SO STOKED: I just* ordered nine new fountain pens!!!
It is probably more exciting for me to log these details than for you to read the notes recorded in my afterglow of consumerist dopamine rush and anticipatory glee, eagerly awaiting delivery of my carefully chosen bargains, but just in case you get some vicarious pleasure out of it, here are the details and thought process I put into loading up my virtual shopping basket. This is not a super beginner-friendly post, so you probably won’t want to start with this entry if you’re looking for guidance in buying your first fountain pen.
I probably shouldn’t have spent the money BUT I’m justifying it as
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- research on fountain pen stores so I know which ones to recommend to readers
- a sale too good to pass up
- buying enough to qualify for overseas free shipping
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When I started researching Your First Fountain Pen (a simple guidebook I’m working on for folks who aren’t sure whether fountain pens are right for them or where to start), I hadn’t intended to include stores outside of the United States. But … Cult Pens does seem to have a really good reputation on top of a great big wide selection of stock. In fact they advertise as having the “world’s biggest range” of 28,000 items, so when I noticed they offer free shipping to the US and carry more affordable Parker pens than US stores along with lots of entry-level brands and models I’ve never even seen before on US stores (ex. Stabilo fountain pens; I’ve known and loved that brand ever since I was a kid enjoying Stabilo Boss highlighters), I decided it would be worth the research at some point soon.
So today when I was browsing (mostly trying to figure out where to get a Pelikan Twist; some colors seem to be unique to the retailer and also the ones I want the most) and saw that they’re having a 3 for 2 back to school sale on a lot of perfect first fountain pens … I couldn’t pass it up! It didn’t say when the sale was ending either, so with the eight hour time difference I felt like hopping on it immediately. With the added bonus of a 10 percent discount (I only saw the code advertised on my phone, not on my desktop where I actually placed the order and did my serious browsing — the site is kind of clunky, especially on a smaller screen, and loads huge results slowly enough to be a bother), I had a lot of incentives to place an order and do it FAST.
While I’m a little reluctant to research and recommend starter pens that aren’t readily available on at least three of the big US online stores, again — the price was really good. I spent $90.49 on nine pens so the pens averaged only TEN BUCKS and a nickel each! (plus $8.23 on sales tax, which was unexpected and strikes me as weird, but still comes out to LESS THAN ELEVEN BUCKS PER FOUNTAIN PEN).
Four of the pens *are* readily available from US retailers (so good for researching whether or not I can confidently recommend them):
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- Faber-Castell Grip
- LAMY AL-star
- Pelikan Twist
- Parker Jotter
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The AL-star is a ridiculously sweet deal I’ve had my eye on ($15.87) there in Bronze (the same pen is $29.99 on Goldspot and $37.60 on Goulet AND I was able to order it with a broad nib via CultPens while it is only offered in EF, F & M on Goldspot and Goulet), so even though I know the Safari (plastic, not aluminum) is what I should be researching and recommending, the nibs and (I believe) pen design / size / shape / features are exactly the same other than the body material and finish, so it seems like a great first Lamy for me. Since the color doesn’t look as shiny in store images as I’d hope for with a metallic color cue of Bronze in aluminum, I’ve searched images in blogs and video reviews and noticed it looks much shinier and more fetching with real-person pics so I’m really excited about it.
I’ve read some bad reviews of the F-C Grip, so I moved it way down my list of pens to try … but I also keep seeing it recommended as a great first FP so with the 3 for 2 sale I decided it was still well worth the investment of $15.87 ($10.04 with discounts) to find out for myself. Again, another personal bonus is it being offered with a broad nib which has become my preference and priority for auditioning new-to-me fountain pens/manufacturers.
It’s always a challenge narrowing down and deciding on what COLORS to get. But with needing to spend $90 to get free shipping ($90 sounds like a lot, but Goulet’s’s minimum for free shipping within the US is $85 — only $5 less than CultPens’ minimum, and Goldspot’s is a $75 minimum — so only $15 less … and I’d rather in this case receive a whole entire new pen for that amount than pay for shipping). ANYWAY it was super cool to be able to get nine really different-looking pens in nine different color combos.
I did have a hard time deciding which Kaco Retro to get – I *love* high-contrast and bright colors, and aqua plus red is one of my favorite combos … but I wound up removing the turquoise with a red or possibly coral/orange accent and getting the black with red. All of the color combos were tempting to me, but I love the classic sharp pop of these basics together.
I’m so excited to get these pens, unbox and play with them, and pass on to you what I learn about which ones are best!
*I actually made this order and wrote this post last year, back in September of 2021. I received my order and all of the pens look AWESOME, but I haven’t allowed myself to use them yet. In fact, I had my wife gift wrap all of them and put them on a “rewards altar” to motivate me to finish some important projects first. Hope to share the results with you SOON!