There are many different brands of fountain pen, some of them well known, others not so much.

Some of these brands are considered to be luxury brands – indeed, fountain pens are on the whole considered to be more of a luxury item today than they once were – whilst others are more every day. Some brands of pens are a combination of both as they sell both cheaper pens and more expensive ones, but the brands that are truly considered to be luxury brands rarely sell cheaper fountain pens as well as more expensive ones.

The truly luxury pens tend to be made from precious metals, such as silver and gold. Gold pens are more commonly gold plated than made from solid gold, but pens are more commonly made from solid silver than they are from solid gold, as silver is cheaper and the final product is also cheaper as a result. Far cheaper than a solid gold pen would be.

Occasionally, luxury pens may feature heavily decorated barrels. These rarely add to the use of the pen, as excessive ornamentation that sticks out from the actual barrel can make them uncomfortable to use for their actual purpose, which is to write with. These types of pens are, in a way, simply expensive, and showy, novelty pens.

Despite the differences in price between everyday and luxury pens, there does not tend to be much difference between the actual ink refills themselves. This does depend on whether there is a specific, expensive, refill for a particular luxury pen, but this does not usually tend to be the case, as most fountain pens use one from a fairly limited range of cartridges. Refills for one brand may not be, and often aren’t, suitable for use in another brand’s pen, but the ink and construction of this part of the pen is fairly standard

The nib of a fountain pen can also vary in its construction, but this is down to the metals used, rather than the design. Some luxury pens may have part of the nib gold, or at least gold plated, but not the part that is actually used to write – gold is too soft for this if it’s pure. Instead, harder wearing metals are used, as they are in everyday pens, some of which may actually be more expensive than gold anyway.

Home