Your Very First Pen?

[Nova42]

Like some others, my first fountain pen was the Lamy Safari. I bought it for myself about five years ago but only started really embracing fountain pens for all of my writing within the past two years.

[catbert]

Sheaffer Imperial II Deluxe.

[jar]

IIRC it was the green striated handmedown Sheaffer Balance from my Grandfather. I think I would have been in the fourth or fifth grade at the time. It's the fourth from the left in this picture:

 

http://www.fototime.com/7A113FCC7B901B1/xlarge.jpg

[Garden Man]

I think the first one I got by myself was a Lamy Studio, which I gifted to my father, and after that, I think it was the Pilot Plumix and Kaweco Sport, both close after each other.

 

Still using both!

[ThirdeYe]

My first fountain pen was a Platinum Preppy 05 in black. My first vintage fountain pens were a Yankee in black/red and a Moore Tuscan L-93 that my dad gave me, which belonged to one of his relatives (I believe it was his aunt). After using the vintage ones, I was hooked. The Preppy was good, too, but I didn't appreciate it right away.

[fountainpagan]

The one in the middle: Pelikan 120, given to me when I was 5, 46 years ago. Still the same nib, F, gold coated (not so coated now), flawless, always ready. A delight.

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/907/vVAkZc.jpg

[prf5]

A Parker 51 at age 10, a gift from my parents to help me learn cursive writing.

[hbdk]

Back in the 60'ies - something that looked like a Hero 616 but with a piston. Somehow a private company pushed those in the schools; don't know how they pulled that off - the Danish schools are run by the municipalities and at the time private companies were not allowed anywhere near the schools, well...

They told us that we would get a very nice handwriting with those pens - they lied!

Still it was very sturdy and lasted for some 15 years, when it broke, I got a 149 tribute (no bird dropping though) - really cheap but functional.

 

My first "real" FP was a Lamy Safari Umbra that my late mother gave me 25 years ago - still have it, still functional and always on my desk.

[gweimer1]

My first was a Conklin Symetric that I got about a decade ago. I wanted to work on my handwriting, which had become awful with stress and other life surroundings. I still have it, but it's too big, and I hate the clip. I had a few smaller cheap pens - Duke and Lanbo. I still have a Duke Copper Temple, which is pretty nice.

Last May, I decided I wanted a better pen to write with, but didn't want to spend a lot of money. I was intrigued by a Parker 21 I saw that was really cheap. And then, a Parker 45. Then, I found this place. Well, I should probably get a Parker 51 if I'm going to do this right.

 

Almost 235 pens later...

[jmccarty3]

 

Almost 235 pens later...

 

[Dronak]

My first fountain pen was a Waterman Phileas. The first pen I ever used though was probably some cheap ballpoint.

 

Edit: A later post reminded me that I did use calligraphy pens before getting my first fountain pen. If you count them, probably some Shaeffer calligraphy pen.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Dronak

[Kuscer]

A Faber-Castell School Fountain Pen.

[AAAndrew]

Not counting the No-nonsense calligraphy pens I got in high school, it was a matte black Sheaffer Targa I received for high school graduation.

 

Then there was a looooooong hiatus before purchasing my first fountain pen, a copper Esterbrook J with an intact sac about 16-17 years ago.

[onetake]

As I posted in my intro, I bought my first pen the summer before I started fifth grade, on holiday, at a supermarket in Switzerland. I think it may have been an unbranded Pelikan, because the body and nib look like the pictures I've seen of Pelikanos from that time period (early 1980s), although the cap was different. I'm still trying to confirm this -- anybody know if Pelikan did private-label manufacturing?

 

The pen took standard international cartridges, but they didn't have them where I lived at the time, so after I ran out (the pen came with two cartridges, and I bought a pack of six with it) I spent a lot of time reusing/filling the cartridges from a bottle of Quink Washable Blue.

 

The next pen that I bought (my first "real" pen, that I saved money from my allowance for a whole year for) was a dark blue Parker 45 CT with F stainless steel (Octanium?) nib. I still miss that pen.

Edited August 3, 2015 by onetake

[82Greg]

My first was an Omas Bologna in Orange with a Medium nib I got as a present to myself with the intention of improving my handwriting, which has worked. Unfortunately, the side affect has been a collection affliction, for which I have no hope of recovery.

[Regulateur]

My first fountain pen was a black Sheaffer Targa with a medium nib. I still have it after 35 years

[dwong]

My first was an orange Lamy Safari purchased 7 years ago. Had to send it to Lamy to get the feed replaced several months ago, but it now works just like the day I bought it. It always has a place in my rotation.

[FountainPages]

First modern FP was an X-Pen.

Edited August 3, 2015 by FountainPages

[PS104]

My first fountain pen was an Esterbrook. This was in elementary school and we were beginning to write cursive and were required to have a fountain. It was bought at Woolworth's 5 and 10 cent store.

when the school year was over there was nary a thought of cleaning it out, etc. Next Fall bought a new one. then in 7th or eighth grade bought a Sheaffer Snorkel. Again no thought of maintenance. Then high school loomed ahead and it was BPs from then on. Sure wish I had the FPs back. Still have a soft spot for Esterbrooks and buy them. They still feel comfortable when writing with them

[Mr. Dante]

My first fountain pen was a Waterman Laureat, fine nib, in gray marble. It came with a matching rollerball. They were a present from my wife in the early 90s. I had a problem with skipping early on, and Waterman replaced the nib for me. I did not actually buy a fountain pen until about 10 years later, a Delta Dolce Vita Medium FP/RB set with matching serial numbers.