The TWSBI Diamond 580 and 580AL are our favorite fountain pens for people who want to experience a high-end fountain pen at a reasonable price. The standard 580 model is only around $50, but if you want something more luxurious you can check out the gorgeous Rose Gold and Iris versions. These faceted demonstrator pens boast built-in piston filling mechanisms that draw ink into the barrel of the pen itself. Piston-filled pens can only use bottled ink, but with all the beautiful ink colors available we don’t think that’s a hardship. If you’re concerned about spills, try TWSBI’s companion ink bottles. They plug directly into the pen’s barrel to prevent stray drops.

The standard Diamond 580 is comfortable to hold and has a pleasantly smooth flow when writing. The light weight and length perfectly suited our hands with the cap unposted. It does not allow posting. The Diamond 580AL is an upgraded version that has a color-coordinated aluminum grip section and piston filling mechanism. This gives it a more luxurious look and reduces the chance of the grip cracking if over-tightened. People with smaller hands may prefer the Mini versions of these pens. If you want to try a piston-filling pen that’s not a demonstrator, give the solid-barreled TWSBI Classic a try.

The Monteverde Invincia boasts highly polished bodies with carbon fiber, multicolor, and all-black finishes. Its metal body is nicely weighted in the hand, so we do not recommend posting as it makes the pen feel back-weighted. It also features a unique clip with a ball-shaped tip that makes clipping onto a shirt pocket effortless.

The Invincia also stands out from other pens in this guide in that it is available with Monteverde’s Omniflex nib. While it is not as flexible as dip pens used in calligraphy, it can add some flair to everyday writing.

Retro 51's stylish Tornado Fountain Pens are a pleasure to use and look at. After all, as the company's motto states, "Life is too short to carry an ugly pen!" Choose from three eye-catching finishes. Lincoln has an antique copper look that evokes a sophisticated and vintage feel. Raw Brass will patina as you handle it over time and become a writing instrument that’s uniquely yours. And Douglass—an homage to Frederick Douglass—has a sleek engraved pattern and antique finish.

Like the Invincia, the Tornado feels the most comfortable when not posted. If you like the look of the Tornado Fountain Pens, Retro 51 also has corresponding rollerball pens.

The Parker IM Fountain Pen is a fashionable mix of a traditional fountain pen shape and modern details. Their strong bodies are made from either brass or aluminum depending on the chosen color. Available finishes range from simple, glossy black lacquer to chiseled aluminum to suit your style. The Parker IM is relatively large and heavy, so we preferred it unposted. People with larger hands may like the weight of the posted pen better. The IM Premium has a metal grip for an even heftier pen. Brushed metal gives the grip section a pleasant texture. Each pen has the iconic arrow-shaped Parker clip and a steel nib.

Italian pen maker Aurora’s version of the classic cigar-shaped pen, the Aurora Style is as glamorous as the Parker IM is substantial. Shiny trim provides a counterpoint to its smooth resin body. Its softly curving clip complements its body’s rounded shape and contrasts elegantly with the unusually angled end cap and steel nib. It comes in a variety of finishes, including a gemstone collection inspired by precious stones.

It’s also available in the refined Satin collection, which swaps out glossy pastel bodies for stealthy matte barrels. We found the Aurora Style very comfortable to hold due to its lightness and moderate thickness. Posting gave it a little extra weight and length that we appreciated, but it worked well unposted as well.

For an everyday pen that lets you see your ink color, it’s hard to beat the Pilot Prera. It’s not a piston filler, but it comes with both a converter and cartridge. Its diminutive size makes it suitable for pocket and purse carry. It is just long enough to use unposted, but most people will want to post it for any significant writing. The body is transparent acrylic with metal fittings. Bright pops of transparent color on each end of the pen give it a cheerful look. The Prera is a pleasure to use, with its high quality construction most apparent in how it feels rather than flashy style.

We especially appreciate how softly it closes. The Prera uses a metal ring and interior sleeve to cushion the snap of the pen cap for a premium experience. The Prera is also available in opaque body colors.

If minimalism is more your style, the Nagasawa Original Profit Jr. Skeleton Fountain Pen is the way to go. Its simple, perfectly clear body displays the ink inside without any distraction. Even the feed is clear so you can see the path the color takes as it flows down the nib and out onto the paper. Since you can see inside the pen the same way you can see the mechanism of a skeleton watch, the converter becomes part of the pen’s design. Compatible Sailor converters come with both silver and gold trim so you can match the converter to the pen’s metal accents for a unified look.

The Nagasawa Original Profit Jr. Skeleton Fountain Pen is made by Sailor for the Nagasawa Stationery Center in Kobe, Japan. It has a screw-on cap that posts well. Its light acrylic body is very comfortable in the hand no matter how you use it, but we prefer to post the cap due to the pen’s relatively small size.

The LAMY AL-Star is a durable, full-sized pen that you can keep with you at all times. An upgraded version of the plastic Safari, the AL-Star is made of aluminum that is anodized in a variety of fun and sophisticated colors. Its solid metal construction makes it rugged enough to stand up to anything your day throws at it. The molded grip section guides your hand into an ergonomic tripod grip.

Writers who are interested in a deluxe writing experience can consider the LAMY Lx. Like the AL-Star, it is made from aluminum, but it has precious metal plating on its clip and finial. The stealthy black nib has a PVD coating for improved durability.

If you’re working on your magnum opus, you need a pen that can keep up. Enter the TWSBI Vac700R. It features a high-capacity vacuum filling system that lets you write longer without the distraction of filling your pen. This unusual filling system takes a little getting used to, but it’s easy to use once you get the hang of it. Simply twist the knob on the back of the pen, pull back the plunger, and push it down. This system will fill the barrel about two thirds full when used with a typical ink bottle. We recommend using TWSBI’s refillable Vac20A Ink Bottles, which are specifically designed to fill the Vac700R to maximum capacity. Like the TWSBI Diamond 580, the Vac700R is available with the stunning but slightly pricier Iris finish.

You can also adjust the knob at the back of the pen to tweak the ink flow or seal the barrel completely for leak-free air travel. Just be careful not to operate the plunger while adjusting the knob, or you may find yourself with inky fingers. The TWSBI Vac700R does post, but we prefer it unposted as the cap makes it quite long. If you’d rather have something smaller, try the pocketable TWSBI Vac Mini.

The Studio is a sleek testament to German pen maker LAMY’s contemporary style. The only adornment on its smoothly curved body is a unique propeller-shaped clip that gives it the visual impact of a modern sculpture. The metal barrel transitions into a chromed grip section that leads to a smooth steel nib. The brushed stainless steel has a black grip section for those who prefer less shine.

The LAMY Studio rests comfortably in the hand and has a satisfying heft without being heavy, but people with smaller hands may prefer to use it unposted due to the extra weight of the cap. It posts and closes securely with a satisfying snap. For an even more refined writing experience, the LAMY Studio is also available with a gold nib.

The Platinum Procyon is a triumph of functional design—it even won the ISOT grand prize in 2019. Like many of Platinum’s pens, it is equipped with a Slip and Seal cap that prevents the nib from drying out from disuse for a year. It also has a special feed that doesn’t need to be submerged as far into the ink when filled from a bottle. This helps you get the last bit of ink from almost-empty bottles and avoid stained fingers from accidentally getting ink on the grip section.

The Procyon is made of sturdy yet lightweight aluminum to allow it to stand up to the knocks of everyday use without tiring your hand. It’s also easy to hold, with most of the colors featuring a lightly textured matte finish that provides extra grip. The Porcelain White Procyon and has a polished finish for those who prefer a smoother surface. The Procyon has a screw-on cap that won’t come uncapped in a bag or pocket, but it also won’t slow you down since it unscrews in less than a full rotation. It is comfortable to use whether posted or unposted. The Procyon also comes in elegant Luster colorways that are little more expensive than the Standard line.

The Faber-Castell HEXO is exactly what a professional pen should be. With its sturdy metal body and six-sided barrel, it strikes the perfect balance of simplicity and style. The HEXO’s practical snap-on cap lets you take notes quickly without having to unscrew the cap every time—and it is designed so the sides of the cap and barrel always line up. It also posts easily on the back of the pen. The grip section of the HEXO is made of clear plastic so you can take a peek at the inner workings of the pen.

The YSTUDIO Resin has a striking body that combines acrylic resin and brass, and it commands attention every time you pull it out. The logo is printed in gold on the barrel, matching the pen’s brass grip and gold-colored nib. The pen has a sleek, clipless design, but its hexagonal barrel and cap prevent the pen from rolling away when it is placed on a desk. It has a snap-on cap that ensures your fingers will not encounter uncomfortable threads or a large shift in circumference from barrel to grip.

Despite the name, there’s nothing childish about the practical and stylish Kaweco Student. Its most prominent elements are a large, curved clip and a metal band that encircles the bottom of the cap. Both feature the Kaweco logo and imbue the pen with nostalgic charm. The pen is made of sturdy acrylic with a shiny metal grip that is shaped for comfort. The weight of the screw-on cap can make it top-heavy when posted, but leaving the cap off yields a pen that feels substantial yet effortless to write with.

The Opus 88 Koloro is a modern interpretation of the eyedropper pens of the early 1900s. Its translucent acrylic body and screw-on cap are accented with bands of opaque ebonite, a hard rubber that was commonly used to make vintage fountain pens. The result is a look that is simultaneously nostalgic and novel. Like its vintage predecessors, the Opus 88 Koloro is exclusively an eyedropper pen. This means that you fill the barrel directly with bottled ink using an eyedropper or ink syringe instead of using cartridges or converters.

A stopper inside the barrel prevents the pen from leaking in your bag. The stopper is operated by a knob on the back of the pen that is similar to the knob on a piston-filling fountain pen. It can be screwed shut to completely block the flow of ink to the nib or opened to allow the ink to flow freely while you write.The eyedropper design lets the pen hold significantly more ink than typical fountain pens, so it can serve as a reliable daily writer or keep up during marathon journaling sessions. The pen is lightweight and comfortable to hold. We prefer using it unposted due to the length and weight added by the cap, but it is not unusually heavy when posted.

The Pilot Cavalier is a dream come true for people with small hands. With a grip diameter of 8.2 mm, this pen is only a smidge wider than a standard wooden pencil. The slender lines of the cap, barrel, and nib flow gracefully together with the straight clip. The Metallic version features silver-colored trim, while the Marbled finish has gold-colored accents. Both exude elegance. The Cavalier’s body is made of solid brass but is extraordinarily light unposted.

Posting gives it just enough weight to feel substantial in your hand. The cap snaps firmly onto the back of the pen so there’s no fear of it falling off. The grip is made of plastic rather than metal, but it is perfectly integrated with no apparent seams to distract from its smooth surface.

The Kaweco Liliput is the king of pocket pens. At only 3.8 inches long when capped, it fits unobtrusively into shirt pockets, purses, or anywhere else you care to place it. Despite its tiny size it has a slim but comfortable grip diameter of 8.3 mm. It can only use standard international short cartridges. We don’t recommend using it unposted for anything beyond the quickest note, but it becomes a full 5 inches long once you post it—long enough for proper writing. The basic model is made out of aluminum. This keeps it so light that you could easily forget you were carrying it.

The Liliput also comes in brass for those who want a more substantial feel. If you’re concerned about the possibility of losing something so small, purchase Kaweco’s Liliput pen clip to keep it secure.