Cheap vs Expensive Foutain Pens

Hello,

Foutain lovers, enthusiasts, and beginners to the hobby. We have a very important topic to discuss today.

When it comes to fountain pens, which is better, cheap or expensive?

I have been using fountain pens for about three years now; thankfully, I've had my fair share of different experiences with fountain pens. I have talked to various fountain pen enthusiasts during my travels to various pen shows. I have also talked to members of my local fountain pen club and asked them about their preference when it came to different pen models and brands.

A disclaimer: this entire article is my opinion. I am not a professional fountain pen collector by any means. I just really love fountain pens.

Of course, everything I say is my personal opinion, and you might not agree with everything, but if you're somebody who's looking to get into the fountain pen hobby and you don't have any real direction, then maybe this is a really good article to read.

The question of expensive vs cheap is a question that will vary from person to person. I wanted to brush up on it anyway. Just because, I think it's a really important topic for anyone who is interested in buying their 1st fountain pen or is looking to build their fountain pen collection for themselves.

My Personal Experience with Different fountain pens at different price ranges.

I'd like to give you my experience and feedback on using expensive pens versus cheap pens.

Now, to give you a little background on what I do and why I decided to use fountain pens. I actually majored in architecture. Majoring in architecture means you are constantly sketching and writing. Of course, we had a set of pens we always used.

I used to use Micron Sakura. As lovely as Micron Sakura are, with their dark archival ink and their precise felt tip. They are the least durable pen I have ever used in my life. Especially the thinner line weights of these pens, like 0.5 and 0.1 nibs.

For instance, if I were to buy a pack of Micron Sakura for about 20 bucks. I would go through three of the pens in a 5-pack in literally a week. Spending 20 dollars a week on pens was just not sustainable.

Not only was I finishing pens at an alarming rate. I would also break the nibs! I would destroy the nibs of these after two or three weeks of use. So even if I wanted to use the additional Archival ink inside, I couldn't, because I destroyed the nib.

So, I was on the hunt for a writing instrument that was not only durable but also had a large ink capacity. If I did not find a pen that doesn't have a large ink capacity. Then I would need a pen that I could refill with ink.

The only pen that I could really think of was a fountain pen.

A pen that is refillable, durable, and sustainable.

Hence, where I started my interest in fountain pens.

I actually first started with a cheap fountain pen.

The pen was called Wingsung 699 Vacuum Filling Fountain Pen. It was a dupe or a copycat of the Custom Pilot 823. That pen was amazing to me. I say “was” because I broke it; it hurt when it broke because I loved it so much, but I am not devastated because it was only 30 dollars.

It was a fantastic writer. It was heavy, it was luxurious looking, and it's actually one of the reasons why I delved into fountain pens in the 1st place.

Now I've been using fountain pens for about three years. I've used a variety of pens during that time. I have various experiences with buying my own fountain pens, going to pen shows, and looking at different fountain pens. As well as my own personal research when it comes to fountain pens.

Nonetheless, the first thing I've noticed when it comes to fountain pens is that everyone's experience is different. Some people really like using cheap fountain pens because they're low risk, and you don't really have to work very hard to maintain them. If you make mistakes or if you break them, you don't really feel like your wallet hurts very much.

Then, on the other side, you have other people who really like using very high-quality fountain pens for their various calligraphy or writing hobbies. I've also seen a lot of people who use fountain pens to give a certain impression in business meetings. Impressing or even starting a conversation with a very interesting writing instrument.

Pros and Cons: Expensive fountain pens vs Cheap fountain pens.

One of the best ways to make difficult decisions is by doing a simple pro and con list. Finding out clear points to compare and contrast is a great way for you to help make a better decision when it comes to your fountain pen collection.

In my opinion, sometimes the cheaper fountain pens that I've used have softer nibs, are easier to write with, and sometimes even have better ink flow. There are also fountain pens that are in a higher price range, which also give me a different user experience. Sometimes gives me far more satisfaction than that of a cheaper fountain pen.

What I've noticed about using more expensive fountain pens is that.

When you purchase a higher-quality item for your writing hobby, you will most likely write more.

Why?

You most likely want to maximize the use of your fountain pen, and you also want to enjoy the experience of writing with your new fancy fountain pen. This also contributes to whether you should purchase a cheap fountain pen or a more expensive fountain pen.

Does a more expensive fountain pen mean a better quality experience or a better user experience? The answer is no. It really boils down to personal preference.

How should you start your collection?

Where would I start if I were you?

Finding a couple of cheap pens that have various nib sizes at low price points, anywhere between $15 and $30, is probably your best bet.

You want something visually appealing that has a refillable ink cartridge.

Preferably, you want refillable ink cartridges, cartridges that you can refill with any ink that you like.

Your first ink should be a basic brown or black. You can also use it in a professional setting. So you're not writing with pink ink on your professional documents.

Nonetheless, having your first couple of fountain pens at a lower price point is a good idea. It helps you work your way around the fountain pen. You can learn various ways to manage it, like cleaning and refilling ink. You feel no pressure to avoid damaging anything because the pen itself is not expensive. I feel like this is the best first step when you start your fountain pen journey.

Recap

• 3 cheap pens

• try 3 different nib sizes: Extra Fine (EF), Fine (F), Medium (M)

• Prices between 15 and 30 dollars, anything lower, will have terrible quality

Should you continue with cheap fountain pens?

In my opinion. No, this is where I think the real fountain pen enthusiast in me comes in. I think that cheap fountain pens should be your gateway to fountain pens but not your end game.

Accumulating a collection of cheap fountain pens, even though you might really love them, holds no monetary value. Now, don't get me wrong, I have plenty of cheap fountain pens that I love to death, but no one is going to want to buy them off of me.

Cheap fountain pens are very good for everyday use. After that, you can't really sell these pens after you've used them for a while. They're a great way to have a sustainable writing option, something that you're not constantly repurchasing pens every time one runs out of ink.

That is not the case with more expensive fountain pens. There is a reason why I really, really enjoy more expensive fountain pens.

The reason why I love more expensive fountain pens.

More expensive fountain pens tend to retain their value better.

For instance, more expensive fountain pens tend to have things like limited editions or collaborations with certain prestigious companies

or institutions.

These limited edition fountain pens tend to be one of a kind, which makes them a collector's item.

I think that a good collector has a range of products that they value personally, but also a range that doesn't lose resale value quickly or even gains value with time.

Another aspect of a fountain pen collection is the ability to give this collection to the people that you love later. I think that this is one of the best ways to go about your collection of fountain pens.

Let me give you an example:

I mentioned at the beginning of this article that we have a local pen community.

One of the members, who joined, is actually an older man in his 70s, who has the only collection that he has, which is that of cheap fountain pens. He said that he only has the cheap Jinhao pens, which are fountain pens that range between 10 and 30 dollars. Once he took his collection out, the reality hit.

It is that his collection was not worth anything at the end of his life. If you're this person, I do apologize if I offend you.

The reality is that at the end of his life, his collection did not amount to anything. His children did not want these cheap fountain pens. They weren't heirlooms; they didn't really hold sentimental value to anyone else or aesthetic value because they were poorly constructed. So his fountain pen collection did, unfortunately, translate to a lot of cheap pieces.

My personal opinion is that at the end of your life, you don't want your fountain pen collection to be an assortment of cheap pens. I think that you should owe it to yourself to have a collection of well-crafted pieces. If you enjoy the idea of collecting fountain pens. At the end of your life, your collection will be a testament to the things that you value.

I think it is in your best interest to have fountain pens that hold the value that you should possess. Whether it's by saving your money for a long time or whether it's through a special occasion to buy fountain pens that will hold their value.

These pens are collector items.

Make the effort to collect things that are not going to lose value over time. You want to get a few pieces, art pieces, some high-value, high-craftsmanship pieces of fountain pens that are not only for you

can use it as an heirloom to your descendants, but also as a way to demonstrate how authentic your taste is.

What I'm trying to say is that life is very, very short. You should do so whenever there is a special occasion or a special accomplishment in your life, and you wish to treat yourself to something fundamentally beautiful, practical, and wonderful to use.

It can also be used every single day, then treat yourself to an expensive, well-crafted, limited edition pen, because those are the pens that will hold value over time.

Invest in beautiful pens!