Neither the Pilot Petit not the Platinum Preppy are "throw-away pens". Both have refills available for them, and both are excellent writers. I used a Platinum Preppy as my daily writer for 4 years even though I own pens that cost hundreds of dollars. The TWSCI ECO is not $50-55 USD, It sells for $33 USD. That is a huge difference.
You're right, but some of the ECO's do cost in that range, like the indigo blue with bronze trim or the transparent black with rose gold trim. Most, however, are indeed priced in the $30-40 range. Either way, they represent great value and generally write very well.
My experience with the platinum preppy was that they are not durable - I had 2 of them crack at the barrel threading. One could buy the platinum plaisir to overcome this issue - it's basically a preppy with a metal body and not very costly.
I like the preppy. It's great for writing, sketching and throwing in your bag without worry. I have two filled with platinum carbon black and I used them both daily for quite some time.
I AGREE WITH YOUR BANKER. Wen one puts LAMY, as a German pen, and I just bought 20 CLONES, for less than 10 bucks, and they work better than my 10 dollar ones. Buy cheap pens.😊
BTW, MY FAVORITE is a 1941 Parker, Paris. Blue with gold rings gold (plated) nib, bladder filler. Great feel, smooth as silk on paper. But I cannot leave the house with it!! 😢😢😢😢.
Most def you can blind buy the Lamy 2000. Superb writing experience at an affordable price. I have never de-inked mine - it’s always got Irosizuku Kon-peki and ready to go.
If I had to start over (which means ditching ~50+ pens) I'd get the following out of the pens I have and regularly use: Preppy, TWSBI 580 AL-R (stub), Moonman M800 with Bock Medium Cursive Italic (custom grind from fpnibs), Ranga Abhimanyu (with a Jowo custom grind), PenBBS 456. My first preppy was a trainwreck, but I recently got another and I'm loving this one. From the more premium pens, I'd definitely want a Lamy 2000 with a cursive italic grind, as well as a Diplomat Aero. In the budget class, a Kaweco Perkeo is really nice, and imo a better buy than a Safari.
have small handwriting so prefer Japanese nibs: my entry level pen would be a Pilot78g+ in blue/grey which comes with silver trim and a con40 (which admittedly doesn’t have the greatest capacity but you won’t suffer from ink starvation which has happened to me with every int.std.converter I’ve ever bought!); big fan of Twsbi 580: that EF JoWo nib does write considerably broader than a typical Japanese nib but there is something so pleasing about the feel of that nib: you should try this:); my higher end recommendations would be Pilot custom heritage 912, Sailor pro gear and Platinum 3776 all of which come with broadly European no.6 sized nibs which is my preferred size; lastly(most expensive but worth it imho) Montblanc 146 - mine is a F which has slight stubby characteristics but is such a joy to write with:)
A friend of mine inherited a set of Mont Blanc Meisterstuck writing instruments. I have become the very lucky recipient. I adore the fountain pen and use it regularly for writing and drawing. Smoothest writing experience I've ever had. The only thing that even comes anywhere near close is (surprisingly) my Osprey gold nib. But I also regularly use my Preppys, Kaweco Sports, and TWSBI's. You've reminded I need to dig out my LAMY's for sketching.
Love that platinum preppy in Xtra fine, it's really Japanese fine, finer than you can get in most European pens. Unfortunately my standard cartridges don't work and I have to buy platinum brand cartridges. But the pen is amazing for the price
Nice lineup but you really need to correct the volume level difference between your mic and the intro and outro music of your videos. The music is much louder than the rest of the video.
That Muji aluminum pen is fantastic. Easy to find at the Muji stores here in Asia. Easily available online as well. Highly recommend. Agree with the whole list. Well done
I dont know if you ve tried it, but i would recomment (and especially to someone out there who never had an experience with a Vacuum fountain pen) the Asvine V126. I bought this some weeks ago and i was so so so surprised with the writing experience and how sturdy the material is. Its a very wet and juicy pen. I bought it on Transparent Matte Black and compined it with Diamine Writer s Blood and it looks just stunning. It s a 30-35$ pen and if you told me that this pen cost double the prize of that, i would believe you. Its so good.
@@NicholasPaulFranks Listen, I can understand the difference between a gold and a steel nib with my eyes closed. For me writing with a gold nib is totally different experience but that doesnt mean its the same for everyone. Custom s 823 gold nib is just incredible so the writing experience between this and the asvine definitely has some differences, althought the asvine feels better in the hand and the materials also feel more sturdy. You cant go wrong with the custom 823, the nib is just superb, its my favourite pen but that doesnt mean I dont enjoy writing with the asvine. I would recomment this, if you can afford the custom 823 then just go for it, if you cant, the asvine is a great choice for the 35€ and you ll come close with the vac system. I was so surprised with the asvine that I always curry it in my 3 pen case. Be aware though that other folks had some problems with it out of the box, like baby s bottoms or some glue sticks in the section. Althought I wouldt let that changes stop me from buying it, especially the baby bottoms unfortunatrly is very common even with the gold nibs. I got both asvine and 823 in Medium
I love my Montblanc Starwalker. I use it daily and it has been super reliable right out of the box. I also like my Lamy Studio in British Racing Green.
Hongdian is a good Chinese brand that writes well for around $50 or less. There are cartridge converter or piston-fill models. I own three models, but I also have high-end pens. I own a number of Lamy Safaris but many people might not like the section on them. Also, Pilot Varsity pens write extremely well with a wet line, but they have only a M nib size and it writes like a B, depending on the paper. Unfortunately they are throw-away. You can refill them, but it is a struggle and involves partially disassembling a pen that was not meant to be disassembles.
Yess! My absolute favourite brand. Despite not liking the nib appearance of the N 7, the N7 and the N8 in fine nibs are my best writers. Only my lamy 2000 in ef and my montblanc 146 vintage rival them.
Hello. I'm a watercolor artist. I'm always looking for a fine line brush, a watercolor marker, and acrylic pen......something that will allow me to add fine WHITE lines over existing layers of watercolor paint as a final touch. Is there an opaque white ink that I can use with any of these pens? Thanks.
I think Franklin Christoph pens, and Benu, are both beautiful and great writers. I like the Platinum 3776 and the Platinum President too + med or B nibs. 7:57
Yoooo, không thể tin đc, đang lang thang xem bút thì ra kênh này thấy intro của bạn có tiếng việt và vào xem info thì kênh Việt thật mà, chất lượng video quốc tế từ âm thanh cho đến hình ảnh. Ủng hộ và chấm 100đ không nhưng!!!
I much prefer Kaweco to TWSBI. I think they're better made. In the under $200 range, I think the Diplomat Aero with a steel nib is outstanding. I don't own a Pilot E95S, but I think Pilot pens are excellent, and the E95S gets you an extremely well-regarded gold nib for under $200. When you hit the $1,000 price of the Montblanc 149, I think you do better going with a Namiki. Their pens are as perfect as they can be, for prices below $1,000 up to the price of a new car. Until you get to their special and limited editions, Montblanc has nothing that can touch a Namiki Yukari or Yukari Royale. I think the Pelikan M800 and M1000 are both far better value propositions than the MB149.
If Kaweco would make a piston filler I would probably (grudginly) bite, because I love the look of the pen. As a rule I will not buy anything that is designed to accept a cartridge. That also helps me not fret over limited edition/pretty urushi and maki-e pens. 😅
I think it all depends on what you use the fountain pen for, eg. writing/everyday use, sketching, calligraphy etc. For everyday use and on the cheap end, I think Platinum is unbeatable, both Preppy and Plaisir (for a fancy look). Great nibs, good grip, safe cap, you drop it in the pocket or bag without a care in the world and you can write very comfortably with the nib reversed if you want a thinner line. I have TWSBI too for sketching. Cleaning is a bit fussy and I'm always a bit stressed with the mechanism as it doesn't seem very safe to carry it around. I love Sailor. Pilot and Lamy? Not a fan.
🤡 twisbi is disposable chinesium Preppy is only preppy if you have the money get the real deal. Pilot is godtier. Lamy another shittier watch with retarded designs crappy ergonomics.
Hello. I dabble with in the pen genre. Fountain pens that I own are the MB 149 with a custom EF nib grind, and a few of the twsbi diamond demonstrators also with the EF custom grind. Love the channel. Would love to see you do a vid, that does a deep dive into the variety of fountain pen friendly paper that is best.
I prefer inexpensive Chinese/Japanese EF & F nib pens but have some western EF's as well as a few F's and even an occasional M. I discovered too late the Pilot 78G B nib was a F stub and have been trying to locate a couple of those. Platinum's Preppy & Plaisir, Jinhao 911, Pilot 78G and its Chinese clones are some of my favourite writers. Stationery i wanted to recommend is Staples 2 pack "Eco" brand 5" x 8" sugarcane "Bagasse" fountain pen friendly, thin paper. It's smooth-surfaced sheets with minimal sizing is my goto for testing any new pens, inks and nibs. They're a joy to write on and usually neither bleed through nor show through occur. They don't clog my Asian F & EF nibs with gummy sizing as i find happens when using Rhodia brand papers. French exercise books by Clairfontaine in addition to notebooks by Apica, Fabriano & Oasis offer relatively inexpensive alternatives too.
Very nice selection of pens. Although I don't think you mentioned Pelikan....since Pelikan has never brought back their ink windows or beautiful materials to see thru the barrels on there upper end models or the other nib sizes they "used to offer", they are permanently off my desire list. Resting on past reputations of model quality no longer available while still raising prices just doesn't cut it IMHO. Montblanc would be a huge improvement imho. That's where my next purchase is coming from. Great video!
I would change the Moonman-Majohn for Hongdian or Asvine. Hongdian have original designs and very high quality. The Asvine pens are superb, even if some models are similar to Narwhal pens or Pilot. Also, as a mid range pen, I would recommend Indian manufacturer Ranga. Their acrylic and ebonite pens are top quality and beautifully handcrafted.
Sorry but your statement about Montblanc is just not true. My first and only Montblanc was a dud. It was a brand new pen from a Montblanc dealer. It had to be returned for a full refund as the pen just would not write. I was not prepared to risk attempting to tune the nib myself on such an expensive purchase. A big disappointment and I expected better.
Had the same happened to me with a brand new Enzo Ferrari. Found the courage to try a special edition 146 later on and it was ok. Still sent it to a nib master. The turnaround time for a nib exchange program for the Ferrari was about 6 months here… For regular pens it is 6 weeks. They have good service but quality control and tune is sub par vs other brands.
I'd always have a Waterman. Maybe not exciting, but real work horses. I've had student pens that cost c. $3.00 and a reliable Expert II, and many in between. Never had a bad Waterman nib.
Absolutely agree with you there. I've been using a Hemisphere for about 3 years now (daily use). No nib bends, no weird ink blocks. I just wished more videos on UA-cam featured Waterman fountain pens. I dont understand why they dont but they're great pens!
I like Waterman, but although the nibs are ok, sometimes the quality of the ensamble is not as good. I had problems with an Hemisphere and a Perspective. Its one of the labels that had been surpassed by Hongdian, Asvine, Wing Sung, and even Jinhao...
MaJohn pens are very good writers. The 136 is wonderful. I have to buy a Faber Castell. The Pilot 743 is an excellent pen. I love my Sailor 1911L. I cannot convince myself to buy a Montblanc, though. It is the same with the Visconti Homo Sapiens.
@@DrinkWater713 I apparently misunderstood what was said in the vid. My apologies! Regarding your comment. There was a period where there were issues with their molds or whatever. I myself still have my first tsbi and its cracked. But even then it wasnt that widespread and now i dont even hear of it anymore. I myself havent encountered it appart from my first twsbi. I find the price to performance rario to be unmatched even swapped out my kaweco sport brons premium nip out for a twsbi eco nib.
@@DrinkWater713 i know but its not that black and white. A lot of companies order from bock and jowo and modify them afterwards. I have a two other pens with jowo nibs and the dont feel at all like eachother let alone the twsbi nib. Montegrappa and esterbrook for instance also use jowo nibs.
@@DrinkWater713 Sorry for entering the discussion, but just out of pure curiosity: why are JoWo nibs considered "bad" quality? Just a genuine question, because I am new to fountain pens. Many people seem to hate JoWo nibs, whereas a few others seem to stand by them and very strongly. I wonder what is the background behind the two opposite opinions
The worst fountain pens are those from Mont Blanc... I own many of them. The worst is Bohème and 149... Bohéme has already been repaired at MB and no longer writes anyway. MB 149. It's definitely average..., it's just expensive, nothing else...
I was excited to see your video but as a person with an accent that can be hard to understand myself I need to give you a friendly FYI: obviously you have important things to say but I could not understand your comments on the Chinese company (the orange pen you discussed after the Lamy)...I put on the cc while replaying it did not help. I might be the only one and if this is the case just ignore this as a well intentioned FYI that is just incorrect. (Apologies if I am incorrect) Also on another note, Could you put a list of pens below your video? Thanks for the interesting video otherwise. Thanks G
Solid choices, I would add the Leonardo Momento Zero and Grande models to this list as they are awesome! Also a Pelikan M1000 and Visconti Homo Sapiens. 😊
@@DrinkWater713 fair enough! I was just adding them to the list as they are stunning pens and I dont think (my opinion you see) anyone would be dissapointed with these choices either. That’s all… happy penning..
Thanks! Was the ink old and likely evaporated to make it so black, or was only the bottle old? I have and use Montblanc Mystery Black and it doesn’t look as black. Or is it just the magic of video?
Gave my 78g+ away. The pen is too skinny. Hurts my hand if I use it for more than 5 minutes at a time. Unless you have small hands, don't buy this pen!
Platinum Preppys.... every single one of them I've had leaked (6 of them). The Platinum Desk Pen is much better but longer. I've found Safari is okay but Faber Castell is a much better step up. Their nibs are much better quality than Lamy (imho).
Thanks for the video which, as always, is great. Morally, I cannot even contemplate buying the Chinese copies, but that's a personal thing and I'm sure that their quality is improving; everyone says so. I was slightly surprised by the absence of Pelikans. Is that because you've had a bad experience, or because they're an either/or for you with the Montblancs? A kind of Beatles/Stones dilemma?
I cant afford any decent pen, title says go get 10 of them! Lol. That title is trolling me! I don't care being poor. People who have money,aren't any happier than me I guess.
Lots of inexpensive pens are decent and better than decent. Have you tried Jinhao 100 Century? Very well made, attractive materials, nib size choices. I have had good experiences with Noodlers Inks pens, many of which are ebonite, have piston fill and ink view windows. Affordable Indian-made pens from Fountain Pen Revolution are available from several makers, some of which still do individual turning.
Found Mont Blancs to be scratchy, stiff uninteresting writers. Unfortunately, they are at a price point where mere competence is not noteworthy. Unfortunately, I have 10USD pens which are more fun than the MB I have (inherited). Currently very taken by a Pilot Prera Iro-ai in red trim with a fine nib. A line so fine, you think you could write a sonnet on a ladybird's back.
With Chinese fpens I always say one thing: if they make a copy of an your (the og brand) expensive flagship pen and make it equally good for cheaper, shame on you. If they fail, shame on them
You should not go out and buy any of these pens. Some of these brands are ok, but the only pen in this video that that is even tolerable is the Sailor.
There is a brand called "Beena" india who make fountain pens in video if you saw that retractable nib pen you can buy from beena for less than $3 if you compare with this pen it would be fortune 😂😂😂😂
Something about the audio, specifically the voice is wrong. The combination of the monotonous delivery and the artificial sound equalizing puts me off. Contentwise my recommendation is Sailor 1911, always and every time.
@@SydMaven I am sorry I angered you. That was not my intention. I have been using fountain pens for 45 yeras now - yes, am an old dude. I have two 1911's, one bought in Tokyo in 2008 and another from Amazon. Together with the Lamy 2000, they are my favourite pens. I stand with my criticism of the audio and editing quality of the video. Be well
I can't take you seriously if you're truly going to recommend "any" modern Mont Blanc, especially when you go on to admit they are overpriced. Mont Blanc is not the company it once was and has changed hands, being bought out by some luxury goods conglomerate. Their quality these days is subpar, as is their stance on the pens they sell. They don't consider them pens, they are just considered luxury goods. Check the subreddit to see the horror stories about them.
I have a large number of Montblanc pens, old and new, and haven't experienced any differences in the writing or performance of them or issues with customer services when sending pens in for refurb/tuning. I'm not saying there can't possibly be duds or bad experiences, but blanket statements aren't accurate either.
Them being bought out by a business conglomerate is not a blanket statement, and neither is their stance on their pens being considered a luxury good first and foremost before considering it a pen. The number of bad experience the fountain pen community has shared and my warning of them is not a blanket statement either, it is merely a deterrent to think twice about them. Overpriced is certainly a "blanket statement" though, but I fail to think of it that was as it is objectively true. Glad you had good experiences with them, but I for one will not give them my business. Snob Blanc is just a shell of their former selves. Their quality is also subpar, when you compare the quality of the product, ethical behaviors and attitude of the company compared to the original company. Mont Blanc is literally owned by a different company now, and operate differently. Idk in what world you live in, but learn what a blanket statement is before making such an accusation. @@leann848
@@Soyokaze404-yc1dt First, Montbalnc has always been considered a luxury pen brand - this isn't new since being bought out, so let's leave that nonsense behind. Your blanket statement is that you said the quality is subpar, so we can also leave your little lesson on definitions in the trash as well. You clearly don't like Montblanc - fine, that's certainly your opinion and you fly that banner all you want. My issue is that you also clearly have a bias, and a condescending one at that (snob Blanc and I can't take you seriously if). However from the two comments I've read, your estimation is based off a Reddit thread? Zero first-hand experience and a clear distaste for even considering a pen by the brand, so how do you know the quality is subpar? Yes, yes, anecdotes from Reddit. Before you shout "J'accuse" at me, maybe you should consider that someone was providing you with their own firsthand experience in response to what you wrote as - god forbid - a different opinion than yours. Oh, the horror!
@@Soyokaze404-yc1dt Many pen companies are not owned by the original owners. Montblanc has kept with tradition of pen making though, so not sure I get the, "different company now." People can say a lot of things about MB, but what they do well, they do extremely well. I've read a lot of the issues as well on posts from Reddit to FPN to UA-cam. Many posts deal with what seems to be baby's bottom, but that could be easily fixed. One of my MB had baby's bottom, but I smoothed it out just by writing. Did you consider that perhaps all these people might not have had the experience and understood how to address the problem? The second point is the person making this video has been making videos and that too of high end pens for a good many of years. I would take his thoughts on pens most certainly over many here on UA-cam or anywhere else. He does know what he is talking about. Third, it seemed you came looking for a fight. Using language like, "I can't take you seriously," and ", Snob Blanc," will not endear you to any favorable outcomes, especially since you seem to lack the experience of Montblanc, and perhaps fountain pens in general, because Montblanc is one word not two. If you don't like Montblanc then you don't, but you could have put it in a more charismatic way.
I started a Patreon with a lot of downloadables and more
check it out here www.patreon.com/AWritingGang?
Neither the Pilot Petit not the Platinum Preppy are "throw-away pens". Both have refills available for them, and both are excellent writers. I used a Platinum Preppy as my daily writer for 4 years even though I own pens that cost hundreds of dollars. The TWSCI ECO is not $50-55 USD, It sells for $33 USD. That is a huge difference.
You're right, but some of the ECO's do cost in that range, like the indigo blue with bronze trim or the transparent black with rose gold trim. Most, however, are indeed priced in the $30-40 range. Either way, they represent great value and generally write very well.
My experience with the platinum preppy was that they are not durable - I had 2 of them crack at the barrel threading. One could buy the platinum plaisir to overcome this issue - it's basically a preppy with a metal body and not very costly.
I like the preppy. It's great for writing, sketching and throwing in your bag without worry.
I have two filled with platinum carbon black and I used them both daily for quite some time.
Pilot Petit
Platinum Preppy
Muji fountain pen
TWSBI
Lamy Safari
Moonman/MaJohn
Faber Castell
Pilot 823/Pilot 845
Sailor 21k nib
Montblanc 146
Thank you!
Just "went out" and bought the 10 pens. my banker said i should stop hanging on UA-cam :(
😂😂😂😂❤
lol I’m thinking of getting a second mortgage 😂
😂😂😂😂✒️🖊😭😭
I AGREE WITH YOUR BANKER. Wen one puts LAMY, as a German pen, and I just bought 20 CLONES, for less than 10 bucks, and they work better than my 10 dollar ones. Buy cheap pens.😊
BTW, MY FAVORITE is a 1941 Parker, Paris. Blue with gold rings gold (plated) nib, bladder filler. Great feel, smooth as silk on paper. But I cannot leave the house with it!! 😢😢😢😢.
You have probably the best handwriting of all fountain pen UA-camrs. It's a feast to the eyes to watch you write.
Lamy 2000. Gold nib, classic design, and is surprisingly good on airplanes.
Most def you can blind buy the Lamy 2000. Superb writing experience at an affordable price. I have never de-inked mine - it’s always got Irosizuku Kon-peki and ready to go.
You are DEEP into the fountain pen hobby when you think ~$170 for a writing utensil is affordable lol
I hated the grip of it originally but it grew on me. Still prefer my safari for long writing sessions over anything.
for me i would buy watermann Carene, Faber Castel Graff von, Pilot 74 or E95s.
If I had to start over (which means ditching ~50+ pens) I'd get the following out of the pens I have and regularly use:
Preppy, TWSBI 580 AL-R (stub), Moonman M800 with Bock Medium Cursive Italic (custom grind from fpnibs), Ranga Abhimanyu (with a Jowo custom grind), PenBBS 456.
My first preppy was a trainwreck, but I recently got another and I'm loving this one.
From the more premium pens, I'd definitely want a Lamy 2000 with a cursive italic grind, as well as a Diplomat Aero.
In the budget class, a Kaweco Perkeo is really nice, and imo a better buy than a Safari.
good list. completely agree about the perkeo > safari
Parkeo is the better of the two, and probably the best starter fountn pen, along with pilot metro/explorer!
have small handwriting so prefer Japanese nibs: my entry level pen would be a Pilot78g+ in blue/grey which comes with silver trim and a con40 (which admittedly doesn’t have the greatest capacity but you won’t suffer from ink starvation which has happened to me with every int.std.converter I’ve ever bought!); big fan of Twsbi 580: that EF JoWo nib does write considerably broader than a typical Japanese nib but there is something so pleasing about the feel of that nib: you should try this:); my higher end recommendations would be Pilot custom heritage 912, Sailor pro gear and Platinum 3776 all of which come with broadly European no.6 sized nibs which is my preferred size; lastly(most expensive but worth it imho) Montblanc 146 - mine is a F which has slight stubby characteristics but is such a joy to write with:)
A friend of mine inherited a set of Mont Blanc Meisterstuck writing instruments. I have become the very lucky recipient. I adore the fountain pen and use it regularly for writing and drawing. Smoothest writing experience I've ever had. The only thing that even comes anywhere near close is (surprisingly) my Osprey gold nib. But I also regularly use my Preppys, Kaweco Sports, and TWSBI's. You've reminded I need to dig out my LAMY's for sketching.
Good list! Since you asked, if I could make one change I would add a Pelikan M800
Love that platinum preppy in Xtra fine, it's really Japanese fine, finer than you can get in most European pens. Unfortunately my standard cartridges don't work and I have to buy platinum brand cartridges. But the pen is amazing for the price
What's the green ink in the MB near the end? That shading was so so beautiful.
Nice lineup but you really need to correct the volume level difference between your mic and the intro and outro music of your videos. The music is much louder than the rest of the video.
Moonman and Hongdian are my favorite brands. I have pilots, lamy, Caran d ache, montblanc, but nothing comes near their price/quality ratio.
I love my Conklin All-American Brownstone Fountain Pen. I especially love my Pelikan M200
That Muji aluminum pen is fantastic. Easy to find at the Muji stores here in Asia. Easily available online as well. Highly recommend. Agree with the whole list. Well done
I dont know if you ve tried it, but i would recomment (and especially to someone out there who never had an experience with a Vacuum fountain pen) the Asvine V126. I bought this some weeks ago and i was so so so surprised with the writing experience and how sturdy the material is. Its a very wet and juicy pen. I bought it on Transparent Matte Black and compined it with Diamine Writer s Blood and it looks just stunning. It s a 30-35$ pen and if you told me that this pen cost double the prize of that, i would believe you. Its so good.
Yep, I 2nd the Asvine 126, just got the brass and clear FP, it’s smooth as budda!
Got the same with fine nip and the nip is black 😍😍😍 totally worth it!
Thanks for the tip about the Asvine V126. How far off the Pilot 823 experience would you say it is (if you've had that one to cf.). Cheers!
@@NicholasPaulFranks Listen, I can understand the difference between a gold and a steel nib with my eyes closed. For me writing with a gold nib is totally different experience but that doesnt mean its the same for everyone. Custom s 823 gold nib is just incredible so the writing experience between this and the asvine definitely has some differences, althought the asvine feels better in the hand and the materials also feel more sturdy. You cant go wrong with the custom 823, the nib is just superb, its my favourite pen but that doesnt mean I dont enjoy writing with the asvine. I would recomment this, if you can afford the custom 823 then just go for it, if you cant, the asvine is a great choice for the 35€ and you ll come close with the vac system. I was so surprised with the asvine that I always curry it in my 3 pen case. Be aware though that other folks had some problems with it out of the box, like baby s bottoms or some glue sticks in the section. Althought I wouldt let that changes stop me from buying it, especially the baby bottoms unfortunatrly is very common even with the gold nibs. I got both asvine and 823 in Medium
Well, I have a small collection of Moonman Q1 just bc I love the jumbo aesthetic, and yeah, they perform amazingly
I love my Montblanc Starwalker. I use it daily and it has been super reliable right out of the box. I also like my Lamy Studio in British Racing Green.
As an owner of a TWSBI Eco, that is money well spent✍️😉👍
Can you tell me what model the pilot is that looks like the cap is abalone or similar material? i love the look of that pen. thanks
Hongdian is a good Chinese brand that writes well for around $50 or less. There are cartridge converter or piston-fill models. I own three models, but I also have high-end pens. I own a number of Lamy Safaris but many people might not like the section on them. Also, Pilot Varsity pens write extremely well with a wet line, but they have only a M nib size and it writes like a B, depending on the paper. Unfortunately they are throw-away. You can refill them, but it is a struggle and involves partially disassembling a pen that was not meant to be disassembles.
Yess!
My absolute favourite brand. Despite not liking the nib appearance of the N 7, the N7 and the N8 in fine nibs are my best writers. Only my lamy 2000 in ef and my montblanc 146 vintage rival them.
Hello. I'm a watercolor artist. I'm always looking for a fine line brush, a watercolor marker, and acrylic pen......something that will allow me to add fine WHITE lines over existing layers of watercolor paint as a final touch. Is there an opaque white ink that I can use with any of these pens? Thanks.
I’d add a Pelikan M400 etc
What's that nice shading grayish ink you're writing the Montblanc with?
May I know what nib is it you have on the Sailor? The one with blue ink, it is stunningly beautiful!
Great list. I own four of the suggested pens (Lamy, Pilot, TWSBI, and Montblanc) and love them all. I would add Pelikan.
Great list, fortunately I own most of the brands sans Montblanc. As to a list I would cheat and list Jinhao X159 as number 11. Thanks for the video.
I think Franklin Christoph pens, and Benu, are both beautiful and great writers. I like the Platinum 3776 and the Platinum President too + med or B nibs. 7:57
Pelican souvran pens are great. German engineering, very smooth wet nibs and classic style. Also cheaper than montblanc.
I avoid any use of the word "cheap" in any form when talking about Pelikan. They are less overpriced than MB.
Yoooo, không thể tin đc, đang lang thang xem bút thì ra kênh này thấy intro của bạn có tiếng việt và vào xem info thì kênh Việt thật mà, chất lượng video quốc tế từ âm thanh cho đến hình ảnh. Ủng hộ và chấm 100đ không nhưng!!!
I much prefer Kaweco to TWSBI. I think they're better made. In the under $200 range, I think the Diplomat Aero with a steel nib is outstanding. I don't own a Pilot E95S, but I think Pilot pens are excellent, and the E95S gets you an extremely well-regarded gold nib for under $200. When you hit the $1,000 price of the Montblanc 149, I think you do better going with a Namiki. Their pens are as perfect as they can be, for prices below $1,000 up to the price of a new car. Until you get to their special and limited editions, Montblanc has nothing that can touch a Namiki Yukari or Yukari Royale. I think the Pelikan M800 and M1000 are both far better value propositions than the MB149.
Under 200? You can get an E95S for 100, and its nib really is fantastic.
Diplomat Aero - yes! A beautiful pen! Never lets me down 😊🤩
If Kaweco would make a piston filler I would probably (grudginly) bite, because I love the look of the pen. As a rule I will not buy anything that is designed to accept a cartridge. That also helps me not fret over limited edition/pretty urushi and maki-e pens. 😅
Which Nib do you have on the moonman? Bock Fine oder medium?
I would have talked about the Pilot VP or Fermo, both are excellent writers
Great list, cannot argue.
I think it all depends on what you use the fountain pen for, eg. writing/everyday use, sketching, calligraphy etc. For everyday use and on the cheap end, I think Platinum is unbeatable, both Preppy and Plaisir (for a fancy look). Great nibs, good grip, safe cap, you drop it in the pocket or bag without a care in the world and you can write very comfortably with the nib reversed if you want a thinner line. I have TWSBI too for sketching. Cleaning is a bit fussy and I'm always a bit stressed with the mechanism as it doesn't seem very safe to carry it around. I love Sailor. Pilot and Lamy? Not a fan.
🤡
twisbi is disposable chinesium
Preppy is only preppy if you have the money get the real deal.
Pilot is godtier.
Lamy another shittier watch with retarded designs crappy ergonomics.
Hello. I dabble with in the pen genre. Fountain pens that I own are the MB 149 with a custom EF nib grind,
and a few of the twsbi diamond demonstrators also with the EF custom grind. Love the channel. Would
love to see you do a vid, that does a deep dive into the variety of fountain pen friendly paper that is best.
I prefer inexpensive Chinese/Japanese EF & F nib pens but have some western EF's as well as a few F's and even an occasional M. I discovered too late the Pilot 78G B nib was a F stub and have been trying to locate a couple of those. Platinum's Preppy & Plaisir, Jinhao 911, Pilot 78G and its Chinese clones are some of my favourite writers.
Stationery i wanted to recommend is Staples 2 pack "Eco" brand 5" x 8" sugarcane "Bagasse" fountain pen friendly, thin paper. It's smooth-surfaced sheets with minimal sizing is my goto for testing any new pens, inks and nibs. They're a joy to write on and usually neither bleed through nor show through occur. They don't clog my Asian F & EF nibs with gummy sizing as i find happens when using Rhodia brand papers.
French exercise books by Clairfontaine in addition to notebooks by Apica, Fabriano & Oasis offer relatively inexpensive alternatives too.
Very nice selection of pens. Although I don't think you mentioned Pelikan....since Pelikan has never brought back their ink windows or beautiful materials to see thru the barrels on there upper end models or the other nib sizes they "used to offer", they are permanently off my desire list. Resting on past reputations of model quality no longer available while still raising prices just doesn't cut it IMHO. Montblanc would be a huge improvement imho. That's where my next purchase is coming from. Great video!
What nib is on your Sailor with the blue ink? Is it a fine or an italic?
What model is the beautiful black and white Faber Castell?
I would change the Moonman-Majohn for Hongdian or Asvine. Hongdian have original designs and very high quality. The Asvine pens are superb, even if some models are similar to Narwhal pens or Pilot. Also, as a mid range pen, I would recommend Indian manufacturer Ranga. Their acrylic and ebonite pens are top quality and beautifully handcrafted.
Sorry but your statement about Montblanc is just not true. My first and only Montblanc was a dud. It was a brand new pen from a Montblanc dealer. It had to be returned for a full refund as the pen just would not write. I was not prepared to risk attempting to tune the nib myself on such an expensive purchase. A big disappointment and I expected better.
Had the same happened to me with a brand new Enzo Ferrari. Found the courage to try a special edition 146 later on and it was ok. Still sent it to a nib master. The turnaround time for a nib exchange program for the Ferrari was about 6 months here… For regular pens it is 6 weeks. They have good service but quality control and tune is sub par vs other brands.
I would add Visconti Homo Sapiens and Pelikan Souverign.
Waterman, especially the Phileas. The best nibs on the market!
Beautiful penmanship
What's the blue ink used in this video? Looks so saturated
Good review. Kaweco AL Sports are a fun EDC.
what do you think about Jinhao 992? Just wondering, love your videos it inspires me to write ✍️
I'd always have a Waterman. Maybe not exciting, but real work horses. I've had student pens that cost c. $3.00 and a reliable Expert II, and many in between. Never had a bad Waterman nib.
Absolutely agree with you there. I've been using a Hemisphere for about 3 years now (daily use). No nib bends, no weird ink blocks. I just wished more videos on UA-cam featured Waterman fountain pens. I dont understand why they dont but they're great pens!
I like Waterman, but although the nibs are ok, sometimes the quality of the ensamble is not as good. I had problems with an Hemisphere and a Perspective. Its one of the labels that had been surpassed by Hongdian, Asvine, Wing Sung, and even Jinhao...
@@javierdelavega790 Fair points, particularly at the lower end. Baoer is good, too.
As someone with 2 MBs 146 and 149, and a Moonman. Sheaffer, I would take a MB any day. It always writes when you ou it to paper.
What is that beautiful ink that you are using in the Montblanc?
MaJohn pens are very good writers. The 136 is wonderful. I have to buy a Faber Castell. The Pilot 743 is an excellent pen. I love my Sailor 1911L. I cannot convince myself to buy a Montblanc, though. It is the same with the Visconti Homo Sapiens.
Need your input. Should i start with a 743 (what nib btw?) Or the sailor? Funny that i've shortlisted the two on what to buy...
@@wat5513 Sailor nibs are fairly stiff. If you want some bounce in the nib, go for the 743 with a soft fine or soft medium nib.
@@wat5513 the FA nib on the 743 is fantastic …. ❤️
How is there no TWSBI in a blind buy list
There is. But there shoudn't be. They crack A LOT
@@DrinkWater713 I apparently misunderstood what was said in the vid. My apologies! Regarding your comment. There was a period where there were issues with their molds or whatever. I myself still have my first tsbi and its cracked. But even then it wasnt that widespread and now i dont even hear of it anymore. I myself havent encountered it appart from my first twsbi. I find the price to performance rario to be unmatched even swapped out my kaweco sport brons premium nip out for a twsbi eco nib.
@@RedouaneSebbar You know it's a Jowo nib, right?
@@DrinkWater713 i know but its not that black and white. A lot of companies order from bock and jowo and modify them afterwards. I have a two other pens with jowo nibs and the dont feel at all like eachother let alone the twsbi nib. Montegrappa and esterbrook for instance also use jowo nibs.
@@DrinkWater713 Sorry for entering the discussion, but just out of pure curiosity: why are JoWo nibs considered "bad" quality? Just a genuine question, because I am new to fountain pens. Many people seem to hate JoWo nibs, whereas a few others seem to stand by them and very strongly. I wonder what is the background behind the two opposite opinions
The worst fountain pens are those from Mont Blanc...
I own many of them. The worst is Bohème and 149...
Bohéme has already been repaired at MB and no longer writes anyway.
MB 149. It's definitely average..., it's just expensive, nothing else...
My most def blind by will be the Pelican M1000
No Pelikan pens??
Im using only click lock fountain pen becouse it is safe on leaks like sheafer fountain pen 😊
I was excited to see your video but as a person with an accent that can be hard to understand myself I need to give you a friendly FYI: obviously you have important things to say but I could not understand your comments on the Chinese company (the orange pen you discussed after the Lamy)...I put on the cc while replaying it did not help. I might be the only one and if this is the case just ignore this as a well intentioned FYI that is just incorrect. (Apologies if I am incorrect) Also on another note, Could you put a list of pens below your video? Thanks for the interesting video otherwise. Thanks G
My Lamy safari is scratchy. Any idea why that could be?
Nib?
Solid choices, I would add the Leonardo Momento Zero and Grande models to this list as they are awesome! Also a Pelikan M1000 and Visconti Homo Sapiens. 😊
those are all like $800, not everyone has that buget
@@sporkconsumer9051 fair enough, but you can find them used for a much better price than that. Grail pens for sure!
Almost no one has the money to buy those pens, much less blindy buy them.
@@DrinkWater713 fair enough! I was just adding them to the list as they are stunning pens and I dont think (my opinion you see) anyone would be dissapointed with these choices either. That’s all… happy penning..
@@DrinkWater713 fair enough! However the momento zero is around $150 USD or less…. Pending on the sales you find.
Is waterman nib better than lamy
What was that wonderfully black black ink you used?
Montblanc Mystery Black in a vintage 90s bottle :)
Thanks! Was the ink old and likely evaporated to make it so black, or was only the bottle old? I have and use Montblanc Mystery Black and it doesn’t look as black. Or is it just the magic of video?
Appreciate the broad, global endorsement (eg, any 3 digit Pilot)
Which watch is on your wrist ?
Watch which wrist twists his watch.
MB 146 line, an entry level for a luxury pen
Pilot 78g+ with the B stub nib and the Pilot Elite with gold nib would be my choice
Gave my 78g+ away. The pen is too skinny. Hurts my hand if I use it for more than 5 minutes at a time. Unless you have small hands, don't buy this pen!
Get a Pilot Kakuno then. That's a bigger pen. It takes the bigger Con 70 converter too.
I still like the pilot cocoon
Nice video! Glad to see some love for the Muji fountain pen.
What is that greenish-bluish-grayish ink you're using at the end?
I would include Pelikan
Why are you calling them "throwaway" pens? They are meant to be reused indefinitely. Pilot Varsity and that ilk are truly intended as throwaway pens.
Strongly second 3-digit Pilots!
Platinum Preppys.... every single one of them I've had leaked (6 of them). The Platinum Desk Pen is much better but longer. I've found Safari is okay but Faber Castell is a much better step up. Their nibs are much better quality than Lamy (imho).
Had my (two) Preppys for three years. Endless refills of the cartridges. Never an issue.
Nice suggestions...the hands thing though seems..."borrowed" from Watchfinder, not authentic
Thanks for the video which, as always, is great. Morally, I cannot even contemplate buying the Chinese copies, but that's a personal thing and I'm sure that their quality is improving; everyone says so. I was slightly surprised by the absence of Pelikans. Is that because you've had a bad experience, or because they're an either/or for you with the Montblancs? A kind of Beatles/Stones dilemma?
Pelikans are in a different breed imo to be honest...they all write well, but they don't have that "blind buy" consistency you get with the others
Bic blue blind buy
It sounds as if you have cut the dialogue from other videos?
Love you videos! Really do. But this one has wayyyyyy to many cuts in the voice over.
hiếm thấy dạng content này ở VN. Có search ''bút máy'' cũng toàn ra mấy video luyện chữ của mấy bé :)))
hầu như không có luôn ạ :D
I cant afford any decent pen, title says go get 10 of them! Lol. That title is trolling me! I don't care being poor. People who have money,aren't any happier than me I guess.
Lots of inexpensive pens are decent and better than decent. Have you tried Jinhao 100 Century? Very well made, attractive materials, nib size choices. I have had good experiences with Noodlers Inks pens, many of which are ebonite, have piston fill and ink view windows. Affordable Indian-made pens from Fountain Pen Revolution are available from several makers, some of which still do individual turning.
What's the "individual turning" please? Thank you for all the information@@judyjacobs5827
Found Mont Blancs to be scratchy, stiff uninteresting writers. Unfortunately, they are at a price point where mere competence is not noteworthy. Unfortunately, I have 10USD pens which are more fun than the MB I have (inherited).
Currently very taken by a Pilot Prera Iro-ai in red trim with a fine nib. A line so fine, you think you could write a sonnet on a ladybird's back.
Several of the suggestions are preceded by "controversial". Why are those pens, but not TWSBI, controversial?
With Chinese fpens I always say one thing: if they make a copy of an your (the og brand) expensive flagship pen and make it equally good for cheaper, shame on you. If they fail, shame on them
You should not go out and buy any of these pens. Some of these brands are ok, but the only pen in this video that that is even tolerable is the Sailor.
If you're going to make such an assertion, at least help everyone and say WHY!
There is a brand called "Beena" india who make fountain pens in video if you saw that retractable nib pen you can buy from beena for less than $3 if you compare with this pen it would be fortune 😂😂😂😂
Something about the audio, specifically the voice is wrong. The combination of the monotonous delivery and the artificial sound equalizing puts me off. Contentwise my recommendation is Sailor 1911, always and every time.
Once again, making assertions and not explaining WHY doesn't help others. Sell me a Sailor 1911S. Go on. Genuinely interested.
@@SydMaven I am sorry I angered you. That was not my intention. I have been using fountain pens for 45 yeras now - yes, am an old dude. I have two 1911's, one bought in Tokyo in 2008 and another from Amazon. Together with the Lamy 2000, they are my favourite pens.
I stand with my criticism of the audio and editing quality of the video. Be well
Chủ kênh là người Việt hửm ?
10 cây được suggest e đi được nửa list 6 cây low với mid-end :))) high-end chắc mơ sau :))
I cant wach the video because of "google voice "
It's just opinions of a random guy on the interwebz. Figure it out on your own. lol
chinese pens are a hit or miss, you can get extraordinary nib and complete trash one within the same order, QC is nonexistent.
Отстой
I can't take you seriously if you're truly going to recommend "any" modern Mont Blanc, especially when you go on to admit they are overpriced. Mont Blanc is not the company it once was and has changed hands, being bought out by some luxury goods conglomerate. Their quality these days is subpar, as is their stance on the pens they sell. They don't consider them pens, they are just considered luxury goods. Check the subreddit to see the horror stories about them.
I have a large number of Montblanc pens, old and new, and haven't experienced any differences in the writing or performance of them or issues with customer services when sending pens in for refurb/tuning. I'm not saying there can't possibly be duds or bad experiences, but blanket statements aren't accurate either.
Them being bought out by a business conglomerate is not a blanket statement, and neither is their stance on their pens being considered a luxury good first and foremost before considering it a pen. The number of bad experience the fountain pen community has shared and my warning of them is not a blanket statement either, it is merely a deterrent to think twice about them. Overpriced is certainly a "blanket statement" though, but I fail to think of it that was as it is objectively true. Glad you had good experiences with them, but I for one will not give them my business. Snob Blanc is just a shell of their former selves. Their quality is also subpar, when you compare the quality of the product, ethical behaviors and attitude of the company compared to the original company. Mont Blanc is literally owned by a different company now, and operate differently. Idk in what world you live in, but learn what a blanket statement is before making such an accusation. @@leann848
@@Soyokaze404-yc1dt First, Montbalnc has always been considered a luxury pen brand - this isn't new since being bought out, so let's leave that nonsense behind. Your blanket statement is that you said the quality is subpar, so we can also leave your little lesson on definitions in the trash as well.
You clearly don't like Montblanc - fine, that's certainly your opinion and you fly that banner all you want. My issue is that you also clearly have a bias, and a condescending one at that (snob Blanc and I can't take you seriously if). However from the two comments I've read, your estimation is based off a Reddit thread? Zero first-hand experience and a clear distaste for even considering a pen by the brand, so how do you know the quality is subpar? Yes, yes, anecdotes from Reddit. Before you shout "J'accuse" at me, maybe you should consider that someone was providing you with their own firsthand experience in response to what you wrote as - god forbid - a different opinion than yours. Oh, the horror!
@@Soyokaze404-yc1dt Many pen companies are not owned by the original owners. Montblanc has kept with tradition of pen making though, so not sure I get the, "different company now." People can say a lot of things about MB, but what they do well, they do extremely well. I've read a lot of the issues as well on posts from Reddit to FPN to UA-cam. Many posts deal with what seems to be baby's bottom, but that could be easily fixed. One of my MB had baby's bottom, but I smoothed it out just by writing. Did you consider that perhaps all these people might not have had the experience and understood how to address the problem?
The second point is the person making this video has been making videos and that too of high end pens for a good many of years. I would take his thoughts on pens most certainly over many here on UA-cam or anywhere else. He does know what he is talking about.
Third, it seemed you came looking for a fight. Using language like, "I can't take you seriously," and ", Snob Blanc," will not endear you to any favorable outcomes, especially since you seem to lack the experience of Montblanc, and perhaps fountain pens in general, because Montblanc is one word not two.
If you don't like Montblanc then you don't, but you could have put it in a more charismatic way.
With what money? 🥲