20 Best Fountain Pen For Calligraphy (2023 Updated)

I recently bought both the “Strawberry” and “Cream” Lamy Safari pens from Goulet Pen Company. Both are a welcome addition to the other Lamy pens in my possession. They are of very high quality for the price and will last forever with a little maintenance and TLC.

The colors are well-named and the pens write extremely well (maybe more so than some more expensive pens I own). One of the most important design elements of the pens is the ability to easily replace the nibs.

In general, the nibs on a pen are the most vulnerable part and are easily damaged. Spare nibs are readily available and easily replaced within a few minutes, if necessary. They also make great gifts for students and professionals alike.

Feel free to buy from Goulet Pen Company. I promise that you will be well treated.

First off, I absolutely love this company. I think the quality of the fabrics, and the quality of their products overall are fantastic. Also, the Mondetta Charity Foundation is just wonderful. I am so impressed by their commitment to give back, and this is a motivating factor in my choice to support this company.

Also, I cannot recommend this top highly enough, the fabric is truly heaven! I have never been disappointed by the clothing products from MPG. I’m so happy to have found them.

Well it took about two seconds after learning that there is such a thing as a Fude nib that I placed an order on the Sailor Fude De Mannen (green). Skipping the research before buying didnt hurt too badly but the initial impression when I got the pen in mail was that it felt too light and flimsy, freakishly long and expensive for what it is; an all (and very thin) plastic pen without a converter.

It does however come with two long cartridges of black ink. What adds injury to insult is that Sailor uses proprietary cartridge/converters so if this is your first Sailor and dont have any of their converters around, you might want to think again about getting this pen.

I had also bought some fude nibbed Jinhao pens and a Hero 9058 so compared to those the Sailor really feels like its going to take off with the slightest breeze. However, it didnt take a long writing and drawing session to start to appreciate both the length and lightness of the Sailor.

Instead of getting line variation by adding pressure, you have to adjust the angle of the pen and if you have a small but heavy pen, like a Jinhao X750, youll quickly find your fingers exhausted. The nib is bent very sharply and there is no soft and gradual transition from a thin to thick line.

It seems to be really thin sheet of metal and it may contribute to an occasional scratchiness when making horizontal strokes. The much thicker Jinhao fude nibs feel smoother but at the same time more brutish.

There is a certain feline grace to the feather light Sailor. Writing with the nib reversed produces a useful and very fine line but expect it to skip now and then since the sweet spot for reverse operation is rather an on off type.

I considered buying a converter for the pen but after using it for a while I decided the fude experience at the moment didnt deserve the investment. Instead, I will chop up one of the cartridges that come along inside the pen and glue a standard international converter on it to make a converter with a Sailor compatible, large opening, mouthpiece.

And finally, I do like the flat green finish and the golden letters of the barrel. It is the longest and thinnest pen I have and it does have a unique appearance, which has actually grown on me.

The two versions of the Sailor Fude de Mannen Fountain Pens are very popular because of their unique bent-tipped nibs, which allow for an incredible amount of line variation in a fairly cheap, refillable pen.

There aren’t a lot of options in this price range for pens that can offer the amount of line variation these pens do. The two different styles – each has a different color body – has a nib bent at a different angle.

Writing with the tip of the pen – with the pen at its most perpendicular angle to the page – will create a very fine line. As you angle the pen from 90 degrees perpendicular to the page down towards 45 degrees, your line will get increasingly thicker until it reaches the thickest line it can make, which looks more like a brush mark or a Sharpie marker.

This is why these pens are great for calligraphy. They are made to somewhat simulate a brush stroke. Sailor also makes a converter, the SAILOR 14-0500-000, which fits in these pens, so that you can use whatever ink you’d like instead of cartridges.

This is a great starter pack filled with 3 pens + not greatest quality but ok With 3 nlb sizes and mega loads of ink. Perfect to practice your writing. Well worth the money. Really is

I love writing with this pen! The italic nib is so smooth and improves the look of my handwriting. Since my handwriting is on the smaller side, I normally prefer fine/extra fine nibs. However, I really enjoyed writing with this pen’s wider nib, It is wide enough to add flair to my writing yet it’s not so wide that I can use it for general writing.

The pen’s clear barrel and transparent blue accents are so pretty. The small size makes it comfortable to hold and convenient to carry in a pocket or small purse. I tried the included converter but it doesn’t hold much inch.

I prefer using the included cartridge and refilling it with bottled ink. I did take off one star for the following: the plastic case holding the pen was cracked (but pen seems to be ok) and I don’t care for the frosted white cap.

When ink gets inside the cap, it looks messy. It would be great if the cap was clear (but the white Prera logo looks ok). This is the priciest pen that I own and I was debating whether to buy it. Based on my very good experiences with other Pilot fountain pens (such as Kakuno and Petit), I decided to go ahead and buy.

I’m so glad I did.

I love my Prera! It’s essentially a mini fountain pen that offers an ultra smooth writing experience. The Japanese fine nib works extremely well when you want to write smaller. I love the fact that this fountain pen is a demonstrator: being able to grasp the ink level at a glance always improves my overall writing experience.

But there are aspects that I don’t enjoy: 1. The included CON-40 converter has a limited capacity. Expect to refill more frequently if you write a lot. 2. The plastic materials seem fragile. I normally take good care of my stationeries.

As far as I can remember, I have never dropped this fountain pen on a hard surface, yet tiny cracks started to appear around the cap. This also happened to my other Prera fountain pen in Green, which led me to wonder how durable it would be.

So far the cracks only affect the aesthetic, and I still love using the pen. However, considering the overall quality, I’m not sure whether the price tag is justified.

Smooth like butter and light as a feather. I can see how the price is difficult to make sense of if you haven’t used it but this really is a wonderful pen to write with and worth the money and then some imo.

The nib might fit in cheaper pilot pens but that does not make it the same. This nib is noticeably smoother than the Metropolitan, to the point that it’s hard to imagine it could get any smoother. I own several of both the Metropolitan and Prera and the consistency of quality for both lines is unrivalled in my experience.

It’s so light that one can write for extended periods with without issue. I was surprised by the relatively low rating for this pen but I see the issue people have is with the converter. I guess some people like a demonstrator style (transparent) pen is to see the piston, ink and what not.

Personally I like knowing that it’s clean between inks. A cartridge holds twice the ink and takes up almost all of the barrel in this pen so looks delightful.

My husband ordered this pen for me at Goulet pens. Sailor is a trusted brand. Between the two of us, we have the whole line of Pilot Parrallel and wanted to complement the Pilot line up with this 2mm (a width not available in the Pilot line up).

I was also curious to see what a fine brand like Sailor would produce to compete with the Pilot line. First disappointement : the 2mm is actually the same widht of line rendered as the 1. 5 Pilot. So defies the purpose.

Second disappointement : the pen is much smaller then expected, quite small actually. Third disappointement : it is very scratchy, and does not provide the smoothness needed for calligraphy. The scratchiness also prevents doing thin horizontal lines as they break.

Fourth disappointement : the ink flow is poor, hence creating a dark grey line instead of the saturated black that it should yield. So overall not what was expected from a calligraphy pen. And certainly not what was expected from a Sailor pen, a brand that otherwise always delivers quality and reliability.

To sum up in a sentence or two, overall, this is a great calligraphy pen for the price; just expect a more scratchy experience compared to other stub nibs. Below is a more in-depth review. First, my usage of the pen.

My Sailor Compass HighAce Neo 2. 0 has become the pen I use for when I want to write with flair. A retiring coworker’s assistant heard that I had very nice penmanship and asked that I write on a scroll they made in order to commemorate their retirement.

Using Noodler’s Baystate Blue, I was able to provide a “speech” in a handmade 3’5” to 4’ scroll that stood out and made the retirement truly special! The construction is no frills yet solid. While a bit smaller than most of my pens, the light weight of the pen is conducive to long or intricate writing sessions.

And with a clear plastic barrel, you can see your ink level when using either a cartridge or converter. While not the first pen I go to when doing everyday writing, this pen is great when I want to write letters with a bold style.

The nib is a bit scratchy compared to my TWSBI 1. 1 and 1. 5 Stub. Also, the nib tends to be a bit more finicky with your hand position, but I figure that is to be expected when comparing a 1. 1 and 1.

5 to a 2. 0. As to the scratchy nature of the nib, I wonder if it is the way Sailor makes their steel nibs or if it is something specific to large stub nibs, but no matter; for $20 I would contend this is a great value for what you get.

Something to keep in mind if you are thinking about the 2. 0 stub, if you have never used a stub nib, you really need to have proper wrist and nib control, as well as a steady methodical hand. Also, a stub nib writes differently than other nibs such as an extra fine nib or a medium nib.

There is nothing wrong with the nib mind you, but you REALLY need to learn the sweet spot of this nib. Like my 1. 1 and 1. 5, it took me a bit of time, but once I found that sweet spot the nib just flowed! Another thing, this nib is not for quick writing.

If you like to take lots of notes, or write small, this nib size is NOT for you. You really need to plan out your writing and expect to take a little more time. In my opinion, this pen is not ideal for beginners to fountain pens, but the provided manual is great for those wanting to get into calligraphy.

The manual’s instructions are easy to use, especially after you have made most of your newbie mistakes on a cheaper pen. This is a personal nitpick, but the one real negative I give to this pen is the lack of ability to easily convert into an eyedropper.

To me, this is a big issue as this pen puts down LOTS of ink once you get to writing. I am in the process of converting to an eyedropper (closing/epoxying the hole in the end, putting an o-ring and silicone grease around the feed unit, etc.

), but have not completed at the time of this review so I am not sure whether it will work, so just keep in mind the likelihood of using lots of ink and needing cartridges or a converter. I believe that $20 is not a lot to ask for a solidly built stub nibbed pen that comes in 1.

0, 1. 5, and 2. 0. With practice and patience, this is a great writer for those looking to write with a less than ordinary pen!.

the nib is very scratchy and stiff to paper. I am using this to write music, I do a lot of writing. I do not use thin copy paper , I use quality paper 24lb is the lowest weight to use for writing music.

the pen needs to be started with a wet cloth or wet sponge. after it gets started it writes ok but feels like it’s pulling the paper, it should have a smooth feel from nib to paper. so you have to go thru this process to get the pen starting.

minutes getting started. you need to write for a few minutes to get the ink flowing properly. I am back to using the Schaefer calligraphy pen ,using the old nibs from the 80s and 90s. Schaefer’s new nibs are not good.

I want the pen to start when i take the cap off. I do not want to play with it for five minutes to get it started. hope this review is helpful. If your serious about calligraphy this is not the best choice.

Pelikan, and lamy, will work better. but they are to thick for music. I need 1. 0mm nibs.

you get what you pay for,sometimes you get less than you pay for! over priced and unreliable, ink does not run freely,pen dries out,only way to get it working again is run it under warm water,cannot be doing that every few hours.

I’d suggest you spend a little more for a well known brand to get something you can pick up and write immeadiatly with rather that spending 10 mins fiddling with it.

Clear writing, excellent finish , would recommend to others Good quality wool, good selection of colours & patterns. A winner especially at the moment with everyone doing hobbies.

the pen was such good value for money that I was dubious about what would arrive. It turned out to be everything I could have hoped for and more. It was perfect. So I would now like you to send another please!.

This is a very nice pen, and to be fair, it can go through a lot of ink. Great part, for people who enjoy Chinese and Japanese brush work, this pen can replicate the strokes without the clean up of the brush immediately afterword.

It is best of artwork and Asian scripts. Doesn’t easily move the right way for English script. I expect it will take me a while to master this pen, but I am so very glad I bought it.

Works perfectly (I flushed the nib with water and a drop of detergent before using the fountain pen), everything I was hoping for after having watched Youtube videos and read blog posts on this product, and even more.

I do recommend ordering a Sailor converter because this fountain pen will consume ink quite quickly. The ink that is included (Sailor ink) is very black, beautiful, and water soluble.

When the pen came it wrote like straight trash. Constant skipping, felt kind of sticky and scratchy on paper, and feathered very easily on fountain pen paper (Clairefontaine and rhodia). But Once I used a different ink that wasn’t the one that the pen came (I used a syringe to ink up one of the empty cartridges) with it started writing beautifully, all of the problems I had just vanished.

Maybe I got defective ink, maybe not, I dunno. Now it’s one of my daily writers. My conclusion is that the included ink was garbage and the pen is pretty good. So if you buy this pen try using a different ink if you’re having a hard time.

Being a calligrapher with a specialty in wedding envelopes, I rely on certain widths for different size envelopes, or poems, or documents, etc. I was concerned because the pen casings were a different color than the old ones, and I thought a new company may have taken over.

But no, the pens are just a before, always reliable, and last a really long time. They are easy to clean, and to replacet a cartridge is child’s play. Love and have used this pen for so many years.

I wanted to pick up calligraphy in retirement!!! So happy with my purchase bc I could not find my other pens I had 30 years ago. I am happy with the product.

I have eyed one of these pens for years, but didn’t see the need for it — until I lost a couple of much more expensive pens from out of my pockets. When I lost my new Custom 74 Pilot, that did it — the pen was eventually found, but I had bought one of these as my daily carry and have decided my beloved pens have to stay home or at least only come out dressed in a briefcase or sling bag.

But I often don’t carry a bag, so needed something *this small. * And it is small — if you have one of the tiny Apica notebooks, this pen, when capped, is about 1/4″ taller than the notebook. For me, this is perfect.

I did buy the converter, though I think now it was a complete waste of money — it’s far too small to bother with when making the pen into an eyedropper has been perfect for me — good silicone grease on the threads and nary a leak.

I did not buy the clip as I think that just makes me more likely to put the pen somewhere it is again likely to separate itself from me, and without a clip, there’s less bulk in my pocket. And by pocket, I mean the front indentation that Levi’s considers a pocket on women’s jeans.

The Kaweco lays flat in that indentation and doesn’t pop out at all. I bought the M nib and am sorry — should have watched Brian’s video before I chose — the medium really is fatter than I bargained for but that’s on me.

The nib is very smooth. I have used several inks in it: Burma Road Brown is great, El Lawrence seemed a little too dry, Zhivago was good and it always flows well for me, and Eel Black was good. I like this so much and the ink capacity is so generous that in fact I am going to buy a second one and fill it with either Carbon Black or Document Black to use as a sketching/cartooning/doodling pen, and just keep this green one as my notes-on-the-fly EDC pen.

For a functional, useful tool, $25 is a fair price — and, if I lose it, I may be able to replace it without too much pain. I have fairly small hands, and the pen works for me posted or unposted, which is how I usually use it.

If I need to write anything of length, the lightness of the pen makes it less comfortable, but your results may vary. I have had zero trouble with leaking; the nib is smooth; the cap does seem to tend to unscrew itself a little, but that may be because it’s in that front pocket; it works with a couple of my crankier Noodler’s inks.

What’s not to love?.

I had a roommate who turned me on to well crafted writing instruments. I am so glad that she did! Even though my penmanship is ****-poor, writing with this pen is an absolute delight. It stays on me everywhere I go and is used frequently.

I highly recommend getting the clip to go with it so it can hang off your shirt or pants pocket. Just the other day I was skating to a nearby coffee shop when a rogue pebble caught me off guard. Man did I bite it.

I was scuffed up and the face of my watch was now scratched, but this tank of a pen was barely marked. This pen is a lot like your grandad’s old truck. The more you beat the **** out of it, the more it loves you back and better it works.

I am rough with this guy. I work in oil and gas and take it out to the field constantly. I don’t properly clean it when changing inks and opt to simply let the green bleed into the light blue. This is the very definition of an everyday carry pen, and it stays on me.

If you have experimented with fountain pens in the past and it wasn’t your thing, believe me. I get you. I had a Lamy Safari that felt cumbersome and off balance to use. Once it even came uncapped in my pocket and bleed into my jeans (fortunately it was loaded with blue ink).

The threading on the Kaweco Sport ensures that this will never happen. When you post the cap, if fits into the crook of your thumb and forefinger perfectly. If you haven’t experienced an extra fine tip, I highly recommend you give it a go.

Folks, writing this review has reminded me why I love this pen. I think I will order another for Father’s day so my old man can have his own. I always make it a point to keep a good knife, lighter, and pen on me.

The Kaweco Sport is an excellent product that I hope to continue using everyday for the rest of my life. If you made it this far and still aren’t sold, know that ordering from Goulet is a delight. They package everything with care, and even give you a sucker and sticker.

The whole process is great, and I doubt you will ever look back once holding this beautiful tool.