The pen really became the modern writing device with the invention of the fountain pen by Waterman. Prior to that the pen had to be repeatedly dipped into the ink that would last for only a few words.
The Waterman 52 with its lever filler allowed one to easily and quickly fill the reservoir.
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Waterman 52
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Some of the other classic pens are the Sheaffer Balance, the Eversharp Skyline, the Parker Vacumatic, the Parker 51, and the Sheaffer Snorkel.
QUALITY PENS
Montblanc is one of the leading brands of quality pens and pencils but can be very expensive — the Meisterstück Great Masters James Purdey & Sons pen is £2,615!
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Meisterstück Great Masters James Purdy & Sons |
This pen was a special edition from Montblanc in collaboration with James Purdey & Sons, the master gun makers. Manufactured in Germany it includes a barrel made of Turkish Walnut checkered like the stock grip of a shotgun.
The Italian maker Visconti make exceptional pens. They produce both roller-ball and fountain pens, and everything is made in-house including the nibs made in steel and solid gold!
Made in Germany, Lamy makes a very modern (and very popular) easy to use fountain pen that is great looking and quite inexpensive. If buying a Lamy pen get the fine tip; medium is too heavy (I tried one in London).
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Lamy Safari in red |
For travel, the Kaweco series is small but of superior quality with an aluminum body.
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Kaweco fountain pen |
Diamine Inks of Liverpool makes high quality pen inks with a vast range of colours with 28 shades of blue alone! Of the colours available, I like the Mediterranean blue, Kelly Green, and Oxblood red. For that aged look they even have a Sepia coloured ink.
Enthusiast Aiden Chao has an Instagram page on all things fountain pen related.
The best quality writing paper is sold by Smythson of London.
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Smythson Bordered Kings Writing Paper |
Suppliers:
Wonderpens Sationary Shop in Toronto sells pens, ink and writing paper, and sells online.
Also sold online by Fendrihan Canada.
View an interesting discussion by Kirby Allison on 6 Of The Most Iconic Fountain Pens Of The 20th Century!