5 Starter Fountain Pens Under $5 -- Review and Drawing Test!

[@balobreached]

Usually when I can’t get a pen working, I put the cap on and let gravity do its work by swinging the pen with my entire arm in a pendulum motion as if I just turned into a clock. When I feel like all the blood has gone to my fingers, that’s how I know the ink has gone to the pen nib.

[@lexihauer9857]

I also do this. I do it in more of a flicking motion. That always works for me in any pens.

[@OldGregg79]

This is what I call “the sauce bottle centrifuge.” Near-empty ketchup bottles get the same treatment.

[@AA-yw7dr]

@@OldGregg79 my 10 iq brain has been fried

[@husseinthorii7376]

just dip nib into water or ink and you'll break the capillarity forces

[@Dicen_Delirio]

I-

[@cferracini]

A note about fountain pens: you are not supposed to squeeze the cartridge flooding the feed (because you may break the cartridge or have an explosion of ink). You are supposed to cap it and leave it tip down (with the cap on, protecting the nib) for a while so the ink may flow down taking its time to go into the feed. Preppy is still my favorite.

[@tinglestingles]

M on the nib means Marsupial not Medium.

[@angelc324]

Lol

[@xanderbosh98]

"im not trying to ink shame you" one of the best jokes you've made so far

[@Antigen__]

9:14 "should've read the destructions"

[@Zay878]

Yes xD

[@randomfantods]

When you said "feelings matter" I felt that.

[@brekynking4190]

Honestly though...

[@archivist17]

Pilot Petit was my gateway to the magical world of FP...

[@lonelyzebra7865]

The Perfect Pilot Petit Pocket Pen?! Positively paramount for practical personal progress - PERIOD! 🙃

[@r__9_1____a34]

I got the varsity at the store for my first one, I got a jinhao and a wing sung now

[@paulherman5822]

FYI, there's several videos out there about converting the Pilot Varsity to an eyedropper fill. They are marketed as disposable, but they do refill, if you're interested. While my tastes in fountain pens runs to vintage Esterbrook lever fill pens, I have about 40 different fountain pens from China that are in the same price range as the pens in this video, and I've been happy with the majority of them. (Except for the Hero 616...) There's a lot of options out there in an affordable, starter price range, and it's nice to see some of them that I don't have. Thanks!

[@taterinx]

Holy crap, it's so bizarre yet exciting how you've reached 900k subs. I remember you from your 100-200k days. Despite that, your art has never ceased to fascinate me! Keep it up, dude, much love

[@ianthewizard7924]

same, I miss his long hair

[@nicodianime]

He's close to his next milestone now!

[@ViiKing_]

Just keep doing these videos, they are a perfect background noise for studying, there is nothing that gets my patience for school up like your videos and random thoughts, it's like having a chattering brain but without taking processing power from your own brain to do the thinking. Was that readable at all?

[@Xoid97]

In french : Petite = small when talking about feminin subject (ex: Small car = petite voiture) Petit = small when talking about masculin subject (ex: Small truck = petit camion)

[@kims5512]

Remember your descriptor goes after the noun.

[@manon5223]

@@kims5512 not necessarily! you can say "c'est une petite voiture" or "la voiture est petite" source : i'm french

[@Donlad03]

I think the best way to help Peter is to say you don't enunciate the last "t" when masculine, because I loved his pronunciation when finding out there was no "e".

[@spitgorge2021]

is there any particular reason most european languages feel the need to pointlessly gender things

[@sebastiansanchez8752]

@@Donlad03 yep important to note the pronunciation the t is silent in the masculine form

[@PixelMaker04]

I have the first Zebra fountain pen you looked at and it is one of the few cheaper ones I have that has not had an issue with ink flow. Even after a month or so of not using it, it's still working just fine.

[@ArtistWizardry]

Yeah, I have a lot of favorite inks. I have bright and muted colors, shading, multicolor shading, shimmering (glitter), sheening, and ink that both shimmers and sheen, iron galls, pigmented...Love, love, love my inks!! I have one black ink, Platinum Carbon Black.

[@Princesskerji]

i don’t even know how to draw (i’m too scared to start) but man do i enjoy ur videos. also ur voice is so relaxing sometimes i just watch ur videos like asmr to fall asleep (hehe especially the draw ur feelings ones)

[@ArtistWizardry]

I think Zebra chose Zebra because the Zebra has lines.

[@recoveringsoul755]

he should draw a zebra

[@archivist17]

The Pilot Petit (pronounced p'tee) 1 seems to only come with a Fine nib, and the VPen (which I think is roughly the same as a Varsity) comes with a Medium. But the nibs are interchangeable, and so are the feeds (if you don't mind that the Petit feed has an extra piece for piercing cartridges). So I swapped mine, and have an eyedroppered Petit with a medium nib, which I use with my diary. The Petit barrel threads aren't sharp, but they are deep, so a slather of silicon grease does the trick nicely. But there's no harm in adding an o-ring if you like. Overall, any of these pens is pretty capable, though, and the whole package is a great idea from Jetpens.

[@caburg93]

I store my pens nib down for around 5 minutes (sometimes overnight ;) until gravity does its job getting the ink into the feed ;) I prefer converters because the ink is drawn thru the feed to fill the converter. If the pen dries out, dunk the nib/feed in warm water, then hold the nib against a paper towel to help get the ink flowing.

[@splittergmod]

Peter, you bring happiness into my dull days.

[@Danny.._]

if you convert a petit or preppy into an eyedropper pen, you usually add an o-ring yourself or put grease in the threads (or both) to make sure the ink doesn't leak out. goulet pens sells the grease and o-rings on their website, and i'm sure there are plenty of other places to get them too

[@CJ-kx7yy]

personally if i had to recommend a good cheap starter pen, the jinhao shark and swan pens are pretty good, i get mine for like £2.99 online.

[@BigHenFor]

Not really. The weak spot is the barrel - the plastic is just too weak. The pen's shape is comfortable to use for long periods but they're just not durable. I bought five and they all broke.

[@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess]

X750, good quality and has a #6 nib (which means you can swap for zebra G) I have the metal body and 2 black ones, I swapped the nib for a zebra flex nib (like those in mangaka dip pens), lovely pen for art and drawing

[@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess]

X750, good quality and has a #6 nib (which means you can swap for zebra G) I have the metal body and 2 black ones, I swapped the nib for a zebra flex nib (like those in mangaka dip pens), lovely pen for art and drawing

[@ola_bandola]

It’s been a while since a nature review. I really enjoy those. Also the Peter cooks are always helpful for the brave hearted chefs 😊

[@Ottersauce]

Oh my gosh I jsut got this fountain pen starter kit yesterday. I love all the pens! It's so cool to see you draw with those pens just on a whim

[@eggseventy4905]

I love how you're branching into music more these days, it's neat

[@tviso9539]

That intro send me to a whole different dimension. I love it.

[@RealmsOfThePossible]

Peter, I really cannot hold on much longer...I need to know how your lint collection is going...please tell me!!

[@SanchezOKelly]

What I usually do on hard to start cartridges is run the tip of the pen under water. Then I put it nib down onto a towel, using something to prop it up.It'll use the water to pull the ink from the cartridge into the towel.

[@stephuhhkneee]

you’re super talented peter, thank you for posting 🥺

[@archangelmichael5908]

9:13 the destructions

[@emlynclarke4109]

love your drawings their always detailed and seem like you need a lot of patience to do

[@lgmatt86]

Dude, what you said about not being able to sleep unless you have a glass of water next to your bed, is spot on!

[@afrog2666]

Always have a water bottle, tipped one glass to many half asleep 😂

[@ichirofakename]

When I put in a new cartridge or eyedrop in some ink, I close the pen and put it nib down in a cup for ten minutes. So the ink can pool in the feed. Then it writes. No fussing necessary.

[@sebastiansanchez8752]

Don't know anything about pens but I am going to guess it's called zebra because of writing with black ink on white paper

[@lonelyzebra7865]

In today's episode... Peter plays with a Perfect Pilot Petit Pocket Pen! Thanks for all your wonderful o-PEN-ions, Peter! 👍

[@LolaElenaDisco]

That made me laugh hahaha

[@rill9000]

The zebra fuente was my first daily FP and I still use them. Just a solid pen that doesnt skip and writes nice. I am a maintenance worker so its great to have a fountain pen that I dont have to worry about losing or breaking

[@ZacVaper]

Thanks Peter, really enjoy the reviews. It takes a little doing but you can remove the nib and feed to Refill a Pilot Varsity Fountain Pen. Re-installing the feed til it clicks in, is also a little hard, but doable.

[@kristyhilt7317]

I had the same problem with the Zebra V-301 as you did. I purchased mine at Walgreens drugstore.

[@joeblankenship377]

I bought one off Amazon and I wish I hadn't ignored all the bad reviews. I just wanted to collect all the steel Zebra pens, but that one, ugh, they need to pull it off the market. It's garbage.

[@BRUXXUS]

I always value your openion.

[@classicaldeb]

My first pen was Shaeffer and went on for years! Always gave me grief with not writing every time. Perhaps I needed to know how to clean the nibs! Yeah, that's the ticket. Ugh!

[@hchcoloring]

I bought the Zebra V-301 a few days ago and had the same problems. Thought about just throwing it away and saying F it to the whole fountain pen thing. But I am stubborn & searched on YT. Finally found that removing the ink cartridge and flushing the plastic feed and nib part under running water for a minute or so did the trick. Ink started flowing after that and has worked perfectly ever since. Now I really love this pen--I like to doodle with it in a sketchbook and love the lines it makes.

[@melainekerfaou8418]

Late to the discussion but you *can* refill the pilot varsity: gently pull out the nib then the feed with a pair of small pliers and a tissue for avoiding scratches. It takes a bit of force but the feed clicks right out. Then refill as an eyedropper - leave space for the feed to avoid splashes when forcing it back in (again, force until audible click). I have a few of them that I have refilled at least three times each. I love the nib, which even has some line variation.

[@kennypalmer3889]

I really like this drawing Peter! So much more perception in this one with your choice of words, faces, objects, etc. It literally goes beyond words... I think you should do more of this when your mindset allows you to and when you have a clear vision to bring to life! So much said with such few words in such a simple genius idea of portrayal and creativity. Keep it up!

[@blandiplays6984]

13:08 Peter: “I like ya cut, g” *smacks nib*

[@kris-chan1440]

I cant thank you enough for calling your other channel peter Peter Peter. Also the way you said it, the cadence as if it was an unsure suggestion was comedic gold

[@repeat_defender]

You gotta let gravity pull the ink into the feeds, homie. Just put ‘em nib-down for a few minutes, some are more finicky than others, that one might just suck. Squeezing the ink into them that much might make it leak. The Pilot Varsity doesn’t come apart, but there’s a ton of ink in it because instead of a little cartridge the whole barrel is full of ink so it’ll last a lot longer. Happy drawing!

[@beez1598]

The zebra is super odd. It uses a wick to feed the nib instead of a standard feed. That initial cartridge takes ages to saturate the wick. Even then its finicky. I even bought a second one same thing. Not worth the frustration

[@repeat_defender]

@@beez1598 that’s super weird. I’ve always liked the look of that ballpoint pen, I had no idea they made a fountain version of it. I like your name, it’s fun next to mine 😄

[@Hugoderpugo]

I really like that you incorporate more text and faces in your drawings.

[@smirkingdevil]

Just a note about the Zebra V-301: I use an alcohol prep pad to clean the nib before inserting the ink cartridge. After inserting, I put the assembly on its cap end and let gravity pull the ink to the tip. If you look at the insert point before connecting the ink cartridge, you will see the pristine white material that sucks up the ink within a couple of minutes.

[@drea1985]

I love how peter starts his video just viben out. "Where all your dreams and fears come true." Lol That first disfunctional pen was my worst nightmare stop playin with me 😆

[@Philtho]

I've bought quite a few fountain pens in the lower end range and far and away my favorite is the Muji aluminum fine tip. The feel is so nice in the hand, the nib is so smooth on the paper, and it just looks slick as heck. I know you've pimped it a few times, but it really is the "one" fountain pen for me. I'll have it with me in my coffin. It's like $20 on Amazon. Everyone should try it.

[@peter_draws]

I'm also very happy with the Muji fountain pen :)

[@sommmathechamp5801]

13:07 Peter:**I LIKE YA CUT G**

[@stevesloan5935]

I like the drawing; the faces and people came out really nice, including the "mech body". I also enjoyed the "bedtime story"...same for me on waking back up!

[@generalkenobi880]

"Okay. Hello, and welcome everyone. My name is 🅱️ e t e r..."

[@cvbabc]

Get lost General Kenobi, you failed us all ignoring the prophecy and training that boy!

[@drea1985]

I mean there was already some dark stuff going on. Anakin just made it worst.

[@cvbabc]

@@drea1985 Poppycock, don't be an enabler. Anakin tipped the scales in favor of the dark side and three more shitty movies.

[@Gothikah]

I always wanted to have a good cooperate fountain pen. And so I bought myself a Lamy fountain pen with reusable cartridge. And it works EVERY time I use it. It was worth the extra $$$. I mean, it's still cheap enough in my opinion. It quickly became my favourite

[@joeblankenship377]

Try the TWSBI Eco next. It's great.

[@alisonmaczka7359]

@@joeblankenship377 Have you used the diamond yet? Asking because I was looking at the Eco but ended up going with a TWSBI diamond.

[@Yuzuki1337]

@@joeblankenship377 Thanks for reminding me that I ordered one two years ago and it never arrived :(

[@ArtistWizardry]

I enjoy inexpensive fountain pens but now mainly buy PenBBS. I love their colorful or clear, semi clear acrylic bodies most of which I enjoy as eyedropper pens. I love their innovative designs like the magnet fill of the 487, the vacuum fill of the 456, or the spring piston of the 500. Really great pens by PenBBS and very collectable. For inexpensive pens I actually really like the Wingsung 3003. You can get a set of 5 in different colors for less than $10 on eBay. The nib is EF (extra fine) and writes great. I've even transformed some to eyedroppers...but keep eyedropper fairly full of ink on these.

[@jodyforter7439]

I am a lover of fountain pens. When I found the pilot varsity black medium, never used a different fountain pen. Cheapest. Always writes immediately. Great flow. No leaks. No messes. Simple use to last word, throw away and grab another. I but two boxes at a time. Yes, I’ve stopped collecting all things fountain pens. Put the rest in a nice box, in the garage.

[@sixgilled]

Love the music at the start. Thanks Peter!

[@wingsofthemagpie]

I wish i had the confidence to just take s pen to paper and draw these kinds of masterpieces. Incredible to watch.

[@HollywoodColt]

One of my favorite fountain pens is the MUJI and it's thanks to you Peter!!!!!

[@jesseobrien8471]

You are such a dear. Thank you for all you do. Zebra fountain pen is my choice when I write. You are fun!

[@knowbuddy0]

There is a way to refill the pilot varsity. It takes a bit a pressure you can open it up and refill it with ink. You should give a try Peter. Just the pull the tip/nib and I believe I very slightly twisted, then pulled at the same time. It will pull out the ink catch and all then just refill with some ink and slide the ink catch/nib back in. Also the zebra 301 works pretty well when they actually work. But I have had ones that were prefft finicky. But when it works it worked pretty well. I used it as one of my main pens for work stuff and doodling for a brief period. That's why I preferred the zebra thoug they are always on point and very satisfying flow. But I have noticed sometimes it does have periods where the flow doesnt seem as good. I'm still on the search for a good one I'll have to give the petit1 a shot.

[@tinglestingles]

I'd like to see a drawing using the smallest ISOGRAPH nib -- very detailed and intricate.

[@TheSouthernExperience]

I just bought 2 of the V301. Wrecked the first nib attempting to get it right. The second I figured out that you have to work the pen holding it backwards to what you would normally hold. So the nib faces down instead of out.

[@karma13612]

I have the Pilot Petite 1 with Sepia ink. Love it for journaling. Have had if for years and it still works fine. Got 2 or 3 refill cartridges with it. I keep a carbon black ink in my Preppy. Love it.

[@waylonthatcher8593]

peter I gotta say i love the new place and the same old awesome content

[@linden5165]

Openions. I only ever bought one cheap fountain pen - a Jinhao knockoff of a Lamy Safari. The plastic cracked and the nib is light weight, scratchy in a bad way and the ink doesn't flow well. It really put me off cheap pens. That Petit Pilot looks pretty nice.

[@itsaDean]

You can also try 'the flick' to get a pen working. Put the cap on and give it a couple of flicks toward the nib

[@Nevronix]

Very epic Peter!

[@ryanflannery2556]

You should do a podcast because you just have one of those voices that I could sit and listen to you talk about honestly anything and I would be intrigued especially just talking about life and relatable things or just talking about art

[@septimiusthedestroyer7394]

He does a podcast on KZbin

[@kimlindsey5178]

I just bought a Jinhao pen (per your comment on how you like the maker) . It took me forever to get it started. I was putting it back in the bag to return when it started working. I do like the pen.

[@justinzaharko7735]

Hello Peter! I just heard of you and saw your work today im so impressed my friend! Please keep up the wonderful path into your imagination for all of us! Much love!

[@mouselander]

My absolute favorite cheap fountain pen is the Charlie that came free when I bought Noodler’s 130 ml Black Eel (got a free rollerball too!) Thanks for the mention - I’m the one on Instagram who refills Varsity Pens ✌🏾♥️

[@cuthalion4281]

I want to like my Charlie (got it with a bottle of Heart of Darkness), but no amount of adjusting or readjusting the nib and feed could get it to stop putting down a line of ink so thick and wet it bled through most of my papers and dripped everywhere at the slightest bump. Maybe I just got a bad one. I have an Ahab that works perfectly. Best cheap pen I have (under $10) is a Jinhao 51; it works well (though I had to replace the cheap converter that came with it), its nib is smooth, and it has a classic design similar to the vintage Parker "51".

[@thewarmedic2330]

All Noodler’s are insanely amazing quality. One of the best pen brand in my opinion.

[@TheAlternati0n]

a Pen Podcast would be interesting. I use some of your longer format videos as a drawing companion anyway. Your train of thought is really the appeal of your channel imo

[@picolascage7762]

Hooded nibs usually have a hard flow (at least in my observation) when I had one of my very first pens it was a hooded nib, I could never get it to start and it at least took a full day or two until I was able to get the ink flowing. Pens like that usually have a slightly different structured nib AND feed in my hypothesis. Because years later in the present time, my cheap Jinhao hooded pen finally broke (it was a sad day) and I took it apart to see what was the cause. Wasn't hard to find that the threads at the front part of the pen broken, and unable to be screwed back to the body of the pen (losing it's casing). Leaving the pen useless. When I took apart the nib and feed, I noticed that the pen had an unusual feed. Not only was the nib encased in a plastic 'hood,' but the feed itself was covered in a plastic casing (to feed your imagination, the feed looked basically like a solid black cylinder, with the feed on the inside of this plastic casing). I think this specific structure made it a bit more difficult for ink to flow through and the capilliary action to be activated because the only path the ink has to the feed, then to the nib, is the small little post which meant a lil hole, making the ink flow naturally without forcing it by squeezing or pumping in ink to the feed manually would probably result to a very slow starting pen. But that's just my guess. I've only had two hooded fountain pens, and the second one is my holy grail that never dries up and has never gave me any issues. (I should include that before recovering my grail pen, I had to thoroughly soak it in water for half a day then dry it. Which might've helped). May you all have great fountain pen experiences in the near future ✒❤💕

[@Dan-zd9iy]

idk why, but i REALLYYYYYYY like the thumbnail. its perfect.

[@letsilluminatihd9987]

Usually you wanna a pen to work right after you bought it. My Lamy pens scratching the paper real badly but after a year of writing they finally work. No scratch no ink problems but behold after 3-4 years your cap is getting loose so you have to buy another one scratching for a while until it’s fine again

[@ll8614]

I enjoyed your talk at the end. Hope it gets better. Thank you for the cool video! 😊

[@Petemejia77]

Have you tried the ooly fountain pen? You can get it at Books-a-mill and it's a little over $3. It has a satisfying click when putting cap back on! (Not endorsed by them )

[@cawschwarzraben359]

Re the disposable pens, once the ink is gone you can drill a hole at the top of the pen, then use a syringe (available from Goulet Pens) to fill with ink of choice. Finally, cover the small hole with a bit of hot glue to seal. Voila.

[@inrynevarez5073]

Peter dropping them beats

[@johngrubb007]

I have numerous Platinums and all of them required a flush before inking to get them writing really well. All were the same from my Preppy all the up to the Procyon. For you Pilot Varsity, there are tons of videos on how to refill them.

[@Blissfulsounds123]

I'd love to see you continue the accordion sketchbook

[@jimaforwood743]

It’s mr Muji here. Peter you are a star!

[@kluks1]

i haven't used fountain pens for over 20 years, this makes me want to try these types of pens again instead of fineliners

[@whatsgoingonwhy9096]

You can refill the pilot varsity pretty easily. I like them because if i take it out and lose it I won't have a mental breakdown for losing something I spent a lot of money on or was passed down in my family. I just refilled one with 2ml of pilot iroshizuku kon peki which works well in the pen, but Im pretty sure the 2ml of ink costs more than the whole pen new. You can find youtube videos on how to refill them. They will hold around 2ml of ink which is a lot compared to most cartridge converters.

[@DanielPierce]

The Zebra 301 used to use a regular plastic feed, I still have that version from years ago, it writes really well, the new version with the wick feed apparently sucks.

[@prettylikethemoon]

I miss “drawing your feelings (a calm guide)” if you did more of those I would be delighted dear sir

[@christineingram55]

Love tonight’s drawing..fancy rhe first pen not working,on camera too lol..The secret of getting a good sleep is to stop thinking about too much,you have to calm your mind down..A few mins watching telly sends me off lol so boring ....Stay safe and look after yourself love 😀

[@kaitokaitoV1]

i LOVE my platinum preppys, they come in such fun colors!!! very very nice for a beginner fountain pen user like me (i am usually more into dip pens)

[@goosemcsausagejr4471]

Best intro ever! 😆👍

[@samdavepollard]

just got my hands on the platinum preppy after watching this video i've tried drawing with fountain pens before but never had much success - poor/scratchy ink flow, no line variation but the preppy is great i particularly like the way you can get an even finer line by turning the pen over and using the 'back' of the nib will probably buy a number of these, with converters, and fill them with black/blue/red/green bottled ink seems like i've just found my new fav drawing tool thanks for the video, Peter - would never have tried the preppy otherwise

[@LolaElenaDisco]

You are so punny!!!!! I love your commentaries and you always make me laugh! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful mind ❤️

[@SundayVlogger]

Would love more Peter Reads, check out "Trout Fishing in America" by Richard Brautigan, and if you like it as much as I think you will maybe you could read us a passage

[@yakmartin5429]

I don't know you but I love you for this comment. That book is sheer bliss. 🧸💕🦠🔨

[@rebeccawhite2582]

Ok, I really do love that book. Read it about 30 years ago.

[@You-dont-get-to-know-1001]

Peter. I really hope you don’t mind me watching most of your videos over these past and next couple of days.

[@jericojopio1713]

By the way, you can place the fountain pen tip-down after filling it with ink or inserting the ink cartridge. The tip-down position allows the fountain pen to saturate its feed and nib section with ink through gravity, and it should be okay after a few minutes.😊😉

[@abhabh6896]

24:46 same, I too would like to have that kind of a pen top bond with....

[@christianmcdannell1837]

Hey peter I gotta do school but imma watch this later. Wanted to let you know I love the intro tho.

[@jonathanfox3285]

Parker was my favorite pen maker. I bought a 1941 classic that is amazing.

[@65sunnyday]

Just went & ordered this set of pens. Thank you!

[@peter_draws]

Let me know how they work out for you!

[@gravit8]

I think there are some people who have a glass of water next to them without having the trouble to walk all the way to the kitchen to get it because one is still sleepy. I stay in sleep mode better that way, but if more time pass while I'm up, I will start to wake up. Also there is a way (a hack) to refill the Pilot Varsity so you don't worry about adding to the landfill with plastics. It would be a "pendemonium". Have a good night :)

[@BeckyTregear]

Reading the destructions first would be far too easy and logical! 😂

[@drea1985]

It's 1:28am here I work nights so I've become a bit nocturnal. I watch your videos in half so I could do other things before going to bed and I was listening to the second half and literally what you where speaking of I was actually doing lol... Okay good night 😪