That's going to be devastating 😬 Time Port Hamburg
My youngest son and I have been to many Pen Ports Hamburg in recent years. It's our father-son fountain pen nerd time, a pilgrimage to the sacred sites of magic writing wands. This year, our world is rocked by the addition of Time Port Hamburg to Pen Port. It is a devastating blow, like a dagger to the heart of our nerdy sanctuary. Two rabbit holes side by side, under the same roof, embedded in a hard-to-resist flea market. This could be the end of us. I imagine us now, wandering the aisles of Pen Port and Time Port, lost in a sea of pens and watches, our wallets empty and my credit card maxed out. We'll emerge hours later, bleary-eyed and disheveled, but with our nerdy hearts full. But what if we don't emerge? What if we're lost forever in the rabbit holes? What if we become two more victims of the seductive flea market? How can one step through two doors a the same time? I pray that we will have the strength to resist the temptation. But I'm not so sure.
I have been there, when the first Lamy Safari fountain pen hit schools. I have been there, when the first G-Shock came into the classroom. I have been there, when the ticking of my classmates' first S...
Follow that dream.
Be diligent. Prepare for the pilgrimage. You will find the strength! 🙏🏻
😉
time to resist mate I'm going to pray for you🤣
I’ve been looking at nice fountain pens Lately. What would you recommend for a newbie?
Lamy?
I’ve been looking at nice fountain pens Lately. What would you recommend for a newbie?
Lamy?
My 14-year-old son and I discussed your question. While young, he has used fountain pens for 7-8 years and owns some decent pieces up to $450.
I'm biased towards Lamy and would recommend them any time for beginners, as I've had a great experience with them for more than 40 years. Lamys are reliable and won't let you down.
My children have Lamys in their arsenals, but they choose other personal favorites.
So here is what we think:
What do you mean by "beginner"? Are you used to write with ball pens but want to try fountain pens now? If so, we recommend starting with a steel nib, because in most cases gold nibs are too soft for ball pen pressure.
Do you write a lot? Do you journal, write at work or only write a few words a day?
What is your price range? You could easily spend thousands on a fountain pen, or only few cents. We recommend starting with quality without breaking the bank.
All fountain pens have some different characteristics. You'll need to try some until you find what you really like.
Here are some guidelines:
Diplomat, Faber-Castell and Graf von Faber-Castell have the best nibs on the market.
Consider wether you like metal grip sections. Some love them, others hate them.
Do you want a thick and clumsy baby crayon-like pen or a pencil-thin and workhorse-like pen?
If you're not sure, start with a medium nib (European) or broad / broad-broad nib (Japanese).
Consider the weight of the pen. There are compressed full metal fountain pens that have armor breaking capabilities and huge feather like baby crayons made of "precious resin" (brittle plastic that cannot take an enerved look without breaking apart).
Get cartridge-converter fountain pen, because this will give you the flexibility to try different refilling systems and which suits your workflow.
Don't buy Jinhao! Never!
Now, here are some good starters:
Lamy Al-Star or Lx: These pens are great for learning the best grip position and fountain pen handling.
Lamy cp1: This pen is thin and workhorse-like. If you can handle a pencil you can handle this pen too.
Lamy 2000: This is an absolut classic fountain pen that all collectors will buy eventually.
Any other Lamy, except ABC: Lamy is generally reliable and high quality.
Kaweco Sport: These are available in plastic and metal. They are among my children's and my wife's workhorses and my traveller pens. Only the metal versions have screw-in nib units for easy nib swaps. On the plastic models the nibs are friction fit and a bit more difficult to swap.
Kaweco Liliput. My son's top favorite in his EDC and his beginner's fountain pen in primary school. It is screwed together an so small that you can carry it everywhere even in purse.
Of course Kaweco has full length fountain pens and a diversity of metals and plastics in case you like that more. All of them are really good.
If you really want to do yourself a favour, you will go to Diplomat. Within the last five years their prices went crazy. But they are on par with Graf von Faber-Castel: Highest premium steel nibs and dreams of singing gold nibs. All made from metal with different finishings. Just keep the fingers off the Magnum line and you will get one of the best fountain pens that you can buy for money. An Excellence A2 with bicolour 14 k EF nib is my oldest son's most loved everyday writer and hardly any other fountain pen can beat its performance and balance no matter how expensive they are.
Faber-Castell: Excellent steel nibs on all their fountain pens! I would skip the school lines. Faber-Castell is not everybody's design language.
Faber-Castell Ambition: Pencil-like thickness. Gorgeous writer.
Faber-Castell Ondoro: Thick but very smooth in the hand. Love it.
Faber-Castell e-Motion: Thick, heavy and massive. Maybe not really for beginners unless you like the weight of a cannonball in your hand. But it's an excellent writer.
Graf von Faber-Castell Tamitio: This pen is great for beginners in the world of fine writing instruments. It looks like the Faber-Castell Ambition but is thicker and heavier, all in all much more fountain pen in the hand. You get one of the best of the best fountain pens, which easily outperformes much more expensive fountain pens of other brands except Diplomat.
You can't go wrong with Pelikan, Parker and Waterman. Pilot and the other Japanese fountain pen makers are good too, but I think people who are not used to writing kanji may experience some strange writing behaviour with these fountain pens.
Leave the wallet and cards at home. Only carry cash you are willing to spend.
My 14-year-old son and I discussed your question. While young, he has used fountain pens for 7-8 years and owns some decent pieces up to $450.
I'm biased towards Lamy and would recommend them any time for beginners, as I've had a great experience with them for more than 40 years. Lamys are reliable and won't let you down.
My children have Lamys in their arsenals, but they choose other personal favorites.
So here is what we think:
What do you mean by "beginner"? Are you used to write with ball pens but want to try fountain pens now? If so, we recommend starting with a steel nib, because in most cases gold nibs are too soft for ball pen pressure.
Do you write a lot? Do you journal, write at work or only write a few words a day?
What is your price range? You could easily spend thousands on a fountain pen, or only few cents. We recommend starting with quality without breaking the bank.
All fountain pens have some different characteristics. You'll need to try some until you find what you really like.
Here are some guidelines:
Diplomat, Faber-Castell and Graf von Faber-Castell have the best nibs on the market.
Consider wether you like metal grip sections. Some love them, others hate them.
Do you want a thick and clumsy baby crayon-like pen or a pencil-thin and workhorse-like pen?
If you're not sure, start with a medium nib (European) or broad / broad-broad nib (Japanese).
Consider the weight of the pen. There are compressed full metal fountain pens that have armor breaking capabilities and huge feather like baby crayons made of "precious resin" (brittle plastic that cannot take an enerved look without breaking apart).
Get cartridge-converter fountain pen, because this will give you the flexibility to try different refilling systems and which suits your workflow.
Don't buy Jinhao! Never!
Now, here are some good starters:
Lamy Al-Star or Lx: These pens are great for learning the best grip position and fountain pen handling.
Lamy cp1: This pen is thin and workhorse-like. If you can handle a pencil you can handle this pen too.
Lamy 2000: This is an absolut classic fountain pen that all collectors will buy eventually.
Any other Lamy, except ABC: Lamy is generally reliable and high quality.
Kaweco Sport: These are available in plastic and metal. They are among my children's and my wife's workhorses and my traveller pens. Only the metal versions have screw-in nib units for easy nib swaps. On the plastic models the nibs are friction fit and a bit more difficult to swap.
Kaweco Liliput. My son's top favorite in his EDC and his beginner's fountain pen in primary school. It is screwed together an so small that you can carry it everywhere even in purse.
Of course Kaweco has full length fountain pens and a diversity of metals and plastics in case you like that more. All of them are really good.
If you really want to do yourself a favour, you will go to Diplomat. Within the last five years their prices went crazy. But they are on par with Graf von Faber-Castel: Highest premium steel nibs and dreams of singing gold nibs. All made from metal with different finishings. Just keep the fingers off the Magnum line and you will get one of the best fountain pens that you can buy for money. An Excellence A2 with bicolour 14 k EF nib is my oldest son's most loved everyday writer and hardly any other fountain pen can beat its performance and balance no matter how expensive they are.
Faber-Castell: Excellent steel nibs on all their fountain pens! I would skip the school lines. Faber-Castell is not everybody's design language.
Faber-Castell Ambition: Pencil-like thickness. Gorgeous writer.
Faber-Castell Ondoro: Thick but very smooth in the hand. Love it.
Faber-Castell e-Motion: Thick, heavy and massive. Maybe not really for beginners unless you like the weight of a cannonball in your hand. But it's an excellent writer.
Graf von Faber-Castell Tamitio: This pen is great for beginners in the world of fine writing instruments. It looks like the Faber-Castell Ambition but is thicker and heavier, all in all much more fountain pen in the hand. You get one of the best of the best fountain pens, which easily outperformes much more expensive fountain pens of other brands except Diplomat.
You can't go wrong with Pelikan, Parker and Waterman. Pilot and the other Japanese fountain pen makers are good too, but I think people who are not used to writing kanji may experience some strange writing behaviour with these fountain pens.
I was looking at the Lamy Al Star or Studio as they are in my price bracket. I write at work though have been looking to do some more in my spare time. The diplomat sounds like quite the pen.