Amazon Basics Refillable Fountain Pen, Medium Point, Brass Barrel, Black Ink

Product Information

To earn the top overall spot, we chose a pen that is a demonstrated hit with customers, having a smooth glide while also being easy on the environment and affordable. Conscience Concepts Cork Retractable Ballpoint Pens are a great choice to get you started using eco-friendly pens in your home, office, school or just about anywhere else. To accomplish this feat over the years, ink manufacturers have used a wide variety of chemicals. These chemicals could be pigments that make the lasting color, carriers that keep the pigment in a liquid flowing form, and additives that serve a function like prolonging shelf-life or preventing clumping. Most big-name pen companies sell converters specifically designed to fit their fountain pens. Some brands’ converters – such as Faber-Castell – fit many pen makes. Be sure to read the product description and converter specifications to see if it works with your fountain pen.

Some manufacturers have tried to improve their environmental efforts by making new lines of pens from recycled materials. Although not fully sustainable, they’re an improvement over the majority of pens on the market. A refillable pen cuts down on waste because when your pen runs out of ink, you only need to discard and replace the inside of the pen—usually the plastic part that holds the ink that connects to the tip. Compared to a traditional disposable plastic pen, refillable pens reduce waste by about 50%. There are a lot of refillable ballpoint pens on the market and they’ve been around for decades. Perhaps the main thing to consider is whether the pen accepts universal refills made by other companies or if they only accept refills from the original manufacturer. If the refill must be specific to the manufacturer, then choose a manufacturer that is likely to be around with refills that are widely available in the future when you need to buy them. Modern fountain pens also have an easy filling system allowing you to draw ink up into the pen by submerging the nib and turning the barrel. With 5,500 participating locations in the US, there may even be a drop-off point at your local OfficeMax, Staples, public library, or school. And if there’s not, you could be the person to start one. Let’s look at some of the best options for zero waste pens. You can read more about why these pens have been chosen below.

The Major Parts of the Fountain Pen

Eco-friendly pens and eco pencils are an essential when it comes to eco stationery! Let's be honest we use them all the time at home, work, at school or even when out and about.

It is important to keep your pen cap on when you are not using it. Since the ink often has water in it, the ink in the nib can dry if left exposed to air and will not write when you go to use it next.Fountain pens are a top choice when considering the environment because they could theoretically last a lifetime, but they are also more expensive and require one to handle bottled ink. Most definitely! Though it will take a little bit of getting used to. How you hold the pen and where you position your writing hand will be much more critical for a lefty. Standard holds may cause the hand to drag through the wet ink and smear. Ink converters work either with a piston (where you twist the knob at the top drawing ink into the reservoir) or as a rubber tube (where you squeeze the air out of the reservoir, place it in the fountain pen ink, and then release it to draw the ink in through air pressure).

Remove the nib of the pen from the bottle, reassemble the barrel of the pen, and your pen is ready for use. A graduate of Regent University with a degree in English Literature and a special interest in Old Norse literature, dive deeper into Sam's world and discover why she's your trusted guide in the realm of gift pens. More and more cities and states are passing legislation to ban plastic bags and straws, but rarely do we think about the impact of the ink pen. Most of us own too many of them, even if it feels like you can never find one when you need it. Almost none of those pens are recyclable because they’re made of a combination of different types of plastic, metal, and ink. A large portion of them will end up in the landfill…and in that weird place in your car that is just out of reach. The ones that don’t make it to the landfill will eventually become part of the microplastics problem, polluting our oceans and land. Fountain pen ink bottles themselves also function as stylish collector’s items. Visconti has a patented bottle shape that is unique in design and practical, the shape ensuring every last drop of ink can be used. Fountain pen nibs need much less pressure to write than a ballpoint pen since they have liquid ink. Just moving the tip evenly across the paper should yield the best results.How you store your fountain pen will largely come down to how much you use it. All in all, the best way is to store it laying flat. This allows the ink to stay wet in the nib without excess ink pooling in the cap. Learn More: How To Store a Fountain Pen Properly

Most likely no. Modern fountain pens are normally ready-to-go once they've been loaded with ink. Can I take my fountain pen on an airplane? You can find a variety of sizes for the point from extra fine to double broad. Each size serves its own purpose, but a fine or medium nib are great sized for beginners. Here are some questions and problems you may come across now that you are entering the fancy world of those who write with fountain pens. Can a Left-handed person use a fountain pen? Before you go, please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts, questions, or fountain pen stories! Perfect for greetings cards or jazzing up notebooks, the Shimmertatic ink range from Diamine results from several years of research and development. Each ink contains gold or silver metallic particles to complement the ink colour, adding a satisfying shimmer to your handwriting.

The barrel of this pen is made from spongy cork bark that provides a no slip grip. Did you know that a cork tree is able to shed and regrow its bark causing no harm to the tree? It’s a great alternative to plastic. Cork is lightweight and feels comfortable in your hand. It’s also 100% compostable. The pigments themselves haven’t changed much over the years. When researching pigments, many focus on how long the pigments will last without fading or degrading.