Student Daily Pen Suggestions

[wetnoodlepens]

With your budget, I'd suggest TWSBI for an inexpensive, piston filler, generally reliable with good customer service pen.

If you want something flashier or something that looks more expensive, the TWSBI 580 Rose Gold might suffice?

[darkizz_89]

If you want to go vintage, I suggest in looking for a Parker 45, a good, solid -almost bombproof in the Flighter finish- pen that can be had for as little as 15$ or less, and sometimes can have a gold nib! Anyway, the nib is easily interchangeable, if any problem appears, and restoration is pretty straight forward to do.

 

Maybe a Parker 51 can fit in your budget. As a student myself, I use my dear 51 as a workhorse, and it really works well!

Edited October 15, 2014 by darkizz_89

[Kataphract]

Pilot Prera. Nicer body than the Metropolitan, you can actually see the ink level with the Con-50, and while the capacity is small, you can always use cartridges.

 

Twsbi 580/Mini. The 580 if you don't like to post (sounds like a way to lose the cap at school to me, but hey, holds lots of ink!). The Mini if you like to post (it's kind of short for adult hands to use any other way). Doesn't hold as much ink as the 580, but still a lot more than most pens in its price range.

 

Lamy has a whole bunch of choices that slowly work there way up price wise from the Safari. Solid pens, but I leave that to people who know the Lamy product line better than I do.

 

Platinum Cool. Kind of a softer nib - not quite the usual steel nail.

[inotrym]

+1 for the Prera. It has a great nib, a nice scratch resistent body, secure snap on cap, elegant trim, it is easy to take apart and clean, small but not too small. A beautiful pen.

 

But bear in mind that it is plastic and thus breakable. I stepped on mine by accident a few days ago. The poor little guy didn't stand a chance..

[Kataphract]

Speaking of that, that's one reason why a lot of people will recommend a Pilot Metropolitan for a school environment. Metal body. Lamy Al-Star (al as in aluminum, not all). Twsbi 580al with some aluminum on key points. Something to consider.

[lmarine0510]

For 80 bucks, there are a wide range of things that I would suggest. A Parker 51 Aerometric can be had in the 50-60 dollar range if you look hard enough and are willing to dabble with vintage pens. The Aerometric (1948+) version of the "51" often will work unrestored with just a good flushing out. They are rugged pens that will constantly write and will practically never dry out when pausing in writing due to the hooded nib and the massive collector that the nib is sitting on. Also, Sheaffer Touchdowns and even Snorkels can be had restored in this price range, and are among my smoothest and most dependable pens that I own.

[Quantum]

I use a TWSBI 580 a lot in my note taking and school work. Its a nice pen that holds a lot of ink. Also very reliable, I've never had it have a hard start that wasn't fixed easily.

[Behike54]

I can't say enough about my new TWSBI 580 AL.

 

Lots of ink, looks cool, smooth writer, easy to clean.........no fatigue.

 

for $50, you have enough to tell your dad you are being MINDFUL about wanting to get the most for your money.

 

In other words, you will have enough money to get a large Rhodia Dot Pad and a bottle of SAILOR "Epinard" or Diamine "Oxblood."

 

dun, done and DONE!

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to buy.......like the TWSBI 700 vac is another option!

[ac12]

I would plan for 2 pens. A primary pen and a backup pen. The reason is, if/when pen #1 runs out of ink in the middle of class, it is easier and faster to switch to pen #2, rather than try to change ink cartridges in the middle of class. So, I would not worry about ink capacity of the pen, if you carry 2 pens. I used 2 Parker 45s. But since the P45 is out of production, here are my suggestions based on actually using these pens:

• Lamy Safari. Colorful, so you can choose colors that you like
• The Al Star as mentioned is a metal version of the Safari.
• Pilot Metropolitan/MR. The name of the pen differs based on where you are. The pen uses Pilot cartridges or International cartridge, depending on which pen you buy Metro (Pilot), MR (international) and I think there is a 3rd option (Metro with international or MR with Pilot cartridge) where you buy it from. So you need to ask about what cartridge the pen uses. Available in M or F nib.
• Pilot 78G. A much lighter pen than the Metro/MR. This pen has a screw on cap, which may or may not be an issue for you. And it is quite light.

The Chinese pens that I've used have been hit or miss. So unless you are able to tinker with the nibs to adjust the ink flow, I would not bother with them. I have a Baoer 388 and 801, and I like them, but I have had to adjust the nibs of 4 out of 5 Baoer 388s that I've used.

 

You have the option of using cartridge or bottle ink.

• Cartridge is neater and convenient. But you are limited to the colors the cartridge manufacturer makes.
• Bottle ink is cheaper compared to the equivalent number of cartridges. Bottle ink has a HUGE range of colors, so you are not limited to just the colors the cartridge manufacturer makes.

I used cartridge ink through high school and college, not knowing/realizing how much more expensive cartridge ink was, compared to bottle ink. Today I only use bottle ink.

For bottle ink, if you refill the pens after you do your homework each day, then you should not have to worry about running out of ink. And if you forget to refill pen #1, that is was pen #2 is there for.

 

gud luk

[cpmcnamara]

Typically I'd say Platinum 3776 - It can be found for $80, lots of colors, and will give you a writing experience far above a prera, metropolitan, or safari. Just keep that gold nib to yourself.

 

However, knowing how I was in 8th grade, I would buy a bunch of cheaper pens. For 80 dollars you could get 2 metro's, 1 platinum desk pen, and 1 Pilot Lucina (noone mentioned the Lucina which I think is an awesome higher quality student pen). I think you'd use them ALL in a year.

 

In 8th grade I lost pretty much everything, and stealing out of lockers was everywhere. I remember I saved up to buy a $300 dollar watch, which was stolen within a week. I'd stick with the "bunch of pens" solution so that you always have a backup. Plus you can have fun with different colors and nibs that way.

Edited October 15, 2014 by cpmcnamara

[NedC]

Lamy Nexx M, no one else mentioned it and it's a little more substantial than the Safari but uses the same same nibs. Also the Kaweco Sport series, lots of varieties to choose from or the larger and more substantial Kaweco Student. The aforementioned Pilot Lucina is an exceptionally good pen and reasonably priced if bought through a Japanese dealer. I'd also second the Sheaffer No-Nonsense, at least the earlier versions and add the Waterman Kultur, which is if more recent vintage and might be easier to find than the Sheaffer.

[Abner C. Kemp]

The Lamy Al Star is pretty indestructible and a bit weightier with it's metal body. The Parker Frontier Flighter can be purchased on ebay for like $30 and is one of my favorite writers. The Pilot Metropolitan is a good option if you plan on using ink cartridges but otherwise I'd steer clear as the con20/con50 converters don't hold much ink and are kind of a pain. A TWSBI 580 or mini is also worth a look and would be within your budget.

[ink-syringe]

Sailor Young Profit

Platinum Standard

Pilot Knight, Metropolitan or Falcon (good deal on massdrop now)

 

Lamy Al Star

Edited October 16, 2014 by ink-syringe

[Threadbear]

As a cheaper and more readily-available alternative to the P51, I would suggest a Hero 100 in the "fligher" finish. It offers the same benefits as the P51 in that you can put it down uncapped for a few minutes without worrying about it drying up, which is useful in class. It has a durable stainless steel body, which gives it a little bit of heft. The nib is 14k gold and comes in only one size - on my example it is on the fat side of fine and extremely smooth and enjoyable to write with. The filling system is reliable, and although it does not have the biggest capacity, it lasts a decent time between fillings because of the fine nib.

 

It is not a very flashy pen, because the nib is mostly hidden under the hood, but at school it might be a good thing to avoid drawing too much attention. I use one every day in the laboratory and I know that I don't need to baby it and that it will write perfectly every time I pick it up. I wish I'd had one at school! They are available by Buy It Now on eBay for about $45 shipped.

[PDW]

+1 for the Prera. It has a great nib, a nice scratch resistent body, secure snap on cap, elegant trim, it is easy to take apart and clean, small but not too small. A beautiful pen.

 

But bear in mind that it is plastic and thus breakable. I stepped on mine by accident a few days ago. The poor little guy didn't stand a chance..

 

The Lamy Safari is built for school conditions, and might well survive being stepped on, and it wouldn't dent/distort unlike metal pens. I use both Safaris and al-Stars, and I think the latter need a little more babying.

[Namru]

Kaweco Sport. Hard as hell to kill.

[Mezzie]

I would buy two (for when out run out of ink, as someone else mentioned), and they woukd be some kind of combination of a Lamy Safari or Al-Star, Pilot Metropolitan, and Platinum Balance or Cool.

 

The Metro isn't my favorite because it's too heavy for me, but my students like it. All are durable, reliable, good writers.

[XiaoMG]

Look around on one of the better vendor sites and come up with a list of ones you like, or make a list from recommended pens in this list. Then, use a random number generator to choose one from the list.

 

At least two things can happen:

You'll secretly hope for one and that'll be your pick

The random number gives you one you like that you can ask for opinions or reviews on.

 

I don't know what's good for you and I strongly suspect nobody else here does either. Do not take recommendations too seriously.

[Kuscer]

I've had positive experiences with my disposable bic pens. I think it would be nice for school use since you would not feel terribly for losing them -- which will inevitably happen in the 8th grade. Maybe get something that can be knocked around for school and keep a nicer pen at home for homework?

yes, thanks for the advice. i will definitely do that. I've had some experience with pens being stolen, and the case being expensive pens, I keep my calligraphy Online of Germany pen at home, exclusive homework-only.

[Kuscer]

I'd suggest Lamy Safari - vey reliable in my experience, doesn't mind being bounced around, replaceable nib for when you (or somebody else who borrowed it) wrecks the nib, and within your budget you could get more than one for when you need different ink colours. Maybe two: one with a very fine nib with a bright colour for annotating things and a second with a slightly wider nib filled with blue or black for 'normal' writing?

yeah! I'm liking this idea!