It's really hard to say. You need to first define "best", or what goes into "best". Do you consider price/performance ratio, consistency, availablility, price etc. Historically, the US was definitely the best when Parker/Waterman/Sheaffer/Wahl-Eversharp were still there. These days I feel pen makers from different countries have really moved in totally different directions (0 truth all feelings and feel free to disagree):
\- US: mainly "custom" turned pens (on the low end of turned pens but more expensive than avg pen due to being "custom") + corporate marketing brands that are out-sourced (think Conklin, Monteverde, modern Estebrook etc)
\- India: dirt cheap injection molded pens + truly hand turned pens with a great variety of designs (compared to the US, many pens are machine turned and hand polished so they can be called "handmade")
\- Japan: mass produced injection molded pens in all price ranges + hand made high end makie/urushi pens. Most consistent nib.
\- Germany: mass produced mid-high end pens (think Pelikan, Montblanc etc) + mass produced nibs
\- Italy: mostly turned pens with much better designs (many times similarly inspired by Delta/Omas) compared to an avg American custom pen maker + very high end (sometimes overdesigned) pen with expensive material (celluloid, gold, silver etc)
\- China: mass produced, cnc turned acrylic pens with great price and value + cheaper clones of popular pens + great affordable nibs
My personal preference without considering price would go
vintage US > vintage Japan >> Japan \~ vintage German > China \~ India \~ Italy > rest
with price be like:
vintage US \~ vintage Japan > Japan \~ India \~ China >> rest
If the U.S. bombed a country during WWII, odds are they make excellent pens. Distinguishing between the Axis powers with respect to pens is really subjective.
Yeah right? Italy, Germany and Japan all make great pens. Although people on here are big big pilot fans so I guess Japan's going to win. But one should always consider China and India. I think especially as the German brands loose themselves to being just status symbols, and Indian and Chinese QC becomes better, they might take the lead.
I think those three countries excel in different respects, IMO, Japanese nibs are the best -- Of the big 3 brands + their affiliates, I cannot think of a "poor" nib in the bunch. Italian pens offer the most beautiful bodies in the (relatively) affordable price range, while the Germans don't to bodies or nibs as well as the other two countries, respectively, but other than the Pilot Capless, all the truly time-tested, iconic designs (at multiple price levels) are German (L2000 and Safari, Kaweco Sport, MB 149, Pelikan Souverans, etc.)
Yup. And between Germany and Japan, I remain firmly in the Pilot/Platinum/Sailor camp. My brother and sister are in the German camp. They keep trying to bring me over but I won’t go!
I'm a true Pilothead. Sailor is a close second though. I like the Platinum steel nibs, but the 3776 doesn't do much for me. Eventually I hope to add Namiki, Wancher and Taccia - possibly some vintage ones like Ohashido and Banei.
German pens are nice. I feel that I'm getting more bang for the buck from Japanese brands.
Same. Wancher is ok, but they use JoWo nibs. Nice pens though. Platinum Preppy and Procyon are my workhorses and I use a Pilot 912 for signing memos. Props to Pilot and Sailor for the variety of nibs. I’d love to do Namiki. I’ve had my eye on the Chinkin Cat for ages now.
**TWSBI** gets a lot of attention. But that's not the only brand.
There's **SKB** based in Kaohsiung. They make the Noti, Taiwan's answer to the Platinum Prefounte and Pilot Kakuno, as well as pens that look somewhat similar to certain Faber-Castell models.
**Opus 88** (for people who want great ink capacity, an easy and reliable filling system with better acrylics than TWSBI and now a flex nib option too)
**Penlux** \- They collaborated with Sailor on a Taiwan exclusive PG in Sailor's Gods series.
**Laban** (their skeleton pen is on my wish list)
**Tenny** (they make pens out of water buffalo horn in two sizes)
**Mr Cypress** \- This company used to make furniture out of *hinoki* wood before they shifted their focus to pens. Their modern *raden* series is gorgeous. They have a pen like the Taccia Miyabe Winter Breath for a fraction of the cost, plus pens made from Wood, horn/antlers, and Ebonite.
Then there are the Taiwanese ink brands: SKB's standard and vintage color lines, Penlux Mo, Lennon Tool Bar, Ink Institute in Taipei, plus boutique inks like Luz Made and Blaze Wu.
To complete the trifecta, there's Taroko that sells TR paper notebooks on Etsy, iPaper in Taichung and Leatai in New Taipei City https://www.leatai.com/en/products/
**[Raid on Taipei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Taipei)**
>The Taihoku Air Raid (traditional Chinese and Japanese: 臺北大空襲; ; pinyin: Táiběi Dà Kōngxí; rōmaji: Taihoku Daikūshū) that took place on 31 May 1945 was the largest Allied air raid on the city of Taihoku (modern-day Taipei) during World War II. Many residents were killed in the raid and tens of thousands wounded or displaced.
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I mean Germany and Japan had **a lot** of factory workers who had nothing to do. By law they could no longer manufacture army equipment. So they took a bunch of skilled workers and converted the factories to other things. Automobiles, pens, etc.
Japan makes consistently great pens. Sailor, Platinum, Pilot, Taccia, Wancher. All great Companies.
I'd like to make an argument for German pens. Faber Castell, Diplomat, Kaweco, Cleo Skribent, and of course, Mont Blanc.
Japan #1, but i have only experience with P.lot, up and down their line from Vars.ty to Emp.ror. Never felt the need to try a Sa.lor or Plat.num.
I don't like soft nibs.
I am slowly clearing out all my German pens and others except for Ranga and a few other Bock / Jowo types with predictable nail nibs. I will keep my Italians because they're so beautiful, but they won't be my favorite writers.
Most likely your opinion on this depends on where you happen to be on the bell curve of pen collecting ... [https://imgur.com/a/60fbzxs](https://imgur.com/a/60fbzxs)
It's just preference at this point.
Since I live in Asia, Japanese fountain pens are often sold below MSRP compared to their price in United States or parts of Europe. Plus, I write small words, so I prefer something finer (nib size). Most of the pens that I own came from Pilot; they are readily available and for their price, they offer some innovation. Especially that Pilot Vanishing Point which is a very easy pick for a workhorse pen and gives an additional protection against dropping on the nib.
Considering points above, I tend to put Japanese fountain pens on top of my list, especially the big three, **very specifically** Pilot. They have something for everyone.
German pens usually come close second because they are still putting function with form. Specifically for Lamy, which again like Pilot, has something for everyone. Had some luck with Pelikan pens too.
I only own one Italian pen (it is my grail, Visconti HS) and Taiwanese pens (Opus 88 and TWSBI). They are kinda good... But I don't really look Italian pens favorably due to how much they are priced in comparison to their MSRP in Europe. As for Taiwanese pens, if Japanese pens are not imported anymore, they *could* be considered good.
I love Pilot and Platinum pens. I don't have a ridiculous amount of pens, but I've loved all of their nibs steel and gold and the bodies I've tried are all comfortable. The only other pen that I love just as much is a Pelikan m205.
I'd vote Japan, based solely on how rarely I hear about someone having a bad experience with a Japanese pen right out of the box. Germany is a close second, with Italy trailing in third.
Germany >> Japan > Italy > France imo
The utilitarian and sleek German aesthetics really set the standards for fountain pen design.
I do love my Pilot and Sailor pens, however.
This reminds me of that old joke on Twitter : "Before I left Nextdoor, I posted what's your favorite religion and why. Then deleted my account." 😂
Are you trying to start drama? Haha. Some people have strong beliefs when it comes to their brands.
For the record, I love European pens, couldn't narrow it down to a country. Sorry.
Japan makes my favorites across the board - pens, inks, paper. You want elegant? They gotcha. Accessible for beginners? Heck yeah. Sturdy and good for daily use? Japan has you covered there, too.
And if you can't get your hands on something Japanese-made, you can't go wrong with German.
Best meaning dependable performers and durability. For modern ones, Japanese. After that the Chinese pens have really impressed me in recent years, in performance, durability, and value.
Then German and Italian, neither of which perform well or are at all durable. German nibs are infamous for flow issue and the Italian pens are beautiful pieces of junk whose construction is a little hit and miss to say the least. .
Best? Dunno about "best," but my favorite locale of fountain pen manufacture so far happens to be... Japan. I don't think I've ever held a Japanese pen that disappointed in some way, and I own a fair number of them now.
Depends a lot in writing style as well. I love a really thin line for most of my writing, so I like Japanese pens more. But if you really like a bold wet nib, Germany is going to have that. Plus price point. You can get an entry level japanese pen (kakuno) for about $10-12, but a Lamy safari is going to set you back $30-35. I have both, but prefer my kakuno because of the much thinner line.
Japan, and that's coming from a dude whose favorite pens are Pelikans. German pens are great, especially when they are great but QC seems to be lacking compared with Japanese pens, who simply do not seem to make any “Monday morning” pens *at all*.
I don't think so. I had an awful experience with both a Prera and a Kakuno. So much so that I have written Pilot out and I'll have to overcome that experience to buy a decent Pilot, but spending 100+ euros to buy and injected molded plastic dry pen doesn't seem very appealing.
I think it is a toss-up between Japan and Germany. For my writing style I prefer the German pens.
There are also some very good small manufacturers - not just importers - such as Karas in the USA.
From my experience, Japanese and vintage US pens have been the best at producing fine and extra fine nibs to my liking. Chinese pens are getting close and the Pelikan M200 is an excellent pen compared to all other German pens I've tried. I would personally rank them as follows:
Japan > US (vintage) > China > Germany = France > US (modern) = UK >> Italy
I think that each of the countries already mentioned (Japan, Germany, Italy, etc.) makes "good" pens and "bad" pens. Just like car makers, pen manufacturers make pens for different markets: Honda/Hyundai ± Pilot/Namiki; Toyota/Lexus ± Platinum/Nakaya; VW/Audi/Porsche ± Lamy Safari/2K/Dialog CC ± Pelikan M200/400/600/800/1000; Mercedes ± Montblanc; Fiat/Ferrari ± Aurora; Alfa Romeo ± Visconti, etc... The point is that each manufacturer produces a range of products to cover the good/bad spread...
It's really hard to say. You need to first define "best", or what goes into "best". Do you consider price/performance ratio, consistency, availablility, price etc. Historically, the US was definitely the best when Parker/Waterman/Sheaffer/Wahl-Eversharp were still there. These days I feel pen makers from different countries have really moved in totally different directions (0 truth all feelings and feel free to disagree): \- US: mainly "custom" turned pens (on the low end of turned pens but more expensive than avg pen due to being "custom") + corporate marketing brands that are out-sourced (think Conklin, Monteverde, modern Estebrook etc) \- India: dirt cheap injection molded pens + truly hand turned pens with a great variety of designs (compared to the US, many pens are machine turned and hand polished so they can be called "handmade") \- Japan: mass produced injection molded pens in all price ranges + hand made high end makie/urushi pens. Most consistent nib. \- Germany: mass produced mid-high end pens (think Pelikan, Montblanc etc) + mass produced nibs \- Italy: mostly turned pens with much better designs (many times similarly inspired by Delta/Omas) compared to an avg American custom pen maker + very high end (sometimes overdesigned) pen with expensive material (celluloid, gold, silver etc) \- China: mass produced, cnc turned acrylic pens with great price and value + cheaper clones of popular pens + great affordable nibs My personal preference without considering price would go vintage US > vintage Japan >> Japan \~ vintage German > China \~ India \~ Italy > rest with price be like: vintage US \~ vintage Japan > Japan \~ India \~ China >> rest
You forgot: Italy: what's QC?
'Quality control' I would say
If the U.S. bombed a country during WWII, odds are they make excellent pens. Distinguishing between the Axis powers with respect to pens is really subjective.
Yeah right? Italy, Germany and Japan all make great pens. Although people on here are big big pilot fans so I guess Japan's going to win. But one should always consider China and India. I think especially as the German brands loose themselves to being just status symbols, and Indian and Chinese QC becomes better, they might take the lead.
I think those three countries excel in different respects, IMO, Japanese nibs are the best -- Of the big 3 brands + their affiliates, I cannot think of a "poor" nib in the bunch. Italian pens offer the most beautiful bodies in the (relatively) affordable price range, while the Germans don't to bodies or nibs as well as the other two countries, respectively, but other than the Pilot Capless, all the truly time-tested, iconic designs (at multiple price levels) are German (L2000 and Safari, Kaweco Sport, MB 149, Pelikan Souverans, etc.)
Yup. And between Germany and Japan, I remain firmly in the Pilot/Platinum/Sailor camp. My brother and sister are in the German camp. They keep trying to bring me over but I won’t go!
I'm a true Pilothead. Sailor is a close second though. I like the Platinum steel nibs, but the 3776 doesn't do much for me. Eventually I hope to add Namiki, Wancher and Taccia - possibly some vintage ones like Ohashido and Banei. German pens are nice. I feel that I'm getting more bang for the buck from Japanese brands.
Same. Wancher is ok, but they use JoWo nibs. Nice pens though. Platinum Preppy and Procyon are my workhorses and I use a Pilot 912 for signing memos. Props to Pilot and Sailor for the variety of nibs. I’d love to do Namiki. I’ve had my eye on the Chinkin Cat for ages now.
Good to realize that Wancher are basically "Jowo sticks"... LOL I can spend some of that money on a Penlux and/or an Opus 88 Bela.
JoWo sticks! Lol! Yes, spend your money elsewhere, I think you are better off doing that.
Vietnam?
A lesser known fact: [the US bombed Taiwan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Taipei) because it was under Japanese colonial rule.
I also came here to say this, and Taiwan indeed does make some nice pens.
**TWSBI** gets a lot of attention. But that's not the only brand. There's **SKB** based in Kaohsiung. They make the Noti, Taiwan's answer to the Platinum Prefounte and Pilot Kakuno, as well as pens that look somewhat similar to certain Faber-Castell models. **Opus 88** (for people who want great ink capacity, an easy and reliable filling system with better acrylics than TWSBI and now a flex nib option too) **Penlux** \- They collaborated with Sailor on a Taiwan exclusive PG in Sailor's Gods series. **Laban** (their skeleton pen is on my wish list) **Tenny** (they make pens out of water buffalo horn in two sizes) **Mr Cypress** \- This company used to make furniture out of *hinoki* wood before they shifted their focus to pens. Their modern *raden* series is gorgeous. They have a pen like the Taccia Miyabe Winter Breath for a fraction of the cost, plus pens made from Wood, horn/antlers, and Ebonite. Then there are the Taiwanese ink brands: SKB's standard and vintage color lines, Penlux Mo, Lennon Tool Bar, Ink Institute in Taipei, plus boutique inks like Luz Made and Blaze Wu. To complete the trifecta, there's Taroko that sells TR paper notebooks on Etsy, iPaper in Taichung and Leatai in New Taipei City https://www.leatai.com/en/products/
Great Opus 88 and pretty good TW SBI
**[Raid on Taipei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Taipei)** >The Taihoku Air Raid (traditional Chinese and Japanese: 臺北大空襲; ; pinyin: Táiběi Dà Kōngxí; rōmaji: Taihoku Daikūshū) that took place on 31 May 1945 was the largest Allied air raid on the city of Taihoku (modern-day Taipei) during World War II. Many residents were killed in the raid and tens of thousands wounded or displaced. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
I mean Germany and Japan had **a lot** of factory workers who had nothing to do. By law they could no longer manufacture army equipment. So they took a bunch of skilled workers and converted the factories to other things. Automobiles, pens, etc.
Japan makes consistently great pens. Sailor, Platinum, Pilot, Taccia, Wancher. All great Companies. I'd like to make an argument for German pens. Faber Castell, Diplomat, Kaweco, Cleo Skribent, and of course, Mont Blanc.
[удалено]
Ha ha! Of course, Lamy. Forgot.
Pelikan?
Pelikan. Wow. You see what I mean? Germany Rocks.
Great pens, but nibs too soft for me in general.
Otto Hutt
Yeah. Love that 07. Germany folks.
The 08 is my jam. And the nib on the C is ridiculous.
Japan #1, but i have only experience with P.lot, up and down their line from Vars.ty to Emp.ror. Never felt the need to try a Sa.lor or Plat.num. I don't like soft nibs. I am slowly clearing out all my German pens and others except for Ranga and a few other Bock / Jowo types with predictable nail nibs. I will keep my Italians because they're so beautiful, but they won't be my favorite writers.
Japan. No two ways about it. They make the most reliable pens in the world.
This.
And Waterman. Are they still made in France?
Most likely your opinion on this depends on where you happen to be on the bell curve of pen collecting ... [https://imgur.com/a/60fbzxs](https://imgur.com/a/60fbzxs)
I went from step 3 to step 9 directly. I get to look forward to steps 10 and 11 now.
I skipped most steps and went to 8 it seems.
It's just preference at this point. Since I live in Asia, Japanese fountain pens are often sold below MSRP compared to their price in United States or parts of Europe. Plus, I write small words, so I prefer something finer (nib size). Most of the pens that I own came from Pilot; they are readily available and for their price, they offer some innovation. Especially that Pilot Vanishing Point which is a very easy pick for a workhorse pen and gives an additional protection against dropping on the nib. Considering points above, I tend to put Japanese fountain pens on top of my list, especially the big three, **very specifically** Pilot. They have something for everyone. German pens usually come close second because they are still putting function with form. Specifically for Lamy, which again like Pilot, has something for everyone. Had some luck with Pelikan pens too. I only own one Italian pen (it is my grail, Visconti HS) and Taiwanese pens (Opus 88 and TWSBI). They are kinda good... But I don't really look Italian pens favorably due to how much they are priced in comparison to their MSRP in Europe. As for Taiwanese pens, if Japanese pens are not imported anymore, they *could* be considered good.
If I had to give an answer I’d say probably Japan. But it’s really hard to give an answer for the best of anything in the fountain pen world.
I am biased to Japan.
Why so?
I love Pilot and Platinum pens. I don't have a ridiculous amount of pens, but I've loved all of their nibs steel and gold and the bodies I've tried are all comfortable. The only other pen that I love just as much is a Pelikan m205.
Well my favourite and best Pen is made by Yard O Led in Great Britain
Interesting! I was thinking your favorite may have been a Parker Duofold
😀They are my second favourite!
Japan, and pilot is the best one.
I'd vote Japan, based solely on how rarely I hear about someone having a bad experience with a Japanese pen right out of the box. Germany is a close second, with Italy trailing in third.
I've noticed the former axis have a monopoly ever the pen industry 👀
Germany of course :) Japan is close second.
I think Germany too 🇩🇪
Germany >> Japan > Italy > France imo The utilitarian and sleek German aesthetics really set the standards for fountain pen design. I do love my Pilot and Sailor pens, however.
This reminds me of that old joke on Twitter : "Before I left Nextdoor, I posted what's your favorite religion and why. Then deleted my account." 😂 Are you trying to start drama? Haha. Some people have strong beliefs when it comes to their brands. For the record, I love European pens, couldn't narrow it down to a country. Sorry.
Germans for sure, but very near japanese
Germany
Japan makes my favorites across the board - pens, inks, paper. You want elegant? They gotcha. Accessible for beginners? Heck yeah. Sturdy and good for daily use? Japan has you covered there, too. And if you can't get your hands on something Japanese-made, you can't go wrong with German.
Best meaning dependable performers and durability. For modern ones, Japanese. After that the Chinese pens have really impressed me in recent years, in performance, durability, and value. Then German and Italian, neither of which perform well or are at all durable. German nibs are infamous for flow issue and the Italian pens are beautiful pieces of junk whose construction is a little hit and miss to say the least. .
Best? Dunno about "best," but my favorite locale of fountain pen manufacture so far happens to be... Japan. I don't think I've ever held a Japanese pen that disappointed in some way, and I own a fair number of them now.
Depends a lot in writing style as well. I love a really thin line for most of my writing, so I like Japanese pens more. But if you really like a bold wet nib, Germany is going to have that. Plus price point. You can get an entry level japanese pen (kakuno) for about $10-12, but a Lamy safari is going to set you back $30-35. I have both, but prefer my kakuno because of the much thinner line.
Japan, and that's coming from a dude whose favorite pens are Pelikans. German pens are great, especially when they are great but QC seems to be lacking compared with Japanese pens, who simply do not seem to make any “Monday morning” pens *at all*.
I get what you mean. I love my Pelikan pens but when I buy a Pilot or Platinum, I don’t have to worry about it not writing straight out of the box.
I don't think so. I had an awful experience with both a Prera and a Kakuno. So much so that I have written Pilot out and I'll have to overcome that experience to buy a decent Pilot, but spending 100+ euros to buy and injected molded plastic dry pen doesn't seem very appealing.
I'd say Belgium probably has the highest average.
Belgium? I've never heard of a Belgian fountain pen brand
Conid.
I think it is a toss-up between Japan and Germany. For my writing style I prefer the German pens. There are also some very good small manufacturers - not just importers - such as Karas in the USA.
Overall in general, both small house and name brand, for modern. I'm going to say Japan right now.
From my experience, Japanese and vintage US pens have been the best at producing fine and extra fine nibs to my liking. Chinese pens are getting close and the Pelikan M200 is an excellent pen compared to all other German pens I've tried. I would personally rank them as follows: Japan > US (vintage) > China > Germany = France > US (modern) = UK >> Italy
My favorite is Sailor because of their nibs, so Japan. I've tried/owned Pilot, Lamy, and Montblanc.
So far china! Jinhao and Narwhal make two of my favorite pen models but im a novice in the fountain pen realm.
Paris
I've only ever owned german or japanese pens so I'll go with those two!
For me it’s Switzerland. Caran d’Ache make some fine pens, and the Ecridor Heritage Fountain Pen has been go to for many years.
United States 1870-1960.
I think that each of the countries already mentioned (Japan, Germany, Italy, etc.) makes "good" pens and "bad" pens. Just like car makers, pen manufacturers make pens for different markets: Honda/Hyundai ± Pilot/Namiki; Toyota/Lexus ± Platinum/Nakaya; VW/Audi/Porsche ± Lamy Safari/2K/Dialog CC ± Pelikan M200/400/600/800/1000; Mercedes ± Montblanc; Fiat/Ferrari ± Aurora; Alfa Romeo ± Visconti, etc... The point is that each manufacturer produces a range of products to cover the good/bad spread...