Pens With Beautiful Design !

September 29, 2016

Hello all,

I have been looking around for pens to gift for a colleague. I came across Monteverde INTIMA white/ blue pen. Such a beautiful design, alas many reviews say that it has a bad nib/ scratchy and needs a change.

Please suggest me such beautiful designer pens under $50.00. Also if you have time do post pics of your pens with beautiful designs.

September 29, 2016

You can get pens that write quite well for under $50, but that is fairly inexpensive as fountain pens go. Looking for both beauty and performance at that price (and I assume you don't want to sacrifice performance) may be an issue. Of course beauty is very subjective, although quality of craftsmanship is less so.

There are many beautiful old celluloid patterns available in vintage pens, and with patience you can often find some great bargains, but you'd have to be ready to restore them or have them restored in most cases.

In your price range, and similar to the Monteverde that appeals to you there are some Conklin Duragraph models. I have not used either one of those or one of the Monteverdes, and can't tell you how they perform. The modern Conklin brand (though not to be confused with the vintage Conklin pens) seems not to have too bad a reputation.

Edited September 29, 2016 by ISW_Kaputnik

September 29, 2016

Some ideas:

http://www.fototime.com/96C809471110CF4/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/06F4AC9CD95D539/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/8727447CFE6019C/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/A46583AC14BA80C/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/5A87ACE79E2745F/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/1C9670DEC2AE483/medium800.jpg

September 29, 2016

Some ideas:

http://www.fototime.com/96C809471110CF4/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/06F4AC9CD95D539/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/8727447CFE6019C/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/A46583AC14BA80C/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/5A87ACE79E2745F/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/1C9670DEC2AE483/medium800.jpg

Hi,

Are those under $50?

September 29, 2016

You might want to consider a Kaigelu 316, a pen that's available for $30 or less. It comes in three different marbled colors and is reminiscent of a Parker Duofold. The 316 is well-regarded on this forum and by me! Many reviews have been done but here are links to two:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/268382-kaigelu-316-white-with-black-stripe/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/204770-kaigelu-316-grey-amber/

September 29, 2016

Parker 45

Possibly Waterman Laureat and Phileas

Parker 21, often available NOS for under $20

Kaigelu 356, usually very inexpensive and actually works.

September 29, 2016

I see a couple of recommendations for the Waterman Laureat already and I agree - it's a lovely pen - most make very reliable writers. The marbled lacquer finishes are particularly nice.

Or you could consider an Indian pen - go and look on the Indian forum. Many swirly acrylics and beautiful ebonites, and most of them now come with the option of a Bock or Jowo nib and cartridge/converter filling, though that might take you a little way past the $50 mark. If you're very lucky there may be a group buy coming up. Look at the ASA Pens web site or Ranga Pens on ebay for what's available.

September 29, 2016

Hi,

Are those under $50?

Often they are or very close to it. The top one may run a little more and I certainly would never sell those I have at that price but I have bought them under $50.00.

The next two are old Conway Stewarts. If you haunt the UK eBay you will often find those or similar pens from great British makers. They will likely need a sac but can be a joy to use.

The next two are Waterman pens and there are a whole host of great Waterman pens that can be found at $50.00 or less. Spend some time looking over the Waterman Penography pages on line for models.

The final two are Sheaffer NoNonsense and you can likely get two to five such pens for $50.00. In addition it came in about a brazillion different colors and patterns.

September 29, 2016

A couple or three additional thoughts.

You'll often get widely divergent experiences with lower priced pens. For example, my Kaigelu 316 was complete junk. Gold plating shedding off the bottom of the nib, nib and feed tending to come out if you screwed down the screw in converter a little too hard. Cap would not post, although that's a feature rather than a bug, and many here are adamant about never posting their caps. On the other hand, a lot of people really do seem to have had better experiences with it than I. You pay your money and take your chances.

Although restoring vintage pens can be very rewarding, I don't know that I'd recommend a first try at it as a gift for someone else. And if you plan to have someone else do it for you, then you may have trouble coming in under $50. Some older cartridge/converter pens may require no restoration beyond a cleaning, the same for some old squeeze fillers, like a Parker 51 aerometric.

I don't think anyone asked yet, but is the intended recipient of the gift already a fountain pen user? If it's someone who already knows something about fountain pens, then picking something that will be appreciated for itself may be trickier. Of course, they may still appreciate the thought.

September 29, 2016

Often they are or very close to it. The top one may run a little more and I certainly would never sell those I have at that price but I have bought them under $50.00.

The next two are old Conway Stewarts. If you haunt the UK eBay you will often find those or similar pens from great British makers. They will likely need a sac but can be a joy to use.

The next two are Waterman pens and there are a whole host of great Waterman pens that can be found at $50.00 or less. Spend some time looking over the Waterman Penography pages on line for models.

The final two are Sheaffer NoNonsense and you can likely get two to five such pens for $50.00. In addition it came in about a brazillion different colors and patterns.

Thank you for the info of the pens. Yours are very pretty! I'll take a look

September 29, 2016

I agree that vintage pens will give you a wonderful selection of appearances and excellent writing characteristics, and that with careful shopping you can find one within your budget. But if you are not comfortable restoring the pen yourself, you may spend another $50-100 getting it restored. And to ISW's point, vintage pens were designed on the assumption that the user had learned to use fountain pens properly before they were ten years old. So the pens are not always robust in the face of a ballpoint user who may press too hard or put too much force on a delicate lever.

ron

November 2, 2017

Some ideas:

http://www.fototime.com/96C809471110CF4/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/8727447CFE6019C/medium800.jpg

Great photography and photos! Ready to be framed

November 2, 2017

Noodler's Konrad comes in a number of attractive acrylics for around $40. Personally I've been debating a Conklin Herringbone for a while; it's attractive and unusual, and reasonably affordable at about $50.

EDIT: photos shamelessly stolen off the internet:

Konrad:

Herringbone:

http://www.inksandpens.com/content/images/2015/06/IMG_4846.jpg

Edited November 2, 2017 by SoulSamurai

November 2, 2017

Hmm, just wanted to add: if you buy a Conklin from Goulet Pens before the end of the year you get a free 90ml bottle of Monteverde ink. So you can get a Herringbone for $56 or a Duragraph for $52, and get a $15 bottle of ink for free. Damn, I'm sorely tempted right now.

Duragraph:

http://penhabit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/P1010095.jpg

November 20, 2017

I love the amber resin like the Duragraph above. I have that pen, which is a great value. I also have others with the same resin including Edison and Bexley. They are beautiful and affordable. I find them just as beautiful as the prized Omas Arco Gold.