Fountain Pen For High School Use

[PotatoJesus]

So I want to upgrade from the use of ballpoint pens at school to a fountain pen. I do have a pen that I enjoy to use at home to study with, but its made out of acrylic, which makes be very scared that it will break in my bag. I know for a fact that there will be times when the pen will be beat around my bag, so I want to stick with pens that are more heavy duty, and made out of metal so that it will be less likely to have any part of the pen break or crack. I do have a metropolitain, but I find the grip section way to uncomfortably small to use, so the grip section would preferably be ~10mm. I was thinking about getting a Brass Tactile Turn but I know there are other alternatives like a Karas Kustoms Ink(not a fan of the finishes they have for the aluminum versions) or the Kaweco Brass Sport. Are there any other metal pens that I should consider? It will mostly be used at school and will probably only have black or blue-black ink in them. I usually like to write in pencil at school (easier to fix mistakes) but when differentiating important notes from others and taking test it will be used.

[ac12]

You NEED a pen case, to put the pen in. Don't just drop it into the bottom of your school bag/pack. Just as with a mechanical pencil, the fountain pen needs protection from being crushed by your books and other stuff.

 

As for the pen, I suggest any of the following:

• Kaweco, Sport
• Lamy: Safari, Vista, Al Star
• Parker, IM (metal pen, only comes in M, you can send it to Parker to get a nib swap to a F nib - on the nib swap you have only 28 days after purchase to do it)
• Rossetta, Explorer (only comes in M nib)

[Bluey]

I don't think you can go wrong with a Jinhao 159, x250, x450, x750 for school use. Sturdy(made of brass), 10mm wide grip section, and inexpensive.

 

Do you have a specific nib width in mind? I'm guessing that you may prefer an EF for doing things like maths but something wider for essays and stuff.

[hrant]

ac12 is very correct! You absolutely need a case to protect a fountain pen from books, and the 800 pound gorillas kicking your bag around!

 

My first fountain pen was an antique Parker 51 I bought for $7 in second hand shop. I used that pen throughout high school and college. It was a fantastic pen- durable, practical and stylish, and I think one would serve you well.

 

So then, why not pick up a Parker 51? They show up on the sales section frequently, and frankly you won't regret buying one.

[Mech-for-i]

Don't just think of it being just the pen. But the whole " How I going to use it and set it up " Fountain pen, Mechanical pencil, or just the Ballpoint are all very mature technology. Name and brand might be something to brag about but this is indifferent in most case to daily usage unless you go for the top end models ( which I highly do not recommend ). Like others had put it, think about how to carry it around, in a pen case or pouch or something. But also figure how to use it together with your other writing materials, that include ( and most importantly ) the papers. And what kind of ink .. despite what most might have to say about it , I certainly do not recommend going for the Kaweco nor the Tactile Turn. Not that they are bad pens, just that they are too expensive for a starter, Let's start with something solid, straight forward, and writes instead. The almost universal Platinum Preppy or Plaisir, the Pilot Kakuno, the Jinhao ( well in fact personally I prefer modern day Hero ) or similar. Get a couple, ink them up with different ink and take time getting yourself acquired with the tools. Then you can spare the time to save up for a better long term investment, By then you might be looking at all different models instead.

[Mech-for-i]

ac12 is very correct! You absolutely need a case to protect a fountain pen from books, and the 800 pound gorillas kicking your bag around!

 

My first fountain pen was an antique Parker 51 I bought for $7 in second hand shop. I used that pen throughout high school and college. It was a fantastic pen- durable, practical and stylish, and I think one would serve you well.

 

So then, why not pick up a Parker 51? They show up on the sales section frequently, and frankly you won't regret buying one.

 

Don't think there's many $7.00 Parker 51 anymore, a working one is more likely to be $70.00

[FarmBoy]

You have neglected to mention the Parker 45. If it breaks so what, just replace it.

[PotatoJesus]

I don't think you can go wrong with a Jinhao 159, x250, x450, x750 for school use. Sturdy(made of brass), 10mm wide grip section, and inexpensive.

 

Do you have a specific nib width in mind? I'm guessing that you may prefer an EF for doing things like maths but something wider for essays and stuff.

Yeah I was thinking of getting a fine nib, as the pen I use to study as home has Fine Jowo nib and it works pretty well on cheap staples paper, with no bleed through at all if I write in print

[hrant]

Don't think there's many $7.00 Parker 51 anymore, a working one is more likely to be $70.00

 

Shouldn't be assumed that I recently purchased it.............and you will certainly recover all your money when you decide to sell it.

[PotatoJesus]

Don't just think of it being just the pen. But the whole " How I going to use it and set it up " Fountain pen, Mechanical pencil, or just the Ballpoint are all very mature technology. Name and brand might be something to brag about but this is indifferent in most case to daily usage unless you go for the top end models ( which I highly do not recommend ). Like others had put it, think about how to carry it around, in a pen case or pouch or something. But also figure how to use it together with your other writing materials, that include ( and most importantly ) the papers. And what kind of ink .. despite what most might have to say about it , I certainly do not recommend going for the Kaweco nor the Tactile Turn. Not that they are bad pens, just that they are too expensive for a starter, Let's start with something solid, straight forward, and writes instead. The almost universal Platinum Preppy or Plaisir, the Pilot Kakuno, the Jinhao ( well in fact personally I prefer modern day Hero ) or similar. Get a couple, ink them up with different ink and take time getting yourself acquired with the tools. Then you can spare the time to save up for a better long term investment, By then you might be looking at all different models instead.

This wont be a starter pen,as i do have other pens with my favorite being my Ranga Zayante (which cost 72$). I do have 2 Jinhao X450(my first fountain pens) and a Pilot Metropolitan(I don't use anymore because of the slim grip section).I have been using fountain pens for almost a year now and I have kind of settled into what I do and don't like in a pen.

[TheYellowHobbit]

Thirding the suggestion of a pen case. You can get a decent one for pretty cheap on Amazon.

[PotatoJesus]

 

You NEED a pen case, to put the pen in. Don't just drop it into the bottom of your school bag/pack. Just as with a mechanical pencil, the fountain pen needs protection from being crushed by your books and other stuff.

 

As for the pen, I suggest any of the following:

• Kaweco, Sport
• Lamy: Safari, Vista, Al Star
• Parker, IM (metal pen, only comes in M, you can send it to Parker to get a nib swap to a F nib - on the nib swap you have only 28 days after purchase to do it)
• Rossetta, Explorer (only comes in M nib)

Yea its probably a good idea to have a pen case, but what should I get for carrying around a single pen? I guess I will look for some cheap hard cases

[sandy101]

You can get a pen case for a single pen. I have a fake leather double case I bought from Amazon for not much, and single case that came free with a pen I bought in paperchase. A pencil case would also work.

 

The Faber Castell Loom or Basic will be a good solution. Nice writers for the price, and are metal. I have 2 looms (broad and medium). The medium has been an EDC for a couple of years now and it still functions well. An alternative might be the Pelikan Stola III which is cheaper, but is a bit drier in my opinion and I don't think you find a convertor that will work with it. Helix also do a rather lovely dark blue school pen - I use one at work and it is a nice writer with a nib that's somewhere between fine and medium. I've only used royal blue and black ink cartridges in it and it hasn't gone wrong. I imagine you might be able to get two or three of these for the price of a Loom.

 

The Parker 45 isn't a bad suggestion, but you might find it a bit too slim.

[Guardy]

Lamy pens are excellent*, but quite frankly pretty expensive in the US - I have a bunch of Jinhao x450's, they're pretty good. They do have a slightly flattened section for better ergonomics, though, which is something not everybody's too fond of. I love those sections, but if you don't, the x750 has a smooth section as far as I'm aware.

 

If you don't mind going pen hunting, the Parker 45 is indeed an excellent pen, though I'm pretty sure the section is slimmer than 10 mm**, and it does use proprietary cartridges.

 

There's also the Faber-Castell Loom, but that one has a plastic cap (I think), and I haven't had mine for long enough to say much about its durability.

 

*especially because you can easily swap nibs - careful, though the AL-Star may be a metal pen and look neat, but it scratches and dents very easily. It won't actually *break*, but it'll definitely show its age after a few years.

 

**I just checked - 7mm-ish at the front, 10mm further back.

Edited March 26, 2017 by Guardy

[TheYellowHobbit]

 

There's also the Faber-Castell Loom, but that one has a plastic cap (I think), and I haven't had mine for long enough to say much about its durability.

 

 

 

I thought the Loom's cap is metal lined with plastic. So far mine has held up well; I've had it for about 2 months and have had no problems.

[TSherbs]

Kaweco Sport

 

Lamy Nexx

[sandy101]

I've had my Loom for two years now. The plastic is thick enough to withstand every day use.

[Uncial]

I had to look up Potato Jesus on the interwebs. Lol.

 

Sorry, completely unrelated, but it made me laugh.

Edited March 26, 2017 by Uncial

[Zeeppo]

Jinhao x750 They are inexpensive and use number six nibs so you can experiment with different nibs.They also come in a variety of colors for fun.

 

They are made of brass and have a good snap cap. Also if they get swiped or lost you are only out five bucks.

Edited March 27, 2017 by Zeeppo

[PS104]

Yea its probably a good idea to have a pen case, but what should I get for carrying around a single pen? I guess I will look for some cheap hard cases

No need for special pen cases that are probably overpriced

Hard eyeglass cases (not the open-ended kind but the ones that have a hinge and snap shut) (can be found in thrift stores) are what I use to transport fountain pens

Just bring your pens to make sure they fit

Edited March 27, 2017 by PS104