Fountain Pens with Nib Size: XF

Perfection isn't easy to come by in the world of vintage pens, but this Parker Vacumatic Debutante set in azure pearl comes pretty damned close. Click the link for close-ups. A double-jewel pen from 1940, its barrel has nearly perfect barrel transparency. Its filler has been restored with a fresh diaphragm. Minimal wear blemishes the gleaming cap and barrel. No cracks. No tarnish. Its original 2-tone 14k gold nib is losing some of its silvery tone, but it writes a very nice, reasonably smooth extra-fine line. Take a closer look at the writing on the aluminum filler! The matching pencil is as perfect in good working order. No eraser or spare leads, but a lead is loaded into the tip. Includes a stellar but not perfect clam-shell box. Pen measures 12cm capped.

Growing through the cap and barrel are vines and flowers etched in sterling silver on this Wahl #2 Ringtop fountain pen. Originally designed to be carried on a necklace or watch fob, this is a very handsome vintage pen. Kissed with a dimple next to "Wahl Pen" on the top band of the cap, there is only minor scratching and scuffing on the rest of the pen--except for a ring of wear where the lip of the cap rests against the barrel. We restored it with a new ink sac. As much as we'd love to tell you it is flexi to write with...it isn't. The #2 14k gold nib writes an extra-fine line. Technically, you can push it a little broader, but this isn't even really a semi-flex nib. 9.5cm capped.

Who said oversized pens need to cost a fortune. Wearever pens were third-tier pens that were the most produced pens on the market. Inexpensive dime-store pens, they were top sellers, in spite of their lack of quality control. We like the green striping of the cap and barrel. Unfortunately, the weak plating of gold has come off the clip and lever. The nib likely is not original. It is a golden alloy, and it writes a firm, extra-fine line with feedback. We restored the pen with a new ink sac. 13.3cm capped.

Golden trim on a green marbled finish looks quite stately. We don't know who made this unbranded pen, but it is a handsome preowned pen. Made of metal, it is far more durable than many luxury pens. It fills with standard international cartridges and converters. It comes with a cartridge but no converter. You'll write a dry, extra-fine to fine line with a little feedback. 15.1cm capped.

Small but mighty, this Sheaffer Lifetime Balance is a great little daily writer. Shorter than the standard and oversized models, you'll still enjoy a 14k gold nib that writes an extra-fine line with a hint of feedback. Fully restored, we placed a new ink sac in the pen. A couple battle scars mean it was well used by its original owner, but the overall look remains a nice, sleek black. You can feel the lever's ring assembly around the middle of the barrel as a slight upraised disfiguration. Really good yellow-green clarity in the ink-viewing window. 12.1cm capped.

Are you into extra fine lines? I mean really extra fine? Then the Esterbrook SJ with a steel upgrade 9550 nib might be the vintage pen for you! It has a little feedback, but if you're into extra-fines, you are used to it. We love the ruby red finish that looks like a freshly licked cherry lollipop. No cracks, no engravings. Light wear from use. It has a fresh ink sac. The only thing about the pen that is a little off is that the cap is pretty tight to get on and off. The matching pencil is in good working order, and the black-plastic top jewel is a rarer dimple design. Pen measures 12cm capped.

Experience the smoothness of the ultimate upgrade nib in the Esterbrook line: the 9000 series nibs. Our Esterbrook SJ fountain pen comes with a very smooth extra-fine steel nib numbered 9461. The best part about these nibs is that they easily unscrew and can be replaced with at least three dozen other point sizes! We restored this pen with a fresh ink sac. No cracks, clean imprint, light wear from use. Double jewels are intact. Come complete with a matching pencil. You click the tail cap to advance the lead. Sadly, the pencil saw the damage of someone removing a name from the barrel. Pencil works well. Pen measures 12cm capped.

Few brands can claim to have taught an entire generation of Americans to write with a fountain pen, but Esterbrook J-series pens can make that boast. Millions of teens in the 1950s were required to use Esterbrook pens in their high schools, shorthand classes and journalism schools. Handsome, affordable and easily customized these were insanely popular pens. The nibs simply unscrewed and had dozens of affordable point-size replacements. We restored this Esterbrook J-model pen with a new ink sac. No cracks mar the cap or barrel. Minimal wear can be found. Its steel 2556 nib was considered an upgrade nib. You will find it is a firm extra-fine writer with a little feedback. Click the headline for a close-up. Its matching pencil is an early clicker in just about as good a condition. It still works and comes with spare leads. The pencil has a dimple jewel. Pen measures 12.7cm capped.