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Continue ShoppingChances are, you're reading this article because you have a loved one or good friend that is a certifiable pen addict. You may have caught them listening to podcasts about stationery, browsing instagram for posts of serious nibbage, or see them try to guess which pen someone on TV is using.
Getting a gift for someone who is quite knowledgable about pens can be daunting. Even though you may know 0% about pens, we're about to give you a crash course that will help you make a great gift choice.
Being a certified fountain pen geek myself, I have to reverse-engineer my advice to you as if I was talking to my relatives and friends to advise them about what I would suggest getting for myself. All tastes aside, I contemplate what would be a welcomed gift (hey, anything would be nice) and what would be a great gift that would get a lot of use. Then, I also take into consideration the budget of the gift-giver. Being a pen enthusiast can be an expensive hobby, but there's fun gifts to be had at all price levels.
Extra-fine, fine, medium, broad, stub? Oblique? Flex? Dreamtouch? What have I gotten myself into?
Experienced fountain pen users are well-versed in nib terminology. Some may have a preference as to the nib sizes they would buy on new pens. Others are more carefree and would option to send them to nibmeisters for customization anyway. For some people, there is no wrong answer. For others, you may be walking a very fine line (pun intended) in choosing an ideal nib.
Sometimes, you don't have a choice. If you are in love with a particular type of pen to gift someone, it may only come in one point size. When you do have the option, a few points should be taken into consideration before hitting "add to cart."
BONUS TIP : You can filter our online catalog by nib size and material. If your writer is only interested in extra-fine, steel nibs, you can filter them quite easily.
One other consideration to make is the filling system. While most contemporary pens are cartridge / converter compatible, a number of pen models operate using bottled ink only. Some pen enthusiasts will prefer using cartridges for the convenience, while others perfer the internal filling systems for their increased capacities. If the giftee is comfortable with filling their pen using a bottle of ink, then you should be fine with any filling system.
The world of fine writing can seem foreign and daunting, but we're here to provide thoughtful, honest advice to aid your search for the perfect pen gifts. Please feel free to message us directly with any inquiries, or if you need specific direction in your gift research.
Beth Autrey
Dec 13, 2017
A great primer for all who don’t know a thing about pen nerds! I’m going to try to cut and paste this address so I can send to my friends and and family!