What Are Some of the Most Underrated Fountain Pens? - Q&A Slices

I purchased a Japanese fountain pen a few years ago called “Natami”. The one I purchased is green transparent with rose gold trim and a fine nib. It writes really well. I just ordered 2 more because I happened to see them online. I’m curious to see if this fountain pen is still as good a writer & as pretty in person as I remember. When I moved I put all my fountain pens, inks & specialty paper in storage. It’s suppose to be temporary, but everything is behind schedule, so I’ve been repurchasing the items I miss… The “Natami” is under $20.00 each; I think that’s a good deal… I’m glad you guys brought the “Supra” up. That is one of those fountain pens I keep putting off or forgetting to purchase. Thanks for the reminder. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by all the Kaweco fountain pens I’ve purchased. I saw another fountain pen designed with same concept as Supra, but I can’t remember the brand… I have fun trying never heard of brands. I’m not talking about fountain pens that are say, same as Jinhao, only relabeled cause they are private label. Maybe I am not experienced enough to know if I have quality in my hands, but a fountain pen brand called “Tianzi” which I ordered off Etsy is much nicer than it looks, not that it looks bad. I purchased the transparent fountain pens they offer in the $40.00 range. The acrylic is very nice. The pen feels very substantial & has some real heft. It also writes really well. There are swirl designs inside the clear acrylic which look like they were done on a 3-D printer. Oh & the Prefounte eyedroppers quite nicely + it writes well. I like it quite a bit… Another cool pen is made in China, but I found it in the UK. I don’t think it is a new brand. It’s the “Ted Baker”. There doesn’t seem to be a converter advertised for it, only cartridges, but the Kaweco mini-squeeze converter is a perfect fit. I only own one “Ted Baker” fountain pen which has a cap the same length as the pen… It’s a good writer and unique enough to hold my interest… I know everyone seems to like the Pilot “Vanishing Point”, but I’m crazy about the Lamy “Dialog 3”. I’m waiting for the Lamy “Dialog cc” to arrive with some special edition Diamine inks not available in the United States. I’m anxious to see how this next generation Dialog behaves… I have a love of ink and color. Fountain pens are necessary tools for me to play with all the inks… Fountain pens and inks are my first hobby. I didn’t realize I’d never had a hobby before until one of my friends pointed out my ink addiction. And, of course, paper comes with this addiction or hobby… Lol…

the E95S was my first gold nibbed pen, and I got it as my coming of age birthday present from my parents. It gets carried everywhere and is one of my most used pens.

Just like what all the rest say, go for it Drew! The E95S is amazing. I’m not sure, it I thought I saw a video where it said that it was one of Brian’s everyday carrys. I also own a Second hand murex μ 90 I got from Japan off
eBay over 10 years ago and it is wonderful.

20 Bucks for a dressed up preppy. Bought one because I was curious... and then I realized that if the grip section is the same... I suddenly had the possibility to get nib replacements from preppys! I have a preppy pen I polished as a practice, and I can put its nib in the Plaisir. Also, the preppy-like nibs are getting really good, the new one is incredibly smooth.

The Kaweco Supra looks really nice! Along those lines, why am I just now hearing about the Ystudio brass pen line? First I was looking at the Kaweco brass sport, then I saw the Y studio, and now Supra.

I am definitely getting that ivory and maroon Pilot E95S.

Diplomat Magnum… I bought one from y’all this year in the prismatic purple…MAN so pretty, lightweight, great nib, loooove it and it’s in that $25 range

What happened to Parker, Sheaffer, Esterbrook, and Garland pens?

I gotta say it again...

I got TWO Pilot Stargazers!

Mwhahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

Great. Another bunch of pens to try and buy. 😬 Too much mustard - too much heat=power.

Well Brian, you just cost yourself $400... I was going to buy a Pro Gear, but since you're out of stock in the one I want AND I just found out I can refill my Varsity... why would I waste the money?!

j/k... definitely still getting the PG when it restocks. But I do appreciate the pro tip!

Most underrated? Most Chinese pens of course! In the pen world, as everywhere else, never has the quote "They know the price of everything, and the value of nothing" been more apt. If they upped their prices ten fold maybe they would be more "desirable".

I’ve considered buying a Platinum Plaisir several times but never done it. I don’t have any other Platinum pens and the converter seemed expensive. Didn’t seem to be many colors to choose from in cartridges. I know they have an adapter to be able to use standard international but it just felt so impractical

The E95S has to be one of the best in my collection. Inexpensive, beautiful design (some similarities to the Carene) and an excellent writing tool. I have a number of Pelikan,Waterman, Sailor and Parker pens but this little E95S stays inked, only problem, it doesn’t hold a lot of ink. 👍🇨🇦👨‍🦳

It's not mustard?

Eversharp slim ventura.

I don't like bare metal pens. I can smell the metal on me. Need lemon to wash it away

I like the profonte but why spend more when you can get the peppy so inexpensive and so easily available.
They just priced themselves out of sales.
The best modern pen ever is the metropolitan. So why pay metropolitan price for a preppy then have to turn around and buy a converter. They screwed themselves. Include the converter or decrease the price. It's that simple.

Your all products very overpriced

Nice to see you after long time

As someone who doesn't like demonstrator pens I love my Plaisir!!

Hi Drew! Does your personal Pilot E95S have an <F> or an <EF> nib, please?

Oh, I forgot to ask Drew: which is the podcast where you talk extensively about the E95S, how much you like it, how the cap feels different and nice, and that the only thing you dislike is the inability to pull out the nib and feed to clean it, please?

E95S is hard to top.

Fellowship is the best one!

Your videos are helpful but one problem with your videos is that at times you act very childish and immature in your facial expressions and responses, almost like you’re trying to be cute. It’s a bit overdone.

Did you just say “pen-demmic” times?!? :) nice!

I bought a Jinhao x450 from you fine folks, and I got an x750 as a bonus with a private sale, and talk about underrated! Both are simply fantastic. That Traveler's brass, though...mmmmm...I do like a good brass pocket pen.

I love my Supra!

I am seeing a lot of love for the E95S, so I am not going to repeat what I see everyone saying already.

I will say that it is, to my preferences, the best balanced (when posted) pen I own. I found that surprising because I tend to prefer thicker pens and because I was not expecting a pocket pen to be well balanced whether they were clever with the cap or not.

It feels like a luxury item just as much as pens multiple times it’s price and I would say that all the love I have seen displayed in the comments here is warranted.

The only reason that it is not my favorite pen is because I wish that it wrote a little bit wetter. It is not a dry writer by any means; I just prefer really wet writing pens.

I bought my first fountain pen from you guys and now I'm hooked. I'm really watching 2 guys talk about pens for 13 minutes lol. Thanks for the dumdum btw. It made my day when I opened the box and saw that.

I tried the yookers and returned it not a comfortable writing experience

Is the stargazer the same as the Stella

I carry around pretty nice pens and come across as a kinda serious person. When people ask to borrow one, I bust out one of my many shark pens (ink to match the shark of course).

I truly appreciate the info here but watching these videos costs me A LOT of money!! 😊. Now I got a wish list I didn’t even know about

I think I learned how to refill the Varsity from one of your old videos. The first one I got is about to get its third refill. They hold a lot of ink, and unlike regular eyedropper setups, they don't burp due to the fiber feed.

Lamy 2000. Just kidding.

Dude, the Plaisir is the pen I always reach for first. It writes soooo well! Even after being set down for a month, it will write on demand. So smooth in the hand, so esthetically sleek. Love it!

Baystate Blue ? Are you mad ? Someone’s going to report you to the FBI

My aunt bought me a kaweco supra in brass from Goulet!

My most under-rated pen is the Lamy Aion!!! It is one of my absolute favorite pen! There is nothing on the pen to irritate my fingers, or prevent me from putting my fingers where I want. And it writes beautifully!!! Every time I pick it up to write, I smile. It just feels so good.

Parker Sonnet. Writes beautifully, not too expensive, seems to have no fashion credence but is about the best every day work pen I've ever had. So much so I have 2 and intend to get more!

The Yookers reminds me of the paint pens I use at work as far as the tipping material. Now I kinda want one. (ninja edit: spelling)

Personally, I don't care about the inners of Platinum Plaisir, my issue with these pens is the exterior design. I would pay 20 dollars for a decent writer in a metal body if only it didn't have that god awful ugly chunky cap ring!

Thornton's has done some work on the Novice disposable. I'd seen some complaints of hard starts, but the entire 12 pack I got started right up, no trouble. The nib is very smooth and forgiving, and they've got some nice colors, or sets with the typical "office colors" of black, red, and blue. I like them a lot for pens I won't care to lose. If I was in an office with a pen cup on a desk, I'd fill it with Thornton Novices. Wanna steal a pen from my desk? Then you're going to deal with a fountain pen...but not one I'll hate to lose.

The pilot metal falcon! That nib is otherworldly! And the burgundy color is beautiful! Matched it with writers blood and I’m in love❤😂

I have preppy and I really love everything about it except one thing: the grip section. If plaisir had a different (slightly more “curved” like metropolitan grip, i would buy plaisir in every color)

Thank you for sharing your fountain pen love and enthusiasm! I’ve been a ballpoint baby for a many years and occasionally ventured into fountain pen land, but haven’t really found the love yet. I probably just haven’t found the right fountain pen, so I am hopeful as I watch your conversations. Btw…love your shirt!! 😊