fountain pen

by Tony Thomas I have recently developed a love of wooden cigar boxes. Not only are they cheap and good looking, they smell great and are perfect for fountain pen storage. On the bottom of each box, I just use inexpensive vinyl shelf liner. If you are more crafty, you can also use slotted display trays from a company called GoPens . Need some cigar boxes? Visit your local tobacco shop and they will probably sell them to you for somewhere around $2-5 each.  Some shops will even give you a few for free.  You can also find nicer ones on eBay  or order ten of them for around $25 + S/H from a company called Thompson Cigars .  Give them a try!

by Tony Thomas I am a big fan of Fountain Pen Revolution's flex nibs. They write great with very little railroading. FPR offers these #5 size flex nibs (as well as their medium, fine and italic nibs) on many of the pens that they sell. I use the flex nibs on a few of my Airmail/Wality pens and they work great with the stock ebonite feeds. Located in the New Delhi region of India, FPR not only sources the most popular pens from India, they also sell pens and nibs that they design and are crafted by Indian artisans. They ship direct from India for only $3 and it only takes about 2-3 weeks to receive your order.  All their items are reasonably priced and you won't easily find them anywhere else.  Highly recommended! www.FountainPenRevolution.com

by Tony Thomas Goulet Pens is at the top of my list of fountain pen retailers. Why? First of all, they provide stellar service. They make you feel like you are dealing with a close friend rather than an impersonal company. Secondly, they add lots of value. They have a great blog called Ink Nouveau, lots of instructive You Tube videos and invaluable website features like the Nib Nook, Swab Shop, Pen Plaza and Fountain of Knowledge. Then, there are the people. Brian, Rachel and Team Goulet are the best. They love what they do and it shows. And just wait until you get your first Goulet package. Not only is it well wrapped but there are some surprises inside. I love Goulet Pens!

by Tony Thomas Although this blog is called "The Frugal Fountain Pen", a little frugal extravagance is in order from time to time.   All of the pens in my collection cost $50 or less (often much less) except for this one:  The beautiful Edison Pen Company Persimmon Swirl fountain pen.   Although Edison is renown for their "bespoke" or custom pens, they also make some production line pens that are crafted on a CNC lathe rather than by hand at a significant savings.  That said, they are up to the same impeccable quality standards as Edison custom line. Why did I spring for such an expensive ($150) pen? I have large hands and the Collier is a huge pen! The production line Edisons are still within the reach of people with limited means (moi). Edisons are sold with affordable steel nibs and removable nib units. The pen uses a commonly available #6 nib that can be used in the provided nib unit. Then pen can use a converter, a cartridge or as an eyedropper. It is a true wo...

by Tony Thomas I was scanning eBay the other day and came across an extra-fine nib fountain pen for the ridiculously low price of $3.99 including shipping. It seemed like a deal that was too good to be true! When I received it, I was pleasantly surprised. The Hero 9296 is called an Accounting Fountain pen.  It is very a very compact pen and writes very fine. The hooded EF nib is very nice and great for precise writing tasks.  I found the nib to be pretty smooth for an EF.   I t has an all metal body and even comes with a simple converter.   In any case, the Hero 9296 is a great deal for the price! Note: You can see a small paint bubble on the pen that is barely noticeable.  IMHO, that doesn't detract from the value of the pen but adds a bit of character.  The bubble is visible in the bottom photo.

by Tony Thomas My current EDC includes a few TWSBI 580s, a Lamy Vista and three Airmail/Wality eyedroppers from India (69T, 444 and 70BT).   Two of the Airmail/Wality's have Fountain Pen Revolution flex nibs.  And if you look closely, you'll notice that all of these pens have something in common.  All of these pens are fairly inexpensive and good writers.  The carrying case is a Maxpedition EDC pocket organizer.

An Airmail eyedropper fountain pen from India. by Tony Thomas I have started this blog to share my love of fountain pens with the rest of the world. Since I am a man of limited financial means, I will concentrate my focus on affordable fountain pens.  That is why I chose the name: "The Frugal Fountain Pen". Just sit back and explore the exciting world of fountain pens with me!