Fountain Pens with Nib Size: M

There is no getting around the fact that this is the best name for a fountain pen that we've ever encountered. Meet the Levenger Plumpster! No. We did not make up that name. It is an awesome pen, too. Perhaps borrowing a little from the Visconti Opera Cherry Blossom design, this pen has brown veins running through a mother-of-pearl-colored acrylic. Blue and purple shadows flare through it, as you turn it under the light. Click the headline for close-ups. You'll see a little wear from use but nothing egregiously awful. Write a smooth fine line with its steel nib that is marked medium. Fills with a standard international cartridge or included converter. Nice girth. Has a little weight. 14cm capped.

Many consider the Waterman C/F to be the first of the modern-era pens, although it is a classic vintage pen. Why? It was, effectively, the first pen to use disposable plastic ink cartridges. Although a success, it was short lived. The biggest problem for vintage collectors is that the Waterman C/F doesn't use any modern cartridges or converters. Waterman wasn't using standard international cartridges in the 1950s, as the concept was yet to be invented. If you find a 1950s cartridge, you can refill it with a syringe to use this pen. Unfortunately, it doesn't include an original cartridge. The pen looks great, except for that big crack in the tail visible in the photo. You will write a medium line with its 14k gold nib. There is a some feedback. 13.2cm capped.

If you are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime grail pen. A true grail-quest pen. This oversized Sheaffer Balance Demonstrator might be it. This beauty is something we have never seen before and likely something we will never see again. No cracks. No matter what your screen indicates, it has discolored to a pale yellow-green. The section jiggles a little. There a touch of brassing on the trim. Possibly a touch of krazing at the ends...could also just be the way things come together on the insides. We don't know if the 14k gold Secretary nib is original...but who cares. That nib alone is quite rare. It has a fresh ink sac. However, we'd never use it. It would be the centerpiece of our museum display...if we had a museum display. We dipped the nib, and it writes a nice medium line with light feedback. Click the headline for a close-up! 14.1cm capped.

Yeah. We get it. It feels weird to us, too. But, hear us out. Lamy Safari pens don't generally wind up being called vintage pens. We struggle with defining vintage all the time, as you'll know from our blog and magazine stories. Buuuut, this Charcoal colored fountain pen was made in "W. Germany." There hasn't been a West or East Germany in roughly 35 years. And this pen was probably made before reunification. Sooo, it ain't exactly new. It is gently used, sports some shallow surface scuffs and scratches and in good working order. The section doesn't have the slots for the modern "red" Lamy converter. This comes with a Lamy "black" converter. Click the headline for a close-up of the nib and W. Germany imprint. You will write a smooth broad line. Cap closure isn't very strong. 13.8cm capped.

Carter's Pens are always a vintage pen lover's treat. When we first discovered this pen in the bottom of a box, we were pretty psyched. As we cleaned and polished it, it became obvious that this pen came from 3 different models of pens. The rounded tail of an oversized Carter's Pen is made of plastic. The squared cap with an orange ring and fine pinstriping is definitely a Carter's Pen cap that is made of hard rubber. And when we got a layer of schmutz off the 14k gold nib, it turned out to be a large Conklin Crescent nib. Oh well. It is still a nice pen. We restored it with a new ink sac. You will write a smooth, wet medium line with its gold nib. Heavy brassing on the cap trim and a crack in the lip of the cap. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.6cm capped.

We love giving vintage pens a second chance. This Wahl-Eversharp Gregg has a little bit of a banana bow in it from having once been left in the sun. Nevertheless, we restored it with a new ink sac. Its insides are a bit rusty and it shows plenty of wear. It ain't gonna win any best-in-show awards, but it remains a good daily driver. The thing we find especially fascinating about this pen is its enamel "Gregg" emblem for the top cap jewel and a somewhat rarish 14k gold nib that reads "Gregg" instead of Wahl or Eversharp. To the casual observer, it is easily mistaken for a Wahl-Eversharp Symphony. Click the headline for a close-up. It writes a smooth medium line when you find it sweet spot. It gets a little scratchy outside of its sweet spot. 13.3cm capped.

Its the one and only Parker 51, titan of the vintage pens. Certainly the best-selling vintage luxury pen of all time, this is the 1950s version with an aerometric squeeze-bar filler. Black with a gold-filled cap, it is a go-to crowd pleaser. The cap has a couple little dings and scratches from use. The hood and barrel of the pen likewise show wear from use. Nevertheless, the original "pliglass" ink sac still works great. You'll write a smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. The blue diamond on the pocket clip indicates this might be an earlier cap or an older replacement clip for the pen. The barrel part of the pen was made a few years after the clip/cap. 13.8cm capped.

Glittering blue acrylic swirls make this Levenger Verona fountain pen a real stunner. It looks almost like new with minimal wear. It comes complete with a standard international converter, but it also can use the same style cartridges. You will write a nice medium line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. Compared to the grey model of this pen below, the blue pen's nib is a little firmer with a touch of feedback. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.8cm capped.