Opinions Wanted! A Good Starter Pen For Someone New.

[Maurizio]

Pilot Metropolitan medium nib and Pilot Blue or Sailor Jentle Blue ink for the converter.

[rudyhou]

i would personally suggest something more affordable but equally nice, or perhaps better than those listed above. something like... PILOT KAKUNO.

 

yes, it's plastic body. but this beginner level fp gives a performance better than many other pens out there that are more expensive.

 

it may requires the use of proprietor cartridges, but the brand does have a converter that fits this fp, and so you can use any ink you may already have in a bottle.

 

other choices you may want to also consider are:

LAMY NEXX (cartridge/converter)

TWSBI ECO (piston converter)

 

just a thought.

[Pichak]

+1 for Pilot Metropolitan.

 

But I saw you use MB ballpoint may be you can go higher, Pilot Custom series or Sailor 1911 are very interesting.

[Miriel]

By the way, Pilot MR doesn't come with converter if you live in Europe. It comes with standart international cartridge and you have to buy converter as in the case of Lamy Safari.

[max dog]

I'm a little late to the party. My vote is TWSBI ECO. Best $30 spent on a pen. Looks, feels, functions like a pen that should cost many times more.

[Arkanabar]

Did you wash the feed/section of (I'm guessing here) your Reflex? Get some water with just a drop or two of Dawn in it, and run that through the pen a few times.

The top three starter pen suggestions on this board are Lamy Safari, Pilot Metropolitan, and Platinum Plaisir.

The Safari is tough, lightweight, reliable, and available in a rainbow of finishes. It may have a narrower girth than your MB. The facets on the section, designed to ensure proper grip, may annoy you. It uses only Lamy cartridges and converters. Lamy nibs are easy to remove and replace. Replacements can be had for under $15, and come in XF, F, M, B, 1.1 mm stub, 1.5mm stub, and 1.9mm stub. If Asheville is within driving distance, go look up Origami Ink in Biltmore Village. The proprietor keeps a Lamy Al-Star (same section as the Safari) inked and ready for customers to use. The Lamy Nexx is not so long, and has a rubberized grip -- something I regard with horror, certain that it will get ink under the rubber, which will come back out and stain my fingers later.

The Metro is slim, moderate-to-heavy in weight, and very reliable. It uses only Pilot's proprietary cartridges and converters. If you take the sealing disc out of the empty cartridge, it can be easily refilled with any eyedropper -- just don't let the ball bearing get away from you. I don't like the slim section or the sharp step between the section and the barrel.

The Pilot Kakuno has the same nib and feed as the Metro, but a hexagonal section. It uses the same cartridges and converters as the Metro. It has a plastic body and cap, but does not have a clip.

The Platinum Plaisir is my favorite. It has much more girth than the other two (10mm or so at the section), is lightweight, and the cap and barrel are made of anodized aluminum. It only uses Platinum's proprietary cartridges (refillable with a disposable 3ml polypropylene bulb pipette) and converters (which need treatment with pure silicone grease to extend their life to something reasonable). Their nibs have a little more feedback than the other two. I'd recommend the 0.5mm M nib over the 0.3mm Fine.

No opinion on the Eco, as I've never had a TWSBI.

[Kanrethad]

If you already have a MB you may be willing to aim a bit higher than the very basic - I just recieved my Faber Castell E-Motion Pearwood, It's a great writer, feels well constructed (probably way tougher than the Loom) and unlike many beginner fountain pens, it'd look just fine in the same pocket with the MB. A bit on the smaller side, but that might be very subjective as I have quite monstrous hand palms. Still a great nib, on both perfomance and look sides. If you can find one in black and not too overpriced, you could hunt the Waterman Phileas... A great starter as well, just it's not made anymore. Speaking of vintage, it cannot go without mentioning the Parker 51.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Kanrethad