What were the best pens of 2019? It was an amazing year for fountain pens which made narrowing down this list of hottest pens that much more difficult! So many great limited and special edition pens released as well as some awesome new pen models. Watch the video above to see Brian and Drew’s picks for the hottest pens of 2019:

While the Magnum has been around for decades, the Prismatic Purple color is new and exclusive to Goulet Pens here in the US. Beyond the amazing color, the Magnum is a staple starter pen for many with its affordable price, and springy JoWo nib. Diplomat even expanded their nib offerings to include an Extra-Fine option later in the year.

An amazing design made the Sunstone of our most popular Conklin pens in 2019. The rose gold nib and trim really balanced out the rich brown barrel. It was also a turning point and kicked off a new and iterative improvements to the unique Omniflex nib.

One color wasn’t enough for this year’s special edition LAMY Safari as they debuted three new pastel colors: Blue Macaron, Powder Rose, and Mint Glaze! The pastel tone was on trend in 2019, but Blue Macaron was definitely the best selling of the bunch. There was no matching ink this year, but the pens look great on their own.

TWSBI’s flagship model, the 580/580AL, received a couple special edition colors this year but none did as well as Emerald when it was launched in February. This was actually our best selling special edition in 2019 across all brands. In addition to a great color, the pen itself is super reliable and well-regarded in the fountain pen community.

Retro 51 Apollo Space Race LE

2019 was the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and Retro 51 did a great job celebrating this. The Apollo fountain pen popper sold very well after the 3 rollerball sets (Apollo, Gemini, and Mercury) launched in January. The moon landing was a great inspiration for a number of fountain pen manufacturers and it’s great to see historical events pop up in designs.

One of the most unique pens of the year, the Montegrappa Ammiraglio 1939 was an interesting collaboration with Sailor. Providing the nibs on these beautiful pens was really special and the first time we can remember something like this happening. In addition to the nib, each pen was made from beautiful celluloids, making it a great collectors piece as well.

The Diplomat Aero is their flagship model and for good reason! This reliable and smooth-writing fountain pen received a new Goulet-exclusive color in 2019 with Turquoise. Launching in August, each pen is made of an anodized aluminum that really pops with the vibrant turquoise color.

One of the most popular releases each year, 2019 was no different with the Pilot Vanishing Point Tropical Turquoise. A bold color was to be expected as the US had the design choice this year (alternates between US, Japan, and Europe), but even this turquoise design blew us a way. It came and went in September, selling out in a couple of days.

TWSBI kept the ECO collectors very happy in 2019 with a number of transparent designs being released. Most notable was the Transparent Purple launching in late September. The ECO is a very popular go-to option for both newbies and enthusiasts alike and a great deal for under $30.

New pen models from Noodler’s are rare, so when the Triple Tail launched in October, it was met with considerable excitement and praise. Featuring a flexible music nib similar to the Neponset, the Triple Tail’s biggest change is utilizing a different resin that didn’t have that “Noodler’s Smell”. The pen itself writes very broad and very wet making it a unique pen to add to any collection.

What do you think of our list? Feel like we missed a few great pens? Let us know in the comments below. We’re already excited to see what lies ahead in 2020.

Write On,

The Goulet Pen Company Team