The 10 Best fountain pens

 

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1. Lamy Raspberry

£18.99, cohaku.com

The Lamy, with its slim-grip barrel, is great for little hands. It looks cool, too, and comes with a choice of large, medium or fine nibs.

2. Yard-o-led Astoria

£325, yard-o-led.co.uk

The acme of writing luxury, the Astoria harks back to the roaring Twenties with its elegant Art Deco acrylic barrel.

 

3. Pilot Capless Carbonesque

£119, thewritingdesk.co.uk

Pilot's retractable nib scribbler was the first of its kind and has quite a following among the pen cognoscenti.

 

4. Pilot V Pen

£4, johnlewis.com

Looking for a starter pen? Pilot's disposable number is incredibly child-friendly with a medium nib and an ink controller mechanism.

 

5. Faber-Castell Pear Wood

£85, debenhams.com

The redoubtable 250-year-old German brand has gone naturalistic here, covering the barrel with sustainably-sourced pear wood.

 

6. Cross Sentiment Scarlett

£70, plattspens.co.uk

Sentimental by name, sentimental by nature – the stainless-steel Cross comes with a heart lock charm attached to the lid.

 

7. Mont Blanc Ingrid Bergman

£622, wheelersluxurygifts.com

This 18K-gold nib and mother-of-pearl lacquer is as dainty as befits a pen created in honour of the Ingrid Bergman.

 

8. Sheaffer Prelude

£55, penshop.co.uk

This Sheaffer is a great mid-ranger with a medium-width steel nib with iridium tip and an attractive electric-blue lacquered barrel.

 

9. Parker Ingenuity Daring

£135, harrods.com

This comes with a free flowing ink system that eliminates pressure, temperature and leaks, while making for elegant script.

 

10. Waterman Hémisphère Essential

£48, johnlewis.com

This brushed-steel fountain has a thin body and light construction, so hand strain is at a minimum.

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