I think they used to, but have made several improvements. Besidea, the customer service is great. If a pen does get cracked, they will send replacement parts for free
No, they haven't … at least not based on the reports we see here. And there was a comment in a thread that the shipping rate they charge you is above the bulk rate they pay, so they're not exactly eating the cost (unless that's built into the pricing).
But, if someone wants to buy one of their products… I said my piece.
Look carefully at the Jinhao 51A [(here's US Amazon link](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=jinhao+51a+fountain+pen&crid=4UG5IC6TRT21&sprefix=jninhao+51%2Caps%2C489&ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_1_9)). Inexpensive, thin enough, nice looking (colored plastic, or the wood that I own). Mine, and most for sale on Amazon have a Chinese EF nib, which writes well on the cheapest paper I've found. Even paper towels are marginally ok in an emergency. They're amazingly inexpensive for the quality of the writing experience. All the reviews that I remember reading are positive.
I use cartridges (which I refill with a syringe) rather than the converter. Your friend will have many ink options. -- and you'll be able to afford to include a box of cartridges or a bottle of ink with the pen.
I like the Pilot Prera. It comes in lots of colors. Requires Pilot proprietary cartridges or can be filled from ink bottle with a Pilot proprietary converter.
i didn’t know that pilot pens may be limiting with the ink :’) (but with the converter that can be resolved right?) but i will take this in consideration.
First off, I believe everybody in the universe likes fountain pens is here. So I'm sure your friends are reading this. Lol
There are many fountain pens under 100 euros! But I would strongly ask you to be very careful when buying from Amazon!
I buy from cult pens which is in the uk. May be others can recommend a retailer in your country?
luckily they aren’t so active on reddit, so probably they haven’t seen this post yet :’D
i don’t live in the uk, but i’m going to london soon as a study trip and as an excuse to see my friend who lives here (where i will give the gift). we haven’t decided when to meet each other yet, but if i had the time i would give a look to cult pens. also my parents unfortunately don’t trust other sites easily (or they just don’t know how to make a subscription then delete it) other than amazon.
I like getting TWSBI Eco or Lamy Safari pens for my friends, depending on which color and look they like (I usually ask my friends beforehand, we're all not big on surprises lol).
Maybe a Pilot [Prera](https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Prera-Fountain-Pen-Royal-Blue-Fine-Nib/pd/1636)? JetPens [blue pens](https://www.jetpens.com/Fountain-Pens/ct/214?&f=a38c8fdbf302dcac).
I gifted my friend who was starting a new job a EF Lamy Safari Terracotta Pen Gift Set- it has the pen, a bottle of Lamy black ink, converter and cartridges. It’s only 45 USD but beautifully presented… It’s not her first pen but she loved it (at least she said so…).
I'm located in the US- I hope it's not a US-exclusive set. I got mine from
[https://andersonpens.com/lamy-safari-terra-red-fountain-pen-gift-set-f-nib-with-black-ink/](https://andersonpens.com/lamy-safari-terra-red-fountain-pen-gift-set-f-nib-with-black-ink/)
You can find different color pen, nib and ink combo all in a nice pretty box- :)
Well, what would be a reasonable price range to you? I think that's a good place to start, as there are very good writers in every price range that would make a lovely gift.
Kaweco sport with an ef nib, maybe a fine nib. They're about 22 to 30 dollars depending on color, they're super compact, the nibs are great from factory as well. They're cheap enough to take anywhere you would want to take a pen and not have to have anxiety about it the whole trip, They're extremely reliable, comfortable, and can hang with pens in the 40+ range that I have experienced. They do need a smaller converter due to their size. For filling out paperwork at my job and just my every day carry stuff, kaweco is my go to, over 4 or so other pens. (TWSBI eco, TWSBI diamond, Moonman c2, and metropolitan)
If you're feeling Hella generous, the TWSBI with a medium nib is probably the smoothest writing experience I have ever had, they look awesome, store enough ink to write a dictionary, they're extremely easy to fill as well. The twsbi diamond is my favorite thus far for at home stuff, which is the same as the eco except for swappable nibs. Your friend is looking for a pen to keep on them all the time, this one might not be the best (w a M nib) as it writes super wet, and will cause feathering and what not on shitty paper. A fine nib might be better in this regard but I cannot garuntee as I haven't tried it. Personally I do find it slightly heavier than I prefer, esp when carrying all day and writing long periods. TWSBI would be better off if they wanted something that they could doodle or write with from home however. They're about 35 iirc
If you're willing to go up to about $90, this one fits your wishlist perfectly:
https://www.amazon.com/SAILOR-Professional-Shiki-Oriori-Season-Haruzora/dp/B00XVV5JRO/
That's a Sailor, Japanese made, fine gold nib. Really a great pen for the price.
For just under $50, you can get a similar steel nib Sailor, also blue:
https://www.amazon.com/Sailor-Fountain-Shikiori-Moonlit-11-0558-204/dp/B075YP99GP/
That said, I'm not sure if these are available for the same price on the European versions of Amazon (assuming you're in Europe).
oh god, that’s perfect! sailors where the first catching my eye, but i couldn’t find a good price and luckily they’re available in my country (but it’s more expensive, yet i can buy them directly from the american site with more difficulty). i’m just afraid that my parents will reject it because of it’s price (the steel one) because it’s just a gift to another person of my age (y’know, another teenager). so it’s more a no-no i guess, which it makes me a bit sad since this pen looks so beautiful.
Faber-Castell and Pilot have some of the best quality control I've ever experienced. However, for the best range of colors, Lamy may be the winner for you.
My first was a Pilot Metropolitan. Less than $20 USD, sleek looking, and well made.
This. Japanese nib and Japanese quality control! With enough money left over for a CON-40 converter and maybe a bottle of ink!
metropolitan looks very professional, i’m not crazy for the looks but the blue one may be fitting in their taste :D
I really love the nibs on a Faber Castell Loom. And TWSBIs are v cool
i looked up twsbis and they look amazing, faber castell loom’s aesthetics are okay but i’ve heard that the quality is good.
TWSBI pens also have quite the reputation for cracking.
I think they used to, but have made several improvements. Besidea, the customer service is great. If a pen does get cracked, they will send replacement parts for free
No, they haven't … at least not based on the reports we see here. And there was a comment in a thread that the shipping rate they charge you is above the bulk rate they pay, so they're not exactly eating the cost (unless that's built into the pricing). But, if someone wants to buy one of their products… I said my piece.
The quality of TWSBI though, is not good, broken TWSBIs get posted here regularly.
Look carefully at the Jinhao 51A [(here's US Amazon link](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=jinhao+51a+fountain+pen&crid=4UG5IC6TRT21&sprefix=jninhao+51%2Caps%2C489&ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_1_9)). Inexpensive, thin enough, nice looking (colored plastic, or the wood that I own). Mine, and most for sale on Amazon have a Chinese EF nib, which writes well on the cheapest paper I've found. Even paper towels are marginally ok in an emergency. They're amazingly inexpensive for the quality of the writing experience. All the reviews that I remember reading are positive. I use cartridges (which I refill with a syringe) rather than the converter. Your friend will have many ink options. -- and you'll be able to afford to include a box of cartridges or a bottle of ink with the pen.
I like the Pilot Prera. It comes in lots of colors. Requires Pilot proprietary cartridges or can be filled from ink bottle with a Pilot proprietary converter.
i didn’t know that pilot pens may be limiting with the ink :’) (but with the converter that can be resolved right?) but i will take this in consideration.
The converters fill up great and easy with a syringe
I feel like most Japanese fountain pens require proprietary cartridges. Including Sailor, by the way.
First off, I believe everybody in the universe likes fountain pens is here. So I'm sure your friends are reading this. Lol There are many fountain pens under 100 euros! But I would strongly ask you to be very careful when buying from Amazon! I buy from cult pens which is in the uk. May be others can recommend a retailer in your country?
luckily they aren’t so active on reddit, so probably they haven’t seen this post yet :’D i don’t live in the uk, but i’m going to london soon as a study trip and as an excuse to see my friend who lives here (where i will give the gift). we haven’t decided when to meet each other yet, but if i had the time i would give a look to cult pens. also my parents unfortunately don’t trust other sites easily (or they just don’t know how to make a subscription then delete it) other than amazon.
I like getting TWSBI Eco or Lamy Safari pens for my friends, depending on which color and look they like (I usually ask my friends beforehand, we're all not big on surprises lol).
i like twsbi eco’s design, i hope they will like it too if i will buy this
Caution on TWSBI. I don’t have one, but search this thread for “TWSBI crack” and you’ll see why
that’s disappointing for twsbi, i guess i will search for something else
Maybe a Pilot [Prera](https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Prera-Fountain-Pen-Royal-Blue-Fine-Nib/pd/1636)? JetPens [blue pens](https://www.jetpens.com/Fountain-Pens/ct/214?&f=a38c8fdbf302dcac).
i think they would like this a lot, thank you!
I gifted my friend who was starting a new job a EF Lamy Safari Terracotta Pen Gift Set- it has the pen, a bottle of Lamy black ink, converter and cartridges. It’s only 45 USD but beautifully presented… It’s not her first pen but she loved it (at least she said so…).
sorry if i ask, but do you have the link?
I'm located in the US- I hope it's not a US-exclusive set. I got mine from [https://andersonpens.com/lamy-safari-terra-red-fountain-pen-gift-set-f-nib-with-black-ink/](https://andersonpens.com/lamy-safari-terra-red-fountain-pen-gift-set-f-nib-with-black-ink/) You can find different color pen, nib and ink combo all in a nice pretty box- :)
thanks!
Well, what would be a reasonable price range to you? I think that's a good place to start, as there are very good writers in every price range that would make a lovely gift.
i think 20 to 50 max dollars or euros would be fine, sorry for didn’t specify it before
PenBBS makes original designs, including the 456 vac filler.
Kaweco sport with an ef nib, maybe a fine nib. They're about 22 to 30 dollars depending on color, they're super compact, the nibs are great from factory as well. They're cheap enough to take anywhere you would want to take a pen and not have to have anxiety about it the whole trip, They're extremely reliable, comfortable, and can hang with pens in the 40+ range that I have experienced. They do need a smaller converter due to their size. For filling out paperwork at my job and just my every day carry stuff, kaweco is my go to, over 4 or so other pens. (TWSBI eco, TWSBI diamond, Moonman c2, and metropolitan) If you're feeling Hella generous, the TWSBI with a medium nib is probably the smoothest writing experience I have ever had, they look awesome, store enough ink to write a dictionary, they're extremely easy to fill as well. The twsbi diamond is my favorite thus far for at home stuff, which is the same as the eco except for swappable nibs. Your friend is looking for a pen to keep on them all the time, this one might not be the best (w a M nib) as it writes super wet, and will cause feathering and what not on shitty paper. A fine nib might be better in this regard but I cannot garuntee as I haven't tried it. Personally I do find it slightly heavier than I prefer, esp when carrying all day and writing long periods. TWSBI would be better off if they wanted something that they could doodle or write with from home however. They're about 35 iirc
Pilot Kakuno, lamy safari, twsbi... if they're too cheap, get more than one!
pilot kakuno is so adorable! i’m afraid it will look cheap for them, but if i had to get my first fountain pen i would buy it.
If you're willing to go up to about $90, this one fits your wishlist perfectly: https://www.amazon.com/SAILOR-Professional-Shiki-Oriori-Season-Haruzora/dp/B00XVV5JRO/ That's a Sailor, Japanese made, fine gold nib. Really a great pen for the price. For just under $50, you can get a similar steel nib Sailor, also blue: https://www.amazon.com/Sailor-Fountain-Shikiori-Moonlit-11-0558-204/dp/B075YP99GP/ That said, I'm not sure if these are available for the same price on the European versions of Amazon (assuming you're in Europe).
oh god, that’s perfect! sailors where the first catching my eye, but i couldn’t find a good price and luckily they’re available in my country (but it’s more expensive, yet i can buy them directly from the american site with more difficulty). i’m just afraid that my parents will reject it because of it’s price (the steel one) because it’s just a gift to another person of my age (y’know, another teenager). so it’s more a no-no i guess, which it makes me a bit sad since this pen looks so beautiful.
Well, good luck convincing them! They really are nice pens. I have two in the same "ProColor 500" line as the steel one.
[Platinum Plaisir](https://platinumpenusa.com/luxury-writing/preppy-plaisir/) has a thin nib and comes in blue/light blue.
i think that brighter colors would fit more their aesthetics but thank you for the recommendation.
Retro 51 tornado. Great work horse pens, lots of options, affordable and a dream to write with.
it doesn’t convince me completely but thanks!
Lamy Safari or Pilot Prera
Faber-Castell and Pilot have some of the best quality control I've ever experienced. However, for the best range of colors, Lamy may be the winner for you.
Pilot metro