Fountain Pens for Students
It's about time to gear up for back-to-school, and I thought it might be helpful to share with you some of the best pens for students in the $50 and under price range. Keeping in mind that value, reliability, and durability are some of the key factors for student pens, here are some that I will gladly recommend.
Pros:
- Great value
- Attractive
- Durable
- Very reliable writer
- Good ink capacity
Cons:
- Cartridges and converters are proprietary to the Pilot/Namiki brand
Pros:
- Workhorses, they just write
- Lots of fun colors to choose from
- Durable despite the worst of abuses
- Many nibs to choose from, including stubs
- Nibs are swappable, so you can buy one pen and a variety of nibs to vary things up
- Ink window shows you when you need to refill ink
- Triangular grip makes it easy to hold for beginners
Cons:
- Converter doesn't come with the pens, you have to buy separately
- Grip is bothersome to some, especially with larger hands
- Cartridges and converters are proprietary to Lamy
Pros:
- Great value
- Clear, easy to see ink level
- Eyedropper convertible, able to hold huge volume of ink
- Versatile, accepts cartridge, converter, or eyedropper
- Not the end of the world if lost, broken, or stolen
- Many different colors to choose from
Cons:
- Doesn't come with converter, costs about twice what the pen does
- Plastic is somewhat brittle, and can fracture if handled too rough (dropped on concrete, crushed in backpack, etc)
- Cartridges and converter are proprietary to Platinum (though can be used with adapter to accept standard international cartridges)
Pros:
- Great value
- Writes surprisingly well for the price
- Durable
- Refillable by hack, though marketed as disposable
- Good ink capacity
- Not the end of the world if lost, broken, or stolen
Cons:
- Only one nib size
- Come preloaded with ink, so limited color selection unless hacked and refilled
Pros:
- Great value
- HUGE color selection
- Durable, can drop or crush and won't crack
- Flex nib, incredibly rare in this price range
- Good ink capacity with piston mechanisms, no cartridges or converter needed
- Easily disassembled for cleaning and maintenance
Cons:
- Challenging to use for a newbie
- Writes very wet, can be troublesome on cheap, absorbent paper
- Can be finicky, requires patience on the part of the user
Pros:
- Nice fit and finish
- Writes well
- Great value, for what they are
- Insert in cap keeps nib wet very well
- Wide variety of nibs to choose from, including stubs
- Piston fillers, with large ink capacity
- Clear pens, easy to see ink level
- Easily disassembled for cleaning and maintenance
Cons:
- Most expensive pens in this group
- Might be a target for stealing, keep a close eye on it!
These are my recommendations, and take them for what they're worth. These are pens that I feel are worth consideration for students, though which pen is best for you will ultimately be your own decision. These are only pens I have experience with, and it's most certain there are others worth considering that I don't talk about here. But hopefully this will at least give you something to consider if you're a student and looking for a workhorse to help you make the most of your studies!
