#experiment!

Silly little guys!!!! 🌟🌟🌟

My sister commissioned me to draw her cats as clowns! I'm so happy about it their faces look so derpy!!!! Also it's been a long time since I've made a college and I enjoy making them so much! It's like putting together a funky puzzle in your head!!!

And of course different filters on it with the unedited photo!

First of all -- and I know this may come as a bit of surprise -- if this is your very first fountain pen, maybe consider adjusting your budget. I balked at my first $50-something pen -- also a Conklin Duragraph -- and that was after I had amassed a few other pens.

Why is this important? Well, as this is your first fountain pen and you've never used one before, you don't know what you like. Therefore, it is very possible that you'll shell out for a $50 pen and hate it, and the whole experience will feel like a waste.

(You could also buy it and love it! I don't mean to be a downer!)

As soon as I saw the brand, I knew we'd be looking at pens in the $50-and-well-above range, which leads me to the concerns I have about this particular brand (Conklin-- click here if you'd like to know a little more about the brand history).

I own a few Conklin pens (three Duragraphs, two All-Americans, and one Herringbone), and let me tell you something: not a single one wrote satisfactorily out of the box.

To me, that's not so much a problem as it is an inconvenience (and frankly, incredibly annoying given their price), because now I know how to tune my own nibs (like I did with the Duragraph Earth above), tinker with the feeds, swap nib units, realign tines, and deal with customer service (which for all pen stores I've ever dealt with, has been exceptional).

That's not to say that every single Conklin pen is like that! Admittedly, I've gotten a little more unlucky than most with my badly-cut nibs and defective feeds . Some people love their Conklins and never had a problem with any model -- you could be one of them.

The thing is, even if I never had any problems with my previous Conklins... I still think they're expensive for what they are! The demonstrator Duragraph that caught your eye -- that has an MSRP of $80.The reegular Duragraph models retail for $56 -- but they don't feel like they cost $56. The resin feels cheap, and the section threads on two of my three Duragraphs were a bit wonky --I ended up exchanging one because the section just didn't screw in correctly. The nibs came with tines that were way too tight (basically stopping ink flow), and don't get me started on their Omniflex nib...

Don't get me wrong, the Duragraph is beautiful and even I'm tempted to get them. But I know exactly what I'm paying for -- and at this point, I expect to have something to fix in the pen when I get it. But for your first fountain pen? Maybe try some of the pens I suggest on this post here.

If your heart is set on a demonstrator pen, may I suggest some cheaper suggestions:

1. The Pilot Kakuno

Sure, it doesn't quite have the same look as the Duragraph, but it's like, a third of the price (at Goulet, it goes for about $13.50!)! And granted, it doesn't come with a converter, but Pilot cartridges are not expensive, and even if you do decide to add a Pilot converter, it doesn't even come close to the price of the Demo Duragraph. Plus, the nibs on these little things are phenomenal!

2. Kaweco Perkeo

I call this one Kaweco's Kakuno because... well, look at it! It's pretty much the same package, retailing for about $15-18. It doesn't come with a converter, but it does take standard international cartridges -- the most widely available and varied type of cartridge!

3. Lamy Vista

A different, more modern look, easily swappable nibs, a wide variety of (proprietary) Lamy cartridges (you can buy a converter separately). It goes for $29.60 at Goulet, but you can find it much cheaper elsewhere (my father got his for about $20 at Amazon, I believe).

4. Sailor 1911 Compass

OK, so at a sale price of $30, we're getting a bit too close to that under $50 recommendation. However, I still think this one deserves some thought -- Sailor quality control is miles better than Yafa (the distributor for Conklin, Monteverde, and a couple of others). Sailor nibs (even the steel ones) are on a league of their own, and this pen comes with the proprietary Sailor converter so you can use bottled ink!

5. TWSBI ECO

At an MSRP of $33, this one is the most expensive 'starter pen' I suggest. It is an iconic demonstrator, and a very affordable piston filler pen -- so it has a great ink capacity, and to top it off, their nibs are quite smooth; I've never had a hard-starting one. The only reason to stay away from the ECO (and any other piston fillers) would be if you don't want to use bottled ink and want to stick to cartridges.

I hope that helps -- sorry if it was a bit of a downer, but don't let it get in the way of your excitement! Do let me know which pen you end up getting, even if you do decide to go for the Conklin.