Where do you recommend for pen purchases? In the past I’ve used Goulet but there was a post (maybe here?) awhile back about them that inclined me to not give them money any more.
Background : I teach a class about once a year and I like to gift my graduating students a pen because I find it unique and interesting - you don’t see fountain pens much anymore. I usually go with a Lamy Safari (but am up for recommendations on similar starter pens; see bottom). In the past they (Lamy) sold a gift set that was the pen and 5 or so of the disposable cartridges in various colors (no Z28 included) and that was my go-to. They don’t appear to sell that particular product anymore so I’d reverted to just the standalone Safari and including one extra disposable cartridge since I have quite a few but don’t use them.
Preferably a US based distributor.
While we’re at it, any suggestions for a good, comparable, starter pen besides the Lamy Safari? Around $30 USD is my max price range since some times I have up to 15 students and that gets… pricey : ) Main consideration is that it’s a decent pen that won’t frustrate new users but something nicer than a disposable (EG: Pilot Varsity).
Have you looked into the Pilot Explorer/Lightive? It runs about $20, and has a really nice nib. The Pilot Metropolitan shares the same nib assembly, is a metal pen, but can run a little bit more expensive. If you’re willing to pick one up from Amazon/AliExpress/Etsy, the Hongdian 1851 is less than $20, metal, and a great writing experience. It even comes with a converter, so you’re not stuck with cartridges.
I hadn’t seen the Pilot Explorer - looks pretty nice for the price, I’ll add it to the list.
I’d looked into the Metropolitan before and almost got one for myself but I feel like I’ve already got too many pens. It is just slightly over my price point but will keep it on the list for when I have a small class.
Thank you
Wait, are you telling us there is such a thing as too many pens? 🤣