The Faber-Castell Design Ondoro makes a statement with contrast.

The Faber-Castell Design Ondoro’s bold design demands attention, yet is surprisingly simple. It features a chunky, hexagonal body made of lightweight resin or wood, juxtaposed with a chrome-plated cap. The matte resin graphite version is the most subdued option, providing a slightly subversive option for conservative environments. To make a stronger statement, go with the glossy orange pen. The smoked oak edition is slightly heavier due to its pleasantly textured wood barrel, which provides a strong contrast to the highly reflective cap.

Despite its size, the Ondoro is surprisingly light when used unposted. We prefer not to post it due to the cap’s weight, but it does fit securely on the back of the barrel. The snap-on cap closes securely. The grip section is short but comfortable, with a deep curve that cradles your fingers and prevents them from slipping. The steel nib bears Faber-Castell’s typical dot pattern. The Ondoro comes with a converter and can use standard international cartridges.

Waldmann Edelfeder Fountain Pens are highly polished.

If you’d like a little more shine, you’ll find it in the Waldmann Edelfeder. This graceful pen combines high-gloss lacquer barrels with gleaming, rhodium-plated silver caps. The caps are embellished with distinguished barley-patterned stripes and crowned with a quill logo in honor of the pen’s name, which means “Noble Feather” in German.

The grip section is equally bright and smooth, but its thoughtful hourglass shape keeps your grip secure. We prefer using it unposted, as the cap is quite heavy. The relatively light weight of the

unposted body is comfortable to use for extended periods. The Waldmann Edelfeder is especially suitable for gift-giving, as the cap comes with a space for engraving. If you prefer warmer colors, the Waldmann Tuscany features similar styling with a pinstriped cap and rose gold trim. The Edelfeder has a stainless steel nib, while the Tuscany is available with either a stainless steel or 18k gold nib. Both can use either converters or standard international cartridges.

The undeniably modern Lamy 2000 appears almost seamless.

Lamy’s flagship fountain pen, the Lamy 2000, is a triumph of German Bauhaus design. Its simple, functional form reflects modern design principles. Every part of the pen is masterfully integrated to appear as one piece, from the almost invisible knob that operates the high-capacity piston filling mechanism to the grip section and semi-hooded 14k gold nib. This nib design continues the curved line of the pen down to the tip and helps prevent it from drying out.

Due to its seamless design, the Lamy 2000 has no threads to interfere with your preferred finger placement. There are small tabs that snap the cap securely in place, but they are easy to avoid. The four thin windows near the grip section allow you to check the pen’s ink level so that you can write uninterrupted. It is comfortable posted or unposted.

The iconic black version of the Lamy 2000 is made of Makrolon, a fiberglass-reinforced polycarbonate that gives it a pleasant texture and lightweight durability. It is also available in brushed stainless steel.

Lamy Dialog 3 Fountain Pens are fully retractable.

If you often pull your pen out to take notes or have a tendency to lose pen caps, the retractable Lamy Dialog 3 is for you. It is about the same size as the Lamy 2000 but has more heft and is completely straight. When not in use, the slender 14k gold nib nib retreats behind a shiny metal ball valve. This door protects it from drying out.

Two parallel pinstripes run the length of the pen when the door is safely closed. A simple twist of the barrel extends the nib and breaks the pinstripes. The Dialog’s clip also retracts

just enough to prevent it from being used while the nib is out. Both this and the visual cue of the stripes are useful reminders to completely close the pen when you retract the nib. We find the Dialog 3 too heavy near the tip for extended writing, but it’s perfect for quick notes. It can use proprietary cartridges and comes with a converter.

The Visconti Van Gogh Fountain Pen captures the hues of Van Gogh's most famous paintings.

The Visconti Van Gogh fountain pen series celebrates the works of the visionary Dutch painter. Their swirled resin bodies capture the hues of his most famous paintings, mixed together as if on the artist’s palette. Eighteen facets run the length of each pen’s barrel and cap. These are thin enough that the pens handle as if they were round, but the flat faces catch the light with every turn and give the barrels an intriguing, almost textured feel.

Visconti Van Gogh pens feature magnetic caps that are quick to open and close without the risk of uncapping in your pocket. They post easily. We found the pens’ balance slightly better unposted, but they are comfortable either way. The caps are equipped with prominent yet graceful spring-loaded clips. Their distinctive arch is inspired by the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge in Visconti’s home city of Florence, Italy. Visconti Van Gogh fountain pens have beautifully engraved steel nibs with crescent-shaped breather holes. They are compatible with standard international cartridges and converters.

The Parker Sonnet Fountain Pen is comfortable and light.

The Parker Sonnet is best known as an executive pen, but it is an excellent daily writer as well. It’s quite light despite its sturdy metal body and has a classic shape that is comfortable to hold. We found that we simply didn’t think about the pen when writing—instead, it faded into the background as we wrote sentence after sentence without fatigue. We did prefer using the Sonnet unposted due to the added weight of the snap-on cap, but it is not unduly heavy.

The Parker Sonnet is available with smooth steel or 18k gold nibs. The steel nib pens have simpler designs and plastic grip sections, while the gold nib pens feature more striking trim and metal grip sections. Both use proprietary converters and cartridges.

The Faber-Castell Ambition's wood barrel has a natural feel.

The Faber-Castell Ambition is a study in simplicity. Its lightly textured barrel continues straight into the metal cap to form one continuous cylinder. A metal end piece on the rear of the barrel provides symmetry and a place to post the cap, although we preferred the balance of the unposted pen. The Ambition comes in two wooden finishes: red pear wood and zebra-striped coconut wood. The warmth of the wood provides a pleasant counterpoint to the shiny metal trim.

The Ambition is designed to be most comfortable when held with your fingers on the barrel above the short metal “grip” section. We found that this works well, but people who prefer holding their pens closer to the nib may find the step from the barrel to the section too steep. The Ambition has a stainless steel nib decorated with Faber-Castell’s signature dot pattern and can use standard international cartridges and converters. If you like the look of the Faber-Castell Design Ambition but not the wooden barrels, it is also available in resin and stainless steel versions.