My partiner wants a fountain pen for her birthday.

First of all i have about £50 to get one…

I have no idea what to look for in a pen… (i work in IT so no need for pens)

I have been looking at this one Waterman but it don't look anything special. I am also thinking of getting it engraved, so it will need to be cromed or if i am not getting it engraved etc…

She is a school teacher if that makes any difrence, but she may not use it at work, but i dont know. (she just wants one)

Any ideas, and what would be the best pen/deal? and where can i get one from?

I have a Cross pen, not sure where you get them from in the UK but it is very nice.

Mont Blanc are nice but closer to 130 quid I think. Maybe something out there for 50 though.

+1 for Cross.

She wants a Mont Blanc.

+ 1 for Cross. Available from many good pen shops! My everyday pens are Cross Townsends (Black and Gold).

Mont Blanc are for poseurs only.

One issue here is, different pens suit different writing styles, so it may be best to get her to try one out.

You could always go vintage – http://www.penfriend.co.uk/ – Top shop! I have a couple of lovely old Parkers and Conway Stewarts I inherited and they did a great job with them.

Is she left or right handed? I can't use a fountain pen due to my cack handedness, I just smudge the ink all the time! Just a thought….

This came up last week, ended up with another Parker, and a cheaper Lamy for away from the desk. She's happy with the Lamy for writing, but doesn't look as good(at 1/5 the cost, not surprising).

Last week's thread

Parker Sonnet are around £60. I have the pencil version in this stainless and gold finnish but plenty of other finishes available. Not quite the cachet of Mont Blanc etc, but good quality and tasteful.

whatever you go for, I'd get one of these first and give it to her as a joke pre-the real one!!

http://www.suntekstore.co.uk/Vibrating-Pen-Personal-vibrating-Massager.html

I use a Cross (ballpoint), lovely pens and are available from John Lewis.

Up the budget slightly. To around £100. Some good choices then.

Frankly, pens are like bikes – what you think of as expensive, CaptainFlash considers disposable 😉

He's right about Mont Blancs, though. Only bought by people who want you to know they bought an expensive pen.

Of my pens, the nicest I own is one of these:

I've just found somewhere selling original Parker 51s.
Bugger.

she wants a pen?
long winter evenings in your house must just fly by… 😉

He's right about Mont Blancs, though. Only bought by people who want you to know they bought an expensive pen.

Eactly why it is the only pen to buy the Mrs!

Personally I use a bic, or if I'm feeling posh a £7 Parker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVk8LShtpg8&feature=related

4mins 47secs

Pens! They’re the best friend you can have! Everything I know about people, I leant from pens. If they don’t work, you shake them. If they still don’t work – you chuck them away, bin them!

BIC

Mrs BJ is a teacher. I got her a really nice ball-pen that you can get red ink refills for and had a 3-sided grip (for max comfort) and was quite distinctive (to stop it getting lost). She loved it (till she lost it).

I'm not suggesting it instead of the fountain pen btw. But if you look at Lamy, which are my favourites, maybe you could get a matching pair within budget

I used to work for Parker Pen (owners of Waterman and Papermate) and have loads of pens!

This is a little cracker laydeeeeees cross pen linky

montylikesbeer – that looks perfect 🙂 she said she wants one with the little cartriges and not the big ones. how do i know the difrence?

This pen takes a cartridge, I think two come with the pen, well my dads did.

See below for re fills and below again for a converter which screws in to the pen in place of a cartridge so you can draw in ink from a well.

refill linky

and adapter

converter clicky

+1 more for cross. They are lovely for the price.

you wont get a mont blanc for 130. they start at 210 ish. cross come with a 2 year guarantee IIRC mont blanc only get one year- and are apparently quite fragile/ smash if you drop them.

one thing i would recommend is trying them out before buying (maybe not possible in this instance) but by doing this i immediately narrowed my choice down to two or three pens out of a good hundred or so in a pen shop. they were a parker, a cross and a mont blanc. After the bashing on this thread im not going to say which i bought 😳

Could always try a rotring?? Faber castell have some nice ones at the minute, cross are ok but for crossword posers. Have to admit i do like parker sonnet though. Try checking out The Pen Shop or Websters Pen Shop.

Mont blanc
Yard o Led
Monetegrappa

All way expensive and only for those who like writing or keep a journal and are going to use them every day – just rember its painful losing a really expensive pen!!Especially if some school kid is going to nick it!!

Lamy are quite nice. I like mine anyway (a black cp1), but maybe a bit cheap if you've got 50 to spend?

http://www.penisland.net should be able to satisfy her desire! 8)

Montegrappa? More than £50 in most cases, but some beautiful designs and more unusual than Mont Blanc. I type or use any ball pen I can lay my hands on.

I got my girlfriend a cross pen and it has an unlimited lifetime warranty- I bought it from paper chase but it broke. I took it to John Lewis without the bit of warranty paper and they sorted me out. So I'd get a cross from John Lewis.

I have 2 Cross pens, 1 is a fountain pen and another like a roller ball. Got the fountain pen from John Lewis from my other half as a gift when got my job 🙂

Swapped my Waterman Carene for a Cross Apogee. Not in price range but the Cross is a far better pen if that helps you decide on brand. Pity 'cos I prefer the look of the Waterman.

Are Parker fountain pens still made in this country. Didn't they have a big factory closure in Sussex?

managed to acquire one of these, a sheaffer Imperial brass not made anymore but similar pens may be available.

Something a bit different,

Would have to go along with try before you buy, i also acquired a nice waterman but i find it a little light and doesn't flow as nicely.