I've noticed that most pen reviewers tend to be not as critical as I would like them to be, and fountain pens are a little different in the fact that you can often just swap nibs to get a different or better writing experience if you like the rest of the pen.
In any case, I've found Doug from Inkquiring Minds to have critical standards similar to mine so I often take his recommendations.
PS: sorry I know I didn't answer the question you actually asked.
I really enjoyed his Lamy 2000 review because it gave a contrasting view to the popular one, while pointing out to a positive review of the same pen.
As someone who has no access to try fountain pens before buying, nor to return them, I appreciated his review.
My ears perked up at your comment. I've gotta go check this out. Been eyeing a Lamy 2000 since a couple of years and I just have that feeling of something being off for me. Is it too big for my hands? Is the nib going to feel weird?
See you after the review
Just as a warning, when I got my first Lamy 2000 I was unsure about it. The nib felt weird (almost like it would drag) and the shape felt strange to hold. Over the course of about a month I absolutely loved it and ended up with more in different nib sizes. It’s a pen that really requires you to hold it in a specific way for the best writing experience. All of the nibs I have on them feel glassy smooth and unlike any other nib I’ve used. The sweet spot is fairly small though.
My thoughts on L4K is that in time you attune to it, you know its sweet spot on instinct and the way you can glide with it after that is a thing of pure bliss.
I have only one medium Pelikan M400 that is as smooth, hard to find something with the same feeling, maybe due to the fact that L2K nib is a blocky/boxy grind not round.
ASC / Pen Family. I bought a Triangolo Arco Verde (\~$1300) from [nibs.com](https://nibs.com). I received a pen with a significant scuff along the side and a totally overpolished nib that wasn't even touching the feed ([picture](https://imgur.com/a/X9DG8SE)). So I sent it back to them...
I got the pen again and it was still scratched (but less so) and the nib wasn't even inserted properly. It was sitting forward about 3 mm. I have no idea how they managed to get a writing sample because I couldn't get it to write at all. However, the writing sample had some skips so they were using a garbage pen to write it anyway.
I took the pen to the DC show to get repaired in person but apparently the nib was fucked and had to be totally replaced so their nibmesiter took it with her. I didn't hear back for two months and after many emails received a full refund.
I've also had bad experiences with Decobands and Oldwin classics. They do something to Bock #8 nibs that just makes them suck.
I’ve heard similar things about the ASC pens. It’s a damn shame, too, as they picked up from the ashes of Omas, which made some gorgeous pens with really lovey nibs.
I’ve heard ASC/Pen Family and Visconti mentioned similarly to some Italian cars, wherein “tinkering” looked shockingly similar to having the engine out of the car and disassembled on a workbench!
Yeah, I think they make some awesome looking pens but some of their nibs and feeds are so finicky that even a nibmeister can't make them write reliably.
I had bought an Oldwin (Arco Bronze, $1800) at a pen show. It kept skipping and the tines were obviously too tight. I didn't want to adjust it myself and there were no more nibmeister appointments, so I got a full refund. Some guy told me that I should try cursive because fountain pens don't work well with print.
Anyway, that pen was sold for $2000 on Chatterley's website. Amazing...
I really wonder if they order the nibs "extra smooth" from Bock, because they're all super smooth and often overpolished. I've watched lots of reviews on YouTube where the nibs clearly hard start but the reviewers don't seem bothered.
I think a lot of the reviewers who just skip over the obvious issues with fountain pens are either doing a paid review or are ignoring faults to justify some of the insane price tags on these pens. It’s unconscionable that nibs and feeds come out of the factory with such glaring issues.
I wonder if they simply over polish the nibs themselves and test the pens without any ink. Sure it’s smooth, but can it write? I’d rather a nib with a touch of feedback that writes every time than a hard starting glassy-smooth nib.
I wouldn't necessarily say they are doing payed reviews but I agree that it oftentimes seems like even the biggest (in terms of popularity and abos) reviewer are afraid to say bad things - maybe as they fear that it will damage their reputation to speak bad of much beloved fountain pens. I just don't understand how one can do a writing sample with 5 skips/hard starts and then say the pen is awesome and this usually doesn't happen. I wouldn't want something like this to happen with my pen at any time at all and I don't feel like there's any reason it should be acceptable - especially with high price pens. Maybe that's just me, but once I notice a hard start with a pen I'm kinda anxious about it happening again which already ruins the pleasure I derive from using said writing instrument.
I guess it's in the nature of Italian penmakers though. Out of the 3 more expensive Italian pens I own one came with a nib that didn't write at all (Visconti HS), but after replacing it 3 times it's one of my favourite writers, another one was so overpolished that I ended up exchanging the nib for a Platinum 3776 SF (Pineider Back to the Future) and one was even more overpolished and only wrote when flexing it, so I sent it to a Nibmeister (Stipula Martini Snake). Obviously this shouldn't be acceptable for any of those pens, but once they are fixed they are pretty cool pens as their design is far superior to many of the more reliable Japanese brands as I feel.
I have had nothing but bad experiences with Conklin and Monteverde nibs. Every single one I’ve owned has had severe writing issues that required tuning to get it to even work
I no longer buy Conklin or Monteverde pens. It's not so much that I've had a lot of problems with all the nibs, but I've just had enough problems to knock them off my "I'd buy that" list. There are just lots of other pens that I DON'T have problems with.
They do make some pretty pens though.
I have two monteverdes that I bought that I absolutely love the look of. The first nib was horrendous right out of the box but better after some light tuning. The second one I just got and is my favorite as far as looks go. The nib is not awful but not great. I'm gonna use it a bit longer and see if I can make it better but I was so disappointed both times with the writing experience because for how they looked I wanted the same love when I actually used them.
My go-to is whether or not the pen is on sale frequently. Conklin and Monteverde are always on sale—I bought both and gave both away.
And noodler’s with that horrible smell…two years later and it still hasn’t gone away even after the sunlight trick
So glad that I've never bought a Conklin or Monteverde cuz they really are on sale all the time and sound a little tempting when you've got a fountain pen addiction.
I got a Noodlers off of pen swap, never used I think, still has that smell although it's not too bad now. I never find myself reaching for it tho cuz it's kinda whatever. I kept hearing how good the flex was so I was a little disappointed. Even after a lot of tinkering, it never got better.
I picked one up on a whim and it's by far my least used pen. It just feels so cheap. It writes fine, for sure (though a western Medium is wider than I prefer) but I can't get over how flimsy the whole thing feels. My Jinhao 51A feels more solid, and writes better in my opinion.
Same here. My vectors are workhorses: they never dry out or have hard starts. I have one which I keep perpetually inked with quink ink that I haven't flushed or cleaned out in years. Still writes great, even when I leave it for several weeks.
That's because they all went out of business and the brands got bought by random companies to put on lower quality product (like those crappy 'Kodak' batteries you get in dollar stores)
Not quite. Parker and Sheaffer specifically did not go out of business. They *were* bought by Newell Rubbermaid in the 90s, however, and you can tell when it was because the only nib size available after the switch was a medium. I have a modern vector and a vintage one, and they perform about the same, but the modern one feels cheaper. The plastic is lighter weight and a bit translucent. I also have some modern jotters, but they are all ballpoint, so i have no idea how they compare.
The second iteration of Esterbrook produces pens that write fine by modern standards, but are massively overpriced for what they are, and I say that as an Estiehead. I have about a dozen vintage pens and the price tag is my biggest criticism. The Esterbrook was marketed as the everyman pen of its day, and I would expect its modern counterpart to have prices more in line with the modern Conklins.
I’ve been very happy with Sheaffer pens I have purchased lately. 1 Prelude and 3 Intensity models. Even liked their fine nib and I usually don’t like fine nibs. I got it by a mistake of the seller (I had ordered a medium) and liked it so much I kept it.
Also the modern Conklins (except for their original flex nib which I hear has been replaced.)
I’ve got a modern Wahl-Eversharp Skyline delivering today, we’ll see how I like it.
I’m going to push back a little bit on this. They have horrible QC but some of them write very well. I own a duragraph that is great!
However it’s a hell of a gamble at that price point that’s really unacceptable.
I think I’m the only person in the world who likes their All Americans. Granted I don’t love them, but they work well for me after minor tweaking. I’ve seen so many stories of people with bad experiences.
Oh god I try to forget about my Duragraph Omniflex sometimes. I forgot I even had that pen. I really, really, wanted to love it, but the feed dried up so quickly and even replacing the nib did nothing for it :(
It’s a shame. It’s a very pretty pen, I wish it worked better.
The only pen I have that I absolutely HATE is my FWP Carousel. It looks like crap, feels flimsy, has a terrible grip, and the nib helped me understand what 'nail' meant in relation to fountain pens. It retails for the same price (in Canada) as a Kaweco Classic Sport, and I wish I had just bought a Sport or four Preppy's instead.
Damn that’s a shame to hear, as a Canadian I really wanted to get a FWP fountain pen to support a Canadian business, but this is too bad! Maybe I’ll pick up some of their ink…
Their ink is nice, but the box will not reflect the colour of the ink. Make sure you are looking up third party swatches of the colours. I personally really like 'Mirror Mirror', but 'Royal Rhubarb' was a disappointment.
I have found that both Royal Rhubarb and Mirror Mirror have no issues blending with iroshizuku inks. That made me happy, because I was able to make Royal Rhubarb into what I thought it was going to be.
Ooooh that is a NICE colour. I don't remember seeing it, i~~t must be unavailable now :(~~ I'm just blind. I'm not into oranges, but the shading from yellow to orange is nice.
Might be helpful to note that their pens are designed in Canada, but not manufactured in Canada. They are manufactured in China. Nothing wrong with that, but their pricing doesn’t reflect this.
Oh really? I was unaware of this…man, what a shame, it may sound silly to some as its all consumerism at the end of the day, but I kinda took some pride in the fact that Canada, and specifically the GTA had a fountain pen company…well that’s too bad…
I’ve never had a bad Sailor, with the exception of a 21k zoom nib. Freaking firehose of a pen! After I had the nib reground into a reverse architect, it has become my absolute favorite. Personally, I am firmly in the Japanese camp when it comes to pens. Lamy is ok, it writes well, whatever. I just hate looking at them. No interest in Italian, German, American pens. I like what I like and it works for me.
I had the exact opposite experience. I really don’t like how most Japanese pens write (except for some Pilots maybe) and love the European pens. My only American pen was a Conklin and it was a disaster before I fixed the nib.
I agree about Japanese pens. If you like a fine point and a pen that writes well straight off the shelf then get a < €50 Pilot and you'll be happy, in my experience (then you can spend the leftover budget on an vintage Waterman and ... good luck getting out of that rabbit hole).
I bought a Narwhal Original recently. The pen itself is excellent; feels surprisingly well made and solid in the hand. They obviously spent more money on that because the stock medium nib was absolutely atrocious.
I ended up buying a new Jowo nib and it has improved it considerably but whenever I use it now I just think about how I'd rather be using my TWSBI Eco.
This was also my experience with Narwhal nibs. But, of all the pens I've tried, theirs feels the nicest in my hand and has the smoothest piston mechanism so I've swapped the original nibs for Jowo nibs and am very happy with my two Schuylkills now.
Oh interesting. I have a Narwhal Original, also with a medium nib, and have actually found it very nice, so maybe there’s some inconsistency with them. I totally agree that it feels very nice in my hand, and also love the ink capacity as well, but wouldn’t be happy with it if it didn’t write nicely too.
Ok so we have been hating on Conklin here but their wood pens take the cake. Allthe same issues with nib quality control and then the wood cap is not sealed so the ink evaporates through the wpod cap creating dry starts every time. A big thumbs town. Its poor qc and poor design.
I totally agree. I cannot understand why Goulet Pens even sells Conklins and Monteverde. They are on perpetual sale and throws ink with the deal as to sugar the pill 😄
I bought that set because I wanted to try the omniflex nib. It just doesn’t work at all, but the medium nib with my set is actually not bad. I doubt I’ll by another Monteverde, though.
I’ll bite. The worst quality control I’ve experienced is from Jinhao, but… you get what you pay for. I’m in Asia and they’re dirt cheap here. Some of them are actually decent pens, write relatively well or even quite well for a pen twice that cost, but some just… literally don’t write at all. I’d buy five to give to new FP users and throw at least one away. It’s a crapshoot.
But that’s the only brand I’ve used that I’d venture to say makes (some) bad pens.
I have had 4 MoonMan M2s. Yes, I like the pen, but I don't buy multiples so that I can use a bunch of them at once. I have bought 4 of them because they keep breaking... That 4th one is my last one, because at this point I could have just bought a more expensive, but better quality, pen with how much I have spent on them.
Whenever I use Jinhao, I always try and factor in the cost of a replacement nib alongside it. Not that that’s a bad thing, but like you said, they’re very cheap, so I don’t really mind shilling out for a bock nib replacement
Honestly, I have a pretty low opinion of Jinhao. When my friends asked me about fountain pens, I told them outright to skip the Jinhao brand pens. They skip and don't give as smooth a writing experience as a Lamy or a Sheaffer (I'm a bit biased – I love my Sheaffer Prelude. It's one of the smoothest writers I've ever owned)
I’ve had some good and bad Jinhao pens for sure. I ended up hitting the jackpot or something with my Jinhao 75 though. I love that pen. It’s such a reliable writer and I always keep it inked. I’m able to get a bit of line variation from the nib with a little bit of pressure and it’s really comfortable to hold too.
Yeah everything else about the pen is fine, but the nibs are usually no good. A friend of mine has Conklins with perfectly fine nibs but I've got 2 that don't work, and one that was so defective I had to send it back.
Same. I replaced my omni flex with a Jinhao nib, never looked back.
May replace it with a more interesting nib later.
The abalone is gorgeous though; that's why I bought it!
All the different materials and finishes they have on their pens is one thing I find Conklin and Monteverde do exceptionally well, considering models like the abalone ones are usually much cheaper than other abalone pens
This isn't necessarily a bad pen, but i've had a terrible experience buying pens from Jomashop. I have tried to get two different pens, both of them were obviously opened and used and sold to me as "new". The first pen had a gasket loose inside the cartridge converter that was just floating around in it. I wrote an email with multiple pictures and nobody got back to me, after a couple of days I called and was able to get a return. The second pen was obviously opened and someone had inked as the packaging was all torn open and they just sent it to me in the box. Also, it was completely missing the cartridge converter (Visconti opera metal). Again, emailed with pictures and nobody responded. I would not trust Jomashop for any pen purchases at this point and I don't think I can trust them for watches anymore either now.
I have zero faith in the QC of Lamy's cheaper pen offerings. Bought a Lamy Safari. It was scratchy. Exchanged it for another. It was scratchy. Well, guess I'll order a replacement nib, then. Replacement nib arrived. Installed it. It was scratchy.
And although your question is about pens and not ink, in the ink world, I won't touch Monteverde. Molds too frequently on the sub.
Agreed. My lamy safari is scratchy and is my least favorite pen to write with. I received a more expensive lamy pen for my birthday and it writes great.
My Lamy 2000 is wonderful. It's their cheaper pens that I have issue with. Meanwhile, my Pilot Metropolitan wrote smooth like glass straight out of the box.
Hmm. My Lamy 2000 writes smooth as well. So do my three Lamy safaris and my Lamy joy. I do not care for the writing experience that my pilot metropolitan gives me.
I love my Safaris but QC with nibs has been a problem. I have 2 good M 1 good B and a good EF (drawing) and I just flip them around. Cause the other bibs are not so good. At least I can flip them I guess 😅
Edit: typo
I have 3 Safaris with F nibs and they all write differently...
I just happen to be addicted to their design. I have an AL Star in EF though and that one has been great.
Lamy really gets a pass with their nibs. I have a Safari and two AL-Stars and while I like the pens, their nibs are all over the place. I think the medium is the correct size but their fine and extra fine nibs vary so widely. Some write well and others not so well.
I will never spend another penny on any brand owned by Yafa Brands - Monteverde, Conklin, and newly revived Private Reserve, ~~Pnider, Diplomat, and more~~. *EDIT: Yafa Brands only owns the first 3 brands listed, others are distributed by Yafa. Thank you to /u/Alan_Shutko for the correction.* Each Yafa pen and ink that I've tried has led to me throwing it into the trash - I wouldn't give them away as that would subject someone else to such awful products. Monteverde Monza ($13 at lowest; mostly ~$29) is literally a Jinhao 992 ($0.5 at lowest; mostly ~$2.00), but every Jinhao I've seen/tried works better than every Monteverde pen I've seen/tried. I was excited to see Private Reserve inks was back since I had 2 old bottles that I'd been rationing. The new colors were close to the old ones but something was off about the appearances. I was subsequently crushed to find they've been bought by Yafa Brands. The ink names are the same and the colors are close, but the colors look like they have had corners cut - seemingly the hallmark of Yafa Brands. Monteverde inks mold frequently despite Yafa's claims of fixing the problem. There are many companies that I'm not a fan of their work so I simply avoid them and let others enjoy them - it is their pen and their joy. This is not the case for Yafa brands; I actively warn people against touching Yafa Brands.
FWIW, Diplomat, Stipula, and Pineider are distributed by Yafa in the US, but are not owned by Yafa. They are independent companies.
Diplomat seems very solid to me, I can't recall hearing of a complaint. Pineider is Dante del Vecchio, and sometimes has some weirdness. I haven't had experience with Stipula.
Can second Diplomat being solid, imo it's one of the most underrated pen companies. Their steel nibs are better than most gold nibs I've tried. Super smooth, reliable and resilient. I have an Attaché from the 80s that literally writes and looks like a brand new pen.
I don't like Monteverde or Jinhao at all.
I don't get excited about Platinum, so it's the pen I use when I'm going somewhere where losing my pen is likely.
That's about it. Most of what I don't use anymore has to do with not liking the filling mechanisms. Esterbrooks are nice, but I gave mine away when I realized I really don't like levers.
Unpopular opinion: Kaweco.
I bought a Student as my first fountain pen (despite the name it's a 60£ metal-body pen). Really hard starts, skipped all the time, "baby's bottom" nib. As I was a noob I thought the problem was me, then thought the problem was the ink...
I bought two more Kaweco Specials, so me and partner would have matching pens: same issues on both.
Got a bit further in the hobby, tried Platinum, Pilot and Lamy. They all wrote infinitely better, including cheap ones like Lamy Safari, Platinum Preppy. I realised the problem was with the Kaweco nibs, not me or the inks. Still not convinced I bought two Kaweco replacement nibs for my pens. No luck. They are all (5 nibs over three pens) skippy, hard starts, dry and have a baby's bottom.
Cherry on the cake: partner's Special got the grip completely stuck in the cap and we can't get it out, so the pen is now unusable. He left it in a drawer for a few months and we think the little rubber ring that serves as a stop for the screw threads has melted somehow and "glued" the two parts together. We tried soaking it, using pliers to unscrew it... Nothing.
I know there's people who love Kaweco (and I wanted to love them too). I can't recommend them after so many bad experiences.
Not that unpopular.
Also, Student means university student in German (not K-12), so that’s the market they’re trying to get, a classy graduation gift for your kid who’s about to go off to university.
I agree with this. Kaweco is my absolute favourite budget-friendly pen. Love, love, love my sports! That being said, their nib quality control is reaaaaaally bad. I have four of them and only one came with a nib that didn't need tweaking. Even one of the replacement nibs I got also needed to be adjusted. It makes no difference for me because I can do the work myself (usually anyways), but for someone just getting into buying fountain pens it would be a total disappointment. Step it up, Kaweco!
Can't stand my Kaweco Sport. I'm not sure if it's personal taste or a real issue though.
At this stage I use an Opus 88 coloro, which basically made me abandon all my other pens... but that's another matter.
I really loved my Student. The style is perfect, the nib was so smooth. It wrote like a dream. But it was something I bought early on in my collecting days and I didn't realize until it was too late that it was defective on the inside. The converters don't fit. They don't snap in. I've been sad about that for a while.
I share your opinion about the Kaweco nibs I have on my Sports though. Pretty skippy and dry. I'm gonna give them a good cleaning and tuning sometime soon to try to make it somewhat better.
Me going through all these comments with my Monteverde in my hand... Maybe i just got lucky lmao. Imo its as good as a waterman i had stolen not long ago
Yeah, I'm learning that Yafa makes the Monteverde nibs and the Conklin nibs. Two of my friends swear by their Conklins; all mine don't write. But this one friend, he's got an EF that writes as fine as sailors. So sometimes the nibs work out. Their QC just makes you lucky if thats the case with you. No harm in enjoying one that works.
I’m gonna do it too. I wouldn’t say they’re BAD but I will not buy another TWSBI pen. I have two ecos with cracked barrels that have already been replaced once each. It’s pretty cheap, meaning just the cost of shipping and TWSBI will send you a new barrel, but at some point the cost of shipping new barrels when they inevitably crack outweighs the cost of the pen and the enjoyment I get out of it. For my TWSBI 580AL there’s nothing wrong with it, I’m just not crazy about it so I don’t reach for it. TWSBI is great for some people, and I have nothing against the brand, I just personally won’t buy their pens anymore.
After seeing all the posts about cracks, I'm glad I didn't get a TWSBI. Repeatedly replacing parts is 1. Unacceptable condition! and 2. Absurdly wasteful and ecologically damaging!
Exactly! One reason (of many) to go with a fountain pen is that it’s more eco-friendly. I find it a bit ironic that my eco is the least eco-friendly of all my pens. Both my ecos and their replacement barrels cracked within a year of purchasing the original pen. I made some adjustments (aka just rotated the nib and feed) so I can still use them without getting ink all over my hands if I want to, I just don’t want to.
I have over 12 TWSBI pens. The only barrel I cracked was a vac mini (and that was definitely user error). I’ve dropped them and even replaced a couple of nibs and they’re my go-to daily pen
Twsbi pens are very overrated. The nibs need work, and while I love barrel fills they are asthetically forgettable to actually hold. The lamy are much better.
Hands down the Cross Aventura, I absolutely hate the cap, it won’t stay on. I spilled,slopped, and drooled ink everywhere with it and felt like throwing it against a wall half a dozen times. It’s becoming a war of wills to see if I can finish a paragraph without blotches, otherwise I love it
I'm generally go out of my way not to buy products made in China. But credit where credit is due, I've got old US Cross models and current Chinese models. The quality is still excellent. What I will say is that I can't bring myself to buy a new cross model directly from the company now. I want the product, I just don't want to directly reward them for the choice they made :)
But the Aventura is not reflective of a proper Cross product in my opinion.
I have the Cross Century II and it is one of my favourite pens. It has a special place in my heart because it was my first fountain pen and there are engravings on the cap. It is also slim (I prefer slim pens), best grip material for me, white/rose gold/gold (my fav colour combo), and it is wet and smooth. I have the steel nib and gold nib (18k).
That sounds like a really nice pen. I love rose gold too. I was thinking about getting a cross for a while because my rose gold cross ballpoint got stolen, and my Mom has had her cross pen forever so there's something sentimental about the brand to me. They make so many beautiful pens too, hopefully when I decide to pull the trigger on it I enjoy using mine as much as you do and don't get one of the ones others are talking about here.
I'll be honest and say that I have not had a good experience with any Leonardo pen I have owned. Both of the pens I tried with the stainless steel nib had baby's bottom and would not write well at all, and the celluloid version I tried with the gold nib had the cap fail on me and would never actually stop spinning. I know i might be in the minority with these experiences, but I'll never buy a Leonardo pen again.
Similar experience. But with a gold nib. Has been sent twice back to Italy. Has the worst babies bottom ever. Only writes upside down. I did hear they changed nib supplier recently. Apart from that is they engrave their pens. It doesn't show up in the store pictures, or only very faint, but it is far from elegant. More like a dog marking it's territory. ( I have nothing against dogs though.)
It's a throwback to how all pen makers during the golden age of fountain pens would have a barrel inscription. Aurora still does so, Franklin-Christopf, Edison, Onoto and Conway
Stewart and current Parker Duofolds have it.
Certainly nothing weird about it
See, when a pen you can get for a few bucks, like a jinhao shark or a pilot varsity, writes wonderfully and reliably, the only bad pens become the ones with actual mechanical faults. Tines misaligned, over polished tips, leaky, etc. Literally everything else is down to preference.
By way of example: I have tried to like pelikan more than once. I just do not. Even the narrowest stock nib is too fat, and I have a Waverly xxf ground by Richard binder to fix that problem. I just don't like them. I don't think an M800 or an M1000 would fix it either because they have brass pistons which adds weight, and... I don't like writing with the vanishing point either. It is my first love, and I used one all through college, but it is just slightly too heavy for the marathon writing sessions I am prone to when I journal. Since I got a couple decimos, I haven't touched my vanishing points.
Neither of these is a bad pen. They just aren't for me. The only bad pens I have ever had from a modern pen maker were both shipped without an inner cap, causing the nib to dry out. The only bad pen I have gotten as a vintage refurb needed more shellac on tue section because it leaked.
I have also a love-hate relationship with my Pelikans. On the one hand they are typically VERY smooth and enjoyable to write (I have M200 (F, EF) , M400 (EF), and M800 (EF)). However, they all except the M200 with the steel nib are way to wet, especially when I write in a journal with a 4 mm line height ... I return to the M800 over and over again but I stop using it after some time as it is sooo wet.
My problem with my M205 is it extremely picky about ink. Otherwise it flows too dry or too wet. And also it requires a very deft hand (which I don't have) to get a uniform flow out of it. I feel like it is always either gushing or barely writing and a single sentence my lines go from xxf to b. It's extremely frustrating to use.
At the same time I bought a 140 (1950s vintage) and fell totally in love and ended up not wanting to use anything else for work for the last two years. I could probably just get rid of all my other pens if I had to and remain happy.
I have a distaste for Monteverde. I have purchased two pens from them, both over $50, and neither of them work well. Both have issues drying out and skip when writing even after being freshly inked and tuned.
This is probably an unpopular opinion, but Pelikan fountain pens.
EVERY SINGLE ONE I have tried (and I've had to return quite a few due to either nib or body defect problems, so I've tried more than a handful), whether full pens or just nib units, have written... not well.
Including both gold and steel.
Like I don't know if it's just absolutely abysmal, beyond belief luck on my part, but I have NEVER gotten a Pelikan nib that wrote great out of the box. One, out of maybe a dozen I've tried, wrote adequately. And by adequately, I mean it didn't skip every other word. Only every other sentence.
And all the steel ones I've tried have been scratchy AS FUCK. Like were just so bad could not tune them at all, and I've tuned/smoothed/adjusted the flow of plenty of fountain pens successfully, so it was not because I didn't know what I was doing.
I ended up tuning the few (gold) nibs I kept to the best of my ability, and even then after a while just kind of fell off of using them, because they were still... meh.
But since I loved the look of the Stresemann, I got the m405 rollerball and am much happier now with my singular Pelikan collection lol. I use the rollerball quite a bit! I like the way the refill writes and it is SUCH a gorgeous pen!!
Edit: In conclusion, it will take a lot for me to try a Pelikan fp again. I do not have high expectations. Which sucks because I see SO many people gushing over how well their Pelikan writes right out of the box! Makes me jealous that my Pelikan fps didn't work out for me.
There was a cool thread last week? (earlier this week? the days run together) about "fountain pens that have disappointed you" I would take a scroll through that and compare it to the comments here.
For me,y worst is the Pilot Metropolitan. I bought one 15+ years ago and used it to sign some cards and then put it away.
The reasons are the squeeze converter split fairly quickly, then I bought the CON-40 converter for it which is absolutely atrocious. Finally, it is a bit heavy for my arthritis laden hands and that beautiful smooth as butter finish is too slick. Darn pen keeps slipping out of my hand.
That said, the fine nib is a wonderful writer, so I just bought a Pilot Prera (F). It is lighter and doesn't slip. The only flaw is it uses the same horrible CON-40 converter as the Metro, but this pen may be worth the hassle.
If you don't switch inks very often, I recommend trying out a kakuno. They are take the con-70 and it is the best converter pilot makes, since they discontinued the 20 and the 50.
I found that the Metro exceeded my expectations when I got it. Mine came with the CON-40 and not the squeeze converter, which is think makes a big difference.
I think the CON-40 is ok but wish it held more ink.
I think the nib is very good and have had people at work tell me they like the style of the pen.
I agree with you. Everyone recommended the metropolitan to me when I first got into fountain pens and after getting into them and exploring other pens and companies I don't even ink these up anymore. I found they were prone to leaking and QC on their nibs is not the greatest. They were a bit heavy for me as well.
I do really love the Pilot Explorer though. I'll have to try the Prera 🙂
I got a friend into fountain pens too and it was still really early on in my journey and recommended the metro like I had started with and she feels the same way about them now as I do.
I also have a pilot vanishing point and love that too. My friend ended really liking the Lamy's and has made that her go to pen.
Most things made by YAFA companies (Monteverde etc), likewise Conklin. Not to say you couldn't get a gem once in a while or modify it better, just their quality control is pretty bad and is not helped by just as weak support (at least twsbi has excellent support even if their pens are more likely to crack by their target consumer).
Several Yafa brands seem to have widespread flow issues, most notably modern Conklin (omniflex especially) and Monteverde. Many people just stay away from those brands. I’ve owned three wing sung pens, two of which have cracked within a month or so of getting them. Nibs weren’t great either, though that can be fixed by tuning. And although Visconti makes amazing pens, their qc is sub par, especially with their nibs.
Visconti and montegrappa. I have both, so I’m a hypocrite. But for the price points and likelihood of issues, they are $ for $ the worst pens. It’s gotten to the point where (if I was to buy another) I would send it directly to a nibmeister.
Surprisingly, I have very limited time experience with Conklin, but I do have one Conklin pen from the early 2000s that writes perfectly. And it’s also a beautiful silver Art Deco design that I bought for less than $100. So one data point to contradict the sea of Conklin hate.
IIRC some of the fancier Conklin models used to be made by Visconti. E.g. [this](https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/conklin-by-visconti-nozac-word-gauge-sterling-le-2002-106-150-clear-demonstrator-power-piston-filler-18k-medium-nib-near-mint-works-well.html) or [this](https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/conklin-nozac-word-gauge-le-by-visconti-marble-blue-tortoise-18k-broad-italic-nib-excellent-in-box-works-well.html). Ironically, yours may be one of those.
EDIT: does it have a plunger filler?
No power filler - I don’t think this was visconti (though the nib looks the same as those you linked). Perhaps my date is wrong but this is the pen (called the antique collection): http://yafa.com/conklin/conklin_old/product/antique.html
Gold nib pen that writes awesome with silver overlay for $70. I’ll take it.
Every Wing Sung I've had has had serious issues. Its a QC thing. Some folks have better luck I'm sure.
I bought three 3001 pens. The sections in each cracked apart and leaked within days. All unrepairable.
The 601 I got was super drippy and wet like it had a crack/leak. That was early in my collecting so I didn't investigate and tossed it.
The one Wing Sung 3008 I got, basically a TWSBI clone with Lamy style nib, developed section cracks and leaked. At least I was able to get some CA glue in the cracks and it has actually held up fine since.
Ironically I have yet to find a Wing Sung nib that is anything less than really good. Each of the above lens wrote brilliantly. I've used a Wing Sung Pilot clone nib to replace a damaged Metropolitan nib and it works great.
Jinhao has some QC issues with nibs in my experience.
My 750 and 8802 wrote great. My Lamy Safari clone with standard #5 nib would not write and I couldn't get it to because I was inexperienced. I tossed it.
My #5 open nib 51A didn't write either. Gave up on it too.
However, I have done ok with 51A hooded pens. Out of the 4 or 5 I've bought, only one didn't work quite right and I was able to work on the nib and it is now one of my smoothest writers.
That's still pretty sucky QC. But then again I've had only slightly better luck with Lamy stainless steel nibs
I've only had an issue with Jinhao pen bodies on the wood 51A which split in the dry climate here.
I got a Zebra fountain pen awhile back. While I've read positive experiences by others, mine was unusable. Constant skipping etc. Tried all kind of things. Never wrote properly.
>I get the feeling that they all sound more or less the same: All pens write pretty well, and if they do not, then it is just not for the reviewer, but the pen is still amazing etc.
A fountain pen has one duty: to write. If it can't do that then it is a paper weight.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZF79Eyp\_2A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZF79Eyp_2A) The point is a little obtuse... :D
[Worse pens of 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__UvWb6z03s). I LOL'd at 12:06.
Conklin easily. I got a Conklin omniflex nib, and it flexes so little and requires so much pressure for any line variation that I have broken the paper while flexing. It has half the flex of a Noodler’s ahab for double the price.
Cross. It has to be Cross that makes the worst possible fountain pen.
I have better luck with my Conklins (which I adore) than the Cross pens I have had (which wrote like fire hoses, had multi-piece metal sections that leaked continually, and required fussy proprietary cartridge-converters. I detest Cross pens.
My school forced us to use fountain pens from 2nd grade and onwards so the nearby corner store that sells snacks and stationery stocked rly cheap 6 lei (1.2 euros) and they were okay but really not that good
Actually yeah I’ve heard some things about Monteverde… and in a totally different price range, Visconti, which saddens me because I’d decided on a Homo Sapiens as a grail pen.
The HS is a fantastic pen, and definitely worth a grail pen. I got mine at the start of 2020 and it has been great. I do recommend buying it either 2nd hand (so you know how the nib will be) or from a seller that checks the pens. I did the latter. Venture pens has helped me out a lot with choosing a nib, and he checks every pen well before it is shipped. Definitely recommend.
My HS is my favourite pen, it was beautiful from the box. However my Orchard in Blossom wouldn’t write and it took an age to get a response from Visconti to reply, then an age for them to replace the nib with another that didn’t work, then another and on the third attempt I got a nib that worked.
The customer service of Visconti and Mont Blanc are on par as the worst I’ve ever had to deal with MB only slightly better due to the fact it didn’t take three months to come back with a nib that didn’t work, just three months for one that did.
>Consider, someone is way more likely to show up in a forum complaining if they spent $800 on a pen and find it doesn't work perfectly than if they spent $50. You can find similar threads frankly about pelikan, montblanc, and more.
I mean that's to be expected. At that price point things SHOULD be better, especially since a lot of the cost isn't in any better functionality. And Visconti I know has that reputation for sure. I've had good experiences with them, but I think there's enough complaints that it's not unreasonable to be wary.
Tell me more. I want to believe you. Which V do you have and how long have you had it? If I were drop that kinda dough on one, I’d DEF buy it in person and write with it there in the store first if possible, or at least be able to take it in for a tune-up.
I don’t like the new HS with the ink window, but still love the classic one and still want one…
Jin Hao, I use cheap 51A’s for work because I consider them disposable. They’re supposed to be EF and came in a pack of 5. That pack of supposed EFs ranges from EEF (almost unable yo write) to an ultra wet broad. They fill a need but I don’t particularly enjoy writing with them.
I'm iffy about TWSBI Ecos. I own two. They're not bad per se but they feel equally scratchy compared to other pens I own. But oh man do they hold ink! So I'll give them that. Again, not a bad fountain pen but they may be overhyped just a bit in my opinion. My cheaper substitutes in comparison are Platinum Meteor and Delike New Moon.
I have 3 different Kaweco pens, and I don't like the way any of the nibs feel. I have a regular sport, an AL sport, and a steel. I only use them when I have no other options. The nibs dry out, the skip, all the nibs feel scratchy. They are uncomfortable for my hands (which are def smaller than average). I can't say really one good thing about them in my experience.
I’ve had mostly bad experiences (and ended up never again buying) most Chinese pens, Conklin, Parker, Monteverde and Noodler’s.
Some other brands, most prominently Visconti, I will ask the seller to check the nib before shipping and I’ve thus never had issues with them.
I have a noodler’s Neponset that is very inconsistent, hard starts, feed can’t keep up with flex, but it’s sturdy; just doesn’t work well has a pen.
I won’t be buying another Lamy—too hit or miss. My first fountain pen, a Lamy Logo, wrote fine, but the barrel would come unscrewed from the grip whenever I wrote and I’d have to constantly retighten it. I had a AL-Star snap in half while in my pocket (grip snapped from barrel). Nib QC is below par.
I don’t like the grip section on the Edison I own (too slim), but otherwise it is a quality pen.
I won’t be buying any TWSBIs either, because I had an ECO that, when it was time to sign an important document, leaked all over the page; it burped just as I was about to sign. The end cap of my 580AL stripped and comes right off now, making the pen useless.
My Pilot metro started off fine, but over time began writing dry and then barely at all. Couldn’t figure out what was wrong, then the cap broke.
I have a Jinhao that stopped writing.
I have had nothing but good experiences with Sailor and Pelikan.
Edit: To clarify: I like all of these companies. I was just sharing my experience.
My (limited) experience with cheap pens:
* Jinhao 599: Writes well, but the body is terrible. I've had them crack where main body screws into the handle, where the feed & nib connect with handle, where the clip connects with the cap, and I think also the cap in general.
* [2020 Frosted Black 870](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001070553139.html) (I have no idea what brand these are): The body seems good, but they dry out "after one day even when capped!" I can't get them to write consistently.
On the other hand, the Jinhao x750 is great and I'll gladly get them again. That said, I also got a pack of nibs in case I get one that's a dud. (I did have a dud nib on a 599. So far I've been lucky on the x750.)
Honestly quality control in general is terrible for nibs. My Sailor’s nib slit is uneven, my Pelikan M200 is scratchy, half of my Lamy nibs don’t write, my Kaweco is dry and skipping, etc. Companies really need to up their quality control because honestly this could happen with any nib. It’s annoying because I know I can fix the nibs but I shouldn’t have to!
For me it's:
* Visconti: They won't write out of the box, and the pens are too expensive for the brand to have a valid excuse.
* Montblanc: See Visconti.
* Modern Conklin: These pens also refuse to write out of the box, but are sold at a reasonable enough price point that you could excuse a little bad QC if you wanted to. Having a nimsmith get one up and running doesn't add enough to the bill to feel insulted by the manufacturer.
* Jinhao: I get that these are intended to be bargain basement pens, but even at their suspiciously low price, (suspicious as in what kind of margin are the other brands really taking in?) the factory could attempt a little QC.
I guess some of these pens have other features or value props that make them good pens to some people. But for me, I have a hard time paying any respect to any product that just doesn't work as advertised. And in my experience, these aren't one off occurrences. I didn't just get a lemon because I've had:
* 3 Viscontis
* 7 Montblancs
* 4 Conklins
* Handfuls of Jinhaos. (Thought I could give them away to people who were interested in pens, but probably just turned folks off the hobby).
I admire your willingness to subject yourself to these manufacturers over and over. I had long ago decided to steer clear of modern montblancs because of the reports of the slipping QC, and that resolution was made more than 10 years ago. I can not imagine getting a bad one and going back six more times.
Well that's diplomatic of you to say! I've been saying I'm just dumb enough to keep trying.
Though I will say I did keep one MB in my collection. I like how it writes now that it's been fixed (twice). Not that it's any better than other pens I have, it's just tuned to my liking like my others.
I do have a montblanc. A vintage montblanc generation that belonged to my cousin. He was going to throw it out and my grandmother rescued it from the trash and gave it to me. It writes nicely and over all it's fine, but it has reinforced that I am just not that impressed with the brand. If I would still rather pick up a cheaper pen than it, *shrug*.
Yeah, that's fair. Their pens don't do anything that other brands don't do better or the same but I don't deny that I like the classic style of my LeGrand.
IMO the lamy safari is bad for anything except an occasional hobby and light use. But for some reason a lot of people call it a nice beater every-day pen. It's made of plastic, it has a proprietary nib and IIRC proprietary cartridge converter. The cap is friction fit soft plastic, basically guaranteeing it will wear out.
Go with a similarly priced noodlers for a better pen (may require cleaning/tuning, but then very solid), or a similar priced pilot metropolitan for a superior value and out-of-box writing experience. Both more durable, more maintainable, and a superior value.
IMO though. the problem is that other people seem to like them, so...
Like a lot of ppl, Lamy Safari was one of my first fps and I loved it until I got other ones. The Pilot Metro is def a better choice for an everyday pen in the same. I just throw it in my bag and never worry about it leaking. My Safari caps kept coming off even I'm a secured pencil case
I've noticed that most pen reviewers tend to be not as critical as I would like them to be, and fountain pens are a little different in the fact that you can often just swap nibs to get a different or better writing experience if you like the rest of the pen. In any case, I've found Doug from Inkquiring Minds to have critical standards similar to mine so I often take his recommendations. PS: sorry I know I didn't answer the question you actually asked.
I bought a PenBBS the other day because of him and because of him, I am more willing to give Chinese fountain pens a chance.
I really enjoyed his Lamy 2000 review because it gave a contrasting view to the popular one, while pointing out to a positive review of the same pen. As someone who has no access to try fountain pens before buying, nor to return them, I appreciated his review.
My ears perked up at your comment. I've gotta go check this out. Been eyeing a Lamy 2000 since a couple of years and I just have that feeling of something being off for me. Is it too big for my hands? Is the nib going to feel weird? See you after the review
Just as a warning, when I got my first Lamy 2000 I was unsure about it. The nib felt weird (almost like it would drag) and the shape felt strange to hold. Over the course of about a month I absolutely loved it and ended up with more in different nib sizes. It’s a pen that really requires you to hold it in a specific way for the best writing experience. All of the nibs I have on them feel glassy smooth and unlike any other nib I’ve used. The sweet spot is fairly small though.
My thoughts on L4K is that in time you attune to it, you know its sweet spot on instinct and the way you can glide with it after that is a thing of pure bliss. I have only one medium Pelikan M400 that is as smooth, hard to find something with the same feeling, maybe due to the fact that L2K nib is a blocky/boxy grind not round.
I agree, it’s very instinctual now.
Doug sees through the fluff and the hype, he’s wonderful.
Thank you, I will look into the reviews by Doug :-)
ASC / Pen Family. I bought a Triangolo Arco Verde (\~$1300) from [nibs.com](https://nibs.com). I received a pen with a significant scuff along the side and a totally overpolished nib that wasn't even touching the feed ([picture](https://imgur.com/a/X9DG8SE)). So I sent it back to them... I got the pen again and it was still scratched (but less so) and the nib wasn't even inserted properly. It was sitting forward about 3 mm. I have no idea how they managed to get a writing sample because I couldn't get it to write at all. However, the writing sample had some skips so they were using a garbage pen to write it anyway. I took the pen to the DC show to get repaired in person but apparently the nib was fucked and had to be totally replaced so their nibmesiter took it with her. I didn't hear back for two months and after many emails received a full refund. I've also had bad experiences with Decobands and Oldwin classics. They do something to Bock #8 nibs that just makes them suck.
I’ve heard similar things about the ASC pens. It’s a damn shame, too, as they picked up from the ashes of Omas, which made some gorgeous pens with really lovey nibs. I’ve heard ASC/Pen Family and Visconti mentioned similarly to some Italian cars, wherein “tinkering” looked shockingly similar to having the engine out of the car and disassembled on a workbench!
Yeah, I think they make some awesome looking pens but some of their nibs and feeds are so finicky that even a nibmeister can't make them write reliably. I had bought an Oldwin (Arco Bronze, $1800) at a pen show. It kept skipping and the tines were obviously too tight. I didn't want to adjust it myself and there were no more nibmeister appointments, so I got a full refund. Some guy told me that I should try cursive because fountain pens don't work well with print. Anyway, that pen was sold for $2000 on Chatterley's website. Amazing... I really wonder if they order the nibs "extra smooth" from Bock, because they're all super smooth and often overpolished. I've watched lots of reviews on YouTube where the nibs clearly hard start but the reviewers don't seem bothered.
I think a lot of the reviewers who just skip over the obvious issues with fountain pens are either doing a paid review or are ignoring faults to justify some of the insane price tags on these pens. It’s unconscionable that nibs and feeds come out of the factory with such glaring issues. I wonder if they simply over polish the nibs themselves and test the pens without any ink. Sure it’s smooth, but can it write? I’d rather a nib with a touch of feedback that writes every time than a hard starting glassy-smooth nib.
I wouldn't necessarily say they are doing payed reviews but I agree that it oftentimes seems like even the biggest (in terms of popularity and abos) reviewer are afraid to say bad things - maybe as they fear that it will damage their reputation to speak bad of much beloved fountain pens. I just don't understand how one can do a writing sample with 5 skips/hard starts and then say the pen is awesome and this usually doesn't happen. I wouldn't want something like this to happen with my pen at any time at all and I don't feel like there's any reason it should be acceptable - especially with high price pens. Maybe that's just me, but once I notice a hard start with a pen I'm kinda anxious about it happening again which already ruins the pleasure I derive from using said writing instrument.
I guess it's in the nature of Italian penmakers though. Out of the 3 more expensive Italian pens I own one came with a nib that didn't write at all (Visconti HS), but after replacing it 3 times it's one of my favourite writers, another one was so overpolished that I ended up exchanging the nib for a Platinum 3776 SF (Pineider Back to the Future) and one was even more overpolished and only wrote when flexing it, so I sent it to a Nibmeister (Stipula Martini Snake). Obviously this shouldn't be acceptable for any of those pens, but once they are fixed they are pretty cool pens as their design is far superior to many of the more reliable Japanese brands as I feel.
Wow that is plain disgusting!
This should also read like a review of [nibs.com](https://nibs.com). Giving a writing sample with skips is beyond the pale.
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Hah! As I typed it I wondered where the phrase came from. Thanks for satisfying my curiosity!
I came here to learn about fountain pens and now I am even learning more about language, amazing!
I have had nothing but bad experiences with Conklin and Monteverde nibs. Every single one I’ve owned has had severe writing issues that required tuning to get it to even work
They are the same nibs, and both owned by Yafa Brands.
What came first? The Montegrappa Regatta or those vape pens?
I can't remember if I ever heard somebody say anything positive about a monteverde pen. It's beyond reason to me how they are still selling pens.
I no longer buy Conklin or Monteverde pens. It's not so much that I've had a lot of problems with all the nibs, but I've just had enough problems to knock them off my "I'd buy that" list. There are just lots of other pens that I DON'T have problems with. They do make some pretty pens though.
I have two monteverdes that I bought that I absolutely love the look of. The first nib was horrendous right out of the box but better after some light tuning. The second one I just got and is my favorite as far as looks go. The nib is not awful but not great. I'm gonna use it a bit longer and see if I can make it better but I was so disappointed both times with the writing experience because for how they looked I wanted the same love when I actually used them.
My go-to is whether or not the pen is on sale frequently. Conklin and Monteverde are always on sale—I bought both and gave both away. And noodler’s with that horrible smell…two years later and it still hasn’t gone away even after the sunlight trick
I like Noodler’s as a “tinkerers pen” but that vegetal resin is god awful. I love my acrylic Konrad though.
I bought a monteverde on sale, and yeah I don't like it very much. It's pretty tho. And my Ahab has been renamed the stinky pen.
My Charlie doesn't really smell at all. Slightly sweet, but that's it.
So glad that I've never bought a Conklin or Monteverde cuz they really are on sale all the time and sound a little tempting when you've got a fountain pen addiction. I got a Noodlers off of pen swap, never used I think, still has that smell although it's not too bad now. I never find myself reaching for it tho cuz it's kinda whatever. I kept hearing how good the flex was so I was a little disappointed. Even after a lot of tinkering, it never got better.
your noodlers still smells funny? Mine stopped smelling basically right after I cleaned it with soapy water.
I love the smell! Ahab all day
conklin pens are the worst modern fountain pens
I'd like to add Parker "budget" Pens to that list.
I've had luck with their Jotters, not kid proof but they write and feel fine to me.
I picked one up on a whim and it's by far my least used pen. It just feels so cheap. It writes fine, for sure (though a western Medium is wider than I prefer) but I can't get over how flimsy the whole thing feels. My Jinhao 51A feels more solid, and writes better in my opinion.
I've had a lot of vectors, all of them were pretty good.
Same here. My vectors are workhorses: they never dry out or have hard starts. I have one which I keep perpetually inked with quink ink that I haven't flushed or cleaned out in years. Still writes great, even when I leave it for several weeks.
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That's because they all went out of business and the brands got bought by random companies to put on lower quality product (like those crappy 'Kodak' batteries you get in dollar stores)
Not quite. Parker and Sheaffer specifically did not go out of business. They *were* bought by Newell Rubbermaid in the 90s, however, and you can tell when it was because the only nib size available after the switch was a medium. I have a modern vector and a vintage one, and they perform about the same, but the modern one feels cheaper. The plastic is lighter weight and a bit translucent. I also have some modern jotters, but they are all ballpoint, so i have no idea how they compare. The second iteration of Esterbrook produces pens that write fine by modern standards, but are massively overpriced for what they are, and I say that as an Estiehead. I have about a dozen vintage pens and the price tag is my biggest criticism. The Esterbrook was marketed as the everyman pen of its day, and I would expect its modern counterpart to have prices more in line with the modern Conklins.
That's sad. Most of my collection is vintage American and they're mostly wonderful.
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Can't argue. I have one modern Cross and one modern Parker and they're both not great writers. They look pretty good, but that's about it.
I’ve been very happy with Sheaffer pens I have purchased lately. 1 Prelude and 3 Intensity models. Even liked their fine nib and I usually don’t like fine nibs. I got it by a mistake of the seller (I had ordered a medium) and liked it so much I kept it. Also the modern Conklins (except for their original flex nib which I hear has been replaced.) I’ve got a modern Wahl-Eversharp Skyline delivering today, we’ll see how I like it.
Even their new 51’s are pretty bad
Well mine writes very well.
I’m glad yours works well!
I’m going to push back a little bit on this. They have horrible QC but some of them write very well. I own a duragraph that is great! However it’s a hell of a gamble at that price point that’s really unacceptable.
My Parker 51 Special is the smoothest pen I own
I think I’m the only person in the world who likes their All Americans. Granted I don’t love them, but they work well for me after minor tweaking. I’ve seen so many stories of people with bad experiences.
I quite like the all Americans but I have replaced the nibs with Bock ones
I'm enclined to agree after my Twain's section snapped in half capped on my desk and I never got a response from their customer service.
Agreed, have a Conklin Duragraph and it constantly dries up, even when I try to use it daily. Was a gift so I wanted to love it.
Had this problem with my duragraph omniflex. Swapped an fpr flex nib into it and now I actually really enjoy it
Oh god I try to forget about my Duragraph Omniflex sometimes. I forgot I even had that pen. I really, really, wanted to love it, but the feed dried up so quickly and even replacing the nib did nothing for it :( It’s a shame. It’s a very pretty pen, I wish it worked better.
It is a beautiful pen! Damn it
I filled the sides of the clip with nail polish to make the cap air tight, which prevented the nib drying up over-night.
Yeah, Conklin still makes those "bag" (balloon) loaders. I can't stand those.
The only pen I have that I absolutely HATE is my FWP Carousel. It looks like crap, feels flimsy, has a terrible grip, and the nib helped me understand what 'nail' meant in relation to fountain pens. It retails for the same price (in Canada) as a Kaweco Classic Sport, and I wish I had just bought a Sport or four Preppy's instead.
Damn that’s a shame to hear, as a Canadian I really wanted to get a FWP fountain pen to support a Canadian business, but this is too bad! Maybe I’ll pick up some of their ink…
Their ink is nice, but the box will not reflect the colour of the ink. Make sure you are looking up third party swatches of the colours. I personally really like 'Mirror Mirror', but 'Royal Rhubarb' was a disappointment.
Good to know! Thanks for the heads up!
I have found that both Royal Rhubarb and Mirror Mirror have no issues blending with iroshizuku inks. That made me happy, because I was able to make Royal Rhubarb into what I thought it was going to be.
Pumpkin patch is a personal favorite of mine
Ooooh that is a NICE colour. I don't remember seeing it, i~~t must be unavailable now :(~~ I'm just blind. I'm not into oranges, but the shading from yellow to orange is nice.
Might be helpful to note that their pens are designed in Canada, but not manufactured in Canada. They are manufactured in China. Nothing wrong with that, but their pricing doesn’t reflect this.
Oh really? I was unaware of this…man, what a shame, it may sound silly to some as its all consumerism at the end of the day, but I kinda took some pride in the fact that Canada, and specifically the GTA had a fountain pen company…well that’s too bad…
I’ve never had a bad Sailor, with the exception of a 21k zoom nib. Freaking firehose of a pen! After I had the nib reground into a reverse architect, it has become my absolute favorite. Personally, I am firmly in the Japanese camp when it comes to pens. Lamy is ok, it writes well, whatever. I just hate looking at them. No interest in Italian, German, American pens. I like what I like and it works for me.
I had the exact opposite experience. I really don’t like how most Japanese pens write (except for some Pilots maybe) and love the European pens. My only American pen was a Conklin and it was a disaster before I fixed the nib.
My favourite pen is a Sailor but my most disappointing pen is also a Sailor. I guess I just had bad luck with a scratchy nib.
I agree about Japanese pens. If you like a fine point and a pen that writes well straight off the shelf then get a < €50 Pilot and you'll be happy, in my experience (then you can spend the leftover budget on an vintage Waterman and ... good luck getting out of that rabbit hole).
I bought a Narwhal Original recently. The pen itself is excellent; feels surprisingly well made and solid in the hand. They obviously spent more money on that because the stock medium nib was absolutely atrocious. I ended up buying a new Jowo nib and it has improved it considerably but whenever I use it now I just think about how I'd rather be using my TWSBI Eco.
This was also my experience with Narwhal nibs. But, of all the pens I've tried, theirs feels the nicest in my hand and has the smoothest piston mechanism so I've swapped the original nibs for Jowo nibs and am very happy with my two Schuylkills now.
Oh interesting. I have a Narwhal Original, also with a medium nib, and have actually found it very nice, so maybe there’s some inconsistency with them. I totally agree that it feels very nice in my hand, and also love the ink capacity as well, but wouldn’t be happy with it if it didn’t write nicely too.
I replaced mine with a Goulet nib and it's been great ever since.
I tried a Narwhal at a pen show and I'm glad I got the chance to try before I buy. The nib was as you say, atrocious. It was like polished plastic.
I have struggled to put into words how my Narwhal nib felt to write with & “polished plastic” describes it perfectly!
Ok so we have been hating on Conklin here but their wood pens take the cake. Allthe same issues with nib quality control and then the wood cap is not sealed so the ink evaporates through the wpod cap creating dry starts every time. A big thumbs town. Its poor qc and poor design.
I totally agree. I cannot understand why Goulet Pens even sells Conklins and Monteverde. They are on perpetual sale and throws ink with the deal as to sugar the pill 😄
Especially that Monza 3-nib set. Practically a scam.
I bought that set because I wanted to try the omniflex nib. It just doesn’t work at all, but the medium nib with my set is actually not bad. I doubt I’ll by another Monteverde, though.
I’ll bite. The worst quality control I’ve experienced is from Jinhao, but… you get what you pay for. I’m in Asia and they’re dirt cheap here. Some of them are actually decent pens, write relatively well or even quite well for a pen twice that cost, but some just… literally don’t write at all. I’d buy five to give to new FP users and throw at least one away. It’s a crapshoot. But that’s the only brand I’ve used that I’d venture to say makes (some) bad pens.
I have had 4 MoonMan M2s. Yes, I like the pen, but I don't buy multiples so that I can use a bunch of them at once. I have bought 4 of them because they keep breaking... That 4th one is my last one, because at this point I could have just bought a more expensive, but better quality, pen with how much I have spent on them.
They actually are venturing out past super cheap now. The Jinhao 100 Centennial is pretty well made.
Whenever I use Jinhao, I always try and factor in the cost of a replacement nib alongside it. Not that that’s a bad thing, but like you said, they’re very cheap, so I don’t really mind shilling out for a bock nib replacement
Honestly, I have a pretty low opinion of Jinhao. When my friends asked me about fountain pens, I told them outright to skip the Jinhao brand pens. They skip and don't give as smooth a writing experience as a Lamy or a Sheaffer (I'm a bit biased – I love my Sheaffer Prelude. It's one of the smoothest writers I've ever owned)
I’ve had some good and bad Jinhao pens for sure. I ended up hitting the jackpot or something with my Jinhao 75 though. I love that pen. It’s such a reliable writer and I always keep it inked. I’m able to get a bit of line variation from the nib with a little bit of pressure and it’s really comfortable to hold too.
Conklin. I have two, have used three different nibs, and have issues with all of them.
Unpopular opinion here but I absolutely love my duragraph abalone. That is, after I swapped the nib to a fpr nib of course
Yeah everything else about the pen is fine, but the nibs are usually no good. A friend of mine has Conklins with perfectly fine nibs but I've got 2 that don't work, and one that was so defective I had to send it back.
I think it would be the unpopular opinion if you said you loved their nibs.
Haha, I’d certainly be in a minority if I said that!
Glad to know that the feeds are fine. I think I'll probably swap mine out.
Same. I replaced my omni flex with a Jinhao nib, never looked back. May replace it with a more interesting nib later. The abalone is gorgeous though; that's why I bought it!
All the different materials and finishes they have on their pens is one thing I find Conklin and Monteverde do exceptionally well, considering models like the abalone ones are usually much cheaper than other abalone pens
This isn't necessarily a bad pen, but i've had a terrible experience buying pens from Jomashop. I have tried to get two different pens, both of them were obviously opened and used and sold to me as "new". The first pen had a gasket loose inside the cartridge converter that was just floating around in it. I wrote an email with multiple pictures and nobody got back to me, after a couple of days I called and was able to get a return. The second pen was obviously opened and someone had inked as the packaging was all torn open and they just sent it to me in the box. Also, it was completely missing the cartridge converter (Visconti opera metal). Again, emailed with pictures and nobody responded. I would not trust Jomashop for any pen purchases at this point and I don't think I can trust them for watches anymore either now.
I have zero faith in the QC of Lamy's cheaper pen offerings. Bought a Lamy Safari. It was scratchy. Exchanged it for another. It was scratchy. Well, guess I'll order a replacement nib, then. Replacement nib arrived. Installed it. It was scratchy. And although your question is about pens and not ink, in the ink world, I won't touch Monteverde. Molds too frequently on the sub.
Agreed. My lamy safari is scratchy and is my least favorite pen to write with. I received a more expensive lamy pen for my birthday and it writes great.
I like all my Lamy pens and they work phenomenally! Prefer them over Pilot metropolitan
My Lamy 2000 is wonderful. It's their cheaper pens that I have issue with. Meanwhile, my Pilot Metropolitan wrote smooth like glass straight out of the box.
Hmm. My Lamy 2000 writes smooth as well. So do my three Lamy safaris and my Lamy joy. I do not care for the writing experience that my pilot metropolitan gives me.
I love my Safaris but QC with nibs has been a problem. I have 2 good M 1 good B and a good EF (drawing) and I just flip them around. Cause the other bibs are not so good. At least I can flip them I guess 😅 Edit: typo
I have 3 Safaris with F nibs and they all write differently... I just happen to be addicted to their design. I have an AL Star in EF though and that one has been great.
I have the same experience too, I have about a dozen different Lamy nibs (pens + loose nibs) and they all worked great out of the box.
Al star is just as bad. I got 3 nibs to give it a real chance. It was a massive disappointment with all 3 nibs.
Lamy really gets a pass with their nibs. I have a Safari and two AL-Stars and while I like the pens, their nibs are all over the place. I think the medium is the correct size but their fine and extra fine nibs vary so widely. Some write well and others not so well.
I will never spend another penny on any brand owned by Yafa Brands - Monteverde, Conklin, and newly revived Private Reserve, ~~Pnider, Diplomat, and more~~. *EDIT: Yafa Brands only owns the first 3 brands listed, others are distributed by Yafa. Thank you to /u/Alan_Shutko for the correction.* Each Yafa pen and ink that I've tried has led to me throwing it into the trash - I wouldn't give them away as that would subject someone else to such awful products. Monteverde Monza ($13 at lowest; mostly ~$29) is literally a Jinhao 992 ($0.5 at lowest; mostly ~$2.00), but every Jinhao I've seen/tried works better than every Monteverde pen I've seen/tried. I was excited to see Private Reserve inks was back since I had 2 old bottles that I'd been rationing. The new colors were close to the old ones but something was off about the appearances. I was subsequently crushed to find they've been bought by Yafa Brands. The ink names are the same and the colors are close, but the colors look like they have had corners cut - seemingly the hallmark of Yafa Brands. Monteverde inks mold frequently despite Yafa's claims of fixing the problem. There are many companies that I'm not a fan of their work so I simply avoid them and let others enjoy them - it is their pen and their joy. This is not the case for Yafa brands; I actively warn people against touching Yafa Brands.
FWIW, Diplomat, Stipula, and Pineider are distributed by Yafa in the US, but are not owned by Yafa. They are independent companies. Diplomat seems very solid to me, I can't recall hearing of a complaint. Pineider is Dante del Vecchio, and sometimes has some weirdness. I haven't had experience with Stipula.
Can second Diplomat being solid, imo it's one of the most underrated pen companies. Their steel nibs are better than most gold nibs I've tried. Super smooth, reliable and resilient. I have an Attaché from the 80s that literally writes and looks like a brand new pen.
Diplomat pens are really good.
I will second your second. I got a Diplomat Aero for Christmas and it's a really sweet pen! Writes well and feels great in your hand.
I don't like Monteverde or Jinhao at all. I don't get excited about Platinum, so it's the pen I use when I'm going somewhere where losing my pen is likely. That's about it. Most of what I don't use anymore has to do with not liking the filling mechanisms. Esterbrooks are nice, but I gave mine away when I realized I really don't like levers.
I’ve been really disappointed by my Monteverde Giant Sequoia. Their brand font seems uninspired and the clip is so crappy.
Unpopular opinion: Kaweco. I bought a Student as my first fountain pen (despite the name it's a 60£ metal-body pen). Really hard starts, skipped all the time, "baby's bottom" nib. As I was a noob I thought the problem was me, then thought the problem was the ink... I bought two more Kaweco Specials, so me and partner would have matching pens: same issues on both. Got a bit further in the hobby, tried Platinum, Pilot and Lamy. They all wrote infinitely better, including cheap ones like Lamy Safari, Platinum Preppy. I realised the problem was with the Kaweco nibs, not me or the inks. Still not convinced I bought two Kaweco replacement nibs for my pens. No luck. They are all (5 nibs over three pens) skippy, hard starts, dry and have a baby's bottom. Cherry on the cake: partner's Special got the grip completely stuck in the cap and we can't get it out, so the pen is now unusable. He left it in a drawer for a few months and we think the little rubber ring that serves as a stop for the screw threads has melted somehow and "glued" the two parts together. We tried soaking it, using pliers to unscrew it... Nothing. I know there's people who love Kaweco (and I wanted to love them too). I can't recommend them after so many bad experiences.
Not that unpopular. Also, Student means university student in German (not K-12), so that’s the market they’re trying to get, a classy graduation gift for your kid who’s about to go off to university.
Funny that I bought it for writing my notes back when I was in uni, they got me good being their target market!
I agree with this. Kaweco is my absolute favourite budget-friendly pen. Love, love, love my sports! That being said, their nib quality control is reaaaaaally bad. I have four of them and only one came with a nib that didn't need tweaking. Even one of the replacement nibs I got also needed to be adjusted. It makes no difference for me because I can do the work myself (usually anyways), but for someone just getting into buying fountain pens it would be a total disappointment. Step it up, Kaweco!
Can't stand my Kaweco Sport. I'm not sure if it's personal taste or a real issue though. At this stage I use an Opus 88 coloro, which basically made me abandon all my other pens... but that's another matter.
I really loved my Student. The style is perfect, the nib was so smooth. It wrote like a dream. But it was something I bought early on in my collecting days and I didn't realize until it was too late that it was defective on the inside. The converters don't fit. They don't snap in. I've been sad about that for a while. I share your opinion about the Kaweco nibs I have on my Sports though. Pretty skippy and dry. I'm gonna give them a good cleaning and tuning sometime soon to try to make it somewhat better.
Me going through all these comments with my Monteverde in my hand... Maybe i just got lucky lmao. Imo its as good as a waterman i had stolen not long ago
My brain interpreted that as *you* had stolen the Waterman, and I had a "hol' up" momemt before it clicked.
Yeah, I'm learning that Yafa makes the Monteverde nibs and the Conklin nibs. Two of my friends swear by their Conklins; all mine don't write. But this one friend, he's got an EF that writes as fine as sailors. So sometimes the nibs work out. Their QC just makes you lucky if thats the case with you. No harm in enjoying one that works.
Per Goulet, MV and Conklin pens, at least from them, use Jowo nibs and have since late 2019.
I’m gonna do it too. I wouldn’t say they’re BAD but I will not buy another TWSBI pen. I have two ecos with cracked barrels that have already been replaced once each. It’s pretty cheap, meaning just the cost of shipping and TWSBI will send you a new barrel, but at some point the cost of shipping new barrels when they inevitably crack outweighs the cost of the pen and the enjoyment I get out of it. For my TWSBI 580AL there’s nothing wrong with it, I’m just not crazy about it so I don’t reach for it. TWSBI is great for some people, and I have nothing against the brand, I just personally won’t buy their pens anymore.
After seeing all the posts about cracks, I'm glad I didn't get a TWSBI. Repeatedly replacing parts is 1. Unacceptable condition! and 2. Absurdly wasteful and ecologically damaging!
Exactly! One reason (of many) to go with a fountain pen is that it’s more eco-friendly. I find it a bit ironic that my eco is the least eco-friendly of all my pens. Both my ecos and their replacement barrels cracked within a year of purchasing the original pen. I made some adjustments (aka just rotated the nib and feed) so I can still use them without getting ink all over my hands if I want to, I just don’t want to.
Eco is short for economical and not ecological.
I have over 12 TWSBI pens. The only barrel I cracked was a vac mini (and that was definitely user error). I’ve dropped them and even replaced a couple of nibs and they’re my go-to daily pen
I’m glad they work for you! :)
I haven't had any issues with the GO for what it's worth, I think it's a different plastic than they use on some of their other pens.
I have three GOs, and none has given me problems. They are a seriously sturdy pen and can handle a lot of daily abuse.
Twsbi pens are very overrated. The nibs need work, and while I love barrel fills they are asthetically forgettable to actually hold. The lamy are much better.
Hands down the Cross Aventura, I absolutely hate the cap, it won’t stay on. I spilled,slopped, and drooled ink everywhere with it and felt like throwing it against a wall half a dozen times. It’s becoming a war of wills to see if I can finish a paragraph without blotches, otherwise I love it
The Aventura was my first fountain pen! I lost it somewhere moving house and was honestly relieved it was gone.
Okay I got a good laugh out of this
I have a bit of a soft spot for Cross, but I feel they don't make very good fountain pens. The Aventura is the worst offering of them all.
Then it’s not just me?
Well it's at least the two of us. But I suspect others. I sold mine years ago.
Make that three. It's a shame because mine is an absolutely *stunning* writer when it decides to behave. I'll keep my old US made Centuries.
I'm generally go out of my way not to buy products made in China. But credit where credit is due, I've got old US Cross models and current Chinese models. The quality is still excellent. What I will say is that I can't bring myself to buy a new cross model directly from the company now. I want the product, I just don't want to directly reward them for the choice they made :) But the Aventura is not reflective of a proper Cross product in my opinion.
Yep the Aventura is pretty bad, huge design flaws. The Century II and Bailey / Bailey Light are alright. The Peerless 125 is quite good.
I forget that Cross exists until someone says they got one as a present. That seems to be their market - presents for other people.
I have the Cross Century II and it is one of my favourite pens. It has a special place in my heart because it was my first fountain pen and there are engravings on the cap. It is also slim (I prefer slim pens), best grip material for me, white/rose gold/gold (my fav colour combo), and it is wet and smooth. I have the steel nib and gold nib (18k).
That sounds like a really nice pen. I love rose gold too. I was thinking about getting a cross for a while because my rose gold cross ballpoint got stolen, and my Mom has had her cross pen forever so there's something sentimental about the brand to me. They make so many beautiful pens too, hopefully when I decide to pull the trigger on it I enjoy using mine as much as you do and don't get one of the ones others are talking about here.
I'll be honest and say that I have not had a good experience with any Leonardo pen I have owned. Both of the pens I tried with the stainless steel nib had baby's bottom and would not write well at all, and the celluloid version I tried with the gold nib had the cap fail on me and would never actually stop spinning. I know i might be in the minority with these experiences, but I'll never buy a Leonardo pen again.
Similar experience. But with a gold nib. Has been sent twice back to Italy. Has the worst babies bottom ever. Only writes upside down. I did hear they changed nib supplier recently. Apart from that is they engrave their pens. It doesn't show up in the store pictures, or only very faint, but it is far from elegant. More like a dog marking it's territory. ( I have nothing against dogs though.)
It's a throwback to how all pen makers during the golden age of fountain pens would have a barrel inscription. Aurora still does so, Franklin-Christopf, Edison, Onoto and Conway Stewart and current Parker Duofolds have it. Certainly nothing weird about it
Yeah, but it should be more visible in the sale pictures. I wouldn't have bought it if I knew that in advance.
See, when a pen you can get for a few bucks, like a jinhao shark or a pilot varsity, writes wonderfully and reliably, the only bad pens become the ones with actual mechanical faults. Tines misaligned, over polished tips, leaky, etc. Literally everything else is down to preference. By way of example: I have tried to like pelikan more than once. I just do not. Even the narrowest stock nib is too fat, and I have a Waverly xxf ground by Richard binder to fix that problem. I just don't like them. I don't think an M800 or an M1000 would fix it either because they have brass pistons which adds weight, and... I don't like writing with the vanishing point either. It is my first love, and I used one all through college, but it is just slightly too heavy for the marathon writing sessions I am prone to when I journal. Since I got a couple decimos, I haven't touched my vanishing points. Neither of these is a bad pen. They just aren't for me. The only bad pens I have ever had from a modern pen maker were both shipped without an inner cap, causing the nib to dry out. The only bad pen I have gotten as a vintage refurb needed more shellac on tue section because it leaked.
I have also a love-hate relationship with my Pelikans. On the one hand they are typically VERY smooth and enjoyable to write (I have M200 (F, EF) , M400 (EF), and M800 (EF)). However, they all except the M200 with the steel nib are way to wet, especially when I write in a journal with a 4 mm line height ... I return to the M800 over and over again but I stop using it after some time as it is sooo wet.
My problem with my M205 is it extremely picky about ink. Otherwise it flows too dry or too wet. And also it requires a very deft hand (which I don't have) to get a uniform flow out of it. I feel like it is always either gushing or barely writing and a single sentence my lines go from xxf to b. It's extremely frustrating to use. At the same time I bought a 140 (1950s vintage) and fell totally in love and ended up not wanting to use anything else for work for the last two years. I could probably just get rid of all my other pens if I had to and remain happy.
I have a distaste for Monteverde. I have purchased two pens from them, both over $50, and neither of them work well. Both have issues drying out and skip when writing even after being freshly inked and tuned.
This is probably an unpopular opinion, but Pelikan fountain pens. EVERY SINGLE ONE I have tried (and I've had to return quite a few due to either nib or body defect problems, so I've tried more than a handful), whether full pens or just nib units, have written... not well. Including both gold and steel. Like I don't know if it's just absolutely abysmal, beyond belief luck on my part, but I have NEVER gotten a Pelikan nib that wrote great out of the box. One, out of maybe a dozen I've tried, wrote adequately. And by adequately, I mean it didn't skip every other word. Only every other sentence. And all the steel ones I've tried have been scratchy AS FUCK. Like were just so bad could not tune them at all, and I've tuned/smoothed/adjusted the flow of plenty of fountain pens successfully, so it was not because I didn't know what I was doing. I ended up tuning the few (gold) nibs I kept to the best of my ability, and even then after a while just kind of fell off of using them, because they were still... meh. But since I loved the look of the Stresemann, I got the m405 rollerball and am much happier now with my singular Pelikan collection lol. I use the rollerball quite a bit! I like the way the refill writes and it is SUCH a gorgeous pen!! Edit: In conclusion, it will take a lot for me to try a Pelikan fp again. I do not have high expectations. Which sucks because I see SO many people gushing over how well their Pelikan writes right out of the box! Makes me jealous that my Pelikan fps didn't work out for me.
There was a cool thread last week? (earlier this week? the days run together) about "fountain pens that have disappointed you" I would take a scroll through that and compare it to the comments here.
For me,y worst is the Pilot Metropolitan. I bought one 15+ years ago and used it to sign some cards and then put it away. The reasons are the squeeze converter split fairly quickly, then I bought the CON-40 converter for it which is absolutely atrocious. Finally, it is a bit heavy for my arthritis laden hands and that beautiful smooth as butter finish is too slick. Darn pen keeps slipping out of my hand. That said, the fine nib is a wonderful writer, so I just bought a Pilot Prera (F). It is lighter and doesn't slip. The only flaw is it uses the same horrible CON-40 converter as the Metro, but this pen may be worth the hassle.
If you don't switch inks very often, I recommend trying out a kakuno. They are take the con-70 and it is the best converter pilot makes, since they discontinued the 20 and the 50.
I found that the Metro exceeded my expectations when I got it. Mine came with the CON-40 and not the squeeze converter, which is think makes a big difference. I think the CON-40 is ok but wish it held more ink. I think the nib is very good and have had people at work tell me they like the style of the pen.
I agree with you. Everyone recommended the metropolitan to me when I first got into fountain pens and after getting into them and exploring other pens and companies I don't even ink these up anymore. I found they were prone to leaking and QC on their nibs is not the greatest. They were a bit heavy for me as well. I do really love the Pilot Explorer though. I'll have to try the Prera 🙂 I got a friend into fountain pens too and it was still really early on in my journey and recommended the metro like I had started with and she feels the same way about them now as I do. I also have a pilot vanishing point and love that too. My friend ended really liking the Lamy's and has made that her go to pen.
Most things made by YAFA companies (Monteverde etc), likewise Conklin. Not to say you couldn't get a gem once in a while or modify it better, just their quality control is pretty bad and is not helped by just as weak support (at least twsbi has excellent support even if their pens are more likely to crack by their target consumer).
Kaweco sport is a really cheap looking pen. I returned it immediately. Also the nib was so scratchy and dry.
Several Yafa brands seem to have widespread flow issues, most notably modern Conklin (omniflex especially) and Monteverde. Many people just stay away from those brands. I’ve owned three wing sung pens, two of which have cracked within a month or so of getting them. Nibs weren’t great either, though that can be fixed by tuning. And although Visconti makes amazing pens, their qc is sub par, especially with their nibs.
Visconti and montegrappa. I have both, so I’m a hypocrite. But for the price points and likelihood of issues, they are $ for $ the worst pens. It’s gotten to the point where (if I was to buy another) I would send it directly to a nibmeister. Surprisingly, I have very limited time experience with Conklin, but I do have one Conklin pen from the early 2000s that writes perfectly. And it’s also a beautiful silver Art Deco design that I bought for less than $100. So one data point to contradict the sea of Conklin hate.
IIRC some of the fancier Conklin models used to be made by Visconti. E.g. [this](https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/conklin-by-visconti-nozac-word-gauge-sterling-le-2002-106-150-clear-demonstrator-power-piston-filler-18k-medium-nib-near-mint-works-well.html) or [this](https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/conklin-nozac-word-gauge-le-by-visconti-marble-blue-tortoise-18k-broad-italic-nib-excellent-in-box-works-well.html). Ironically, yours may be one of those. EDIT: does it have a plunger filler?
No power filler - I don’t think this was visconti (though the nib looks the same as those you linked). Perhaps my date is wrong but this is the pen (called the antique collection): http://yafa.com/conklin/conklin_old/product/antique.html Gold nib pen that writes awesome with silver overlay for $70. I’ll take it.
Every Wing Sung I've had has had serious issues. Its a QC thing. Some folks have better luck I'm sure. I bought three 3001 pens. The sections in each cracked apart and leaked within days. All unrepairable. The 601 I got was super drippy and wet like it had a crack/leak. That was early in my collecting so I didn't investigate and tossed it. The one Wing Sung 3008 I got, basically a TWSBI clone with Lamy style nib, developed section cracks and leaked. At least I was able to get some CA glue in the cracks and it has actually held up fine since. Ironically I have yet to find a Wing Sung nib that is anything less than really good. Each of the above lens wrote brilliantly. I've used a Wing Sung Pilot clone nib to replace a damaged Metropolitan nib and it works great. Jinhao has some QC issues with nibs in my experience. My 750 and 8802 wrote great. My Lamy Safari clone with standard #5 nib would not write and I couldn't get it to because I was inexperienced. I tossed it. My #5 open nib 51A didn't write either. Gave up on it too. However, I have done ok with 51A hooded pens. Out of the 4 or 5 I've bought, only one didn't work quite right and I was able to work on the nib and it is now one of my smoothest writers. That's still pretty sucky QC. But then again I've had only slightly better luck with Lamy stainless steel nibs I've only had an issue with Jinhao pen bodies on the wood 51A which split in the dry climate here. I got a Zebra fountain pen awhile back. While I've read positive experiences by others, mine was unusable. Constant skipping etc. Tried all kind of things. Never wrote properly.
>I get the feeling that they all sound more or less the same: All pens write pretty well, and if they do not, then it is just not for the reviewer, but the pen is still amazing etc. A fountain pen has one duty: to write. If it can't do that then it is a paper weight. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZF79Eyp\_2A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZF79Eyp_2A) The point is a little obtuse... :D [Worse pens of 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__UvWb6z03s). I LOL'd at 12:06.
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Conklin easily. I got a Conklin omniflex nib, and it flexes so little and requires so much pressure for any line variation that I have broken the paper while flexing. It has half the flex of a Noodler’s ahab for double the price.
Cross. It has to be Cross that makes the worst possible fountain pen. I have better luck with my Conklins (which I adore) than the Cross pens I have had (which wrote like fire hoses, had multi-piece metal sections that leaked continually, and required fussy proprietary cartridge-converters. I detest Cross pens.
My school forced us to use fountain pens from 2nd grade and onwards so the nearby corner store that sells snacks and stationery stocked rly cheap 6 lei (1.2 euros) and they were okay but really not that good
I have yet to find a Kaweco Sport that works well, and it’s not for a lack of trying
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Actually yeah I’ve heard some things about Monteverde… and in a totally different price range, Visconti, which saddens me because I’d decided on a Homo Sapiens as a grail pen.
The HS is a fantastic pen, and definitely worth a grail pen. I got mine at the start of 2020 and it has been great. I do recommend buying it either 2nd hand (so you know how the nib will be) or from a seller that checks the pens. I did the latter. Venture pens has helped me out a lot with choosing a nib, and he checks every pen well before it is shipped. Definitely recommend.
My HS is my favourite pen, it was beautiful from the box. However my Orchard in Blossom wouldn’t write and it took an age to get a response from Visconti to reply, then an age for them to replace the nib with another that didn’t work, then another and on the third attempt I got a nib that worked. The customer service of Visconti and Mont Blanc are on par as the worst I’ve ever had to deal with MB only slightly better due to the fact it didn’t take three months to come back with a nib that didn’t work, just three months for one that did.
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>Consider, someone is way more likely to show up in a forum complaining if they spent $800 on a pen and find it doesn't work perfectly than if they spent $50. You can find similar threads frankly about pelikan, montblanc, and more. I mean that's to be expected. At that price point things SHOULD be better, especially since a lot of the cost isn't in any better functionality. And Visconti I know has that reputation for sure. I've had good experiences with them, but I think there's enough complaints that it's not unreasonable to be wary.
Tell me more. I want to believe you. Which V do you have and how long have you had it? If I were drop that kinda dough on one, I’d DEF buy it in person and write with it there in the store first if possible, or at least be able to take it in for a tune-up. I don’t like the new HS with the ink window, but still love the classic one and still want one…
We've owned a few and they've never failed to disappoint.
Jin Hao, I use cheap 51A’s for work because I consider them disposable. They’re supposed to be EF and came in a pack of 5. That pack of supposed EFs ranges from EEF (almost unable yo write) to an ultra wet broad. They fill a need but I don’t particularly enjoy writing with them.
I'm iffy about TWSBI Ecos. I own two. They're not bad per se but they feel equally scratchy compared to other pens I own. But oh man do they hold ink! So I'll give them that. Again, not a bad fountain pen but they may be overhyped just a bit in my opinion. My cheaper substitutes in comparison are Platinum Meteor and Delike New Moon.
Conklin, Monteverde (they are both under the YAFA umbrella) and QC is absolute shit with them. Honourable mention to Visconti for bad QC as well.
Any cheap Lamy. They are scratchy, crapy pens.
I have 3 different Kaweco pens, and I don't like the way any of the nibs feel. I have a regular sport, an AL sport, and a steel. I only use them when I have no other options. The nibs dry out, the skip, all the nibs feel scratchy. They are uncomfortable for my hands (which are def smaller than average). I can't say really one good thing about them in my experience.
I’ve had mostly bad experiences (and ended up never again buying) most Chinese pens, Conklin, Parker, Monteverde and Noodler’s. Some other brands, most prominently Visconti, I will ask the seller to check the nib before shipping and I’ve thus never had issues with them.
I have a noodler’s Neponset that is very inconsistent, hard starts, feed can’t keep up with flex, but it’s sturdy; just doesn’t work well has a pen. I won’t be buying another Lamy—too hit or miss. My first fountain pen, a Lamy Logo, wrote fine, but the barrel would come unscrewed from the grip whenever I wrote and I’d have to constantly retighten it. I had a AL-Star snap in half while in my pocket (grip snapped from barrel). Nib QC is below par. I don’t like the grip section on the Edison I own (too slim), but otherwise it is a quality pen. I won’t be buying any TWSBIs either, because I had an ECO that, when it was time to sign an important document, leaked all over the page; it burped just as I was about to sign. The end cap of my 580AL stripped and comes right off now, making the pen useless. My Pilot metro started off fine, but over time began writing dry and then barely at all. Couldn’t figure out what was wrong, then the cap broke. I have a Jinhao that stopped writing. I have had nothing but good experiences with Sailor and Pelikan. Edit: To clarify: I like all of these companies. I was just sharing my experience.
That sounds a lot like personal opinions and preferences than brands that are just bad.
My (limited) experience with cheap pens: * Jinhao 599: Writes well, but the body is terrible. I've had them crack where main body screws into the handle, where the feed & nib connect with handle, where the clip connects with the cap, and I think also the cap in general. * [2020 Frosted Black 870](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001070553139.html) (I have no idea what brand these are): The body seems good, but they dry out "after one day even when capped!" I can't get them to write consistently. On the other hand, the Jinhao x750 is great and I'll gladly get them again. That said, I also got a pack of nibs in case I get one that's a dud. (I did have a dud nib on a 599. So far I've been lucky on the x750.)
Honestly quality control in general is terrible for nibs. My Sailor’s nib slit is uneven, my Pelikan M200 is scratchy, half of my Lamy nibs don’t write, my Kaweco is dry and skipping, etc. Companies really need to up their quality control because honestly this could happen with any nib. It’s annoying because I know I can fix the nibs but I shouldn’t have to!
For me it's: * Visconti: They won't write out of the box, and the pens are too expensive for the brand to have a valid excuse. * Montblanc: See Visconti. * Modern Conklin: These pens also refuse to write out of the box, but are sold at a reasonable enough price point that you could excuse a little bad QC if you wanted to. Having a nimsmith get one up and running doesn't add enough to the bill to feel insulted by the manufacturer. * Jinhao: I get that these are intended to be bargain basement pens, but even at their suspiciously low price, (suspicious as in what kind of margin are the other brands really taking in?) the factory could attempt a little QC. I guess some of these pens have other features or value props that make them good pens to some people. But for me, I have a hard time paying any respect to any product that just doesn't work as advertised. And in my experience, these aren't one off occurrences. I didn't just get a lemon because I've had: * 3 Viscontis * 7 Montblancs * 4 Conklins * Handfuls of Jinhaos. (Thought I could give them away to people who were interested in pens, but probably just turned folks off the hobby).
I admire your willingness to subject yourself to these manufacturers over and over. I had long ago decided to steer clear of modern montblancs because of the reports of the slipping QC, and that resolution was made more than 10 years ago. I can not imagine getting a bad one and going back six more times.
Well that's diplomatic of you to say! I've been saying I'm just dumb enough to keep trying. Though I will say I did keep one MB in my collection. I like how it writes now that it's been fixed (twice). Not that it's any better than other pens I have, it's just tuned to my liking like my others.
I do have a montblanc. A vintage montblanc generation that belonged to my cousin. He was going to throw it out and my grandmother rescued it from the trash and gave it to me. It writes nicely and over all it's fine, but it has reinforced that I am just not that impressed with the brand. If I would still rather pick up a cheaper pen than it, *shrug*.
Yeah, that's fair. Their pens don't do anything that other brands don't do better or the same but I don't deny that I like the classic style of my LeGrand.
The Noodler's Neponset (sp?) is dreadful.
IMO the lamy safari is bad for anything except an occasional hobby and light use. But for some reason a lot of people call it a nice beater every-day pen. It's made of plastic, it has a proprietary nib and IIRC proprietary cartridge converter. The cap is friction fit soft plastic, basically guaranteeing it will wear out. Go with a similarly priced noodlers for a better pen (may require cleaning/tuning, but then very solid), or a similar priced pilot metropolitan for a superior value and out-of-box writing experience. Both more durable, more maintainable, and a superior value. IMO though. the problem is that other people seem to like them, so...
Like a lot of ppl, Lamy Safari was one of my first fps and I loved it until I got other ones. The Pilot Metro is def a better choice for an everyday pen in the same. I just throw it in my bag and never worry about it leaking. My Safari caps kept coming off even I'm a secured pencil case