I've been using fountain pens to write for about 35 years now, and I have pens that range from about $30 to about $500. At any given time I have about 2-3 pens either on my desk or in my backpack.
The best value for money I've seen are the TWSBI pens. As writing instruments they are often more reliable than most of the pens I have that are more expensive. The production quality tends to be surprisingly consistent for a low cost pen. I have about 6-7 of these and I have only had one fail on me and that was because it got banged up in my backpack. These are good workhorses for people who take a lot of notes with generous size ink reservoirs.
The least reliable pens I own are usually in the $150-$200 range. A lot of these pens either have problems with inconsistent manufacturing or they are fragile or in some way. A lot of these manufacturers have considerably more expensive versions, but the uneven manufacturing quality means I would only consider buying these in a store so I can have them serviced/adjusted/fixed or return them if they can't justify the price tag.
I'm not really into expensive pens since I don't collect them to collect: I use them. Pens that aren't good writing instruments are of no use to me.
A surprise for me is a Mont Blanc pen I've had for 15 or so years. I got it as a gift and I had never even considered buying a Mont Blanc since it is a luxury brand. Mont Blanc fountain pens are overpriced, but at least the pen I has performed without a hitch for 15 years.
The best pen I own is a nondescript black fountain pen with a nib that has a really rough looking surface finish. It has no visible brand, which has made it hard to figure out what it is. I think it was made by a company that has since gone under. The nib works well for me and it has performed perfectly for about a decade.
I tend to buy Leuchtturm 1917 A5 notebooks since these work well with almost all of my pen/ink combinations plus they are a nice size and have stiff covers. I tried Moleskine, but they're just not very good notebooks. The paper is too flimsy for fountain pens.
The best value for money I've seen are the TWSBI pens. As writing instruments they are often more reliable than most of the pens I have that are more expensive. The production quality tends to be surprisingly consistent for a low cost pen. I have about 6-7 of these and I have only had one fail on me and that was because it got banged up in my backpack. These are good workhorses for people who take a lot of notes with generous size ink reservoirs.
The least reliable pens I own are usually in the $150-$200 range. A lot of these pens either have problems with inconsistent manufacturing or they are fragile or in some way. A lot of these manufacturers have considerably more expensive versions, but the uneven manufacturing quality means I would only consider buying these in a store so I can have them serviced/adjusted/fixed or return them if they can't justify the price tag.
I'm not really into expensive pens since I don't collect them to collect: I use them. Pens that aren't good writing instruments are of no use to me.
A surprise for me is a Mont Blanc pen I've had for 15 or so years. I got it as a gift and I had never even considered buying a Mont Blanc since it is a luxury brand. Mont Blanc fountain pens are overpriced, but at least the pen I has performed without a hitch for 15 years.
The best pen I own is a nondescript black fountain pen with a nib that has a really rough looking surface finish. It has no visible brand, which has made it hard to figure out what it is. I think it was made by a company that has since gone under. The nib works well for me and it has performed perfectly for about a decade.
I tend to buy Leuchtturm 1917 A5 notebooks since these work well with almost all of my pen/ink combinations plus they are a nice size and have stiff covers. I tried Moleskine, but they're just not very good notebooks. The paper is too flimsy for fountain pens.