Who makes the best fountain pens today?

[harry snyder]

Edison also makes a fine FP

[flipper_gv]

I like Visconti.......

Yeah but it's hard to deny the QC issues.

 

As far as consistently good products, it's hard to say anything against Pilot or Omas. I've never heard someone say they received a pen from them with any kind of defects.

[Maurizio]

In my experience: PILOT.

 

I agree. They make great pens with consistent quality from the low end, Varsity, to high end, Custom 845, of their line along with innovations such as the Vanishing Point and the Parallel Pen.

[Aditya D]

My preferences are:Montblanc,Pelikan,Yard-O-Led,Visconti and to some extent Sheaffer(though they have degraded a lot from what they were).

[Lamyrada]

My preferences are:Montblanc,Pelikan,Yard-O-Led,Visconti and to some extent Sheaffer(though they have degraded a lot from what they were).

 

Would that mean that the other brands you mention are getting close to the levell of "degradation" of Sheaffer now?

Edited February 16, 2015 by Lamyrada

[Ste_S]

Lamy for me. I'd probably also include the big three Japanese companies in there but the pricing in Europe (or cost of importing) means I haven't sampled enough of there pens.

Lamy, Pilot, Platinum and Sailor produce excellent pens across all price ranges.

 

Quite a few of the older European and American brands are trading on there brand and history. A lot of the names mentioned here I'd rather buy vintage than buy a new pen from them.

[honza]

In my experience: PILOT.

 

I agree. They make great pens with consistent quality from the low end, Varsity, to high end, Custom 845, of their line along with innovations such as the Vanishing Point and the Parallel Pen.

 

Absolutely. However I'd love to hear from people who did not include Pilot in their list - why not? Where do the other brands have an edge over Pilot's?

[Sasha Royale]

What is the best-tasting wine ?

What color is the prettiest baby ?

Which dog makes the best companion ?

Which size shoe is most comfortable ?

 

What do you want the pen to do for you ? How much do you budget for this acquisition ? What are your prejudices ?

[Charles Rice]

What is the best-tasting wine ?

What color is the prettiest baby ?

Which dog makes the best companion ?

Which size shoe is most comfortable ?

 

 

 

Hey, those are pretty silly questions!!

 

We gotta get serious here. After all, this is about fountain pens.

[Oldtimer]

is there a POLL feature here in FPN? It would be interesting to put all these brands on a poll and see what FNN members think.!

[flipper_gv]

What is the best-tasting wine ?

What color is the prettiest baby ?

Which dog makes the best companion ?

Which size shoe is most comfortable ?

 

What do you want the pen to do for you ? How much do you budget for this acquisition ? What are your prejudices ?

 

 

Well it depends, you can definitely tell a bad pen from a good pen. Objectively speaking the best pen might not be your favourite.

 

But in this case I think the question is:

 

Who consistently puts out great writing pens (we don't take into account ergonomics) without defects (leaking, nib issues out of the box, material cracking)?

 

 

In this case, Pilot and Omas are IMO the better pen manufacturers.

[Blue_Moon]

It's completely subjective. Actually, the question (in a public forum) would not be "Who makes the best fountain pens today?" The question would be, "In my personal experience, who makes the best fountain pens according to my standards?" "Best" being completely subjective. What is "best" to some is completely different to others. For example, "best" to some might mean dependability - it writes each and every time without skipping. To others, it might mean to be able to flex perfectly, leaving full thick lines in places, and thin crisp lines in others. To some, it might mean drop-dead gorgeous. Again, it might mean precision internal parts that would make an engineer drool.

 

To me, best means the first - dependable. When I pick it up, it writes every time. No hard starts. No skipping. Consistent. The brand with the most pens according to that standard is the "best" to me. Then again, fountain pens can be persnickity. Someone else might not get the same results with my brands. That's where ink and paper could come into play as well. When you see large groups of people indicating certain brands are the "best" for them, and "best" is defined, that's when it's time to pay attention to those brands.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Blue_Moon

[Manalto]

It's completely subjective. Actually, the question (in a public forum) would not be "Who makes the best fountain pens today?" The question would be, "In my personal experience, who makes the best fountain pens according to my standards?"

 

Implicit in the word "best" is opinion, so the re-engineered question is merely redundant. I suspect the person who originally posted the question, since it's in a public forum, was fully expecting to hear the opinions of others. When we say "Vinny's has the best pizza" or "Audis are the best cars," they are generally understood as the opinion of the speaker, not statements of fact. It's not a "completely subjective" question, however. Cold pizza, unreliable cars, oily beaches and leaky fountain pens are statistically inferior.

The comments given here do stray from the original question by giving multiple options, a common response when this kind of question is raised. A superlative calls for one answer only. The "best beach in the world" is not an exhaustive list of pleasant shorelines. Most commenters here are casting votes in response to the (unasked) question: Who makes good pens? (Or, if you insist, "Who, in your opinion, makes good pens, according to your standards?") Which is fine with me, since I'm new to fountain pens, and opened this thread looking for a consensus. I think I'll get a Pilot. Which is the best one?

 

James

Edited February 16, 2015 by Manalto

[Blue_Moon]

 

Implicit in the word "best" is opinion, so the re-engineered question is merely redundant. I suspect the person who originally posted the question, since it's in a public forum, was fully expecting to hear the opinions of others. When we say "Vinny's has the best pizza" or "Audis are the best cars," they are generally understood as the opinion of the speaker, not statements of fact. It's not a "completely subjective" question, however. Cold pizza, unreliable cars, oily beaches and leaky fountain pens are statistically inferior.

 

"Personal Experience," "Best," "My Standards" - no redundancy that I can see. Why the varied answers? - because of personal experience and standards. That determines what's best for that person. In the setting provided - FPN, I maintain that it is completely subjective. Example - Most people are aware that TWSBIs have a problem with cracking. It's discussed at great length in this very forum. Many people complain that their TWSBIs cracked, while many others say they've never had that experience. However, some swear by TWSBIs, even many of those people whose TWSBIs cracked, while some will not buy them ever again. When asked their opinion of TWSBIs (even with the known problem), it comes down to personal experience and standards.

 

I play the game too. Earlier in this thread, I answered "Franklin-Christoph." Although, I would actually give a three-way tie to FC, Pilot, and Italix - being the "best."

[JimCouch]

Very subjective of course, but here is my list.

 

OMAS

Stipula

Pelikan

Waterman

[Aditya D]

 

Would that mean that the other brands you mention are getting close to the levell of "degradation" of Sheaffer now?

Not exactly.Sheaffer, in modern times has gone down quite badly as compared to how they were earlier.Montblanc pens now are not as good as their vintage counterparts but it can't be said that they are as bad as Sheaffer.By making this statement,I don't mean to tell that Sheaffer pens are utter (bleep) or that I hate the brand.All I mean to say is that they have lost a lot of ground and that they are just not what they were in the old times.

[PeterBeoworld]

 

I think I'll get a Pilot. Which is the best one?

 

James

I would look at an 823 - nice size, light, superb large nib and interesting filling mechanism. You can see how much ink you have left and it has a cut off valve so it is secure on aeroplanes. Not too flash looking either but pleasantly understated.

[Manalto]

I would look at an 823 - nice size, light, superb large nib and interesting filling mechanism. You can see how much ink you have left and it has a cut off valve so it is secure on aeroplanes. Not too flash looking either but pleasantly understated.

 

Thanks, Peter. I've been browsing the Pilots and agree with you about the aesthetics of the 823; have also read good things about the No. 15 nib. Do you know if it's made with an opaque barrel? I know they're popular, but except for the cheapos, don't care for transparent pens and that seems to be all I can find. I've also been trying to find the measurement of the section for this model, and (less important) the barrel. I'm looking for a section around .4" (10 mm) and a barrel of .5" (12-13 mm). I was also checking out the 74 and 912. It's tough when you can't hold it in your hand!

 

James

[Oldtimer]

Hey, those are pretty silly questions!!

 

We gotta get serious here. After all, this is about fountain pens.

 

 

I understand the questions were posed JUST to suggest that these are all SUBJECTIVE questions depending on the persons likes and dislikes and many other things. They are not silly questions.

[Oldtimer]

Not exactly.Sheaffer, in modern times has gone down quite badly as compared to how they were earlier.Montblanc pens now are not as good as their vintage counterparts but it can't be said that they are as bad as Sheaffer.By making this statement,I don't mean to tell that Sheaffer pens are utter (bleep) or that I hate the brand.All I mean to say is that they have lost a lot of ground and that they are just not what they were in the old times.

Cool. Thanks! :-)