When I evaluate items purchased or sent to me for review, I focus on a few key points. The first, and to me, the most important, is quality. If something is a poorly made piece of junk barely capable of putting ink on the page, I don’t care what it looks like, how little it costs, or how easily replaceable it is - I won’t recommend that anyone purchase the product. The second point is practicality. I use my pens, so in the context of reviewing I consider the pen’s functionality as a daily writer. Did I need to adjust the nib out of the box? Does the pen balance well in the hand? Does the cap post to my satisfaction? Is the pen so comfortable to use unposted that I don’t care? Is ink capacity an issue for longer writing sessions? The third factor, which I’ll focus on today, is the pen’s overall value proposition. Though the concept of value is highly subjective, and much depends both on the traits and features that one considers important as well as one’s budget/price sensitivity, I’ll assume for purposes of this particular article that the majority of my readers are willing to spend anywhere from $20-$200 on a fountain pen, and share most of my personal preferences in terms of what they look for in a pen. With this in mind, I’ll discuss several pens that I think give you a lot of bang for your buck.
Value Considerations In a Fountain Pen Purchase
So what do I look for? To me, whether or not a particular fountain pen represents a good or bad value proposition starts with the price point at retail. In today’s market, I consider the baseline price of a high-quality steel-nib fountain pen that will give you years of consistent service without much fuss to be around $135. If a pen I’m reviewing falls around this price point, has a good nib, is comfortable to use, and doesn’t feel inexpensively made or mass-produced, I generally consider that pen to be reasonably priced and a “fair” value. As you would expect, if a pen ticks all those boxes and falls below this $135 mark, it becomes a better “value proposition” (i.e., you get more for your money). Pens that exceed my baseline price point can still be good value propositions, but they need to offer something more that distinguishes them from run-of-the-mill offerings.
With respect to those much less expensive pens that I consider great value propositions, I feel that I am getting something in terms of the writing experience that one would typically only find in a more expensive pen. For example, an injection-molded plastic TWSBI may not feel as well-made or appear as attractive as a pen from Franklin-Christoph, but it does offer a reliable, smooth piston mechanism with a large ink capacity for less than $70. For that reason, I think TWSBI generally offers excellent value. Similarly, pens by PenBBS and Moonman have exceptionally smooth nibs, and I understand that Moonman nibs are actually hand-tuned at the factory. This is something you don’t usually find on inexpensive pens that can be purchased for under $20.
On much more expensive pens (say $250-plus), I apply the “Lamy 2000 Test.” I can usually purchase a Lamy 2000 - probably my favorite fountain pen on the market - for $200 tops, and typically less. What is there about a more expensive pen that justifies spending the extra money? Is the pen made from an uncommon or special material, like celluloid or a manufacturer-exclusive acrylic? Is the pen a special or limited edition with a theme that holds particular meaning for me? Is the pen hand-turned by a small maker or a collaboration where a portion of the proceeds goes to a cause I care about? Do I love the aesthetics of the pen so much that I simply don’t care about having to shell out the extra money?
My 2019 Value Recommendations
With these considerations in mind, what fountain pens do I think represent the “best value” in 2019?
Lamy 2000. It’s hard to beat the Lamy 2000 as a value proposition, especially when you can grab it for less than $150 on sale or by using a coupon code. I won’t go into what I like about this pen as a daily workhorse for the umpteenth time - you can read my “Workhorse Pens” profile here - but for the money you will get a reliable, lightweight piston filler with a 14k gold nib. The way prices are trending these days, a similarly equipped pen from another major brand like Pelikan would run you at least $300. (Purchase Here)
Anything From Franklin Christoph. The main selling point about Franklin-Christoph pens are their nibs, with the unique resins and acrylics coming in a close second. The Franklin-Christoph Model 20 is one of my personal favorites, and it starts at $165 with a standard nib, but you have the option to add a hand-ground S.I.G. (Stub Italic Gradient) nib for $20, or a Mike Masuyama specialty grind for $25. (Prices are for steel nibs; gold nibs cost extra.) The ability to add a customized stub or italic nib to an already exceptional fountain pen, and still come out under $200, equals huge value in my book. (Purchase Here)
Leonardo Momento Zero. One of my favorite new brands is Leonardo Officina Italiana, and I am a huge fan of their Momento Zero fountain pen. The base model is a hand-turned acrylic pen with a stainless steel nib - on paper, nothing special - but Leonardo offers unique materials that I think have the look and feel of vintage celluloid, with the pens starting at $169 retail and often ending up priced even lower. That represents outstanding value for such a high-quality handmade pen. My one very high-end purchase this year was one of the Momento Zero “Maestro” sets, which gave me very little hesitation since pens made from those specific Italian celluloids are retailing for much more than the Leonardo set when considered on a per-pen basis. (Purchase Here)
TWSBI ECO. For those looking to break into the world of bottled ink without spending a lot of money, it’s hard to do better than the TWSBI ECO. Retailing at around $30 or less, you get a well-made pen with a good steel nib, large ink capacity, and a reliable piston. TWSBI also has started to release the ECO in a range of transparent colors, making it a fun and inexpensive series of pens to collect, if that’s your thing. Honestly, if I had to, I could make do with a TWSBI ECO as my sole daily driver. (Purchase Here)
PenBBS 308. At the sub-$20 level, you have PenBBS, which I’ve found to be one of the more fun and reliable inexpensive brands. While I don’t have enough experience with their more sophisticated filling systems (vacuum, syringe, and piston fillers) to make a long-term judgment on their durability, the cartridge-converter PenBBS 308 can be found for less than $20, and comes in a range of unique, colorful materials that I’ve never seen at this price point. I also really enjoy the slightly upturned nib, which I’ve consistently found to be a smooth writer. (Purchase Here)
Pilot Pens in General: The Pilot Custom 74, the Pilot Custom Heritage, and the Pilot Vanishing Point will all net you a pen with a gold nib for $200 or less. (The Custom Heritage runs around $220 but 10% discount codes are fairly easy to come by.) Though the Vanishing Point and its slightly smaller sibling, the Decimo, have their fans and detractors due to the placement of the clip, which can interfere with grip depending on how you hold the pen, the Custom 74 (cartridge-converter) and Custom Heritage (piston filler) are standard-shaped pens that most can use quite comfortably. In my opinion, they are also both highly underrated and don’t receive nearly the amount of attention they should. (Purchase Here)
This isn’t intended to be a sophisticated economic analysis of the fountain pen market, just a general discussion of what I consider when offering my opinion on whether specific pens represent “good value” or, on the other hand, are overpriced. Different people will have different considerations, but I thought it might be helpful to my readers to lift the veil a bit on what I consider in the course of my reviews. Feel free to reach out or comment if you have any further questions.
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