Last year, I posted my collection of fountain pens (along with my pen wishlist, two of which I’ve since bought). But like any artistic hobby, it takes time and experience to learn what tools you prefer and work best with. So over the past 8 months, I’ve sold and given away some of the pens I didn’t like so much, and purchased a few more pretty ones whose performance I adore.
I still have more pens than I need (17!), but that allows me to have multiple pens inked up with different hues of the month’s color (for journaling), as well as ones for swatching inks here on the blog and for writing letters in Yours, Etc.
Below are my pens, ranked from most fav to least fav:
Pros: Fits nicely in my hand, not too heavy/not too light, fantastic nib, doesn’t dry out quickly, pretty.
Cons: Expensive.
Pros: Pretty, glows in lighted holder, great grip girth, great weight, fantastic nib, doesn’t dry out
Cons: Expensive
Pros: Sparkly! Good weight, limited edition specialness, fantastic nib, doesn’t dry out quickly.
Cons: A hair too thick for my grip, expensive.
Pros: Good nibs, holds a lot of ink, purple one glows in the dark, doesn’t dry out quickly, good grip girth, good weight, easy to change nibs, affordable.
Pros: More difficult to clean than a converter, maintenance (have to grease the piston every now and then)
Pros: Very springy flex nib, doesn’t dry out quickly.
Cons: Nib requires a lot of practice/changing grip, expensive.
Pros: Good weight, easy to change nibs, doesn’t dry out quickly, moderate price point.
Cons: A wee bit too thick for my grip.
Pros: Small size for travel and shirt pockets, good weight, good grip girth, doesn’t dry out easily, decent nib.
Cons: Doesn’t hold much ink, a little pricey, no changing nibs.
Pros: Lightweight, pretty shimmer, very affordable.
Cons: Doesn’t hold much ink, no changing nibs, dries out a little more rapidly than I’d like.
Pros: Cute design, lightweight, durable (I have definitely dropped these), very inexpensive (like $3).
Cons: Grip girth is a little too narrow, limited colors, only one type of nib and no nib changing, doesn’t come apart for easy cleaning, clogs with many shimmer inks (ink channel is very narrow).
Pros: Changeable nibs, easy to clean, good grip girth, very affordable.
Cons: A little too lightweight (I grip extra hard to keep pen from wiggling as I write), dries out moderately quickly.
Pros: Decent flex nib, relatively affordable, good weight, good grip girth, easy to clean.
Cons: Dries out very quickly, difficult to get nib settled correctly after cleaning.
Pros: Good weight, good grip girth.
Cons: Nib is larger than advertised size, difficult to clean, requires regular maintenance (greasing of piston), expensive, dries out relatively quickly, doesn’t hold as much ink as you’d think (piston only goes down partway).
*Not pictured: Kaweco Sport in Pearlescent, because it’s at their HQ being repaired.
I love your teal and purple and sparkly pen theme, I also collect similar colors!
Thanks! You clearly have great taste. 😉