Fountain Pen Reviews

Modern Fountain Pen Stash

Below is a list of links, in relatively alphabetical order, of fountain pens I’ve reviewed, for better of worse.

TWSBI 540 and Mini

13 comments / Add your comment below

  1. Please join my Facebook group for people who enjoy using the Pilot Varsity fountain pen. We have well over 100 members worldwide. If you have time, tell us something about your own experience with the Varsity. Thanks! – Anton

      1. I wonder whether others have had the same dismal experience I had with the Montblanc Meisterstück. I bought the pen in December 2018 thinking I bought the Rolls Royce of pens. How wrong I was.

        I returned the pen for a service under warranty since the flow of ink was erratic and the pen did not glide on the paper like most of my other (much less expensive) pens. The pen performed a little better after the service but soon played up again. So I returned it again a second time under the extended service warranty. Again, after the second service the pen seemed to write a little better (although not as good as my other pens.) Now it’s playing up again – flow cuts off, can’t get a full signature down with it, etc. The pen is still under the second service warranty until February 2022 and I shall be taking back in and asking for a refund or replacement, although, based on my experience, I don’t have much faith that a replacement would be any better. This very expensive own has been nothing but trouble.

  2. Wonderful reviews! I especially like your “Modern Budget Fountain Pens” post. We’re going to need heck of alot more posts like that as the Chinese and Indian pen manufacturers pump out more and more cheap pens that perform well beyond their price range. 🙂

  3. One serious omission—just in case—my over decade and a half workhorse, over more expensive pens or more known brands, has been the Omas Arte Italiana in XF and F. While my fave remains the platinum nib, even their lower cost versions are a joy to write with. I am an engineer and scientist, so about 30-40% of what I write are actually math or diagrams, just as a disclosure.

  4. Forgot the other important part: ink! I’d love to see more ink reviews but my current fave (works excellent with Pelikan, Omas, Visconti and Montegrappa) is the Pilot Iroshizuku, specifically in Asa Gao (a striking lapis lazuli shade) … but the range of Colour choices is quite stunning. 🙂 Took a few years to find a combo, but hey, I’m picky as hell.

  5. hi there – I love your site.

    I own many of the pens and inks your review here, and I too am a big fan of the Kaweco Sport – there is always one in my pocket.

    my go-to pens at my desk are old Sheaffer 440’s, and I recently found a repro Sheaffer Balance which is my new favourite.

    I have several Pilot 78g and use the Pilot CON-50 ink converter, clear screw-thread piston, which is better than the nasty bladder that comes with the pen.

    for ink I like the Pilot Iroshi. I write with an extra-fine nib so flow is more important than shading. Only Mont Blanc ink comes as close to flowing as well as the Iroshi. I’ve taken to mixing several shades of Iroshi to get the colour I prefer.

    I’m looking forward to your review of the Kaweco Sport Art

    cheers

    R.

  6. I have several fountain pens. A couple I’ve had for many years, a Waterman and a Faber Castell, are my favourites. They slide on the page and write very smoothly. Several months ago I bought a MontBlanc Meisterstück expecting the best pen experience. I was thoroughly disappointed. I had to return the pen twice in quick succession, since the flow of the ink was irregular, missing parts of words and signatures. After the second service the ink flow improved but the writing experience is still not what I expect. The pen feels like it scratches on the paper. For the high price of the pen I expected much, much better. Maybe it’s because I’m left handed but then again that does not seem to matter with my other pens, which provide me with a much better writing experience at a fraction of the cost of my Meisterstück.

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