[wlesieutre]

Lamy Safari and TWSBI Eco are two popular starter pens, both around $25-30. The Lamy takes cartridges and the TWSBI is a "piston filler" with a reservoir filled directly from a bottle of ink.

On the slightly cheaper side, the Pilot MR is usually a bit under $20. It's more of a traditional fountain pen look. Pilot Metropolitan is a common name for it (or more specifically a type or MR, just different color/pattern options IIRC).

Then there's all the Chinese pens, some of these are fine but it's hit or miss. I'd suggest sticking with a known manufacturer for a first pen since they have better quality control (especially on the nibs).

Be wary of buying pens on Amazon, their counterfeiting problem extends to fountain pens. Pen retailers like JetPens or Goulet Pen Company are safer since you know they're coming through the real distribution channel.

http://www.deskoflori.com/blog/2015/4/16/my-experience-with-...