Hi! Looking for first pen suggestions.

[KansasCityPerson]

Hi, I am a student and write all of my notes on paper. So it will need to take a little bit of a beating. Also I would like it in the 25-75 dollar range and for it to look fairly nice. Thank you for your advice and have a nice day.

[jar]

Welcome home. Pull up a stump and set a spell.

[KansasCityPerson]

Could I get a more serious answer?

[jar]

Could I get a more serious answer?

Sure. Enjoy the experience. Look for fountain pens in your area that are in your price range. Find folks with fountain pens and ask them to teach you how to write with a fountain pen. Finally ask the adults if they still have any unused fountain pens you could learn with. And figure out why I used "set" instead of sit.

[RocketRyan]

An italix pen from Mr pen.

[ambimom]

Faber Castell Loom $40; TWSBI Eco $30 (but you'll have to learn how to clean a piston filler-- lots of youtube videos); but my all-time favorite at the moment is the Retro 51 Lincoln $45 in copper, possibly the most beautiful pen in my collection. I'd stay away from the Chinese pens for the moment because their quality is erratic; sometimes you get a great one and other times they don't write at all. the Loom, TWSBI and Retro 51 are all great looking and I vouch for their consistency. Pilot Metropolitan is another great one $15 with lots of colors and nib sizes. Pilot also makes a disposable fountain pen, the Varsity which is an excellent first choice. The nib is actually quite pleasant to write with.

[Hawk]

Welcome.
That is jar’s standard welcome to new members. This is a fun site, enjoy.
TWSBI pens are sturdy, well made and good writers. I like the transparent design however, it won’t appeal to everyone.

[Anne]

Welcome - I will put my vote in for a TWSBI as well. You can't go wrong, especially being able to switch to different size nibs.
You could also give us more information like what style may appeal to you, even at this early stage. Good luck and have fun!

[VertOlive]

Lamy Safari all day long, any color you can think of. Or Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop. Both around $15 - $30

If you're writing on average notebook paper, I'd stick to fine nibs.

[SIR]

Platinum Century #3776 - c.$75 from Engeika...
http://www.engeika.com/product/435

[NibsForScript]

Lamy Al-Star 37.95 Good looking writes all day smoothly, easy to change nibs. There are a number of great suggestions here and all of them are valid and good. The first one was very good. Get out to a pen store and try them. Your own individual taste is important in any purchase.

[FredRydr]

Parker 51 that's gone over, no rare colors, caps or dates.

[amk]

Well, assuming you want to start out with something reliable, I'd say Faber Castell loom is a good one - nice nib; Lamy Safari; one of the lower level Sailor or Pilot pens would also be good.

But make sure it feels good. Lamy Safari has a triangular gripping section; I don't have a problem, but some people just can't get on with it. Faber Castell lots of people love but I find most of their pens a bit on the skinny side for my taste. Things to look out for:
- is there a sharp step where you want to put your thumb?
- are the threads sharp?
- is the pen too fat or thin? are you finding that you have to grip it too hard?
- is the gripping section too shiny, so your hands are sliding?
- screw-on vs snap cap - you may find a snap cap better for note taking.
- is the pen too heavy?
- if you write posted (with the cap put on the top of the pen while you write), does the cap post securely or does it wobble?

If you find a Waterman Kultur or Sheaffer No-Nonsense second hand, those are great pens too but they don't make them any more :-( Don't pay silly prices though. Parker 45s are also lovely pens you can sometimes find at a reasonable price.

Any of those pens will take you reliably through your note taking. NB if you want to economise on ink, get a converter, or learn how to refill cartridges with a syringe, because bottled ink is so much cheaper (and also, more colours are available).

Now, if you want to get seriously into fountain pens, come back in a bit ... or go looking in the flea markets and antique shops and see what you can find. But I warn you, it can get addictive. Seriously.

[Scooby921]

Welcome!

I will add the Pilot Prera to the list of considerations.

[johniem]

Talk to the folks at The Pen Place in Crown Center. They are very helpful and will give you good advice.

[carlos.q]

If you have never used a fountain pen I would second the recommendation for a Lamy Safari. The beveled section will help you develop a tripod grip and a hard nib is better for note taking. Just remember a FP is not a ballpoint!

[Wahl]

[Sammyo]

Hello and welcome.
My first suggestion would be to go to a store website and look at what is on offer.
Most pen stores have filters for price, so that should be easy.

When you know what you like the look of do some research.
All pens have pros and cons, that is true of EVERY pen. TWSBI are great for the price but have a history of their plastic cracking; Metropolitans are great, but the colour finish will wear and chip if carried in a a bag with lots of other stuff; etc... do your own checks first.

If you can, go to a store / a local pen meet / pen fair / pen show, anywhere you can get a chance to handle the pen yourself before buying.
What is pretty on a very carefully taken pic online might not look the same in real life. What looks beautiful in real life might not be comfortable to use for long writing periods. Check that its comfortable for you; check the weight is ok for you (some are too heavy, some are too light).

It's kind of like Goldilocks and the three bears, you usually need to try something for yourself before you know what you really like.

Hope that helps... and doesn't make it too much harder!

[SIR]

Hey KansasCityPerson, you say you are a student - but are you working also, or have a certain amount of regular income to save/spend?
I'm only asking as a common theme in another thread was how quite a few folks had realised from hindsight that they'd've rather spent more and skipped cheaper pens back in the early days of their pen enthusiasm.

[heraclitus682]

Platinum Century #3776 - c.$75 from Engeika...
http://www.engeika.com/product/435

Yup, this one. Same nib/feed/converter as the much lauded Nakayas but within your price range. These are awesome pens.