I've hit the point in pen culting where I'm beginning to eye more expensive pens less from a spectator standpoint and more from a place of hey....maybe I should save up for one of these standpoint. Here are the fancy pens which are currently topping my wishlist.
Pelikan M200 Fountain Pen in Golden Beryl
Pelikan is currently topping my list of mid-range pen brands, partially because I find their designs so charming. Not only do the nibs and finials have pelicans on them, but the clip is a pelican beak!
This is true of all Pelikan pens, but I'm truly taken with this one. It's a demonstrator pen, meaning it's designed to show off the internal workings of the pen, but was also sold with a gold Edelstein ink, to really make the whole thing shine.
I find the whole package captivating. I don't like a lot of translucent pens because I think they look cheap, but this one has got my number. Pelikan is a German brand, and is very highly reviewed, which doesn't hurt at all.
Pineider Avatar UR Fountain Pen in Mint
Once my eyes were opened to interesting pen clips, I zeroed in on this one, too.
One thing I have noticed with fountain pens is that the higher end you get, the more ornate the designs are. What I love about this one is the balance of the clean and modern matte body with that beautiful, delicate curved clip. The nib is also gorgeous (love a black nib).
Pineider is an Italian company, founded in the late 18th century by printer Francesco Pineider. I've heard mixed things about Italian fountain pens en masse, but this one is well-reviewed. The UR in the name stands for ultraresin, a resin and mother-of-pearl compound which the pen's body is made of.
I'm also a fan of the Pineider Alchemist model, which is much higher end, but has an equally lovely clip with the addition of a beautiful ink window.
That's where I'm at right now! I'm obviously aware of the big Japanese brands like Sailor and Pilot, which are considered reliably great, but Sailor just seems so overpriced to me for what you get, and Pilot's designs seem boring and conservative to me. If I'm going to spend more than $100 on a pen, I'd like it to have some flash, you know? Anyway thank you for joining me for this week's state-of-the-pen-obsession.
