I need a pen recommendation!

[LittleRedHen]

So, I may be leaving a job I absolutely love in order to move to California, where my fiance just got the job of her dreams (plus they pay moving costs, you get a housing stipend, and the salary is about four times what she is making now). We are still weighing pros and cons, as our families are in MI and she has some relatives whose health is declining. However, even if we do decide against California, I'm having some surgery soon and will be taking a leave of absence.

There are some coworkers that I've really grown fond of, and I would like to leave them each a fountain pen as a gift when I move or take my medical leave, whichever ends up happening first. My coworkers really like my pens, and I'm kind of known around the office as "the pen person". Also, it's kind of traditional for lawyers to get a really nice pen when they pass the bar, but no one gives us paralegals anything! I feel like that should change :)

I need a recommendation from all of you for a make and model of fountain pen that would serve as a nice gift. Here are my criteria, in order of importance:

-It needs to be a good beginner pen that writes well out of the box. These people have never had their own fountain pens, and I'd hate to give them a bad experience. I'm thinking many of them would like broad nibbed pens, as my broad nib TWSBI seems to be a favorite for "borrowing".

-It needs to be cheap. I will be buying five of these! I know a fountain pen isn't supposed to be a "cheap" gift, but I'd love to not spend a fortune, y'know?

-Refills must be cheap and easy to find...I'm willing to provide a box of cartridges so that they can use their gifts right away, but after that they are on their own. I use ink bottles, but I really doubt any of them will put up with the mess of bottled ink. It would be awesome if they could find cartridges at Staples or OfficeMax or something.

-It should look really cool on their desk, if they decide they don't like fountain pens and just want to keep it as a memento of all the craziness I brought to the office :)

Thanks everyone! I'm really looking forward to your suggestions!

[Silverbreeze]

I am guessing Pilot Metro are not nice enough and Kara Kustoms Fountain K are too pricey

If it was just one person I would vote an Edison Production pen or Pilot Vanishing point but at $150 that is not affordable for that many

[top pen]

Could you buy them notebooks instead of a pen? The trouble I find is that without spending more then about £20 I can't think of many fountain pens that really fit the needs.

[stub]

Pilot Prera?

[LittleRedHen]

I am guessing Pilot Metro are not nice enough

Actually, they would be perfect in terms of "looks" and fit nicely within my budget...these are not fountain pen people, I really just want to get them something simple and fun. The only trouble is, my experience with Pilot Metro is limited...I owned one, a medium nib, for only a very short time until my dog buried it in our backyard somewhere. I do remember it being a little scratchy, but maybe I just got a bad one? Would a broad nib Metro be better?

[stub]

Would a broad nib Metro be better?

It would be.

If they made them

</sad_trombones>

[Ripperg9]

Personally if lamy safar is in the budget I think that would be a great beginner pen for all of them. They do take cartridges and have good nib options.

[KKay]

I started with a Pilot Prera F nib. It was 33 bucks with free shipping over 35 dollars. I bought a pack of cartridges, and I was good to go. The pen wrote great right out of the box. No troubles whatsoever.

[Silverbreeze]

Don't know if this helps but this is an idea get a Janghio and replace it with a Goulet Nibs broad
23324

[Lady Onogaro]

I would recommend the Pilot Metro Retropop with an M Nib. You could throw in a box of Pilot cartridges (so they would see what they look like if they want to order them from Amazon). And if you buy multiple boxes of the cartridges, you can mix and match them so people have a couple of black ones, a couple of blue ones, and a couple of purple ones.

You could either let them pick their own colors or you could pick the colors to match the personality of the person. Plus they all come in nice boxes with a cartridge.

[LittleRedHen]

It would be.

If they made them

</sad_trombones>

AHHHHH STILL? Those have been out for awhile, you'd think they'd have released a broad nib...I'm so sad, because I love all the colors.



I would recommend the Pilot Metro Retropop with an M Nib. You could throw in a box of Pilot cartridges (so they would see what they look like if they want to order them from Amazon). And if you buy multiple boxes of the cartridges, you can mix and match them so people have a couple of black ones, a couple of blue ones, and a couple of purple ones.

You could either let them pick their own colors or you could pick the colors to match the personality of the person. Plus they all come in nice boxes with a cartridge.

That's a really good idea...I know one of my coworkers for sure would absolutely love the retropop, because she's got a big personality. Anyone have experience with the Retropop? I'm assuming it's very similar to the pilot metro.

EDIT: I've also been looking at a few Jinhao broad nibs... A lot of Jinhao models are cheap, almost too cheap to the point I'd feel guilty...but I know that the broad nibs are the ones that people ask to borrow in the office. Anyone have experience with this brand?

[amk]

Look on ebay for group lots of Jinhaos. Sometimes they sell pretty low. You may want to do some QC on them though, and make sure you flush them through and do a little trial writing before you give them away. Sometimes there's a bad apple.

I don't think the broad nibs are really worth paying up for with Jinhao. Pilot 78Gs, on the other hand, have fantastic broad nibs and stubs; if you trawl international ebay you can get a multipack, say three for thirty bucks or so via Hong Kong. Pilot make good robust pens, and these aren't blingy, in other words are conservative pens if your co-workers want to use them in the office. The downside is they only take Pilot cartridges not international.

[manoeuver]

xFountainpens would sell you a fistful of Jinhao (or bulows, same thing) for $45 or so, but I don't see those pens on their site anymore.

there are some cheap pens at fountainpenrevolution.com but don't go too cheap.

[penwash]

Buy five Jinhao X450 or X750.
These will look cool in law firms.

Test *each one of them* to make sure the write well, and at the same time write a personal note to the recipient of the pen.
Then give it to them as parting gifts.

It's not expensive, and they will remember you, and Good luck with your move (and surgery).

[Terie_Benjamin]

23325

[Terie_Benjamin]

From goulet

[rdcalhoon]

I like my Metro and Vista (Safari demonstrator) but both have proprietary cartridges. That may be a consideration if you want people to walk into a store and come out with a cartridge that works.

I have had good luck with Chinese pen nibs, but others have not. You might consider at least an ink dip test before gifting a pen to a novice. I prefer Baoer (388 or 3018) over the Jinhao pens (159, 450) which are too big and clunky for my tastes.

You might consider the Nemosine Singularity. I have one with a 0.6 stub nib that I like. For $15 you could give the Singularity with a 0.8 stub nib, which would give a bit of interest to the pen.

[Marsilius]

Nice thoughtful idea! Metro and a notebook.

[Silverbreeze]

AHHHHH STILL? Those have been out for awhile, you'd think they'd have released a broad nib...I'm so sad, because I love all the colors.



I would recommend the Pilot Metro Retropop with an M Nib. You could throw in a box of Pilot cartridges (so they would see what they look like if they want to order them from Amazon). And if you buy multiple boxes of the cartridges, you can mix and match them so people have a couple of black ones, a couple of blue ones, and a couple of purple ones.

You could either let them pick their own colors or you could pick the colors to match the personality of the person. Plus they all come in nice boxes with a cartridge.

That's a really good idea...I know one of my coworkers for sure would absolutely love the retropop, because she's got a big personality. Anyone have experience with the Retropop? I'm assuming it's very similar to the pilot metro.

EDIT: I've also been looking at a few Jinhao broad nibs... A lot of Jinhao models are cheap, almost too cheap to the point I'd feel guilty...but I know that the broad nibs are the ones that people ask to borrow in the office. Anyone have experience with this brand?

I don't trust their broad nibs which is why I showed the Goulet nib

[SaoDavi]

How about a TWSBI Eco or the Lamy Al-star/Vista. They might like the demonstrators and the non-cartridge pens too (ie: twsbi).

Personally, I would probably get my coworkers a Retro 51 rollerball. They're inexpensive, great writers, and come in a variety of options. It's a great way to make each gift personal.

If you stick with fountain pens, I think EF or F would work better for noobs using lousy office paper. Less ink usage, less bleeding / feathering, more akin to writing with a "normal" pen, etc.

[dam]

The Nemosine Singularity is a good little pen, comes in many finishes and a variety of nib sizes. They're cheap and come with a converter. I think xfountainpens offers free shipping in the US. My second choice would be the Metro with a medium nib. In both cases, you can choose different colors to match the personalities of the recipients.
My experience with the Jinhao X450/750 models have been so-so. I like them at first, then tend to find them a little too bulky and heavy and finally the plastic inner cap ends up cracking and they find their way to the "some rainy day I'm going to tinker with these" drawer.

[Anne]

You might want to check out any pen that would be considered a "school pen" = tough and reliable. How about Kaweco Classic Sport?? You can get it in a broad nib or whatever each one would like. They also come in different colors to suit all five people, including a demonstrator/clear. If they can't find Kaweco cartridges, the pen takes standard international ( short ) ones too.
Good luck with everything and Take Care of yourself.

[SeminarianMike]

Pilot metro at the very low end, montreverde or faber Castel for a little more money

[LittleRedHen]

Mmmmm.... so many awesome suggestions! This is what I've decided:

I'm having surgery on the 25th, but we just found out that my fiance's licensing in California will take some time to process, so we've got a bit of time until we move. I'll just be giving them the pens after my sick leave, because it sounds like I'll be back long enough to give at least a 2-week notice that I'm leaving. This gives me some more time!

I'm going to pick up a jinhao x750 to test it out for myself. I'm also going to buy another pilot metro, it sounds like it really deserves a closer look that I had time to give it before my "faithful" dog got hold of it :whip: I write fiction as a hobby, and I draft on paper before typing it up on my laptop, and it's about all I'll be able to do while I'm recovering (other than to simply lie in bed zonked out on pain meds, haha), so these pens will be put through the ringer! If the jinhao is as good as the reviews I've seen, I'll buy five of those for my friends, if not, it will be the pilot metro, as I think the pattern and color variations will be a hit.

I hope I'm not being too cheap...but you know, I'm saving for a wedding at the same time, so I really can't go with something like a faber castell. I wish I could, but I can't justify something like that to my fiance, who has cut her "fun money" budget to the bone for this wedding for the past year (we are trying to save up to pay for most of it in cash...there has never been a marriage in my family that started off on a pile of debt that had a happy ending, PLUS she wants babies...lol). Lamy safaris would fit within my budget and be great, but I don't think that design would be a big hit, as my pens are borrowed often (people like to bring them to court and depositions for notes) and my Lamy Al-Star sits lonely and unborrowed in my desk drawer.

[Silverbreeze]

Mmmmm.... so many awesome suggestions! This is what I've decided:

I'm having surgery on the 25th, but we just found out that my fiance's licensing in California will take some time to process, so we've got a bit of time until we move. I'll just be giving them the pens after my sick leave, because it sounds like I'll be back long enough to give at least a 2-week notice that I'm leaving. This gives me some more time!

I'm going to pick up a jinhao x750 to test it out for myself. I'm also going to buy another pilot metro, it sounds like it really deserves a closer look that I had time to give it before my "faithful" dog got hold of it :whip: I write fiction as a hobby, and I draft on paper before typing it up on my laptop, and it's about all I'll be able to do while I'm recovering (other than to simply lie in bed zonked out on pain meds, haha), so these pens will be put through the ringer! If the jinhao is as good as the reviews I've seen, I'll buy five of those for my friends, if not, it will be the pilot metro, as I think the pattern and color variations will be a hit.

I hope I'm not being too cheap...but you know, I'm saving for a wedding at the same time, so I really can't go with something like a faber castell. I wish I could, but I can't justify something like that to my fiance, who has cut her "fun money" budget to the bone for this wedding for the past year (we are trying to save up to pay for most of it in cash...there has never been a marriage in my family that started off on a pile of debt that had a happy ending, PLUS she wants babies...lol). Lamy safaris would fit within my budget and be great, but I don't think that design would be a big hit, as my pens are borrowed often (people like to bring them to court and depositions for notes) and my Lamy Al-Star sits lonely and unborrowed in my desk drawer.

You are not being cheap no worries

I also am a student of the Neal Gaiman school of fiction drafting in long hand with a fountain pen

[Anne]

Mmmmm.... so many awesome suggestions! This is what I've decided:

I'm having surgery on the 25th, but we just found out that my fiance's licensing in California will take some time to process, so we've got a bit of time until we move. I'll just be giving them the pens after my sick leave, because it sounds like I'll be back long enough to give at least a 2-week notice that I'm leaving. This gives me some more time!

I'm going to pick up a jinhao x750 to test it out for myself. I'm also going to buy another pilot metro, it sounds like it really deserves a closer look that I had time to give it before my "faithful" dog got hold of it :whip: I write fiction as a hobby, and I draft on paper before typing it up on my laptop, and it's about all I'll be able to do while I'm recovering (other than to simply lie in bed zonked out on pain meds, haha), so these pens will be put through the ringer! If the jinhao is as good as the reviews I've seen, I'll buy five of those for my friends, if not, it will be the pilot metro, as I think the pattern and color variations will be a hit.

I hope I'm not being too cheap...but you know, I'm saving for a wedding at the same time, so I really can't go with something like a faber castell. I wish I could, but I can't justify something like that to my fiance, who has cut her "fun money" budget to the bone for this wedding for the past year (we are trying to save up to pay for most of it in cash...there has never been a marriage in my family that started off on a pile of debt that had a happy ending, PLUS she wants babies...lol). Lamy safaris would fit within my budget and be great, but I don't think that design would be a big hit, as my pens are borrowed often (people like to bring them to court and depositions for notes) and my Lamy Al-Star sits lonely and unborrowed in my desk drawer.

Okay, if you are going to go with the Jinhao X750 may I suggest this seller from ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/251062542906?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
No affiliation, just a past happy customer. I still use this pen and love it.
( Now the disclaimer: I Have read of people saying that the finish on the X750, in time, can wear. I haven't experienced it and probably wouldn't care, but some might )

[LittleRedHen]

I ended up going with pilot metros for everyone, plus a few packs of cartridges. The jinhao I tried out was decent, but started to crack soon after using it. I hope they like them, I'm still putting together the gifts in little gift wrapped baskets...my fiancé decided to take the job, but her licensing is taking some time to process, so I plan on keeping the baskets in my car until I give my two weeks notice :) Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

[ac12]

Good choice. Nice pen.
I know what you mean when you have to get several pens. The $$ starts to add up fast to $$$.

Where in Calif are you headed?
If Northern Calif, there is the SF Pen Posse which meets in Millbrae (on the SF peninsula).