[iCarrot]

Nice to see another fountain pen enthusiast here. I love my Twisbi Eco too, in fact I love all demonstrator pens especially with the Iroshizuku ink. It's not unlike swirling wine.

But for beginners I would only recommend the Pilot Metropolitan, coming at ~$19 with fancy metal body and high quality Pilot nib. That pen is insane bang for your buck and will last years.

[wenc]

As someone who owns two Pilot Metros F and TWSBI Ecos M and F, I would say it really depends on several variables like how big your handwriting is, what kind of paper you write on etc.

The Pilot Metro is often recommended as a beginner pen, but I’m not sure if it ought to be. The F is a little scratchy even on Rhodia Premium paper.

In retrospect, I would have saved the $15 and paid $30 for a TWSBI Eco F. That said, there is a mental barrier to paying $30 for a pen, especially for beginners who are just testing out the waters. On the other hand, the Pilot Metro doesn’t really adequately represent the true pleasures of writing with a fountain pen—-it gives one glimpses but falls short of a full experience.

P.s. pen enthusiasts should check out the upcoming Chicago Pen Show. Yes, there’s a trade show for pens.

[iCarrot]

Well that is because the Japanese nibs are finer than the European counterparts, largely because of dense kanji characters. The rule of thumb is always go one size up for Japanese pen. I have a Metro M, it is smooth as butter.

I'm also eyeing the Twsbi Go line. If it write comparable to the Eco I'll purchase a bunch of them as gift (friends seem less intimidated by the unassuming pens)

[cyberferret]

+1 for the Pilot fountain pens for newbies to the fountain pen world. Great way to learn how to write properly with one without ruining expensive nibs.

Honestly, my writing fatigue has gone way down since I switched back to fountain pens years ago. The fact I don't have to press hard, and can control stroke width etc. with very light pressure changes has meant I can write longer (and neater) nowadays.

I still use my Pilot pens for everyday note taking etc. and for carrying around, as I don't mind if I lose one. I reserve my good pens for writing in my journals or ideas book when at home.

[ecspike]

My one gripe with the Metro and it's cousin the Kakuno is that ink seems to evaporate in them much faster than other pens. I know it's my fault for having too many inked but still.

I got the TWSBI Go first before the Eco, because of the push the plunger to fill with ink, I would put it high for beginners also at a $19 price point and holds a lot of ink.