Perfectly tuned and deadly consistent, they are great for those people who like a toothy, pencil-like experience, but they also polish to a beautiful, smooth, glossy writer. Where Diplomat makes some of the best steel nibs on the market, I believe that Platinum’s nibs are some of the best gold nibs on the market. Like many Japanese companies, Platinum subscribes to the understated ethos that is common in that part of the world for all but the highest-tier pens (which are decorated to perfection by incredible artisans). Part of that stems, I think, from the fact that they’re a little on the boring side from a design perspective. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I think Platinum’s pens are seriously underappreciated in the modern fountain pen community. At under $200, this is one of the best daily writers on the market. And the brushed Makrolon finish feels spectacular in the hand and is very durable. It has a generous ink capacity and ink window to keep track of remaining ink levels. The L2K’s semi-hooded nib and slip-top cap make this an excellent note-taking pen.
The German manufacturer is going through some turbulence at the moment (questionable product decisions, a rumored realignment of it’s international distribution chain), but that doesn’t change the fact that they make high-quality pens. The design celebrated it’s 60th anniversary this year, and its midcentury modern look is so iconic it’s featured in the MOMA. The Lamy 2000 (also know as the L2K) is one of the most recommended pens for people looking to step up from entry-level to workhorse, and with good reason. (Were I to get a new one of these, I’d get it with a draw filler.) Brian Gray has also studied with renown nibmeister, Richard Binder, and is now certified to offer “binderized” nibs for a really superb writing experience. This new filling system helps keep the ink capacity of a pump filler while doing away with the latex diaphragm, which is prone to failure. Edison recently announced a different filling mechanism: the draw filler. My Menlo contains one of Edison’s Pump Fillers, a modern recreation of the Parker Vacumatic fillers which allows for a large ink capacity. And as this is one of Edison’s signature line of pens, the price also includes your choice of hundreds of possible materials. At $350, it will be considered over the price line for a “daily writer.” However, the pen’s shape, weight, size, fit in the hand, and nib combine to create a pen that is a real joy to use for longer-form writing. The Edison Menlo is the most expensive pen on this list.
Rugged construction, the heft of metal without the slipperiness of a glossy finish, cool design, and a dreamy nib: that’s a great combination. But for my money, Diplomat’s steel nibs are consistently some of the very best on the market. It’s a cool looking pen, made cooler by some of their other colors like brown and the recently-released bright orange. When the US distributor for Diplomat Pens, Points of Distinction, offered a pen to me to review and give away, I was immediately drawn to the Aero, a Zeppelin-shaped pen feature a unique, modern design and a wonderful textured anodized finish. But finding it will become more and more difficult as time goes on. So, if you can find this pen, it really is a great daily writer. Stock levels have dipped significantly across the world, and there is a fair bit of scuttlebutt around the community about the possibility of closure of the Italian manufacturer. The larger (potential) issue is financial trouble in which Delta is rumored to find itself. There is, of course, a fair bit of marketing ooga-booga going on with the “fusion” nib, which I talk about in-depth in my review. But there are a couple of reasons that this pen is listed in the honorable mention section. The Delta Fusion 82 is an interesting pen and a truly fantastic writer. This year I didn’t, but still tried to keep it down to what I consider a reasonable level. In the past, I have put a strict price limit on pens in this category. These are some of my personal favorites in what I call the “Daily Writer” or “Workhorse” category. They’re willing to pay a good sum of money for that pen, and they want it to be special (but not so special/unique that losing or having it stolen would be debilitating.) Sometimes, people just want a pen–one pen–that is high quality, writes like a champ, and will last a lifetime.
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