Please recommend a pen for a school pupil, for faster writing

[ramendik]

Hello,

My son is is in third year of secondary school here in Ireland. He turns 15 this school year.

He likes to use a fountain pen. He currently has a cheap Parker Vector pen that takes Quink cartridges. It did improve the quality of his handwriting. But unfortunately, the thickness of its line and the general feel make his writing quite slow,. Yet he is saying he does even worse with a usual ball point pen. I guess he would be called a young man of culture on this forum ;)

So I'm looking at getting him a better fountain pen.

But I know very little about fountain pens. How do I choose the pen that is right for him, something that will feel nice, enable faster writing, and draw a thinner line? Might be ideal for him to try things out with different pens, I don't think there is a place in Limerick, Ireland, that would have this kind of selection. So I have to work out the model and order it online.

The budget I'd have is up to 50 Euro, roughly equivalent to 60 US dollars. I understand there are really great fountain pens at around 100 Euro and more, but I am not comfortable getting a tool like that for secondary school, where it might become a victim of whatever rough-an-tumble things that might happen. (University would be different).

[Fangfarrier]

Start off with a BAOER 388 Fountain Pen with a fine nib and see how he gets on. Worst case you’ve lost €6. They’re a Parker Sonnet clones I believe.




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[usk15]

For that stage I recommend Pilot MR with medium nib and Lamy Safari fine nib.


Have a look on this website, fast delivery from UK. Myself I have bought several times different items, next day delivered in Jersey, CI.
https://www.cultpens.com/

[Radonactionservices]

My son started with a Pilot Metropolitan and now also uses a PenBBS 323. Both are excellent pens and not very expensive. The Metropolitan has a nice aluminum carrying case, which holds cartridges and the pen while in his backpack. This pen also comes in a wide variety of colors and designs. He chose a black one with crocodile print.

If your son doesn’t mind a pocket pen, the Kaweco Sport is also nice, and has what looks like an Altoids case, which is very convenient. The pen is a little small, but writes well, especially the fine point.

My son is hoping for a Lamy Safari for Christmas this year. These are quite affordable and the nibs can easily be interchanged with little more the a piece of tape and a little gumption.

I hope these ideas help. Have a great holiday.


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[ramendik]

Thanks for all the ideas!

CultPens unfortunately has prohibitive delivery charges to Ireland at under 70 GBP, so it looks like ebay or amazon for me. EDIT: I found an Irish store called unbound.ie and it stocks the Lamy Safari.

One question I have is: if I get a pen and a converter, is Parker Quink ink generally ok? This ink is easily available here. Or do I need to buy the Lamy/Pilot ink?

[jbb]

Thanks for all the ideas!

CultPens unfortunately has prohibitive delivery charges to Ireland at under 70 GBP, so it looks like ebay or amazon for me. EDIT: I found an Irish store called unbound.ie and it stocks the Lamy Safari.

One question I have is: if I get a pen and a converter, is Parker Quink ink generally ok? This ink is easily available here. Or do I need to buy the Lamy/Pilot ink?

I think Parker Quink would be perfectly fine. :)

[Radonactionservices]

My son has used Quink, purchased from the office supply store, in his Pilot Metropolitan without any problem. We used the black bottles ink. We had to purchase a CON-40 converter, and it works great. Supposedly the CON-50 fits, but it is expensive. Before that we refilled the cartridges with a pipette (like an eye dropper).

I don’t know what types of inks are available in Ireland, but Waterman makes exceptional inks in a wide range of colors. A 50mL bottle lasts a long time and is more economic than cartridges.

I have used Lamy Safari pens and like them a great deal in EF and F nib sizes. But the Pilot Metropolitan, at least in my experience, has performed better on a wider range of papers at a faster writing speed.




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[Jon Szanto]

Please check your PMs for a message.

[Pterodactylus]

I would not recommend any cheap Chinese pen, you get what you pay for....


Recommending a pen is always difficult especially if your goal is that he should be able to write faster or with better quality.

Best would be drive with him to a shop where he can try various pens.
I know that such shops become lesser and lesser and sometimes they are many kilometers away, so this is not always possible.

I donˋt think that a better pen automatically improve handwriting (I had an awful handwriting and hated writing the first 4 decades of my life as in school I was forced to write with my right hand as a left handed person).

I don’t say that a better pen not has the potential to improve things.

If you donˋt have to fight with the tool and the tool suits the task and supports it itˋs much easier to do the task (in this case writing) well.
And there is also a psychological component, If you have a pleasant, decent pen and you know that it is a quality tool, which looks good and you like, the results may be better alone of this circumstance.

So getting your son a decent writing tool is actually a really good thing which likely has positive effects (especially if he doesn‘t like his current one), but don’t expect a miracle.

Substantial handwriting improvement will come only with exercising.


Ok, getting back to decent pens.

A general decision would be if you want to use bottled ink or cartridge ink (pens).
Talking about cartridge pens versus piston fillers.
Better pens (in my eyes) often are piston fillers using bottled ink.

Buying him a piston filler might emphasize the change you want to achieve, as it will be something completely new for him.
On this occasion you could also let him choose some ink colors he like to use and make his writing different and special compared to before (and what others use mostly black or royal blue).
There are thousands of ink colors you can choose from (Diamine might be a reasonable priced high quality brand with hundreds of colors).
(My son love to use different colors from my huge ink collection)



A pen which was already mentioned and is clearly inside your budget is the Lamy Safari.
My son (10) also has a Safari (Transparent demonstrator Version) which he likes.
The Safari is a decent cartridge pen with a good Building quality.
Lamy using proprietary Lamy cartridges, Standard international cartridges do not work.
If you want to use bottled ink instead of cartridges you have to order additionally a converter for the pen (e.g. a Lamy Z26).
The Safari has a triangular grip which might not be the preferred type of grip for everyone, some like it, some don‘t.

Letˋs take a look at some piston fillers.

A first entry to piston fillers is the TWSBI Eco, also inside your budget.
Last year I bought one also for my son and it‘s currently his favorite pen (and also I like to use it)
The pen has a surprisingly good building quality for the price, it can be easily maintained and also dismantled.
It is a well balanced light pen which comes with a really good and smooth nib.
It comes also in various colors, for me a clear recommendation as a entry to the world of piston fillers.


Next step up for me would be a Pelikan M200/M205 (200 gold trim, 205 silver trim) or M215 piston filler.
They are a bit above your budget and start about 70-75€.
You can’t go wrong with a Pelikan, these pens have no flaws neither in handling nor in building quality.
If treated properly they are good for several lifetimes usage.
They are light (the M215 is a bit heavier because of a brass barrel) , well balanced and have excellent building quality and materials.

A tad below the price point of the Pelikan but still above your budget are the TWSBI Mini and the 580.
The Mini is a smaller pen, also nice, I gifted my Niece one a couple of years ago (when she was 13 or 14 with a stub nib) and she loves (and still uses) it.
The 580 is a full size rather large pen, but still reasonable light.
Both are reasonable good pens.

Regarding the nib size, I would recommend a fine nib.
Broad nibs tend to mask writing flaws.
For people with sloppy writing especially with small writing the writing tend to become less legible with broader nibs.
Finer nib writing tend to stay more legible but also show writing flaws more clearly.

Later when your son might want to have a more expressive nib you could think about a broader stub/italic nib (they are a lot of fun and give expression and personality)to the writing.


If you need a shop recommendation, you can get all these pens on Amazon.

Regarding inks I can recommend „The Writing Desk“ in the UK (Amazon often has inks not reasonable priced and also the selection is limited).

[amk]

The Safari is great, because you can always swap nibs. So if your son wants to try a finer or thicker nib, it's easy. Also, the Safari is a pretty robust pen. And though some people don't get on with the triangular grip, it's there to get you into the right habits of writing and holding the pen, so it may help with speed and general ease of writing.

I even have friends with gold-nibbed Safaris - they love the pens, and bought Lamy gold nibs to fit!

Chinese pens can be fun but they may need maintenance as the QC isn't always great; best leave them for later. Also, they can be quite heavy, whereas the Safari is a nice light pen.

[Fermata]

I would echo AMKs advice on the Lamy Safari,

Here is a link to find retailers of the Lamy, five in Dublin for example.

https://www.lamy.com/en/find-a-retailer/


He shouldnt use any left over Parker cartridges in the Lamy, although they look similar, so you may want to budget for a couple of packs of Lamy cartridges. or a converter and a bottle of ink, the standard nib is a medium but swapping to a fine nib is an easy 1 minute job. You may also want to buy a journal, something special and not for schoolwork.


Just about spent your budget!

Edit, just had a look on ebay.ie to see if Lamy pens were available, such as this one

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-with-cartridge/254389061041?hash=item3b3ac505b1:g:tJQAAOSwvwhdash R

Pens that described as Lamy are available at a cheaper price from China, I would avoid these sellers. The Lamy is copied in China and these sellers may not be selling a genuine pen.

[azkid]

Nibs can be swapped on Pelikan and Kaweco pens too, by the way.

Swappable nibs are a great feature for a new fountain pen user who is still discovering what they like. Pilot doesn't offer that option, though.

I've had a chance to try a few Kaweco Sport pens and I think those would be great every day workhorse pens.

I like their EF nib may have too much feedback and drag for him but the F nib should be good.

I like Lamy nibs too and fine is probably the way to go. The Safari is a great pen for every day. The triangular grip isn't for everyone.

How about a Studio?

The continuous grip profile with no indents or steps makes it easier to optimize one's grip position. I tend to do better with this type of pen in terms of legibility and speed. And you still get interchangeable nibs.

Endless Pens has them for as low as $45. Usually they are $60-80.

[ramendik]

Thanks a lot! This is a lot of information to process.

For Limerick, where I live, the Lamy "find a retailer" page shows a shop that is listed as a jeweller's. That's not a place I'd normally go to look for pens :)

[Mık Joger]

When it comes to recommending a pen for faster writing, I suggest considering options like gel pens or rollerball pens with smooth ink flow. Additionally, services like https://ibwritingservice.com/buy-ib-internal-assessment/ can be a lifesaver for students, providing assistance with writing assignments so they don't have to do it all themselves. It's a reliable solution that saves time and ensures quality work.

[dneal]

David, I suspect that you think using the Mik Joger account is some sort of spiteful flex - since we know it's you; but in reality it just reinforces to everyone how miserable, petty and pathetic this quest for vengeance makes you appear.

Dogs eatin’ homework and other tall tales - or how EoC got caught spamming the forum (https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/38447-Dogs-eatin-homework-and-other-tall-tales)

New members should heed the warning in red at the top of the first post, if you don’t like drama.

If you would like more information, David Jackson (Empty of Clouds) and his contact information can be found at this link:

https://www.otago.ac.nz/physio/about/people/administration

[Sandy]

A pen with "go faster" stripes, such as the S T Dupont LeMan.s

The Lamy Safari or Vista should be perfect - I have found the Helix fountain pen to be decent too, but I'm not sure it will taske a converter. The Pelikan Ilo or Faber Castell grip will be excellent too if you can find a stockist.

A Parker 45 with a fine nib might be a nice find on e-bay too.

[rjv]

My initiation into fountain pens was in grammar school, and all of us used Sheaffer school pens which you could buy for a buck. You can still find them for ten or fifteen dollars on eBay. I still use a first generation school pen regularly. Millions of us kids learned about the use of fountain pens with these underappreciated pens in the 1950s and 60s.

[Chrissy]

It surprises me that when an old thread is resurrected by a spammer members start to respond to it, without reading the most recent replies, as if it's a new thread. This thread was posted in 2019 and the only reason you are seeing it is because it was resurrected by a spammer. It's not a current thread seeking responses. :(

One way to ensure you might be responding to a current thread would be to check the date of the original post on whichever landing page you regularly choose. Forums or New Posts. The date of the original post will always show you if a spammer has resurrected it.

[dneal]

Let's be clear that said spammer is one obviously disturbed person - David Jackson / Empty_of_Clouds. He's been at this for years.

The waves of spam fluctuate with his mental state. It's like a toddler throwing a tantrum every time they become upset about something. Reply with "Spam" memes or comments? It encourages him. Ignore said spam? It encourages him. Call him out on it? It scares him briefly, and then a new tantrum of spam begins again.

I find it sad, pathetic and somewhat humorous.

[Chrissy]

There is clearly something seriously wrong with his mind.