A Quill Pen Price Guide
Quill pens offer an ideal way to bring tradition into modern calligraphy. These dip pens use bird feathers as the nib, working through capillary action.
Feathers from large wings such as goose, swan or turkey are selected, then treated using hot ashes or other methods in order to harden them and harden the father.
1. Lamy Safari
Lamy’s Safari fountain pen is one of the world’s best-selling and well-regarded models, known for being durable, ergonomic, reliable and featuring a stainless steel nib to glide effortlessly across pages. Ideal for beginners who wish to try their luck at fountain pen writing but do not wish to purchase or maintain one daily, The Safari makes an excellent entryway into fountain pens without making an expensive commitment – great as an entryway pen or first fountain pen purchase!
Safari pens come in various colors to fit every personality and taste, from pastel hues to more neutral tones like the pink Cliff edition. All Safari pens feature durable construction with comfortable writing experience for writing instruments of various kinds (fountain pens, rollerball pens and digital writing instruments are easily identifiable via their caps with cross, line/slot and star codes to distinguish each type). The pink Cliff edition is an especially welcoming addition to the Safari family that makes an impressionful statement about your sense of style! The pink Cliff edition also stands out among its peers thanks to its durability and comfort features: its durability and comfort as other Safari models do. Its cap contains codes identifying its type (fontains for fountain pens; cross, line/slot for rollerball pens) while having codes to identify its type (font).
2. Platinum Plaisir
Platinum’s lightweight cartridge/converter pen, the Plaisir is one of the most acclaimed fountain pens ever. A versatile cartridge/converter, it often tops “best first fountain pen” lists. Like its more affordable cousin the Preppy, you get all of its functionality: nib/feed section as well as aluminum cap and barrel featuring Platinum’s exclusive “slip and seal” technology which prevents drying even after extended storage periods of not using your pen.
The Plaisir also boasts a transparent grip section so you can see your ink level clearly, making it a great starter pen and more durable than its plastic Lamy Safari counterparts. Available in various colors with its bright aluminum finish finish.
3. Pelikan
Pelikan stands out as a rare manufacturer that produces their own nibs, crafting 14 or 18-carat gold nibs through a series of steps and polishing to give a shiny surface finish. Each nib takes between eight and ten different steps for production, creating something truly individualized and personalized.
Souveran is one of the company’s most iconic models, featuring its distinctive green and black striped design recognizable worldwide and hand written-in nibs before leaving its factory.
An Ibis fountain pen, ideal for beginning vintage pen enthusiasts. Durable yet low maintenance with an unrivalled writing experience. When searching for retailers offering Ibis restorations with warranties attached.
4. Pelikan XP
Contractual arrangements between Pelikan and other companies for production of pens is nothing new in the pen business; indeed, contracts are frequently entered into to satisfy market requirements and meet specific customer requirements. Contracting companies often ask manufacturers to alter certain aspects of a pen to differentiate it from its regular production offerings. These customized models often lack branding from the manufacturer and have an individual code designation on the barrel. Examples include the black MK10 and post-war Ibis 130 models from Taylorix, which share the same shape of a standard 140, but lack two chick logos and single cap band engraving. Furthermore, they boast Taylorix branding on both their nib and barrel with standard coded designations engraved.
5. Pelikan XL
If you’re in search of a modern-looking pen with a large nib that posts comfortably, this could be just what you’re after. Unfortunately, however, this pen’s functionality only covers certain niches; if medium nibs are what you seek then this might not be right.
If your tastes tend towards being eclectic, consider the Stola III as it offers great value and accepts a range of cartridges – not to mention feeling like an excellent writing instrument!
Pelikan’s unique naming system of using letters to denote nib types and sizes may be confusing at first, so here’s a helpful graphic to assist in choosing your ideal pen from their selection.
