The Safari is a great pen for the money, they stay wet and ready
to write, reliable, sturdy enough to be used like a ballpoint, fun colors
and lightweight, ready for cartridges or converter.

Too bad I fell in love with vintage flex. Nothing like it.

(I wanted so much to like the vanishing point, such a cool pen,
but the clip annoys me when it is in my hand)

When I understand my writing better I'll order a Nakaya,
until then 90 year old Ideals and 50 year old Skylines and
Conways will have to do.

JP




"Bluesea" wrote in message
...

"ArmsTom" wrote in message
...
Hey there everyone.

I've grown tired of the "5 for $3.97" pens you buy at WalMart and
thought
I'd give a fountain pen a go. I'm a college student, so cost is a
factor.
I don't /really/ want to spend above $50. I'm also a complete newbie to
foutain pens, so I want something that is relatively hassle free. At
this
stage, I'm not looking to be a collector (so, perhaps this is the wrong
group :-)), but just have a desire to use something different. If
anyone
has any recommendations, that'd be great.

Thanks for taking the time to read - and hopefully for taking the time
to
reply

Arms

Hey, yourself -

I don't think you'd go wrong with a Waterman Phileas. It's a wonderfully
smooth pen and the kit (cartridges, bottle of ink, converter, etc.) costs
~$30-$35. Waterman also has a Harley Davidson Free Wheel that's available
for ~$20.

You might prefer a Cross ATX. It retails for $60 and $70 depending on
finish
but can be found for $45.

The Parker Reflex isn't as smooth as either the Phileas or ATX, but at $7
(Wal-Mart, Staples) might serve well as a first pen for the wallet-minded.
A
converter can be bought separately from various sources online if you
can't
find one locally. I've got a couple of pens that cost more than $50 and
$100
but still use the Reflex.

I bought a Sheaffer Javelin for $15 only yesterday so, it's too soon for
me
to say how I like it. The converter is extra.

Lamy Safari is also good. The cost varies from $20 - $30 so shop around.
It's also available as the see-through Vista and aluminum Al-Star (though
I've heard that the Al-Star finish scratches more easily than the Safari).
The converter is sold separately.

If you want to sample the fountain pen experience w/o risking too much
capital, you might want to first try a Pilot disposable called Varsity
that
costs only $3.

When you're ready to spend more than $50, please consider the push-button,
retractable-nibbed Pilot Vanishing Point or the Namiki Falcon (my
favorite)
which has a flex nib.


--
~~Bluesea~~
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