My Top 5 Starter Fountain Pens for Every Kind of Beginner
There’s something truly special about writing with a fountain pen. Research (yes, I looked at actual research: you’ll find citations at the end of this article) shows that handwriting—compared with typing—improves learning, focus, and memory/retention. These things are important to me, because I attribute most of my successes in life to my ability to quickly learn complex theoretical concepts and use them to build practical skills. I’ve used a consistent practice of notetaking and writing with fountain pens to learn things like flying small airplanes, computer science, history, new languages, and personal finance.
Beyond the science, writing with a fountain pen simply feels good. Unlike ballpoints, fountain pens require almost no pressure beyond the weight of the pen to produce a smooth, consistent line. That makes them not only more enjoyable, but also easier on the hands for extended writing sessions—an especially welcome feature for people with arthritis or other hand issues. And when you elevate a practical everyday act like writing with a tool that’s both beautiful and functional, it turns note-taking, journaling, or letter-writing into something worth savoring. Imagine looking forward to your study/notetaking sessions!
If you’ve been curious about fountain pens, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to start. Here are my top five picks for the best starter fountain pens—covering every type of beginner, from budget-friendly options to compact everyday carries, and even one curveball from the vintage world.
1. Best All-Rounder Starter Fountain Pen: Pilot Kakuno
The Kakuno is a perfect “first real fountain pen.” Lightweight, simple, and designed with beginners in mind, it features a cheerful smiley face on the nib that helps you hold it correctly. Despite its playful design, the Kakuno is anything but a toy: it uses the same reliable nibs as Pilot’s more expensive pens like the Metropolitan, meaning smooth writing and consistent ink flow.
Pair it with a converter, like the Bottle & Plume starter kit does, and you can use any of the thousands of bottled fountain pen inks you like in addition to the ink cartridge the Kakuno comes with. At around $15, you’re paying the price of a fast food meal for a writing tool that can last a lifetime and open up a whole new world for you.
2. Best Budget Starter Fountain Pen: Platinum Preppy
At around $7, the Platinum Preppy is the undisputed king of budget fountain pens. Don’t let the price fool you: it writes beautifully and can often outperform pens many times its cost. The Preppy uses Platinum’s “Slip & Seal” cap technology, which helps prevent ink from drying out even if you leave it unused for months. It’s also refillable with cartridges or a converter, making it an unbeatable starter option for anyone fountain-pen curious.
With a bit of…unauthorized modification, people have also turned the preppy into an eyedropper fountain pen (i.e. a fountain pen whose entire body you fill with ink).
3. Best Elevated Starter Fountain Pen: Platinum Plaisir
Think of the Plaisir as the Preppy’s more grown-up sibling. It uses the same excellent nib and cartridge system but comes in a durable aluminum body with a more refined look and feel. The Plaisir is still affordable, but its construction and finish make it feel like a pen worth far more than its price tag. It’s an excellent choice if you want something sturdy enough for daily use that still feels like a treat.
Honorable Mention: Just as the Platinum Plaisir is the Platinum Preppy’s older sibling, the Pilot Metropolitan is a sexier metal-body version of the Pilot Kakuno which also shares the same nib. You really can’t go wrong with any of these pens, but the Metropolitan is $35 while the Plaisir is $22 for basically the same experience, so the Plaisir wins.
4. Best Compact Fountain Pen for Everyday Carry (EDC): Hongdian M2
The Hongdian M2 is a fantastic small pen that punches far above its weight. Light, comfortable, durable (it’s made from aluminum) and compact, it’s a fantastic all-rounder that you can slip into your pocket, purse, or notebook cover without a second thought. Its build quality is impressive for the price, and it comes with a converter, meaning you can immediately dive into bottled fountain pen inks. This fountain pen is available for under $20 at your friendly neighborhood online shopping monopoly.
Honorable Mention: The Kaweco Sport Brass (or any other metal-bodied Kaweco Sport) is a premium, rugged option. Heavier in hand — I measured it at about 48g, twice the Hongdian M2’s weight — it ages beautifully with use, developing a patina that makes each pen unique. It’s also 3-4x the Hongdian’s price.
5. Best Gold-Nib Entry Point: Vintage Pilot Elite (1970s–80s)
If you ask the fountain pen community, the most common “entry-level gold nib fountain pen” recommendations are modern classics like the Pilot Custom 74, Platinum #3776 Century, Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Pilot Elite 95S, or the Pilot Vanishing Point — all excellent choices in the ~$150–$200 range.
Here’s the curveball: instead of pointing you to a modern gold-nib fountain pen, I recommend looking at the vintage Pilot Elite. These incredibly stylish and beautiful pens from the 1970s–80s are the precursor to the modern Pilot E95S, and they’re some of the best bargains in the fountain pen world.
With a smooth, slightly springy inlaid 14k gold nib and compact, pocket-friendly design, they’re a joy to write with and often sell for around $70 on eBay. Few pens offer this kind of quality and character for the price, and you’ll own an important piece of fountain pen history.
Final Thoughts
Getting into fountain pens doesn’t have to be overwhelming. There are amazing fountain pens in every price class and for every purpose. Whether you want to dip a toe in with the ultra-affordable Platinum Preppy, invest in something more polished like the Plaisir, or chase the thrill of a vintage gold nib, there’s a perfect pen for you. You’ll find the real magic in using these tools, and discovering how fountain pens can transform the ordinary act of writing into something more beautiful and elevated that you actually look forward to.
Citations / Research
I’ve included the papers I looked at (I didn’t read them in depth, although I spent about 30 mins looking through the literature) to back up my claims about handwriting likely being better for learning and retention.
A summary paper that serves as a good introduction to what’s been done in this space: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/3/345 — a lot of studies focus only on measuring brain activity, but thankfully there have been new studies that actually measure learning effectiveness (though it’s with really simple stuff like recognizing new shapes or words).
An example of one such study that measures actual learning results from handwriting vs. typing: https://direct.mit.edu/jocn/article-abstract/20/5/802/4495/Learning-through-Hand-or-Typewriting-Influences
This study is interesting, but also cites a lot of the earlier work that Longchamp did in the early oughts which measures real-life learning outcomes in elementary school children: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2021.679191/full
“The influence of writing practice on letter recognition in preschool children: a comparison between handwriting and typing.” Longchamp’s work, linked on pubmed because linking to elsevier feels wrong and dirty: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15823243/ — exciting because it’s measuring real-world results.