Even if I leave it in my pen bag for weeks it still writes just fine without assistance. I like Preppy pens not just because they don’t cost much, but because the caps has a great seal on it that doesn’t allow the nib to get dried out. You can get it with a fine or medium nib and the ink cartridge is replaceable. If you’re lucky enough to live in a town with a Japanese bookstore or other store that imports from overseas you can probably get one for around $4. My current favorite fountain pen is an inexpensive one from Japan called the Preppy pen. What are your favorite pens? Not just the ones you use to compose beautiful letters, but the ones you reach for when you need to jot a note, sign something, or write in a journal. Still, it’s always good to know which pen out of the sea of them at Staples is better than all the others. The Wirecutter focused on pens that are inexpensive, semi-disposable, and easy to find at major retailers in the US, so that leaves out high-end fountain pens, imports, and specialized instruments. Incidentally, the blogs of the experts are great to follow if you’re a pen nerd.
The site called on multiple pen experts to come up with the ultimate determination, all of whom make it their business to know all there is to know about pens. Clocking in at over 6,000 words, the post is actually super informative for people who want to understand what makes a pen awesome or crap (hint: price is not the only factor). To call that post a simple pen review is to severely downplay how extensive it is. If so, you may want to check out this post over at The Wirecutter wherein they’ve determined that the best pen ever is the uni-ball Jetstream. With all the pen choices out there I’m sure there are still a few of you looking for the One. she is always to blame), though I do still have my gel pens as well. I told you all last year about how I got addicted to fountain pens (Mary is to blame…. As Kathy mentioned a few days ago, finding a great pen for letter writing can be a transformative experience.