“Gateway pens.” So true. You say wow this 12 $ pen is so great! I can’t imagine ever spending into those upper price ranges. And then 1 month later you find yourself with a platinum 3776, a sailor pro gear, and a few pilot CHs. I never realized it would go this far when I started, but I love it hahaha

Thank you, David. I crtainly agree about the TWSBI Go. It's advent this year makes it a new standard. It's hilarious and lovely.

David, thanks for putting this list together. Like you I was only into medium nibs (being a lefty best no "smudge" ratio), but have recently been expanding into broads and stubs, so understand the do not stay with "safe". Love the TWSBI's as they are also a worthwhile look for the person that is into the hobby with the "next" level pens. Looking forward to the other two videos.👍👍👍

Great job on this David. Agree with your list. Lock forward to the next two top ten you alluded to.

Great list! TWSBI Eco is the pen I typically choose for gifts to newbies! But I do love many of these pens as well.!

A pen that hasn't been mentioned so far and that definitely would be on my list is the Waterman Kultur. The glittery exterior might be a little gimmicky, but it is really a great writer! Thanks for your contribution - and I'm really looking forward to see the next video!

The TWSBI diamond 580 was also my gateway pen and really drove me to explore other piston fillers and gold nibs

Great review as usual. I lean towards medium nibs as well, but ordered my Faber Castell Loom with a fine nib. It’s great. Excellent ink flow and a relatively smooth writing experience.

Excellent selection - thank you! It’s great to see the Penbbs 308 on your list. A very reliable, low cost Chinese pen I’d recommend for beginners is the Jinhao 51A - it’s very impressive.

Great list. Great video (as always). I always appreciate the Loom getting recognized on this list as it is a great pen that seems to fly under the radar. But, for me, 2018 has been The Year of PenBBS.

Loom has a superb nib! Love mine. Thanks 4 this new list

Thanks for this very helpful video! I’m hoping to find my starter pen soon.

This video was very helpful. Thanks for the recommendations.

Hey love the content! Can you do a top “edc” fountain pen list? Or simply suggest a few models to check into. I have a travelers notebook that I would love to accompany a smaller hardy fountain pen with on a daily basis. Thanks so much.

Thanks! Looking forward to the other videos!

This is pretty good :) thanks for sharing your knowledge

Hello, David! Great list for beginners! I would definitely add the Monteverde Artista Crystal Clear Demonstrator, a great little pen with #5 Medium nib and a clear plastic feeder -just be careful with staining inks. Thank you, and Happy Holidays!

Been using FPs for a little over a year and the most comfortable pen I have (nib included) is a TWSBI Eco T clear, with an EF nib... three weeks using it and I'm still amazed by how it writes.

Entry-level pens that I really enjoy are: - Moonman M2 - Moonman Wancai - Moonman M100 - Moonman N2 - Delike Alpha Resin - Wing Sung 601 Transparent - Oxford Helix (the pen doesn't come with converter, but it does use international converter so you can grab one anywhere)

I tend to get into very niche/retro hobbies like film photography, record collecting, and vintage safety razors and I knew it was just a matter of time before I got into fountain pens. This list was very helpful and was very similar to other top starter pen lists that I have seen and really narrowed down my decision on what pens to look at first. I ended up settling with the TWSBI Eco as I like the design and the ability to refill it rather than use cartridges.

Great list. I think Kaweco Perkeo and Diplomat Magnum would also be good pens to start out with.

The video starts at 4:00

Thank you for the list. The Diplomat Magnum is also a nice pen for beginners..

Kaweco sport is very good. I got a used maroon one, it's still in very good condition lightly used. It fits my bag and will be my travel pen

I endorse this list. Twisbi Eco has another model Eco T that I found superior to plain Eco and that a vendor in New Delhi gave me at the same price as the Eco. My understanding is that Twisbi put in some changes into the Eco T based on feedback on the Eco.

I was exactly the same as you with the Kaweco Sport... But I do genuinely love it. It's excellent.

Excellent choices!

Good list. The only other I can think of is the Pilot prera

I would also add the Moonman M2. Granted, it's an eyedropper pen, but very few parts and super simplistic in its use. Clear and cigar-shaped with a super smooth nib. By far my smoothest extra fine in the collection.

Very good selection of pens for lower cost pens.

Thanks so much, I really enjoy your reviews. As to chicken, good choice, in a Korean restaurant next to an animal shelter. Cheers, blessings.

I own all but the PenBBS models. Generally, I agree with your list. I would recommend a Pelikan GO! over a TWSBI GO! if you can find them. There are still NOS ones out there. I have one and love it and much prefer it over the TWSBI of the same name. A Parker Vector might also be another addition to such a list. Back when they were new in production, a Waterman Phileas was my first real fountain pen and I used it exclusively for about 20 years. It was reliable and worked well with any ink I put in it. That model is no longer made, but Kulturs can be found abundantly and for a lot less money. The Kultur is a Phileas that is made a bit more cheaply but is still very reliable and writes well.

Have small writing, so quite quickly homed in on Japanese F and EF nibs; that being said, like you, am very impressed with JoWo nib on my Twsbi 580 which I could identify blindfolded!: it’s currently inked up with Iroshizuku Jurojin which looks great sloshing about!; my top 3 entry level pens would be Pilot Prera F, Pilot Lucina F and Twsbi580 EF; great vid, thanks :)

Great review. I will not ask my questions on this video since I left a rather long comment and set of questions on the Pilot 74 review. I think I asked everything in that comment.

Have a few lamys, and a few metros. Metro has better, smoother nib out of the box, hands down, every time. Both use proprietary cartridges. TWSBI has never disappointed! Ready for next level, thanks for your lists..

I agree with the TWSBI Eco. I have one in the transparent blue and it's one of my overall favorites. The Nemosine Singularity would be the one pen I disagree with you. It's a nice beginner pen. But this is your list, not mine 😀 Thanks for making the video for the pen community David!

Thanks David, a really fun video. I have most of these pens. You started with a TSBI GO, of which I am a great fan. I have two a fine and a stub and they are really great. I think this is on its way to be a design classic. The one I absolutely hate is the Pilot MR. That step above the section makes it unusable for me. By the way, the new penbbs 456 with the vacuum rod filler is stunning. The moonman m100 with the Schmidt nib, beautiful and a superb writer. Happy x as and new year 🌲

Hello sir! I love getting into new hobies ,one that is with me 5+ years (I am 32 YO) is wrist watches ,and not that long ago I discovered fountain pens.Honestly I am so so far away from writing ,I dont know if I could remember how to write all the leatters ,honestly :) I got my masters 7 years ago ,and probably exept signing documents its only time I used any kind of pen to write. (I even have small foldable keebord that connects to my phone ,for calendar and notes) But I am becoming oppsesd with fountain pens. And I am watching your videos A LOT ,love the way you aproche the subject and explain it. I have one hendicap ,I am from Europe ,not EU ,and all pens exept Japanese once are extremly high in shiping cost (from 18 on low end to 45+ on high end) for pens under 150$ ,in some cases delivery is more expensive than pen itself. Anyway I we done much reserch ,and I have orderd 2 tonight ,and I am wondering why you never speek about those ,even though most of other youtubers have a lot of nice things to say ,and actualy recomend it to be the first pen.I ve orderd Jinhao X450 find nib and Jinhao X750 medium nib.Now I know they are extreamly cheep ,but why not try that ,than go for Platinum Fountain Pen BALANCE and Sailor Fountain Pen Lecoule Lapis ,and build up for my first gold nib Platinum PTL-5000. My grail in Mont Blonk 149 maybe even in 3 diferent nib sizes,but thats waaay down the road :) I would like to ask you to take some time and respond to me ,I value your opinion tremendesly ,and sugest some other options ,remember ,I am stuck with Japans brands for now. Sorry for my sppeling ,I never study English so sppeling is hard for me :) Thank you for all great advices and videos you made ,and I hope you will keep making them. Kind regards

I would definitely have the nemosine singularity on this list (though I guess they're harder to come by nowadays)

New to fountain pens again. 60+ years since my first Schaeffer cartridge pen. My grandfather’s roll-top dash came to me with a very stubby Schaffer fountain pen. I’m not sure I fill it correctly but I used it at home a little but it was too small. I bought an AmazonBasics (our of stock now). I. Like is very much. Next? Maybe a Lamy Safari grey - I do like the clip.

TWSBI GO has been my daily writer for almost two years. I don't much care how it looks; the filling mechanism and light weight sold me. It fits well in the pen loop on my mediocre quality plannet and had taken a ton of abuse and still writes well. The Pilot Metro was my first fountain pen and it is lovely pen. But that CON-40 converter is the most aggravating way to get ink into a pen. I figured out how to get it full, but by then I had been spoiled by the massive amount of ink the GO holds. So now I ink the Metro with Zhivago and sign Christmas cards with it.

Great video, thank you.

Good video. Price doesn't always equate to function. I have a few pens, some of them cheap, some of them expensive. My 25$ Wordsworth & Black pen writes amazingly. I like it more over some of my expensive ones. Expensive doesn't always mean better.

The TWSBI Go reminds of the Pelikano Junior. I also love my TWSBI Eco pens. I have 2 so far. I may just end up collecting them, but I do want to experiment.

I started with fountain pens very early in life, they were mandatory in primary school due to the bad handwriting habits ballpoint pens can lead to. Was lucky enough to try out some nice pens back then from Parker, Waterman, Shaefer, Faber Castell but didn't appreciate them as a small child. I kept losing my pen case so the pen quality slowly dropped to accommodate that habit. About a year ago at age 30 I got into fountain pens again mainly for drawing purposes. That got out of hand very quickly, now I own a bunch of vintage and new Pelikans, a couple of Pilots (92 and Falcon), a Pro Gear, some Kawecos, a Pineider, a Visconti, couple of Lamys, a Muji, a Noodler's Ahab, an Opus 88 demo, a Caran D'Ache 849, and I don't see myself stopping any time soon. Slippery slope to say the least. Now looking for a vintage Mont Blanc because it's something everyone has to do at some point in life, right? Right?

I like the pokemon rubiks cube display!

What's crazy is not the kaweco clip, but the way you place it in the middle of the pen. LOL. Great vids btw..

I recently got a metropolitan with a medium italic and it's now one of my favorite writers. Most people don't seem to know they can get italic nibs on the metro.

"....what other cool pens are out there? Which is a very dangerous question to ask yourself. A dangerous question, but one which started me on a path which I don't regret at all." I must have missed that "path" and made a wrong turn, because I simply fell down the rabbit hole. Great video and informative.

Perfect and beautiful collection of fountain pens for the beginners. Did you forget Montaverdae?

Almost all these nibs are somewhat stiff or real nails, so they are not great for a beginner who might like something that is more expressive than a ball point. As a beginner, I really liked bounce in my Pilot 78g (still available from Chinese sellers; nib size is interchangeable with Metro, Kakuno, et al, but it's not the same nib, gold plated and I believe made on different machines for the Chinese market. I got one last year with lots of bounce, unlike the disappointing Metro which also failed to post reliably). All the TWSBIs are identical Jowo nibs tuned by TWSBI; the Lamis are also identical nibs and they're real nails, and the Pilots are also identical. So only three pens you mention have very interesting nib action at all. The nib on the Loom is terrific with it's pencil-like feedback which is very pleasurable. Yes, you mention, the PenBBS and the Kaweco are smooth and expressive. But why mention two Lamys and three TWSBIs, and the Pilots when there are many other pens you might've mentioned? The Platinum Cool is affordable and has interesting nib response. Fountain Pen Revolution offers a range of inexpensive pens that have a range of nib responses including a decent steel flex. And Noodler's Ahab is an oversized pen, big reservoir, a number six interchangeable nib, but it comes with a cheap, "line variation" nib. Finally, as another commenter mentioned, the Nemosine Singularity is a great pen for beginners: superior nib tuning on the nibs so they have a little feedback, easy to swap out #6 Jowo nibs including a fine italic, they're well made and can be eyedroppered.

Thanks, that was an original and extensive list. I would mention that the Sheaffer (which I believe was originally called the Award) and the Pilot metropolitan have a very different width in the body and section, I find that more uncomfortable than the facets on the Lamys

The Kakuno is a great introductory pen but it gained a new lease of life for me when I found the CON-70 works with it. The CON-40 is too fussy for it to make an EDC list for me (though I've found out how to get a full fill of ink recently). The extra capacity of the CON-70 solves that problem and turns the Kakuno into a whole new creature, with the added benefit of increasing the weight of the pen slightly. I prefer a heavier pen so that works for me.

I know this is all about the pens but damn.. the thing about someone making a comment that sticks with you unbeknownst to them … frighteningly human. Ship the honesty 👏

A kaweco sport clip will fit the TWSBI go! You needed a thin pen like the cp-1!

Agree that NEMOSINE Singularitys are great pens with lots of nib options. Also the Pilot Prera. But agree that all the TWSBIs have great nibs.

Nice review as always. I have TWSBI Eco in extra fine nib size for quite some time. Now I want next fountain pen from TWSBI in fine nib size. Should I buy TWSBI Go or 580 AL or TWSBI Eco T in fine nib size? Is there any difference in the writing quality of nib between TWSBI Eco or Eco T or 580 AL? My handwriting is small in size and I write slowly. My hand /palm /fingers are small. For same reason, is Faber-Castell Loom in fine nib size best alternative for my needs? I am a student and I have to write a lot in cheap papers. Whether Faber-Castell loom in fine nib or extra fine nib size fulfill my expectations? Please suggest. Thank you.

Kaweco Perkeo for $16 and $5 for an international converter. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Our ideas of "entry level" appear to differ somewhat. I'm really chuffed with my Wing Sung 3008 which cost £15 for a pack of 4. They are fantastic to write with and look really good too.

I love my Lamy vista, a teacher Came tot sign my diary during a exam, i gave him my vista and he said WoW, that's cool.

Thank you for your quality reviews. And about top inks? 😊

Agree with the TWSBI love. All the examples I've seen definitely punch above their weight! Oh, and the chicken comment was rude of her...

Please suggest the better compatible ink (blue). For PILOT METROPOLITAN FINE NIB

Not a criticism - I enjoyed this video - but a little surprised the Parker Vector didn't make the list. Perhaps it is more of a Europe thing. I'm new to the hobby after hating fountain pens as a child. I'm now over 50 so it was time to try again. I have a couple of Safaris which I like, but I bought a few Parker Vectors just because it's a known pen manufacturer with a long history here in the UK. The price meant I wouldn't have high expectations but I guess it was brand loyalty from my childhood. I actually quite like the Vector but while it feels solidly assembled and sturdy, it is perhaps a little thin in my hand.

Great collection. My list would include a Jinhao X450. It is a nice affordable pen with an "ok" nib. Because it is easy to swap out for other #6 nibs it can become a great writer for a minimal investment.

yeah for penbbs!

I was surprised, pilot prera missed the list. I like the opaque body version of it than the transparent one with ugly inner cap which is sold in USA.

The 3 pens I would add are: Pilot Explorer- feels like a Safari but has a completely round section to provide more comfort. Sailor Fude De Mannen- at a staggering $12, this pen has no business being as smooth and reliable as it is. It is a fude nib, though, which is something to get used it. Picasso 916- an all around friendly, neighborhood pen. I have the "Sunset Gray" variation which, don't be fooled, is a gorgeous black pen. These are all 3 affordable pens that don't need super specific types of ink. They aren't prone to drying up if you stop writing for 10 seconds and are sturdy with postable caps.

How can you fill a twsbi go from a bottle a 4.5oz noodlers bottle or from a sample vial

Hi David. I just came over from peterdraws and found this video. I have not much experience with fountain pens (only for writing in school with a standard pen). Now I do want to get into that rabbit hole (dear lord help me! :D) but I'm a bit hesitating with my "bad" experiences back in the day, as I am a lefty. Do you have any suggestions/recommondations/tips (for buying and in general regarding the use of fountain pens) for a lefthanded person? PS: A little constructive critic on the video: I'd love to see how these pens write that would have completed this wonderful review. :)

I have a 4 finger grip and would be able to use the section of the Vista, but it is too small in terms of diameter. The shape isn’t ideal, but this is not even the biggest issue for me. It’s the diameter, which is too small.

Are the cubes set up again for the start of a new puzzle? And the Visconti on the left?

I was wondering if the Sheaffer Star Wars R2-D2 Pop Fountain Pen had a converter with it or is it just a cartridge filler?

I would have added the Pelican Pelikano

Fantastico video mi è stato consigliato da un suo collega esperto pennologo!

The Copper Orange Lamy AllStar - every entry on eBay right now is right at 99 bucks.

You didn't sound very enthusiastic about the Pilot Metropolitan nib. Are there any pens on the list whose medium nib performance you were enthused about? How it performs matters way more to me than how it looks but there's room for everyone.

I am your new subscriber！

Are thay all okey for left handed people?

I kind of resent the comment about getting the chicken dinner. Two parts to this. With risk comes an exponentially greater chance for disappointment. A basic chicken dinner serves as a relative marker for how good the restaurant itself is. From there you branch out to different categories of food. A solid battle plan for any restaurant. If they don't have a decent chicken dinner than skip to the next restaurant. If you had ordered something a bit exotic then you might go back multiple times thinking you didn't like the particular dish.

Don't Twsbi fp suffer from cracking issues though?

Wonderful video, it's pleasant to hear about these pens and things you like/don't like about them. I'm just getting into the hobby with a Pilot Metropolitan in medium and getting a clear Pilot Kakuno in fine soon. I look forward to the TWSBI Diamond 580 and the Faber Castell Loom. Hearing how the Loom writes very nicely makes me very intrigued. Also, a thing I've noted about Pilot Metropolitans recently is that there seem to be two models for two markets? One model uses Pilot proprietary cartridge/converter and the other uses the standard international cartridge/converter. I don't know when this was implemented, only noted after I looked some things up on the internet. Part of me wished I got the true Metropolitan that fully uses the Pilot stuff because I'm a fickle guy and I would've liked the pen to be fully a Pilot pen in all of its components. Maybe another day..

As a newbie I would like to start finding some of these, could you recommend some good sources besides Amazon??? Anyone ???

That one rubix cube in the bottom left that is slightly discolored is hurting me

Kakuno is the best

No Jinhaos for a beginner?

LA ME??? It's LAMY

Top 100 from the NY Magazine - I have serious doubts - nymag.com/strategist/article/best-pens-gel-ballpoint-rollerball-felt-fountain.html?#comments

I might actually be first

Anche io mi chiamo devid però in italiano è davide perchè devid è inglese e davide è italiano

Bigfoot! OMG I'm kinda slow.

Lamy pens are made from ABS not Resin

I think it's problematic to associate cheap with beginner. I suppose I have my own bias of expensive with gullible.

I got a Faber Castell Loom based on this video. Absolute garbage nib. It wrote like a broken ball point pen whose ink has dried up. It felt absolutely miserable and the writing on the page looked horrible. Nobody else has the Loom that high up. I'm starting to doubt if this was honest or not of putting the Loom that high up.

skip to 4 mins for the list

After watching dozens of vids on this subject I have come to the sad conclusion that there is no such thing as a cool presenter on the subject of pens. After watching dozens of vids on this subject I have come to the sad conclusion that I am not a cool viewer 😢