beginner fountain pen recommendations

it’s time for you to get into fountain pens too!

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Hello Friends,

Today’s post is for anyone that’s looking for some beginner fountain pen recommendations. 

I don’t believe there’s a perfect beginner fountain pen that’ll work for everyone. So I have my recommendations organized by some things you may want to consider when starting out with fountain pens. However, what all these fountain pens have in common is that they’re able to be used right out of the box with an ink cartridge.

Platinum Preppy with a Fine (03) nib

The Affordable Option: Platinum Preppy

The Platinum Preppy is the perfect starter fountain pen if you want something affordable. Coming in at about $6 USD, it’s the most affordable pen on this list. It comes in a variety of colors and nib sizes ranging from extra fine to medium. It’s a fantastic writer and perfect for those that tend to lose their pens.

Kaweco Sport with a Fine nib

For the Pocket Pen Lover: Kaweco Sport

I tried a few fountain pens as a kid, but it wasn’t until I got a Kaweco Al Sport that I was hooked. So I love recommending the Kaweco Sport to fountain pen beginners. The Kaweco Sport comes in nib sizes extra fine to double broad and comes in so many colors that they’re collectible. (Seriously, there’s so many exclusive and limited edition colors out there!) The Kaweco Sport is approximately $30 USD, while the models made of metal start at $80 USD.

Pilot Kakuno with a Fine nib

The Best Fine Point: Pilot Kakuno or Pilot Metropolitan

Personally, I think that Pilot makes the best extra fine and fine nibs in the market. So if you’re someone that is coming from a 0.4 or smaller point pen, I highly recommend the Pilot Kakuno (~$15 USD) or Pilot Metropolitan (~$32 USD). The Pilot Kakuno is super cute and has smiley faces on the nib. It’s perfect if you’re unsure about how to hold a fountain pen. The Pilot Metropolitan, on the other hand, is more work friendly. It has a metal body and comes in a variety of colors.

For Those Curious about Nibs: Lamy Safari or Lamy Al Star

If you’re super curious about the different fountain pen nib sizes or unsure what fountain pen nib size is right for you, the Lamy Safari (~$37 USD) or the Lamy AL-Star (~$47 USD) is the pen for you. The Lamy Safari and Al Star are essentially the same pen but are made from different materials. So you can’t go wrong with either one. And the great thing about Lamy is that their nibs are so easy to swap! You can buy nibs separately starting at about $14 USD. They even have a left handed nib. I can’t vouch for it because I’m right handed, but it’s cool that they have one.

TWSBI Eco with a Fine nib

For Those Curious about Inks: TWSBI Swipe

The TWSBI Swipe is the only cartridge converter fountain pen from TWSBI and includes not only an ink cartridge but also an ink converter. At approximately $27 USD, it’s quite the deal! (For most of the pens above, ink converters are sold separately.) So as a beginner, you’re able to start with the ease of an ink cartridge and later use ink bottles (or samples) with the converter. It comes in a variety of nib sizes and uses the reliable JOWO nib.

Side note, if you’re wanting to dive straight into the world of bottled fountain pen inks, I admire you and recommend the TWSBI Eco (~$33 USD).

For the Retractable Pen Lovers: Majohn A1 or Majohn A2

If you absolutely hate having to cap and recap a pen, you’re going to want a retractable fountain pen, and I’d recommend the Majohn A1 (~$41 USD) or Majohn A2 (~$32 USD). The Majohn A2 is similar in style to a Pilot Vanishing Point Decimo but doesn’t have as fine of a nib. It’s also made of plastic instead of metal. Personally, I prefer the nib of the Pilot Vanishing Point , but for the price point, you can’t go wrong with the Majohn A1 or A2.

I hope this was informative for anyone wanting to hear about beginner fountain pens.

If you’re a fountain pen user, what was your first fountain pen?

🩷, Amy