How to Find Your Favorite Fountain Pen (5 TIPS) | Abbey Sy

Yay a fountain pen video! Abbey you have definitely penabled and inkabled me! 😂 I’ve been into the hobby for a couple years now and my tastes and preferences have definitely changed. One of my favorite pens I got this year is the Pilot Custom 823. It was a grail pen and is one of my favorites to write with. I wish I had your ability to keep a smaller collection. There are too many that tempt me!

I have a few Lamy pens that I use for sketching with waterproof ink and they work great. I just started getting into writing fountain pens because I got a passport sized TN and I noticed yesterday my Pilot Cosmopolitan has a fine nib too but it writes smaller and nicer than my fine Lamy. It has a built in bladder that I squeeze in the ink and it fills up easily. I also find my Lamy’s scratchy sometimes. I’m glad you mentioned the Japanese nibs, that makes sense and I definitely want to find more Japanese pens for writing with. I love your new clear pen with the rose gold, it’s sooo pretty!

so many good tips, fantastic video abbey ❤❤❤

I got into fountain pens from your videos ! Thank you 😄

Always Aesthetic 😍🤍

I use a syringe and a stash of cleaned out cartridges, so I can quickly fill one from a bottle of ink.

Agree. The Kaweco Student is almost criminally underrated. Great everyday workhorse pen. I recommend it all the time to folks looking for next level up pens (from the kakunos, preppys, and the like). 🖋️❤️

I really factor in the grip & nib size. You should try Kakuno extra fine in a pen show. Kakuno extra fine is the most extra fine I have ever seen. It is really like writing with a pilot gel pen ( gtech c4). I am eyeing the Kakuno fine for myself & the vanishing point because I should really have it you know :33

I love your price scale. That's a refreshing revelation, I believe, for anyone coming into the hobby. I don't find many vids speaking about how many low cost and mid-range pens are outstanding. I see a lot of beginners starting on the higher end of that spectrum and you'd think that having fountain pens would automatically be an extremely expensive hobby if that's all to be believed. Most of my collection is mid-range, peppered with some lower end and higher end pens, and I love them all.

My ride or die is a toss up between two pens: the Lamy 2000 and my Pelikan M200. The Lamy Safari was also one of three first fountain pens for me and I still have a place in my heart for Lamy. I also still have my Lamy Safari in regular rotation. Pelikan is the first pen brand that made me gasp aloud the first time I tried one. It's easily my favorite pen company.

I second your love for the Kaweco Student pens! I have two and I'm fighting the urge to get more. I have a white one and the same brown one you have, but that orange one and the berry one are SO CUTE TOO! They are a great price point and they are excellent writers, I fully recommend them!

Thanx, Abbey!! Always love to hear your take on Planner stuffs!!

Leonardo recently released a mustard yellow pen!

I don't think I found my "holy grail" pen yet (though I think it's my white TWSBI ECO) but I basically try and use all my pens for journaling every single day. But I find that I've been gravitating towards my LAMYs and my TWSBI and completely forgetting my Platninum Preppy until I just remember it and pick it up

Yessssssss. I noticed that. German nibs are way thicker. I’m getting my a Japanese fountain pen soon because I need a more finer nib.

Omg I love the kanji. I wish I could learn how to write Japanese.

I love piston filling systems.

I love goutlet pens.

Have you tried Esterbrooks?

I really like kaweco because it’s really easy to switch the nibs in them. The nibs are also easily accessible. So you can equip your pen with a nice nib in your fave size (even 14k) even if you missed the sweet spot at first. I truly adore my Kaweco student in the pinkish colour and I just recently changed its nib to a more pro quality in medium size. At first it had a bold for titles and big captions in my spreads but I decided it is a waste and a sport has this purpose now 😅

Like yourself, my preference is towards new. Only exception was when a favourite antique shop acquired a vintage Waterman fountain pen, and bottled ink at a good price, got it for under $60 US. My grail pen triumvirate are Lamy 2000, Pilot Custom 743, and Esterbrook Estie with a Gena nib.

"I do have one or two pens that are on the medium side, which is fine" :D :D

We had fountain pens before ballpoint and gel pens. Fountain pens were an upgrade from dip pens. Ballpoints came into play for versatility. Cheers

I've flown a number of times and worked on the plane using a couple different Kaweco Sports, and never experienced burping, or any other issues. Surprisingly great for flying. Add in their tiny form factor and they are truly my favorite travel pen!

what a cool idea, thanks for posting

Very interesting. Would you tell me the make, model, and colorway of the pretty green pen in your hand at about 1.58 in the video? Mary

I honestly thought you were Filipino. How did I ever miss that you write Chinese?! 🤯 I’m always learning something from and about you. 🙂

You have cursed me with forever wanting that tortoise green/white Pelican M series pen.

I've been thinking about getting a student kaweco for a while, but that small size #5 nib always puts me off! I have been in the fountain pen hobby a couple of years so have a good idea of what I like now, and I prefer to have range of nib sizes (both japanese and european) depending what I'm writing and my mood. I really like all to points you made here!
I do wish that I had something like this a few years ago though when I was moving from cheaper or entry pens up to mid-high range pens. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and helping newbies to the hobby!

Did you say PEN-demic? 😁 I had a fountain pen phase during the pandemic. But moved abroad in 2023 and stopped. This video is waking up the fountain pen fanatic in me again.

How did they get "nuts" for that green color?! Maybe they were thinking of pistachios...😊 Since it's a special edition it'll be too expensive even if I could find one. I do see there are several lovely greens in the regular pro gear slim collection to consider. Mary

Love your videos Abbey! Your wooden pen tray is cool … can you share where you got it from? Thanks! 😊

I wish that when I first started I would of just gotten samples of all the inks and then purchase the full size bottles of ones that I love. Instead of being stuck with some inks that I no longer love.

In regards to fountain pens, I LOVE the retro student kaweco pens, I got one in each color. It is truly underrated. Another one is the pilot kakuno that is an affordable one. I love the affordable pens because I can always travel with them and not worry about losing it or dropping it (i'm clumsy). I love the twsbi so much for daily writing because I write a ton in my weeks planner. Love the kaweco for the size and the lamy for those days where i need to clip it on my TN.

I agree with you, anything over $500, I'm gonna have to say no to. LOL. I love my sailor pens and the pilot vanishing point pens. I want a Pelikan M series and that is on my wishlist .

Thanks so much for sharing tips and advice on fountain pens and inks.

I'm preparing for my planner supplies for next year and I've been thinking of switching to fountain pens but have no idea where to begin 😅. This video is exactly what I need. Thanks Abbey!

Abbey, the Sailor Pirates life pen is mustard and oh so pretty... One of my favorites. I am with you... Mustard needs to be a more popular color.

I love the pilot custom 823. I bought it in medium. I use blood orange with it but agree most brown or orange inks are a good pairing. I love your prospective on Asian characters versus Western or German.

Hey Abbey! Where is that brass pen clip you had on your Kaweco / Travelers Notebook combo from?

Great video and selection of pens. I have a similar price scale as you and have not spent over $350 for a pen.

If I had to pick only one pen it would be a TWSBI Diamond Mini (Extra Fine). The small size, high ink capacity, consistent / smooth nib, and ability to screw to post, make it a perfect pen for me.

I love my Visconti Crystal Dream.

Great video. I finally found my grail pen... The Pilot Falcon in Soft Medium ... I am in love with this pen.

I found my favourite pen right off the bat. Unfortunately it’s a kaweco sport so now I just froth over all the different colours and materials and have to really exercise self control whenever a special edition comes out😂 that being said, I would literally scream and cry and vomit if I ever got the chance to buy a pilot e95s locally. There just isn’t anywhere in South Africa where I can buy one!

👌👌👌😍😍

This was excellent information! I’m considering getting a fountain pen and this was so helpful!! Thank you!

What a GREAT VIDEO! So much valuable information for all of us who “geek out on pens!” Thank you!!! ✍🏻

I just got a sailor EF and it’s writing super inconsistently, sometimes it just stops writing and then goes really thick… I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong or if something is wrong with the pen and I should ask sailor. I am super new though so I don’t know the right words to use to describe what is wrong :/
any advice for that?

Great video, thank you! Please, please tell me how to sell a pen. I don't have a store that sells fountain pens. Many blessings

Nib size also makes a difference when it comes to how much ink you're using.
Broader, wetter nibs put down more ink than really thin nibs, so you h

My safari takes a week max before it needs to be refilled but my preppy last easily 3-4 week before it needs refilling.

Thank you! Flexible nib budget pen??