Fountain Pens with Nib Size: F

Easily confused with a Parker 51, this Parker 17 is actually a British model. Instead of a metal cap, such as the 51, this one has a plastic cap made of the same lovely green material as the barrel. It also sports a wider cap band and a tail jewel. You will see some scratches that were mostly made by the cap in its closed position. There is a tiny dimple in the wide cap band. The original pli-glass ink sac still works well. We get a kick out of how the sac protector instructs to squeeze the sac 5 times just to fill it. Early aerometric 51s were imprinted to squeeze 6 times and laters ones said to squeeze only 4 times. You will write a very smooth fine line with its 14k gold nib.

Stately luxury is the theme of this Cartier Gordon fountain pen. Plated in palladium and gold there is a dash of art deco design. A preowned pen, close inspection shows lots of light wear from use but no dents or deep scratches. You will write a nice, fine-medium line with its two-tone 18k gold nib. There is a hint of feedback, but it isn't bad. Our pen comes with a working standard international converter, but it isn't the original Cartier converter. A little heftier than most pens, it measures 14.2cm capped.

Given the total lack of ink staining any part of this Omas 630 Demo, we think it might be new old stock! No cracks. No deep scratches. Not much, if any, wear. We did not dip its golden alloy nib, as it might be a NOS pen. However, if you click the headline for close-ups, you will see it is marked "F" for fine. Slender. Light weight. Nice Greek key cap band. 13.2cm capped.

Given the total lack of ink staining any part of this Omas 630 Demo, we think it might be new old stock! No cracks. No deep scratches. Not much, if any, wear. We did not dip its golden alloy nib, as it might be a NOS pen. However, if you click the headline for close-ups, you will see it is marked "F" for fine. Slender. Light weight. Nice Greek key cap band. 13.2cm capped.

Cross Townsends have to be one of the most unfairly underrated luxury pens on the market today. Amazingly smooth and dependable--plus they have the classic look of a fountain pen. This Cross Townsend is especially special as a limited edition made with real jade. Although we do not have the original box and papers, it does not appear to have been inked. When we filled it with water to test it, the water was clean. Click the headline for close-ups. You will see its two-tone 18k gold nib is marked as a fine point. However, in case it is new old stock, we did not try writing with it. 15cm capped.

SOLID 14k GOLD! That is what an Eversharp Skyline Command Performance pen is made of. Not plating or fill. It is an all gold cap and barrel. We restored this incredible vintage pen with a new ink sac. The cap and barrel have a couple of very small impressions and the lip of the cap rubs against the barrel. Otherwise, there are minimal traces of damage. You will see a rather prominent series of engravings starting with the signature of James E. Gleason and a 75th birthday message. We looked him up, and Mr. Gleason was a mechanical engineer born in 1868 who invented a series of gear-cutting machines that were ultimately heavily used in manufacturing parts for cars and airplanes. Gleason would remain chairman of the board of his company until his passing at the age 95. Set includes the box and working 1.1mm pencil, also made of solid 14k gold. The pen's gold nib writes a smooth, fine line.

In the early 2000s, Sheaffer Intrigue fountain pens offered one last clever twist on filling mechanisms. Instead of doing a boring old "twist the section to open the pen" for replacing a cartridge or refill the converter, the Sheaffer Intrigue has a special back quarter of the pen that unscrews to slide out a little carriage that holds either a cartridge or a modified converter. Behind that is a little blind cap that can activate the converter while it is still hidden in the barrel. This pen comes with one of those unique converters and its original box. Only light wear can be seen on the cap or barrel. You will write a smooth fine line with its inlaid 14k gold nib. However, the nib is marked M for medium. It just doesn't seem to write that way. 13.7cm capped.

The marbled cobalt blue of the Aurora Optima is one of our favorite colors. We believe this to be the "Mare" version of the luxury pen. Italian for "the sea," these pens came in other colors representing various elements important to life on earth such as the sun and greenery. Our preowned pen is in excellent working order. You will love writing with its smooth 14k gold nib. It is listed as a fine-point nib, but it skews closer to the medium side of writing. Click the headline for close-ups. The pen itself only has light wear from use and looks gorgeous. The perennial problem with these pens is that the ink-view window never seems to get totally clean. We have flushed this pen many times with water, and there is always a trace of black ink that refuses to come all the way out. That ink is so diluted at this point that it shouldn't mess with your preferred ink that much. 12.7cm capped.