Best Cheap Fountain Pens (Under $2 Us)

[David_Anderson]

Bob, the Baoer 051 with silver and black stripes along the barrel is slightly more expensive than the solid black coloured barrel. The latter version might just come under your $2 limit. As cheap pens go, the 051 actually feels decent quality.

[truthpil]

 

The Jinhao X450 was on my draft list but I dropped it because my experience with it dated from many years ago. The one I got was too heavy, too broad, and too wet. But the real deal breaker came when I soaked the nib and section with some others and the Jinhao reacted chemically and discolored and damaged both itself and other pens with which it came in contact. However, others at FPN have rated it highly in the under $2 class. I have no experience with the X750.

 

This is a great thread to get going!

 

I believe the X450's material might be better now, as I noticed the nibs on the older models look different than on the newer ones. I've used mine with all kinds of terrible inks for the past 2 years and cleaned the pen with several others pens in a cup of Rapid-o-Eez without any ill effect.

 

I would definitely include the Jinhao X450 and X750 as top pens in the $2 price range, if you don't mind large and somewhat heavy metal pens. I have small hands and find both of them useful for short writing sessions when unposted, but got some serious cramps when I tried a multi-hour writing session with my X750. The 500 is better built and balanced than both of these pens, but sadly I don't see any offers for as low as $2.

[truthpil]

 

I believe the X450's material might be better now, as I noticed the nibs on the older models look different than on the newer ones. I've used mine with all kinds of terrible inks for the past 2 years and cleaned the pen with several others pens in a cup of Rapid-o-Eez without any ill effect.

 

I just spent some time in the bookstore with a new batch of X450s and can confirm my statement above. My X450 is from a few years back and has a nib made of cheaper material than the nibs on the current X450s. These new ones are so nice and come in so many more colors....

[bob_hayden]

At the time I made my list someone was selling X450s for 99 cents on eBay but today prices start around #2.70 (about $2.50 for the X750). Of course $2 was an arbitrary cur-off. I wanted to set that as low as I could yet still include a reasonable selection of pens. For example, I could find only one pen I would buy myself for less than $1 (a Jinhao 991).

[Zookie]

I too am an old cheapskate from waaaaaay back when

Yiren pens are nice, and usually pretty cheap. Picked up some Jinhao 450s when they were being listed as "student" (not Jinhao) pens for a buck each. I've had a lot of fun with those.

 

BTW, limit your search to under 2 USD on ebay. You'd be surprised at what turns up!

Edited December 29, 2017 by Zookie

[effrafax]

Should include the Jinhao 911 on the list too. P51-inspired, been reviewed by a couple of us, usually to be had for around USD2. I have two, and they are amazingly good for the price.

[bob_hayden]

I see a Jinhao X450 on eBay as an unbranded "student pen" for $0.99, but the seller wants $$2.99 for shipping, which makes the total price much higher than usual for an X450. I should have stated that when I determined if a pen was priced below $2 I included the shipping cost in its price.

 

Thanks for the mention of the Jinhao 911.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/319628-jinhao-911-review/

 

I had not noticed that before but would have skipped it due to my hooded nib allergy, but it might be a hit with others. The similar Hero 616 used to be a favorite. At least one eBay seller has them for less than $2 right now, but most are asking much more. I had some of these but mine were very scratchy. Apparently there are a couple sizes and a couple versions and counterfeits as well so I know not what I really got.

 

One pen that fits under the $2 limit is advertised on eBay as a Wing Sung 6359. The 6359 is a nice metal Safari/AL Star clone but normally sells in the $3-4 range. The 6359 thread

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/325645-wing-sung-6359/

 

seems to suggest the cheaper ones are not the real thing, and are not as good. A counterfeit of a clone -- what a concept!-)

[bugsydog55]

I see a Jinhao X450 on eBay as an unbranded "student pen" for $0.99, but the seller wants $$2.99 for shipping, which makes the total price much higher than usual for an X450. I should have stated that when I determined if a pen was priced below $2 I included the shipping cost in its price.

 

Thanks for the mention of the Jinhao 911.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/319628-jinhao-911-review/

 

I had not noticed that before but would have skipped it due to my hooded nib allergy, but it might be a hit with others. The similar Hero 616 used to be a favorite. At least one eBay seller has them for less than $2 right now, but most are asking much more. I had some of these but mine were very scratchy. Apparently there are a couple sizes and a couple versions and counterfeits as well so I know not what I really got.

 

One pen that fits under the $2 limit is advertised on eBay as a Wing Sung 6359. The 6359 is a nice metal Safari/AL Star clone but normally sells in the $3-4 range. The 6359 thread

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/325645-wing-sung-6359/

 

seems to suggest the cheaper ones are not the real thing, and are not as good. A counterfeit of a clone -- what a concept!-)

Have to agree about the copy of a clone idea. But there are also different factories making the Wing Sung branded pens that are such a hit now. Some of these fall under the YongSheng brand and are a bit under the quality of some Wing Sung products. So, even with some of the stellar offerings coming from China currently, you can get a pen under two dollars that is worth less than two dollars.

[bob_hayden]

Hero 443

 

Shiny metal exterior, toothy nib, bottle fill only, clip with huge capacity.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/330784-mini-review-of-hero-443-pen/

[FrankH]

I bought a Jinhao 500 off ebay a couple of years ago for £1.30. I had to wait out a couple of auctions before I got it at that price. I've just looked on ebay and the cheapest I could find is £2.61 "Buy It Now". Still a bargain in my opinion. It holds its own in the company of my £10+ Chinese pens.

[bluebellrose]

At the low unit price I acquired 5 Jinhao X750s on he big A. Then friends got me more of them for a holiday gift. Smooth writing medium nibs that print more like a very smooth fat medium or small broad. Noodler's Heart of Darkness on legal pad and Rhodia. My needs demand I narrow the nibs to a fine or XF, but cannot afford a nibmeister, and grinding the cheap pens seems affordable since I have not yet screwed any up.

 

I am trying toi Frankenpen one or two of them with Zebra G nibs with little to no success as the flow railroads almost immediately.

 

For paper so far, I am not happy with the price of Rhodia but cannot stand the bleed through of cheap American Notebooks. I MUST hit Dollar General here to see if some of the Indonesian paper is available. I live in Tucson, AZ, USA where ink dries fast.

 

I have acquired some pens from India in the under $15 vein -- but leaking and burping problems with two of the three have me sensitive.

Can I suggest monteverde inks? They do well on cheap North American Notebooks.

[Mech-for-i]

Can I suggest monteverde inks? They do well on cheap North American Notebooks.

 

I concur, especially their basic Black , come out neutral and dark enough

[bob_hayden]

On notebooks, my tests of looseleaf filler paper

 

www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/315748-loose-leaf-notebook-filler-paper-bleed-through-battle/

 

may be relevant as the same paper is often used for filler or bound notebooks of the same brand.

 

From the same tests I can suggest Noodler's Anti-Feather as well as the Thornton and Sheaffer red and blue inks from Slovenia as resistant to bleed-through.

[cmarchand]

Good ideas from this thread, I love cheapies. I prefer hooded points, so I have Jinhao 991, Jinhao 599, Hero 9026 and a Jinhao 911 (which is my fave great P51 knockoff). I wish the Jinhao 911 came in different metallic shades or colors other than silver.

 

I also have (and like) the Jinhao 992, but dislike its screw cap.

[Mech-for-i]

I wonder why is this thread re directed to the " China, Korea and Others (Far East, Asia) " section .... really does it mean other than Chinese, there is no way to procure a cheap straight forward " just a pen " fountain pen from anyone else, if so its a sad fact indeed

[truthpil]

I wonder why is this thread re directed to the " China, Korea and Others (Far East, Asia) " section .... really does it mean other than Chinese, there is no way to procure a cheap straight forward " just a pen " fountain pen from anyone else, if so its a sad fact indeed

Sadly, I'm afraid you are right. Apart from Chinese pens, there's no other fountain pen in the world that costs $2 or less including international shipping. Of course in the country of manufacture that would be a different story.

[bob_hayden]

I did not do anything to put it under that heading -- at least not intentionally. But I think that all the pens I mentioned were from that part of the world. Pens from India and Pakistan are very inexpensive in their home countries, but I think China has negotiated very favorable postal rates for shipping to the US. Pens from there generally include shipping while those from India and Pakistan usually charge as much for postage as they do for the pens. And now many medium priced pens with Western brand names are actually made in China.

[bob_hayden]

Other options in the Hero 70xx series.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/335922-mini-review-of-hero-7055/

 

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/335808-hero-7038-mini-review/

 

[MuddyWaters]

I thought you had to pay at least 3-4$ to get a decent Chinese pen (like the alstar copy) or whatever, but I just inked a Hero 329 (small Parker 51) copy and it is currently my fav pen. Sure that changes often, but it is light, writes well, smooth nib with a touch of pleasant feedback, fills well, no vintage smell from the sac. My second 329 is on scratchy side, so it just takes a few tries I guess.

[bob_hayden]

A while ago I ran across a couple of pens with eBay titles including these words:


Student Yiren Pen High Quality Medium Nib Fountain Pen #328

$1.99 each. (Well, it was an auction, that was the starting price, and I was the only bidder.) I ordered one each of the two colors they come in.

 

 

 

I get the feeling the folks at Yiren pondered the Al-Star, the Safari, and the Jinhao clone thereof, and decided to make a more "normal" pen. So this has the nib crimped to the feed al la Lamy and a pocket clip that's a lite version of the clip on the Jinhao. The basic shape is similar but slimmer. The surface looks like metal like the Al Star but is made of plastic like the Safari. The barrel has no flats. Best of all for my tastes, it has a perfectly round section that does not try to dictate how you will hold the pen.

 

The nibs were EF (and so marked) despite being listed as medium. They write well but with considerable tooth. They took only nine days to reach me from China! Overall, I was quite pleased.