It’s about time to gear up for back-to-school, and I thought it might be helpful to share with you some of the best pens for students in the $50 and under price range. Keeping in mind that value, reliability, and durability are some of the key factors for student pens, here are some that I will gladly recommend.

This is the first Fountain Pen 101 video I’ve made in about a year, so if you haven’t seen my others already, definitely check them out here.

Pilot Metropolitan, $18.99

Pros:

Great value

Attractive

Durable

Very reliable writer

Good ink capacity

Cons:

Cartridges and converters are proprietary to the Pilot/Namiki brand

Lamy Safari/AL-Star/Vista, $29.60+

Pros:

Workhorses, they just write

Lots of fun colors to choose from

Durable despite the worst of abuses

Many nibs to choose from, including stubs

Nibs are swappable, so you can buy one pen and a variety of nibs to vary things up

Ink window shows you when you need to refill ink

Triangular grip makes it easy to hold for beginners

Cons:

Converter doesn’t come with the pens, you have to buy separately

Grip is bothersome to some, especially with larger hands

Cartridges and converters are proprietary to Lamy

Platinum Preppy, $4.50+

Pros:

Great value

Clear, easy to see ink level

Eyedropper convertible, able to hold huge volume of ink

Versatile, accepts cartridge, converter, or eyedropper

Not the end of the world if lost, broken, or stolen

Many different colors to choose from

Cons:

Doesn’t come with converter, costs about twice what the pen does

Plastic is somewhat brittle, and can fracture if handled too rough (dropped on concrete, crushed in backpack, etc)

Cartridges and converter are proprietary to Platinum (though can be used with adapter to accept standard international cartridges)

Pilot Varsity, $3.30

Pros:

Great value

Writes surprisingly well for the price

Durable

Refillable by hack, though marketed as disposable

Good ink capacity

Not the end of the world if lost, broken, or stolen

Cons:

Only one nib size

Come preloaded with ink, so limited color selection unless hacked and refilled

Noodler’s Flex Pens, $16-$75

Pros:

Great value

HUGE color selection

Durable, can drop or crush and won’t crack

Flex nib, incredibly rare in this price range

Good ink capacity with piston mechanisms, no cartridges or converter needed

Easily disassembled for cleaning and maintenance

Cons:

Challenging to use for a newbie

Writes very wet, can be troublesome on cheap, absorbent paper

Can be finicky, requires patience on the part of the user

TWSBI 580, $50-$65

Pros:

Nice fit and finish

Writes well

Great value, for what they are

Insert in cap keeps nib wet very well

Wide variety of nibs to choose from, including stubs

Piston fillers, with large ink capacity

Clear pens, easy to see ink level

Easily disassembled for cleaning and maintenance

Cons:

Most expensive pens in this group

Might be a target for stealing, keep a close eye on it!

These are my recommendations, and take them for what they’re worth. These are pens that I feel are worth consideration for students, though which pen is best for you will ultimately be your own decision. These are only pens I have experience with, and it’s most certain there are others worth considering that I don’t talk about here. But hopefully this will at least give you something to consider if you’re a student and looking for a workhorse to help you make the most of your studies! If you have any other suggestions or questions, just let me know if the comments.

Write On,

Brian Goulet