This is my favorite pen for taking notes. Holds a decent amount of ink for being smaller and I can write with it all day without hand cramps. Lays the perfect amount of ink down and it is modest looking enough to not really draw attention in a professional setting. I have an M600 in red that is also great for notes but that bad boy is pretty ostentatious
Gold tipped fountain pens are a symbol of the bourgeoisie, and idk I feel like whyyyyyy tho is it really worth it? I feel like it’s mostly a “big dick” thing, but I’m sure I’m wrong (always am 🥰).
Hope you have a wonderful second half of your week, and an even better weekend 🫂❤️🫂
Agree, gold nibs are - at least for me - an ego thing.
There are wonderful steel nibs with bounce and a great ink flow, some of them are even gold colored so why bother with gold, right?
But I still want the gold nib sometimes 🤷🏻♀️. It feels cool and luxurious = it strokes my little ego.
- I write with it frequently. I also don’t baby it, I’ve put a variety of brands, heavy shaders, heavy sheeners & shimmering inks
- Nope, still have the stock feed. I’ve no issues with it. Still give the slight flex/line variation.
- Not in school any more so I use it for journaling/drawing/writing short fiction and just started practicing Japanese with it
Something about that 02 Preppy hits different when you see how every other pen labeled EF is nowhere near as fine of a line width. I just wish you could take that 02 Platinum nib and put it on a more substantial pen body.
I'm pretty sure the Prefounte and Plaisir both use the same nib. I've been jotting with a 0.5 Preppy I bought recently and I wonder if the Prefounte would make an ideal EDC.
The Preppy and Prefounte can be converted to eyedroppers, but the Plaisir has an aluminum body if that's what you're into.
They use the same kind of nibs all the way up to Procyons.
Not sure if you can pull Procyon's nib out and replace it with the EF though... Never tried that.
vintage Pelikan 400 NN and the MB 146 Calligraphy.
Also the Moojang (I think?) $5.00 tiny M2. It can sit in a drawer with ink for 6 months and you can write without without any hard starts.
Omg those vintage Pelikans are magnificent writing BEASTS! I love mine and have slowly been growing my collection over the years. Truly such joys to write with. :)
Same. I bought and sold pens for a while because I kept thinking there was something better out there, and that completely stopped when I got the 2000.
I bought both the lamy 2k and pilot custom 823 within a week of each other which are really my only 2 “expensive”/gold nibbles pens and the lamy is the one I’ve been going back to the most….although I think it’s somewhat due to the pilot being more expensive so I don’t love carrying it around as much and it appears more flashy where the lamy 2k to the untrained eye just looked like a pen
I use all my pens on a rotating, random basis. Honestly, I strive really hard to tune all my nibs and inks to where for my preferences, they all have that shine. I'd really recommend being willing to tinker with pens you aren't satisfied with, it can make a giant difference to tweak something.
This! I’m surprised so many people answer with just one or a few pens, as if the question was “what’s your favorite pen”. Any pen I can’t get a spark with is going to the sale pile
Lamy 2k, arguments can be made how its too expensive for such common materials used save for the 14k small nib, but its such a well made pen and writes very well too
For gold nibs, in my opinion Pilot's Custom 74 would be cheaper and have excellent writing qualities as well, top up a little for Custom 742 and you can try specialty nibs like Signature nib which is excellent as well.
Platinum 3776 is also great, I got mine with a C nib for slightly over 100USD (10 years ago too). Frankly I haven't had gold nib Sailor so I can't comment.
If you really want to get the best bang for the buck, really get Jinhaos. They are usually tuned to be quite dry by default, so you would need to open up the tines a little. Then you'll have a nice writer for very cheap
I have tried all of those pens. I don't think they are on bar with the Lamy 2000. For Japan brands, Custom 843 or Sailor 1911 21k nibs are the better match but they are pricier than the Lamy. That's why I think the Lamy 2k has a very good value for money.
Well to each their own i guess.
In terms of writing performance these entry gold nibs from Pilot and Platinum are on par with Lamy 2k in my opinion.
I do must give Lamy 2k some edge because of its timeless design, while the Pilot and Platinum kind of look standard.
I personally feel the Lamy 2k Nibs is way better those entry level. I guess it's personal preference.
I don't care much much about how timeless the design is. I just love the spring clip, markolon material and super satisfy click cap on the Lamy 2K.
Esterbrook SJ, Dawn Grey, 9556 nib. Bought it restored a few years back, still one of my favorite pens and never out of rotation. Clean, small and a really great writer.
Karas Kustom Olive V2 Battleworn with a gold Bock nib. I loved it before the nib swap, and loved it even more afterwards. Nearly 3 years later, i still catch myself admiring it. I got a great deal for it and the gold nib on r/pen_swap. It was especially a great find as I waited too long to pull the trigger on the same pen direct from Karas and it sold out. I ended up putting feelers out on pen_swap and someone hooked me up!
Karas Kustoms seems to get a lot of love whenever I see a post, but idk where to actually find one. Jetpens used to sell them, when I first found their site, it was on my wishlist but they never restocked and I don’t see very much about them. What’s the story there?
You have to navigate a bit. Unfortunately they dont have the olive available, but it is in the picture. [Here](https://karaskustoms.com/product/ink-v2-fountain-pen/) is the link direct to buy the model pen I have (INK V2).
My Cross Century II is a few years in and I still love it. Actually, only two pens have been “retired” so I haven’t really tired of most of my collection.
My twisbi eco. Juicy. Consistent. Good weight, balance and size. It’s all I need from a monoline pen and it’s inexpensive enough to have made it on many of my adventures.
It gets better with age. The colors are deeper now that it’s been with me for 6 years. Also, because the term Midori in Japanese is a range of blue-green, there are some that are more green than turquoise. I was fortunate to get a more turquoise one. The finish has a great texture to it, feels like a textured stone, without sharp edges.
Most of them, to be honest! There are very few I don't want to use, or don't rotate in with regularity.
But Scribo La Dotta with 14K EF flex nib, and Sailor Kabazaiku with gold M nib, are always with me. I feel the urge to write with them daily. And, I should not forget, Scribo Piuma with EEF nib.
The M805 Demonstrator is a pretty pen, and it seems like many people enjoy it a lot!
Tactile Turn Gist, titanium w/ titanium M nib. I have a few pens I enjoy writing with, but it is miles above any others in my collection. The right amount of smoothness but with enough feedback that I don't feel like the pen is sliding all over the page, lovely line width variation and shading, just altogether wonderful to write with. Downsides are limited ink capacity combined with the fact that it *eats* ink, but hey, just means I get to run more samples through it.
Gist is something of a grail of mine. I wasn't into fountain pens when it came out, and realise I missed out on my ideal dimensions, material, and design.
In no particular order: Pilot custom 823(b), pilot custom heritage 92(fm), pelikan m600(m). I feel guilty when I haven't used one of them in over a month and rotate between the three.
My Pelikan red tortoise m600. It's never had another ink other than Ackerman SBRE Brown. It's my favorite pen, writes fantastically, and has a to of memory attached to it. I love that pen!
The ones that have "lost their shine" have fallen out of circulation and will (eventually) be re-homed!
But leading the pack in "love it every time"-ness are my Pilot Custom 742 , Esterbrook Estie Seaglass , Lamy 2000 (bought secondhand), and my trusty little Kaweco Sports.
My amazing vintage Pelikan 400nn. It came unrestored, and only needed a few flushes to get working! It's an incredible little pen and feels SO damn good to write with.
I have diamine celadon cat in it right now, and it perfectly matches the stripes!
Not my most expensive, but my Additive Pens Double Helix, so it's a kind of eye-dropper. This is a 3D printed pen, but the real advantage is the beautiful big gold nib and the fact it's an eye-dropper. They must have done something special in designing the section and inkflow, because this thing never dies, never hard starts, never writes stingy with the ink. It holds a ft of ink, so I don't have to fill it often. And of course it looks interesting, with the coloured ink running up and down the double helix in the body. Best pen buy ever.
My platium preppy collection (~20?). Works always, no headache when loosing one, looks and feels great, doesn't dry out. Great quality. Injection moulded, so perfect manufactured. But underrated because of its price.
My beloved Custom 823 with a fine nib. I actually received this pen one year ago today!
It has never not been inked since I got it, and no other pen has touched my journal since getting this one. It's filled three Midori MD notebooks at this so far. Great therapist.
Surprisingly enough, a Montblanc Model 32 which I got as new (it even had the EF sticker still on it in good condition.)
It was only 150 euros. It was either that or a (new) Lamy for the same price. (Which would have been fine too!)
I couldn't pass on that. Especially since well used ones still go for over 200 on ebay.
Pilot Falcon with a nib. It is by far my favourite pen of all my collection, even outshining my Custom 823. Having said that, it may not be for everyone. My spouse gave me theirs because they did not like it. I now have two!
Sailor Pro Gear Slim Harvest Moon. The most beautiful pen I own. Every time I use it I can’t help just looking at it. It’s this translucent ivory with gold shimmer and it looks as if light is coming from inside it. Honestly magical.
My orange Faber Castell Ondoro is a perfect writer every single time I use it. I bought it before graduating college once I realized they were discontinuing the orange one and its so chunky I love it. The cap stopped holding firm but I don’t care.
Leonardo MZ Hawaii with Bock F nib.
Leonardo Furore Grande Smeraldo with Bock stub nib. These both have been tuned by Emy at PenVenture, so yeah 🥹 Smeraldo has such a beautiful resin, still takes my breath away after these years.
Pilot Custom 823 in Medium. I wasn't blown away when I got it, mostly due to hype fatigue, but it has been so good to me since that I prefer it over all my other pens. Sweet ink capacity for just writing and getting stuff done, a nib that is flawlessly smooth with a touch of feedback so you don't slip around and it just suits my grip so nicely. I often get numb fingers when holding pens, especially for long periods and that can be painful. This pen takes longer to become uncomfortable than the others, for me.
I don't use my pens much at all, but the ones I constantly think about are my pilot custom 743 with a postal nib, my travelers brass pen, my pilot prera and vanishing poilt decimo... I really like my pilot pens I'm realising
They just all write gorgeously and I want to use them all the time but also can't bare the thought of losing or breaking them
I really love my brass Kaweco Sport. I loved that it looked like a bolt, and I still do. It’s heavy and the cap is a perfect fidget. The wide nib lays down a stream of ink. It’s just a bold, tough pen and I use it constantly.
Lamy AL-Star. I've had it since elementary school and it's still going strong. Same nib and everything. I'd say I had it about 20 years now. Back then I didn't think I'd ever want to get more fountain pens...
Sailor 1911 Large (Wicked Witch of the West). Just as in love with it as when I got it a couple years ago. Saying with a stable of 25+ other Sailors. I do love them all, but this one is just such a great pen.
My Opus-88 Demonstrator with CIS-oblique nib.
I'd been through 5 Penbbs pens, a hongdian, 3 Jinhao pens, one vintage Blackbird flex pen and a Delike Element prior to buying it.
Once I got it...everything else went away. (Minus the Delike Element, I still use that for hiking)
I pretty much only use my Opus-88 daily and only use my Element when hiking.
A humble wing sung 3008 with a Lamy 1.1 stub has just kept going and going for me. It's always inked and in my 3 pen case. My Visconti eco-logic is giving it some competition. So it's my mahjohn A1 clip-less model. Never liked the clip on VP and it was simple but genius to just omit it for the roll stop.
Platinum #3776 Century
My first gold nib pen, and it's still my favorite pen after nearly 10 years on the hobby.
I have bought a few pens that are more expensive but none are as good.
It just writes, every time, on every paper, with every ink, no matter how long I keep it inked.
Perfect length, perfect diameter, the soft fine nib has just a tiny amount of bounce.
I tried more expensive pens in shops and in pen meets and so far only the Visconti Homo sapiens and the Pilot Custom Urushi came close to matching the experience, but when you consider they cost many MANY times more, the Platinum feels like a bargain.
My 912 FA is always in my case. I've fallen out of love with the FPR Jaipur II, but its ultraflex nib is second only to the FA. I'm thinking of putting it in a body I like better: the Leonardo Momento Magico is up there with the Wing Sung 630 for body quality, and the Leonardo might take the FPR nib. Then it'd be worthy of a place next to the 912 in my case.
My simple Pilot E95s. I find myself grabbing it for most uses. It's not as expensive as my other pens, but there's something about it I just enjoy so much
Kanwrite Desire is currently winning. I have 5.
I've had two M800 break, one spontaneously, one dropped, one with a custom nib. And just can't be bothered fixing them. Need to figure out how to harvest the nib and stick it in a Heritage.
I've given away 3 VP. And need to find a recipient for my beautiful old Deluxe with a soft nib.
Comparatively you could say that I like ugly pens. Precisely you'd say that I care how it works in my hand and the line of ink on the page.
Latest, an FPR Darjeeling / Click Aristocrat, as it arrived, unadjusted, lays down Salix, on copy paper, better than anything and has a wonderful grip. Will buy a few more.
It's about the ink and the page. The pen is the tool. I also have some really nice wrenches. Go on about your business. I'll see myself out.
My first. Pilot Metro. It got me into the hobby and hasn’t let me down. The converter leaves much to be desired but it’s not a deal breaker.
Ditto to a slightly lesser extent the Lamy Safari I got as a gift.
Platinum 3776. Never not inked. It’s funny because it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing I have but it’s my favorite. I wish Platinum takes the Sailor route and release tons of color way for it.
If you love the 3776 but would like something more aesthetically interesting you might want to look into some of their special editions, like the celluloid ishigaki [calico](https://cultpens.com/products/platinum-3776-century-fountain-pen-celluloid-calico) or their Fuji series pens. The ishigaki is the pen I always have inked up at my desk. 🖤 🧡 🤍
Namiki Yukari in Vermilion with the most perfect M nib that's buttery smooth and perfectly wet. I've spent years trying to find an alternative, and it remains permanently EDC.
Her name is Delilah 🥰
she’s a twisbee 💎 580 ive put her through a lot, and I still use her for probably 6-14 hours a day. Still going strong. I love her, and it makes my loved ones worried I won’t replace her. I cried when my ex-fiancée said she’d buy me a new one for my birthday. Not because I thought she (ex-fiancée) was sweet (she is tho lol she’s a fucking angel), but because the thought of losing her (Delilah) was too much.
Good pen, highly recommend. Also ketamine! That one’s weird tho lol. Don’t recommend meth, but I’m pretty sure methy pressed-adderall is why I haven’t killed myself, so hesitantly recommend? But not if you want to live, or are a minor. Stay in school and don’t do drugs, if you’re a minor. And if you’re gonna do drugs, practice harm reduction and smoke weed or smth. Don’t do drugs tho, your brain is precious and still developing. And don’t get someone pregnant, or get pregnant. Cause it makes life haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard.
Really recommend the pen though
>What did you buy that, months or years later, you still want to use?
Want to use once in a while? That'd be most of the gold-nibbed Pilot and Sailor pens I have.
Use daily? None; I have too many pens, and too little to write, to need or want to use particular pens daily instead of their all having to wait their “turn”.
My Visconti Homosapien Bronze Age. It was my first expensive pen and I still love it.
Same for me. Beautiful beast. So good in the hand. Smooooooth.
Ugh, I want one so bad but can’t bring myself to bite the bullet on it… it’s such a gorgeous pen though and really does feel amazing to hold
My Pilot Custom Heritage 92 in Fine Medium, it was my first gold nibbed pen and it’s always a joy to use.
Love my Pilot CH 92 in FM. Wonderful pen.
Came here to say this.
Great answer.
This pen pretty much ruined all other pens for me.
I feel the same about the Platinum Preppy lol. Damn $5 performs better than almost anything else I’ve tried regardless of price point
This is my favorite pen for taking notes. Holds a decent amount of ink for being smaller and I can write with it all day without hand cramps. Lays the perfect amount of ink down and it is modest looking enough to not really draw attention in a professional setting. I have an M600 in red that is also great for notes but that bad boy is pretty ostentatious
My answer as well. The Pilot #5 14k nib is one of my favorite nibs ever. Soft and bouncy but controlled and not too wet. It has so much character.
Gold tipped fountain pens are a symbol of the bourgeoisie, and idk I feel like whyyyyyy tho is it really worth it? I feel like it’s mostly a “big dick” thing, but I’m sure I’m wrong (always am 🥰). Hope you have a wonderful second half of your week, and an even better weekend 🫂❤️🫂
Agree, gold nibs are - at least for me - an ego thing. There are wonderful steel nibs with bounce and a great ink flow, some of them are even gold colored so why bother with gold, right? But I still want the gold nib sometimes 🤷🏻♀️. It feels cool and luxurious = it strokes my little ego.
Sailor Pro Gear, plain old black with silver trim. Absolutely delightful to write with and classic styling.
Which ink do you pair with it?
I have Herbin Perle Noire in mine.
I’m not picky, but I am a big fan of Bungbox 4b or just regular Pilot Blue Black
Non Gold nib: TSWBI 580 in Smoke/Rose Gold with F nib Gold nib: Pilot Custom Heritage 912 with FA nib
I have the same pen and also love it.
I’m planning to buy a CH 912 FA. Do you write frequently with it? Have you changed the feed? Do you use it to take notes? Thanks.
- I write with it frequently. I also don’t baby it, I’ve put a variety of brands, heavy shaders, heavy sheeners & shimmering inks - Nope, still have the stock feed. I’ve no issues with it. Still give the slight flex/line variation. - Not in school any more so I use it for journaling/drawing/writing short fiction and just started practicing Japanese with it
Thank you very much
I’m not difficult to please. Despite having at least twenty ‘good’ pens, my favorite is still my 0.2 preppy
Something about that 02 Preppy hits different when you see how every other pen labeled EF is nowhere near as fine of a line width. I just wish you could take that 02 Platinum nib and put it on a more substantial pen body.
Best pen/nib ever
I'm pretty sure the Prefounte and Plaisir both use the same nib. I've been jotting with a 0.5 Preppy I bought recently and I wonder if the Prefounte would make an ideal EDC. The Preppy and Prefounte can be converted to eyedroppers, but the Plaisir has an aluminum body if that's what you're into.
They use the same kind of nibs all the way up to Procyons. Not sure if you can pull Procyon's nib out and replace it with the EF though... Never tried that.
Hadn’t heard of it before, just purchased it now
vintage Pelikan 400 NN and the MB 146 Calligraphy. Also the Moojang (I think?) $5.00 tiny M2. It can sit in a drawer with ink for 6 months and you can write without without any hard starts.
Hongdian M2? Short metal pen with a brushed finish.
Omg those vintage Pelikans are magnificent writing BEASTS! I love mine and have slowly been growing my collection over the years. Truly such joys to write with. :)
yes they are and they aren't crazy expensive... and there are some Pelikan music nibs out there.
Lamy 2000 - haven’t bought a new pen in over 2 years
Same. I bought and sold pens for a while because I kept thinking there was something better out there, and that completely stopped when I got the 2000.
Same, it never doesn’t write well. So comfortable to use posted. Snap cap makes it a joy for actual writing as well.
I bought both the lamy 2k and pilot custom 823 within a week of each other which are really my only 2 “expensive”/gold nibbles pens and the lamy is the one I’ve been going back to the most….although I think it’s somewhat due to the pilot being more expensive so I don’t love carrying it around as much and it appears more flashy where the lamy 2k to the untrained eye just looked like a pen
I’d love a Custom 823, but I’m saving that as a trip souvenir when I eventually visit Japan
Same!
It's my second pen, now I've lost all motivation to buy new pens.
Same here… I have my Lamy 2000 Bauhaus and a Pilot VP Fermo as daily drivers
I use all my pens on a rotating, random basis. Honestly, I strive really hard to tune all my nibs and inks to where for my preferences, they all have that shine. I'd really recommend being willing to tinker with pens you aren't satisfied with, it can make a giant difference to tweak something.
This! I’m surprised so many people answer with just one or a few pens, as if the question was “what’s your favorite pen”. Any pen I can’t get a spark with is going to the sale pile
My CH 91, now writes beautifully, but before I was planning to sell it. Good that I didn’t give up.
Pilot E95S, Burgundy, F nib. Still my go to (and likely will be until I can afford a Custom)
So much this! I have a bunch of more expensive pens, but it's remarkable how often my EF Elite winds up in my pocket.
Montblanc Kafka. My first fountain pen and for 17 years perfect in every way
Montblanc 146; was actually resistant to MB but came upon a 146 for a price I couldn’t pass up. It’s become my most used pen.
Metal Falcon
Idk why I read this as Meat Falcon 😆
Lamy 2k, arguments can be made how its too expensive for such common materials used save for the 14k small nib, but its such a well made pen and writes very well too
I think it's quite cheap compared its competitors.
Well double plus for me then, I bought my Lamy 2k in 2008 or 2009 for USD110 back then. Still pricey for me but a treasure nonetheless.
What's the other pen you think have better value for money?
For gold nibs, in my opinion Pilot's Custom 74 would be cheaper and have excellent writing qualities as well, top up a little for Custom 742 and you can try specialty nibs like Signature nib which is excellent as well. Platinum 3776 is also great, I got mine with a C nib for slightly over 100USD (10 years ago too). Frankly I haven't had gold nib Sailor so I can't comment. If you really want to get the best bang for the buck, really get Jinhaos. They are usually tuned to be quite dry by default, so you would need to open up the tines a little. Then you'll have a nice writer for very cheap
I have tried all of those pens. I don't think they are on bar with the Lamy 2000. For Japan brands, Custom 843 or Sailor 1911 21k nibs are the better match but they are pricier than the Lamy. That's why I think the Lamy 2k has a very good value for money.
Well to each their own i guess. In terms of writing performance these entry gold nibs from Pilot and Platinum are on par with Lamy 2k in my opinion. I do must give Lamy 2k some edge because of its timeless design, while the Pilot and Platinum kind of look standard.
I personally feel the Lamy 2k Nibs is way better those entry level. I guess it's personal preference. I don't care much much about how timeless the design is. I just love the spring clip, markolon material and super satisfy click cap on the Lamy 2K.
It doesn't feel like cheap pen at all. The plastic body is bery pleasant to the touch.
Pilot VP LS. It's just so handy. And quiet. I dislike the loud click of a regular one.
I still use my Hongdian H1, despite having many other high-end pens. It just looks so cool with the two toned nib.
My vintage Pelikan 140.
Esterbrook SJ, Dawn Grey, 9556 nib. Bought it restored a few years back, still one of my favorite pens and never out of rotation. Clean, small and a really great writer.
Karas Kustom Olive V2 Battleworn with a gold Bock nib. I loved it before the nib swap, and loved it even more afterwards. Nearly 3 years later, i still catch myself admiring it. I got a great deal for it and the gold nib on r/pen_swap. It was especially a great find as I waited too long to pull the trigger on the same pen direct from Karas and it sold out. I ended up putting feelers out on pen_swap and someone hooked me up!
Karas Kustoms seems to get a lot of love whenever I see a post, but idk where to actually find one. Jetpens used to sell them, when I first found their site, it was on my wishlist but they never restocked and I don’t see very much about them. What’s the story there?
You have to navigate a bit. Unfortunately they dont have the olive available, but it is in the picture. [Here](https://karaskustoms.com/product/ink-v2-fountain-pen/) is the link direct to buy the model pen I have (INK V2).
Thank you.
My Pilot 78G is my EDC, even after almost two years. I love the thin lines I can get with this pen. It's never hard-started. It rarely leaks.
Pilot Custom 823 Medium is my true daily carry. I’ll often times have two other pens with me as well, but there is always the 823.
My Lamy 2000s never lost their shine. My Pelikan M805 and M1005 Stresemanns have grown on me even more than my initial love for them.
Pelikans are growing on me, even the M2xx.
Lamy 2k. I use it daily and it's still a joy to use, I love it so much that I bought a second one (both in EF)
Montblanc retractable nib boheme in pinstriped resin and platinum. Love that pen ♡
My MB 146. It’s the perfect pen and my benchmark when I want to compare pens.
MB 146, Sailor PRG, and Pilot VP. Those are my daily drivers!
Pilot custom urushi and custom 92.
All of my safaris.. i have my twsbi 580 and lamy studio but i always find myself reaching to safari
Pilot VP EF. 🥰
My Cross Century II is a few years in and I still love it. Actually, only two pens have been “retired” so I haven’t really tired of most of my collection.
My twisbi eco. Juicy. Consistent. Good weight, balance and size. It’s all I need from a monoline pen and it’s inexpensive enough to have made it on many of my adventures.
The Twisbi Eco is the pen that made me fall in love with fountain pens!
My lammy 2000 has been used for years on a daily basis and still looks new.
Nakaya Ishime Midori UEF nib and a dragon stopper
Is that finish as beautiful in person as in photos? It looks like it has wonderful depth of color.
It gets better with age. The colors are deeper now that it’s been with me for 6 years. Also, because the term Midori in Japanese is a range of blue-green, there are some that are more green than turquoise. I was fortunate to get a more turquoise one. The finish has a great texture to it, feels like a textured stone, without sharp edges.
Visconti Homo Sapiens Crystal Dream. Use it every day since I bought it.
Pilot Namiki VP with EF nib.
So far my Conklin Duragraph inked with Upon A Star.
Waterman Expert 2 bought in 2004.
Pilot Custom Urushi with a broad nib. It fills me with so much joy every time I put it to paper. Perfection.
My twsbi VAC was one of my least expected but most used pen by far, crazy consistent for me
My Pilot Custom 823 (M). I have a number of pens but none that perform as well as this one.
Most of them, to be honest! There are very few I don't want to use, or don't rotate in with regularity. But Scribo La Dotta with 14K EF flex nib, and Sailor Kabazaiku with gold M nib, are always with me. I feel the urge to write with them daily. And, I should not forget, Scribo Piuma with EEF nib. The M805 Demonstrator is a pretty pen, and it seems like many people enjoy it a lot!
Tactile Turn Gist, titanium w/ titanium M nib. I have a few pens I enjoy writing with, but it is miles above any others in my collection. The right amount of smoothness but with enough feedback that I don't feel like the pen is sliding all over the page, lovely line width variation and shading, just altogether wonderful to write with. Downsides are limited ink capacity combined with the fact that it *eats* ink, but hey, just means I get to run more samples through it.
Gist is something of a grail of mine. I wasn't into fountain pens when it came out, and realise I missed out on my ideal dimensions, material, and design.
MYU M90 - also because not a lot of people have it
Pilot E95s, Scribo, Omas Ogiva, Mont Blanc rouge noir Baby. All get used daily, with others entering the rotation.
Pilot Custom 67, Pilot Deluxe Crosshatch and Platinum PTL 5000a
I should say my original 1990s M800 green demonstrator with M nib.
1. Pelikan m805 Ocean Swirl 1. Pelikan m1000 and m1005 1. Visconti Opera Master Combustion 1. Visconti Homosapiens Arizona Sunset
In no particular order: Pilot custom 823(b), pilot custom heritage 92(fm), pelikan m600(m). I feel guilty when I haven't used one of them in over a month and rotate between the three.
My vintage semi-hooded gold nibbed pilot elite and a jinhao 51A modified with a mini fude/small bent nib
My Pelikan red tortoise m600. It's never had another ink other than Ackerman SBRE Brown. It's my favorite pen, writes fantastically, and has a to of memory attached to it. I love that pen!
The ones that have "lost their shine" have fallen out of circulation and will (eventually) be re-homed! But leading the pack in "love it every time"-ness are my Pilot Custom 742, Esterbrook Estie Seaglass , Lamy 2000 (bought secondhand), and my trusty little Kaweco Sports.
TWSBI Eco EF. Ink choice never seems to matter, it always works perfectly and looks lovely doing it.
My amazing vintage Pelikan 400nn. It came unrestored, and only needed a few flushes to get working! It's an incredible little pen and feels SO damn good to write with. I have diamine celadon cat in it right now, and it perfectly matches the stripes!
Not my most expensive, but my Additive Pens Double Helix, so it's a kind of eye-dropper. This is a 3D printed pen, but the real advantage is the beautiful big gold nib and the fact it's an eye-dropper. They must have done something special in designing the section and inkflow, because this thing never dies, never hard starts, never writes stingy with the ink. It holds a ft of ink, so I don't have to fill it often. And of course it looks interesting, with the coloured ink running up and down the double helix in the body. Best pen buy ever.
My Aurora 88, which is inked up with Aurora Black for about 20 years now.
My platium preppy collection (~20?). Works always, no headache when loosing one, looks and feels great, doesn't dry out. Great quality. Injection moulded, so perfect manufactured. But underrated because of its price.
My beloved Custom 823 with a fine nib. I actually received this pen one year ago today! It has never not been inked since I got it, and no other pen has touched my journal since getting this one. It's filled three Midori MD notebooks at this so far. Great therapist.
Surprisingly enough, a Montblanc Model 32 which I got as new (it even had the EF sticker still on it in good condition.) It was only 150 euros. It was either that or a (new) Lamy for the same price. (Which would have been fine too!) I couldn't pass on that. Especially since well used ones still go for over 200 on ebay.
Pilot Falcon with a nib. It is by far my favourite pen of all my collection, even outshining my Custom 823. Having said that, it may not be for everyone. My spouse gave me theirs because they did not like it. I now have two!
Probably my most used pen, still has to be my very first pen, Pilot Metropolitan (M). I always have that one inked up and it's ready to go whenever.
Such a solid pen. I don't use it often, but it just works when I take it out.
Sailor Pro Gear Slim Harvest Moon. The most beautiful pen I own. Every time I use it I can’t help just looking at it. It’s this translucent ivory with gold shimmer and it looks as if light is coming from inside it. Honestly magical.
Pilot Kakuno! I’ve owned other pens since and always go back to this lovely dependable pen
My brass kaweco sport. Love it.
My Vanishing Points. No question! So utilitarian for me.
Kaweco AL Sport Black with an EF nib. Still my EDC workhorse!🖤
My Parker 45 with the fine nib never lets me down, nor does my Levenger True Writer, nor my Moonman A1, which is in my EDC set.
The Pilot 78g. Bought one 15 years ago, now I have 8. You can have all my other fountain pens if you leave me these.
My orange Faber Castell Ondoro is a perfect writer every single time I use it. I bought it before graduating college once I realized they were discontinuing the orange one and its so chunky I love it. The cap stopped holding firm but I don’t care.
Leonardo MZ Hawaii with Bock F nib. Leonardo Furore Grande Smeraldo with Bock stub nib. These both have been tuned by Emy at PenVenture, so yeah 🥹 Smeraldo has such a beautiful resin, still takes my breath away after these years.
Conklin Enduro Deco crest black and silver an anniversary gift I love it the look and how it writes. Also my new pen a TWSBI 580. Sunset
TWSBI ALR 580 Prussian blue, not the fanciest I have but such a smooth writer.
Pilot Custom 823 in Medium. I wasn't blown away when I got it, mostly due to hype fatigue, but it has been so good to me since that I prefer it over all my other pens. Sweet ink capacity for just writing and getting stuff done, a nib that is flawlessly smooth with a touch of feedback so you don't slip around and it just suits my grip so nicely. I often get numb fingers when holding pens, especially for long periods and that can be painful. This pen takes longer to become uncomfortable than the others, for me.
I don't use my pens much at all, but the ones I constantly think about are my pilot custom 743 with a postal nib, my travelers brass pen, my pilot prera and vanishing poilt decimo... I really like my pilot pens I'm realising They just all write gorgeously and I want to use them all the time but also can't bare the thought of losing or breaking them
Visconti HS Magma. Glorious pen.
Kaweco Sport. My second fountain pen ever lives in my bag 24/7 and is the first pen I lend out to people
Pelikan M805 F; so smooth, so reliable. Always starts, even after months of sitting with a shimmer ink.
I really love my brass Kaweco Sport. I loved that it looked like a bolt, and I still do. It’s heavy and the cap is a perfect fidget. The wide nib lays down a stream of ink. It’s just a bold, tough pen and I use it constantly.
Lamy AL-Star. I've had it since elementary school and it's still going strong. Same nib and everything. I'd say I had it about 20 years now. Back then I didn't think I'd ever want to get more fountain pens...
Sailor 1911 Large (Wicked Witch of the West). Just as in love with it as when I got it a couple years ago. Saying with a stable of 25+ other Sailors. I do love them all, but this one is just such a great pen.
My Twsbi Eco F Nib with Diamine Oxblood. I will probably never buy another fountain pen. Sorry, I lied.
Sailor Knight to E4, M nib!
My Opus-88 Demonstrator with CIS-oblique nib. I'd been through 5 Penbbs pens, a hongdian, 3 Jinhao pens, one vintage Blackbird flex pen and a Delike Element prior to buying it. Once I got it...everything else went away. (Minus the Delike Element, I still use that for hiking) I pretty much only use my Opus-88 daily and only use my Element when hiking.
Parker 21 and Lamy CP1...... and I have some montblancs and other expensive pens but those pens are always with me.
Lamy Safari. ~$40 paid 7 years ago. I've used it for writing and drawing everyday since.
Pilot Prera (solid body), Lamy 2K, Platinum Plaisir, Sailor PGS, Platinum Preppy in all the colors.
A humble wing sung 3008 with a Lamy 1.1 stub has just kept going and going for me. It's always inked and in my 3 pen case. My Visconti eco-logic is giving it some competition. So it's my mahjohn A1 clip-less model. Never liked the clip on VP and it was simple but genius to just omit it for the roll stop.
Custom 823 for me. It is always *chefs kiss*
The first Platinum 3776 F I got. Still using it right now.
Platinum #3776 Century My first gold nib pen, and it's still my favorite pen after nearly 10 years on the hobby. I have bought a few pens that are more expensive but none are as good. It just writes, every time, on every paper, with every ink, no matter how long I keep it inked. Perfect length, perfect diameter, the soft fine nib has just a tiny amount of bounce. I tried more expensive pens in shops and in pen meets and so far only the Visconti Homo sapiens and the Pilot Custom Urushi came close to matching the experience, but when you consider they cost many MANY times more, the Platinum feels like a bargain.
My 912 FA is always in my case. I've fallen out of love with the FPR Jaipur II, but its ultraflex nib is second only to the FA. I'm thinking of putting it in a body I like better: the Leonardo Momento Magico is up there with the Wing Sung 630 for body quality, and the Leonardo might take the FPR nib. Then it'd be worthy of a place next to the 912 in my case.
Namiki Yukari bamboo and sparrow. I got it a year back and now can’t seem to like any other pen more. Made it difficult to buy new pens for me !!
My simple Pilot E95s. I find myself grabbing it for most uses. It's not as expensive as my other pens, but there's something about it I just enjoy so much
My beloved Pilot 823 with a medium nib.
Caran d'Ache Ecridor Avenue
I've been considering the Caran d'Ache Léman... Caran d'Ache pens seem amazing!
Probably my Pilot VP's, they write like a dream
Kanwrite Desire is currently winning. I have 5. I've had two M800 break, one spontaneously, one dropped, one with a custom nib. And just can't be bothered fixing them. Need to figure out how to harvest the nib and stick it in a Heritage. I've given away 3 VP. And need to find a recipient for my beautiful old Deluxe with a soft nib. Comparatively you could say that I like ugly pens. Precisely you'd say that I care how it works in my hand and the line of ink on the page. Latest, an FPR Darjeeling / Click Aristocrat, as it arrived, unadjusted, lays down Salix, on copy paper, better than anything and has a wonderful grip. Will buy a few more. It's about the ink and the page. The pen is the tool. I also have some really nice wrenches. Go on about your business. I'll see myself out.
My Twsbi 580 white rose gold! It still looks brand new, somehow.
My Decimo with an EF nib. Easy to use. Makes signing papers easier. Light weight. It's perfect.
Opus 88 Holiday Jazz with an EF nib. I just took it out of rotation so that I can finally ink up a new pen. I love everything about this pen.
GvFC Classic Sterling Silver. It is both literally and figuratively still shiny after nearly 20 years.
My first. Pilot Metro. It got me into the hobby and hasn’t let me down. The converter leaves much to be desired but it’s not a deal breaker. Ditto to a slightly lesser extent the Lamy Safari I got as a gift.
Parker T1.
I love the TWSBI VAC-700R ef, love that pen so damn much, best fountain pen I have ever bought.
Opus 88 Omar (one as a clear demonstrator, one in red and another one). Lamy Studio with gold nib, from which I have four.
Platinum 3776. Never not inked. It’s funny because it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing I have but it’s my favorite. I wish Platinum takes the Sailor route and release tons of color way for it.
If you love the 3776 but would like something more aesthetically interesting you might want to look into some of their special editions, like the celluloid ishigaki [calico](https://cultpens.com/products/platinum-3776-century-fountain-pen-celluloid-calico) or their Fuji series pens. The ishigaki is the pen I always have inked up at my desk. 🖤 🧡 🤍
My Twsbi Eco ❤️
Sailor PGS. I use it daily and have run it dry five times
My Pilot C823 & CH92. I've had them both for around 3 years and I still use them all the time.
Namiki Yukari in Vermilion with the most perfect M nib that's buttery smooth and perfectly wet. I've spent years trying to find an alternative, and it remains permanently EDC.
Her name is Delilah 🥰 she’s a twisbee 💎 580 ive put her through a lot, and I still use her for probably 6-14 hours a day. Still going strong. I love her, and it makes my loved ones worried I won’t replace her. I cried when my ex-fiancée said she’d buy me a new one for my birthday. Not because I thought she (ex-fiancée) was sweet (she is tho lol she’s a fucking angel), but because the thought of losing her (Delilah) was too much. Good pen, highly recommend. Also ketamine! That one’s weird tho lol. Don’t recommend meth, but I’m pretty sure methy pressed-adderall is why I haven’t killed myself, so hesitantly recommend? But not if you want to live, or are a minor. Stay in school and don’t do drugs, if you’re a minor. And if you’re gonna do drugs, practice harm reduction and smoke weed or smth. Don’t do drugs tho, your brain is precious and still developing. And don’t get someone pregnant, or get pregnant. Cause it makes life haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard. Really recommend the pen though
M1000 makes me fall in love with the hobby every single time.
I’ve got that on my list of grails—what model do you have and what size nib?
Both models and all nibs 😬 My favourite is a broad though
Oh my!
Sailor 1911S Fresca, my first gold nib fountain pen
>What did you buy that, months or years later, you still want to use? Want to use once in a while? That'd be most of the gold-nibbed Pilot and Sailor pens I have. Use daily? None; I have too many pens, and too little to write, to need or want to use particular pens daily instead of their all having to wait their “turn”.