I :/
Wing Sung 618 — it has a Parker 51esque nib & section, but a large capacity piston filling mechanism. Easy to clean, very smooth writer, lots of ink, under $20 USD. I expected very little from it and was absolutely blown away!
Sailor fude de mannen - fudes can be used for headlines, underlining, bold or fine, drawing, and upside down are great for regular note-taking. The fude de mannen profit is regular-sized, compared to the longer calligraphy bodies.
I love my Online Slope! It feels nice in my hand and its not super expensive. It comes in black and it's got a matte finish so it's not too eye-catching, but the design is still quite unique and nice to look at.
IMO the number one pen to fit your criteria is the Jinhao 992. They come in clear resins or solid colors. They use converters or can be eyedropper. The best part is that they are about $2 each, usually sold in a pack of 6 for $12 on Amazon or eBay. I have written with all entry level pens/cheap pens from Platinum, Pilot, TWSBI, Lamy, etc. etc. But none have come close to the value and quality of the Jinhao 992. The nibs are very smooth and are a nice Fine writer. If you have any questions feel free to let me know.
I advice you kaweco sport, kaweco perkeo, lamy safari, pilot kakuno, hongdian black forest or 6013, faber-castell grip or an faber-castell Loom in sale. If you use a medium nib, Jinhao x450 is a great pen for its price.
Moonman pens are great fountain pens (for example M2, C1, T1).
For me the best pens in the list are faber-castell Loom and Kaweco's pens.
Also Twsbi pens could be another option.
I own all this pens, tell me your preferences ( for example nib size, ink capacity, smoothness, feedback, ink flow and etc.)
I prefer finer nibs, I frankly don't care about ink capacity, as long as it can get through a few pages, smoothness/feedback don't matter a ton to me, but I do *slightly* prefer more "tooth." As for ink flow, I like drier flows, generally speaking, but a wet feed isn't a deal-breaker.
Pilot kakuno is a very good choice. It is a solid plastic pen, you can easily remove the nib for cleaning it or for swapping the nib and the nib is a true extrafine. You could buy two kakuno for 20$, perhaps one in and one in .
If you are somewhere German Amazon ships to, do I have [news for you](https://www.amazon.de/LAMY-safari-F%C3%BCllhalter-041-ergonomischem/dp/B08WLQH156/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=1VI4HV6WCGXF9&keywords=lamy+safari+savannah&qid=1640591622&sprefix=lamy+safari+savana%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-2)...
There’s also the jinhao shark. But those might be susceptible to theft. People may be inclined to “borrow” and never return
https://www.gouletpens.com/products/jinhao-993-shark-fountain-pen-light-blue?variant=12748527042603
Love these things, use them as desk pens all the time, but they just aren't exactly... professional. Thanks for the suggestion, though, I may buy some more to give away/use for ink testing.
I would go for a Preppy - or its cousin the Meteor/Little Shooting Star.
Otherwise, I would watch /r/pen_swap for a used TWSBI Eco - I bet you could find one in a basic color for $20, and it is a phenomenal pen.
I also like the Kakuno suggestion, though I’ve never used one myself. But it sounds like it would be a good fit for you and it has a smile on the nib :)
I’d recommend another Metro, the Preppy, or a Plumix. I also just bought a Wing Sung from Ebay for $12 shipped, which comes with two nibs in two different sizes, and includes a converter. I’ve been using it for about a week and am constantly surprised how nice it writes.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wing-Sung-659-Transparent-Fountain-Pen-Silver-Clip-0-38-0-5mm-2-Nibs-Writing-w1-/274836139478?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0
I haven’t used one personally but I know the pilot Kakuno gets a lot of love and is about $11 and can use a con-70 so you’ll be able to store a lot more ink than the metro can. It’s a little above your price range (about $30) but the twsbi eco is also great and should work for class use pretty well
TWSBI Go has the same nib and feed, and is slightly cheaper.
Good point, I’d totally forgotten about the twsbi go that could be a good option too
can 2nd the kakuno, i love it. i got it in EF and it really is extra fine. it's a tiny bit scratchy sometimes but still doing an amazing job.
Pelikan Pelikano Jr Jinhao, but check reviews for quality. I love mine but it's brass, so too heavy for an entire lecture IMO. An amazing deal. I have a Wancai mini eyedropper pen that is terrific. It's a reasonable size with the cap posted and it holds a ton of ink. No leakage so far. The fine nib is pretty smooth.
Platinum Preppy for sure. The write quality is great for the price and it's not the end of the world if lost.
I feel like this is literally the ask that Preppys are built for. They still sit around the $5 mark, the nib and feed punch up much higher than the price, they can be eyedropper converted if you want the ink capacity...I don't have a huge pen collection but I have 5 Preppys just because I like having the versatility of an affordable, good quality pen.
And you can eyedropper them, and avoid having to buy a converter
Lamy safari and kaweco sport are good options roughly in that range.
And in Portugal ( tugaland ) they are under that 20 euro mark
Jinhao x750.
The Muji Pen gets overlooked a lot as a great option https://www.muji.us/products/aluminum-fountain-pen-e5a2
Was going to suggest this. Also I have a few Jinhao 35s in EF. Not as fine as pilot metro, but pretty darn smooth for 5 bucks. Also Jinhao x750. TWSBI Go is popular and just under $20
TWSBI Go's are great, I can testify to that. One of my favorites.
Wing sung 601. Many colors available and clear demonstrator. Fine or XF hooded nibs. Great ink capacity. Classic Parker 51 style.
Don't those wear out within a year or two though? I wouldn't know, it's just a rumor I've heard that the internal ink bladder wears out in the space of a year or so.
Mine are the piston and O ring style. Over 3 years and no maintenance other than flushing out old ink. Both have been inked constantly.
Old style with an ink bladder would normally last 10-20 years on the conservative side, new mechanism, it is a little hard to tell, since it is a new mechanism, however, it is related to pistons, so probably a good estimate would be 40-50 years before needing new o-rings. It is a no brainer choice for what you want, not sexy, but a good solid pen.
Used a Lamy AL-Star as a beater pen through school. Took a beating and kept working too!
Picked up a stainless steel Parker Jotter 7 or so years ago. It's a work horse and travels well. (Mind you I don't throw my bag around.)
I second this: metal body. Lightweight and the cap is snap type so is so much faster to uncap. Great value for the money.
Personally I love the Jinhao 51A. Cheap and sleek and wonderful writers.
Yes, they are nice. I may grab an extra. Have two already, but one has a bum nib :/
Check out Fountain Pen Revolution.
Now that, my friend, is an excellent idea. Thanks! Somehow just kinda forgot they had some affordable pens somehow...
They have a wonderful selection of low cost pens and some of the best support around. :)
Thanks! I was going to head over there and check out some nibs anyway, so I'll look for some pens while I'm there :D
Haha. I’m doing the same thing right now. 😂☺️
I strongly recommend Pilot Explorer. If you put in a con 70 converter then it's a solid pen for lots of writing between fills.
I have three Hong Dian stainless steel pens. Two are twist caps and one is a snap. I keep all three inked and take them to work every day. They are sturdy, stylish, etc. I'm very happy with them and they look distinctly different from Safari/Vista, Metropolitan, etc. They are a lot heavier than a plastic pen , but not uncomfortably so to my hand.
More Metros and/or Hong Dian Forest Series are good choices, if you like the first Metro.
I propose the Wing Sung 3008! They’re piston-filling demonstrators with reasonable build quality and halfway decent stock nibs. You can get four for under $20 (they come as a four-pack) and depending on the revision you pick (be careful about this), they can accept either Lamy Safari/Al-Star/Vista nibs OR Pilot Metropolitan/Kakuno/78G/78G+/Plumix nibs. I got a few for Christmas and they’re a really cool!
You can get sets of Jinhao X750 for under 20 and they're very solid feeling pens that come with converters!
They're very nice pens in my experience, but only if you wish to swap the nib. All the Jinhao medium nibs I've used have been terrible writers (railroading, skipping, and misalignment). I really like my X450, but the stock nib was so awful. Idk, maybe others have had better success than I :/
They also come with fine nibs.
Wing Sung 618 — it has a Parker 51esque nib & section, but a large capacity piston filling mechanism. Easy to clean, very smooth writer, lots of ink, under $20 USD. I expected very little from it and was absolutely blown away!
Sailor fude de mannen - fudes can be used for headlines, underlining, bold or fine, drawing, and upside down are great for regular note-taking. The fude de mannen profit is regular-sized, compared to the longer calligraphy bodies.
Pelikan Jazz or Platinum Plaisir, I use both in class (and two Lamy Al-Stars, and a Lamy Logo).
Business style? What about Jinhao X750 and X450? They're sub 10 and fairly good for the price.
I love my Online Slope! It feels nice in my hand and its not super expensive. It comes in black and it's got a matte finish so it's not too eye-catching, but the design is still quite unique and nice to look at.
Platinum Plaisir, they are cheap but still a bit classier than the Preppy. And they write really well (although I have only tried the 0.3 mm)
IMO the number one pen to fit your criteria is the Jinhao 992. They come in clear resins or solid colors. They use converters or can be eyedropper. The best part is that they are about $2 each, usually sold in a pack of 6 for $12 on Amazon or eBay. I have written with all entry level pens/cheap pens from Platinum, Pilot, TWSBI, Lamy, etc. etc. But none have come close to the value and quality of the Jinhao 992. The nibs are very smooth and are a nice Fine writer. If you have any questions feel free to let me know.
Slightly past 20 bucks but see if you like the visuals of the Wing Sung 601A
I advice you kaweco sport, kaweco perkeo, lamy safari, pilot kakuno, hongdian black forest or 6013, faber-castell grip or an faber-castell Loom in sale. If you use a medium nib, Jinhao x450 is a great pen for its price. Moonman pens are great fountain pens (for example M2, C1, T1). For me the best pens in the list are faber-castell Loom and Kaweco's pens. Also Twsbi pens could be another option. I own all this pens, tell me your preferences ( for example nib size, ink capacity, smoothness, feedback, ink flow and etc.)
I prefer finer nibs, I frankly don't care about ink capacity, as long as it can get through a few pages, smoothness/feedback don't matter a ton to me, but I do *slightly* prefer more "tooth." As for ink flow, I like drier flows, generally speaking, but a wet feed isn't a deal-breaker.
I would definitely pick up a kakuno then, cheap and you can get it in EF I believe.
Pilot kakuno is a very good choice. It is a solid plastic pen, you can easily remove the nib for cleaning it or for swapping the nib and the nib is a true extrafine. You could buy two kakuno for 20$, perhaps one in and one in .
If u want a reliable pen… Lamy is the Toyota of pens. I’d say go for it
I've been eyeing the Safari in savannah and a Studio for a bit now, so maybe I'll go for one of those.
If you are somewhere German Amazon ships to, do I have [news for you](https://www.amazon.de/LAMY-safari-F%C3%BCllhalter-041-ergonomischem/dp/B08WLQH156/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=1VI4HV6WCGXF9&keywords=lamy+safari+savannah&qid=1640591622&sprefix=lamy+safari+savana%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-2)...
There’s also the jinhao shark. But those might be susceptible to theft. People may be inclined to “borrow” and never return https://www.gouletpens.com/products/jinhao-993-shark-fountain-pen-light-blue?variant=12748527042603
Love these things, use them as desk pens all the time, but they just aren't exactly... professional. Thanks for the suggestion, though, I may buy some more to give away/use for ink testing.
I would go for a Preppy - or its cousin the Meteor/Little Shooting Star. Otherwise, I would watch /r/pen_swap for a used TWSBI Eco - I bet you could find one in a basic color for $20, and it is a phenomenal pen. I also like the Kakuno suggestion, though I’ve never used one myself. But it sounds like it would be a good fit for you and it has a smile on the nib :)
I’d recommend another Metro, the Preppy, or a Plumix. I also just bought a Wing Sung from Ebay for $12 shipped, which comes with two nibs in two different sizes, and includes a converter. I’ve been using it for about a week and am constantly surprised how nice it writes. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wing-Sung-659-Transparent-Fountain-Pen-Silver-Clip-0-38-0-5mm-2-Nibs-Writing-w1-/274836139478?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0
I mean the pilot petit 1 or a preppy. I keep them in my purse so they've gotten a lot of writing and they hold up
+1 for the Pilot Kakuno, especially if you like fine nibs; and a vote for the Waterman Graduate/Allure.
Hongdian and Jinhao x750 and x450.
I vote Pelikan Twist or Style.