Filling Mechanism: Cartridge/Converter

Carbon-fiber designs were hot during the early 2000s. Our Monteverde Invincia sports such a design, though we doubt it is real carbon fiber for the price it originally sold at. Our preowned pen looks good with only minor wear from use. You will write a smooth, fine, dry line with its steel nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Includes a standard international converter. 13.9cm capped.

Starting in the 1950s, Sheaffer began making cartridge-only pens with disposable plastic cartridges. Our Sheaffer Lady Skripsert was one such pen. It is quite attractive in its black-and-gold Tulle design. The cap and barrel only show a little wear from use, which is pretty good for a purse pen. The section shows more wear, and the nib is missing a fair amount of its gold plating. Click the headline for close-ups to see the extra-fine nib is just tweaked a little out of line. You'll write a very sharp extra-fine line with some scratch. The inkfeed seems a little out of alignment, and we couldn't slip it back into place without causing more damage. Sheaffer discontinued the slender cartridges for this pen, but the woman we got this from found a way to rig a standard international cartridge to fit. We left it in the pen as a demonstration to be reused. 13.7cm capped.

Black with platinum-plated trim...or is it rhodium plating...always looks sharp on a luxury pen. Our preowned luxury pen is a Pelikan Ductus. These handsome beauties were only made for a short while. For Pelikan aficionados it is an 800-size pen. Click the headline for a close-up of the unique design of its 18k gold nib. It is marked "B" for broad, but when we tested it, we thought it felt more like a buttery smooth medium with a little line variation. Also unique to this pen is that it is cartridge only. Unscrew the blind cap in the tail to reveal a cartridge carriage that hold two standard international size cartridges...no converters. The cap logo is a frosted, silvery mama pelican with one chick. 14.3cm capped.

Golden Walnut wood makes for a very handsome version of the Conklin All American. Conklin describes the accents as rose gold, but we think they look more like copper. Either way, it looks great. No scratches or cracks. Numbered 318 of 1898. It comes with its original boxes and heavily stained--but working--converter. Click the headline for a close-up. Its steel nib has a blackening that is slightly scratched. It is marked as a flexible nib, but it is a pretty stiff flex-er. You can get a fine to 1mm line out of it, but it is a little on the scratchy side. 14.5cm capped.

Few cheap pens really impress us much, but our Parker Reflex definitely surprised us. We found its steel nib to be a very smooth fine-point writer. The wider rubberized grip made for easy holding and writing, too. The 1990s successor to the Parker Vector, this pen is in great condition with minimal wear. It takes Parker cartridges or converters, but it comes with neither. Ya can't beat the price, though. 14.1cm capped.

Conway Stewart scored a monster hit during the company's revival with the Conway Stewart Churchill fountain pen. This massive pen paying tribute to one of the United Kingdom's greatest leaders is a handsome writing instrument that is unforgettable. Ours is in a color pattern called "Quartz White." It comes with a box and working (nonoriginal) standard international converter. You will write a dry, extra fine line with its two-tone 18k gold nib. There is a little feedback, but not much. Click the headline for close-ups. The accents around the pen are solid sterling silver. 14.5cm capped.

Sheaffer Preludes remain a popular modern Sheaffer. This one shows a bit of wear, but it is still in good working order. It comes with its original box and papers. Also included is its original aerometric-style, squeeze-bar converter. The nice thing about it is that modern Sheaffer cartridges and converters still fit. You will write a nice fine line with a little feedback. It is a steel nib that is marked medium, but we tested it and feel it is more of a fine. The lining of the box has come unglued, as you can see the photo. 13.3cm capped.

Sailor seems to be one of the few modern fountain pen brands to be actively promoting its alternative nibs. This Sailor 1911 comes with a delightful 14k gold "MS" nib. That stands for "music nib" It is a juicy writer that has some line variation. It is smooth, too. Minimal wear can be seen on this yellow-and-black beauty. Sailor makes 1911s in multiple sizes. This is one of the smaller sizes, but we aren't sure which one. Please note the measurement below. Included with the pen is its proprietary converter. 13.5cm capped.