Your Best Cheap Pen?

[johnmont007]

Black plastic Cross FP from Office Depot in 1998. Nib feels like a Visconti Dream Nib. I think it cost about $25.

 

A Cross Solo? I have one and it has a remarkable nib.

[johnmont007]

Wearever Supreme. MSRP was 29¢, and I got it in a big enough lot of pens that that's about what I paid for it, too. Not a great pen, but pleasant enough, and if we're looking for a low intersection of passable performance and cost, it's hard to beat.

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Wearever-0069.jpg

 

I just got one in black and had rennovated, and I agree with your observations - quite a performer, and a different nib "design".

[Jerome Tarshis]

Lanbitou Mini Missile, as it's been referred to. It has a three-digit number, but that is so much less evocative. As one of a set of ten for $20, it comes in at $2. Outstandingly smooth fine nib. Reliable wet but not overly wet line. Made of chrome or stainless steel, like a Parker Flighter, together with gold ring between section and barrel. Durability yet to be ascertained by use. Very much a pocket pen resembling Pilot short-longs, obviously not best suited for drafting a doctoral dissertation, but all in all an outstanding bargain.

Edited January 4, 2012 by Jerome Tarshis

[leod]

my Lamy Safari with extra nibs

[JefferyS]

Black plastic Cross FP from Office Depot in 1998. Nib feels like a Visconti Dream Nib. I think it cost about $25.

 

A Cross Solo? I have one and it has a remarkable nib.

That is the one.

 

 

 

[nicnilla]

That will have to be my kaweco sport for 16€. Love that pen. I have an f nib and love how smooth it writes. Cute little pen.

[PaulT00]

Another vote for the Sheaffer NoNonsense (old style) - mine came from an eBay vendor for less than £10 shipped. Add a converter from The Writing Desk, and you have a really good writer for not much money. NoNonsenses were among my first FPs back when I was still at school, and I have had a soft spot for them ever since.

 

I've also got two excellent Jinhao X750s - one is brushed steel, the other a metallic mustard colour - which were £10 each from a vendor in the UK who I suspect tuned them before sending them out. Both have very smooth medium steel nibs, the steel one with a slightly stubbish point which gives a little line variation, and both have excellent flow. The steel one is permanently loaded with Iroshizuku Kon-Peki, the other with Montblanc Ink of Joy - definitely qualifies as good value when the pen cost less than the ink...

[Pinkys.Brain]

Tombow Object f-nib (early version): 10€ (+4€ in shipping).

 

It's a heavy pen, rather smooth, and fairly wet. Perfect for my as I am a lefty. The heavy weight comes from the grip section, which is made entirely out of metall (= early version).

 

 

My Kaweco Sport ef-nib will arrive in late January. Maybe it will kick the Tombow from the first place.

Edited January 4, 2012 by Pinkys.Brain

[raging.dragon]

TWSBI 530.

[Parkermaniac]

I tuned a Pelikano nib to write as well as some more expensive pens I own. I also consider my TWSBI Diamond 540 to be one of my more inexpensive pens but also one of my best pens. It is now a daily writer next to my 3 years and running Pelikan M215. Although the Pelikano is very nice, the nibs on the other pens I've mentioned beat it.

[inkydoc]

Pilot Plumix, $8.99 @ Staples.

 

+1 for the Plumix - love the way it writes, love the purple, but could do without the squid head cap.

 

http://static.jetpens.com/images/a/000/013/13067.jpg

[mikkolopez]

A Parker Vector about $6.00 at the local bookstore. It gets the ink on the paper.

[rearviewmirror]

another + for the Plumix with italic nib. I need to figure out how to turn it into an eyedropper.

[inkspot]

I bought a Parker Urban for about $15 and love that pen! Even for the regular price of about $30-35 it is a good little pen. I find it comfortable, it feels substantial, and it writes smoothly and reliably with any ink I throw at it.

[DonLeone]

3 euro NOS, black, flea market ERO piston filler.

 

Very reliable, always starts, well balanced for my hand, nib could be finer though. It's an ERO "1" nib, not sure what that means.

 

I always have it with me for on the fly on the road notetaking.

[Aramchek]

Hero 332 (one of their Parker 51 clones). While most of the cheap FPs I've tried either dry out quickly, have various problems with ink flow, scratchy nib, cap issues etc this pen writes well and always starts directly even if I haven't used it for several days. It also feels good in the hand, posted or not, although too light.

 

Too bad it also happens to be one of the least physically appealing pens I have... Cheap, good looking, usable, pick up to two!

[KrazyIvan]

I'm not surprised to see lots of safari fans here but I don't think all safaris are created equal.. The 1.9mm broad italic costs exactly the same as the F or M but does glorious things to even my ham fisted handwriting.

 

In a close second is my dawn gold Parker frontier in dawn gold trim. I think it cost me around $15 and the nib is nice and soft and springy and actually compares well (as well as any steel nib could) with my GvFC guiloche gold nib. the plastic feel of the pen is a bit of a let down but I couldn't recommend it highly enough. I havnt seen much talk about them but if you ever see one on special or your just looking to try something cheap and new I would definitely give it a go. (full disclosure: I am the CEO of Parker pens and if frontier sales don't jump 200% this year I'll loose my job.)

 

I have been wanting to try a 1.1mm italic.

[mirko]

The Rotring Rivette, erroneously described as Xonox in this thread

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/192350-rotring-xonos-budget-fountain-pen/

 

Amazing smooth nib (steel Medium) relar intnational cartridges.

[Madhatter57]

My most bang-for-the-buck pen has to be several Dollar 717i FP’s that came from a street vender; cost less than one USD. The 717i is a little too small for my hand but they are great for trying different inks. My next pen is a Blue/Gray Danitrio Cum Laude with a steel two-tone Fine nib. A nice size pen that writes great.

 

 

[lapis]

All of my Sheaffer NNs. They even write better than the 146 I once had.

Mike