1- These are brands that they don't carry, I don't think they'd do free advertisement for them 2- Literally all of these are corporate gifts factories that used tt be alright, but today? Irrelevant. They could all go out of buisness and the fountain pen hobby would literally not suffer
@@justindesrosiers3145 But the brands mentioned in the video should not depend on whether they carry them or don't. Montblanc, Parker and Faber-Castell aren't important today? In which universe do you live?
@@MaxTV_CCm12 The universe where they make the same black/gold corporate gifts with boring nibs plagued with Q/C issues. Graf Von has it’s own design style, but aside from that they’re plain Bock nibs, they’re uncomfortably heavy and unbalanced, and the materials are underwhelming for the price. Would much rather have something like a Justus 95 or a Falcon Metal than any Tamitio or Bentley. Also you’re watching… A retailer? Which makes videos about… The retailer? Again, free advertisement wouldn’t make sense. They’d much rather promote their own brands that they carry, which is totally fair. At least they don’t carry any of the legacy brands that only exists because buisnessmen posers want to buy a fountain pen just for the sake of buying a fountain pen, then leave it on their desk on a pen support and forget it there for a good 40 years. You’ll say « but that’s how vintage pens are found in good conditions all these years later! » Yeah it’s fun when it’s a Vacuumatic or a Snorkel. Back when they were actually competing against each other, trying to find the perfect materials and filling systems to make them as convenient to the customer as possible. But finding something like an Hémisphère? Really?! Another black/GT pen? Oh but this one is special it’s thinner than an Expert! Get outta here…
@@justindesrosiers3145 I now have Mont Blanc Boheme, Parker, Kaweco. I have used Pilot and Diplomat over the years as well. Mont Blanc Boheme is hands down the best fountain pen I have ever used. Not only it has the best feeling when writing with it, it is also the most impressive pen to use and to look at (with all the mechanisms and complexities it carries). So, yes, if other Mont Blancs are at least half as good as Boheme, then the brand should be there. Of all the rest, Kaweco is the best.
Inkvent calendar is a must. I just hope I can get one before they are completely sold out all over the world. What an amazing video Drew and the team. Thank you.🖋📝
Completely agree with you, Drew: Mnemosyne has become my absolute favorite paper. Their B7 flip pad is usually in my pocket; the paper just shows color and shading so well without excessive dry time.
Missed Mont Blanc and Parker it seems. Don;t know about the states but Mont Blanc is a famous brand in Europe and Parker are usually peoples first fountain pen.
1- These are brands that they don't carry, I don't think they'd do free advertisement for them 2- Literally all of these are corporate gifts factories that used tt be alright, but today? Irrelevant. They could all go out of buisness and the fountain pen hobby would literally not suffer
I've had a Lamy 2000 since the early 80's. I used it all the way through two university degrees. It was a bit fiddly compared to a Bic ballpoint, but I feel the attention it took helped me remember the material I was writing. I sent it in for servicing many years ago when it developed a leak. Unfortunately it was never quite right after that. And in those pre internet days good ink was increasingly hard to find as all the old school office supply stores went out of business. So I put it back in its box, and put that box in another box. It's around, but I couldn't find it without a lot of digging.
So I've been watching almost 2~4 videos/per day of your channel the last few days, getting back into fountain pens again. And this is hands down one of the most useful and entertaining ones! Coming from a European country, I'm used to writing with fountain pens since 1st year of Elementary school. At the time, I didn't have a clue whatsoever about brands, so I used no name pens I got on the streets (lol, literally trying out questionable sample products my father got at his workplace from pharmaceutical companies!). Later on, I tried for the first time the German ONLINE pens. Specifically their 'school fountain pens' which I really loved writing with, but now you made me want to try out a REAL brand with a converter so I can switch colors over time (and which seems like a much more durable and environment-friendly option to me on the long term, compared to cartridges). So I decided to try out for the first time the Lamy Al-Star and can't wait to get started with it!! Will probably upgrade to better paper too! ✨
I was thinking along that line - I would have liked him to clear up the fact that certain brands seem American, European, etc. but are in fact made elsewhere (China worst of all). Monteverde is especially deceptive with its Italian name.
I live in fountain pen free zone😒 town…lour only office max closed down…waterman only…w cartridges…I drive to next town to a 1938 stationary store…..found a pilot w squeeze refiller…oh joy…happy feet….got my granddaughters Lamys all around w ink…they love them…Goulet had a great review..and I trusted …got them at large Asian store in Seattle..
if anyone here has hypermobile ehlers danlos, arthritis, chronic hand pain, basically anything at the hand level that makes writing painful, try fountain pens! you dont have to press hard like with ballpoints and in my case (suspected hEDS) they totally help with my finger hyperextension and writing posture
Excellent overview...i am a fan of the esterbrook and have found the scrivener to be an excellent low cost brand. Want the urushi...i am now interested in the Namiki but wow the price
It's a confusing love - hate relationship with Goulet Pen Company videos. I hate watching them because then I see additional fountain pens I want to buy and love watching them because then I see additional fountain pens I want to buy so maybe it's a love - love relationship? Either way I'm not confused with the fact that I'll be buying new fountain pens because of these awesome videos. I wish everyone had the passion Drew and Brian have for all things fountain pens as to state what Sam Cooke sang, oh what a wonderful world this would be
All of these pens are great but I prefer to use some of the vintage brands with one of them being a Mont Blanc 320 in Bordeaux. Even though it is almost 40 years old, it writes with the crispness and ease of some of the newer brands of pens.
Well........... this is a wonderful video but entirely too much information for me as Im getting started. I have practiced feather pens. I write and go through pens like people go through bottles of water. Need a good fine nib pen, ink and paper for beginning. What would you suggest?
Good review of the brands mentioned but sadly lacking information on so many other brands. For a start where is Montblanc. Maybe offer a part 2 featuring all the brands you should have mentioned in the first episode !
I might! There were already so many to cover without going into brands that we don't carry in our store (like Montblanc). I stuck with brands that I felt qualified to speak about. - Drew
OMG! This needs a warning label “Just a Goulet Pen Co. COMMERCIAL”. Not much on the history of the pen companies, ink composition or paper design. Just 10 second statements that Goulet Pens have for sale. IMO a fail on what I expected from the title.
I agree. Brian and Drew are extremely helpful and educational. I find myself watching Brian's videos from 10 years ago and they are still relevant to me. More and more I tune in for the GPC videos several times a week 🤩 Thanks GPC for the inspiration and information!! 👍🏻
Such a fun overview!! It was a great introduction to brands that I haven’t tried yet, but I also found myself cheering when my favorite ones came up 😂 love these videos!
As a fountain pen novice (just purchased my first vanishing point recently, swoon) this was very informative! I think my next purchase will be a sailor. Loved this video!
I absolutely love your solo videos. I absolutely love Brian’s solo videos. When you two get together, however, I feel like I’m in a garage with “da boys”. Love you both. Love your company 💝
Aurora and Sailor rule! The only two brands on this list that I find indispensable in my life. I have every pen model that Aurora has ever made and sold since 1919. And Sailor remains my #1 from Japan. Conklin and Monteverde are brands that you promote and sell, but, in my experience, scarcely deserve any attention or anybody’s dollars wasted on buying their pens. I don’t much like Rhodia, but find Clairfontaine slightly better. Tomoe River trumps them both. The comparably pricey Graphilo is great, too. Taccia deserved a mention, if only because more people ought to be made aware of and encouraged to discover their many lovely pens and inks.
Probably one of the BEST videos ever from Goulet Pens. Second only to the two entry level (1 & 2) videos. And the 'Next Level' up videos. (I still go back and watch them) Excellent Drew. Concise, informative.
1- These are brands that they don't carry, I don't think they'd do free advertisement for them 2- Literally all of these are corporate gifts factories that used tt be alright, but today? Irrelevant. They could all go out of buisness and the fountain pen hobby would literally not suffer
@@jamesburton1050 Please. Tell me the difference between a Sheaffer 100, a Waterman Expert, a Waterman Hémisphère, a Cross Bailey and a Parker Sonnet Literally none. Slightly different design, some are resin some have brass. The rest? Copy/pasted. Literally the most plain and boring « mAdE iN hOuSe » steel nibs, all proprietary cartridges that are hard to find, literally no technology to make it more convenient to the user (click to post, inner cap, ink window, different fillers, etc…) all of that for the price of a Lamy Studio. If I’m gonna pick a boring looking brass pen might as well give it removable nibs and feeds so I can have fun switching them
1- These are brands that they don't carry, I don't think they'd do free advertisement for them 2- Literally all of these are corporate gifts factories that used tt be alright, but today? Irrelevant. They could all go out of buisness and the fountain pen hobby would literally not suffer
Can't believe & don't want to believe that fountain pen video could draw smile on my face in this broken heart period. Pls don't stop being u Drew ⚡️⭐️⚡️
Little embarrassed by how excited I got when you mentioned Australia! 💚💛. I also misheard you and thought you said Visconti came out with a Llama pen. They should come out with a Llama pen, but please don't make it out of basaltic Llama from the Mount Etna volcano.
I know you sell them, but claiming that anything owned by Yaffa has anything to do with the original brand besides the name they bought is a real stretch. Let alone claims of innovation. Otherwise a nice overview Drew.
What a wonderful overview! Will definitely be passing this along to friends who are newer to fountain pens and bewildered by the variety of options. Glad to see so many distinctive ink brands highlighted as well, if anything making choices in that area can be even more daunting than selecting a pen, and harder to advise someone else on because ink preference is *so* subjective. Colorverse has been my sentimental fave for awhile now because I love their space aesthetic and all their quirky little themed collections (the Joy in the Ordinary inks are sadly underappreciated!), but after picking up a bottle of Blushing Mushroom I think I may be in danger of falling down the Ferris Wheel Press rabbit hole as well 😂 And it's so true that there seems to be a 'perfect' Retro 51 for everyone. I've never been particularly interested in rollerballs, but once I found out the Stardust popper existed there was no way I was NOT going to get that unicorn pen 🦄 But although I'm thoroughly delighted by it and use it regularly, weirdly I'm happy with just having the one? It's a very strange experience for a serial collector 😅
You forgot one Major point that makes the twsbi functional over all others that I have used. It doesn't dry out after setting it down for a few moments. It also maintains ink in the reservoir over the long term if capped. I have pens that are many times more expensive that stay in the drawer because they are empty or dry when I want to use them. Just answering a phone call and not capping every other brand and it's clogged when I hang up the phone.
Yeah such an "iconic" brand that today only makes variations of a black//GT corporate gift pen in slightly different sizes and weight... Literally, the Carène is the only slightly excting pen, the rest is soooo forgettable...
Pelikan is on the list - though the others are not brands that we carry, and thus I don't know enough about their current state in the industry. I stuck with brands I could offer confident insight for. - Drew
Yes I was wondering the same thing. Missing are the mass market names or brands we grew up with and that were so accessible especially for beginners. Is it because you only want to sell high end expensive pens?
Not for a lack of trying, but Goulet does not sell Montblanc products... yet. Being a retailer, this is a list of products in their current inventory. Personally, I've wondered why they don't sell Parker. I think the Duofold would be a nice addition to the list.
@@JerryBearry Yes, I well know Goulet does not sell MB. I've been a huge fan of this site for years. However, Drew opened by talking about brands and their known reps. It was just the elephant in the room that maybe deserved a sentence. Maybe that's just me.
@@anthonynapolitano3232 I'm a big fan of the Goulet site as well. Too many other sellers just show a few stock photos of a pen and simply assume the viewers know the rest... Goulet provides the most useful product information of any sellers out there; including many pen makers who sell directly online. Great company!
@@JerryBearry Modern legacy brands are a joke... Vinage Duofolds are super exciting to see, modern ones are literally just another black/GT corporate gift. The nib is so ordinary and stiff for an 18k of that size... Mont Blanc, Parker, Waterman, Cross and Sheaffer could all go out of buisness tomorrow and the hobby would literally not suffer
The sleeper brand in my collection from this list is probably Sailor. I've never been able to really "get" the 1911 Standard as, for me, the threads on the body of my example are almost razor sharp. This alone puts me off from using it, which is a mistake because the actual feel of the nib on the page is wonderful. Instead I use my Progear Slim, which doesn't seem to have the vicious threads problem and which, for me, has a perfect amount of heft in the hand for its size. So, I have a love/hate relationship with the 1911 but a love/love relationship with the PGS and the Lecoule.
You've brought up a subject that falls into my "I have become so picky!" zone. I truly don't like threads in my grip section. I can write with any pen for a short period of time, but I don't feel I should have to develop callouses for long writing sessions. It's the one complaint I have with my Montblanc 146 (which is very similar to the 1911 in size and shape). Alas for me, as all the fun and interesting pens have screw-on caps. My current solution is the Onoto Magna Classic line of pens. Their threads are further away from the nib than most manufacturers, but the overall shape and feel in the hand is quite similar to the 1911S/146. Pros: excellent feel and high quality materials; lightweight (which I prefer); steel and 18k nibs available. Many interesting colors available. Good customer service. Made in England. For a fee, specialty custom grinds are available Cons: very expensive, and the cap requires 4 full turns. This is my #1 pen. The 18k nib writes like a dream and, hugely important to me, it is supremely comfortable! This is a pen I could write a novel with and never be uncomfortable. Their nibs are easily swapped in and out as they are screw-in types. Knowing me, I would probably just buy another pen to house another (stub) nib type. 😎
@@JerryBearry Thanks for the reply. I have loads of threaded-section pens but my 1911 Standard is far and away the most punishing. Usually I can get around this by moving my grip (which is a pretty conventional tripod) further back. This tweak also applies to the Metropolitan (MR series over here) with its fierce step down. This change of grip causes a shallower angle between nib and paper. That's not problematic tor most of my pens, but on the 1911S it's a show stopper. For the hack to work, the pen needs to be a deep and confident poster, which my 1911S is, but should not then present weird sensory distractions where the posted cap meets the barrel. My 1911S does exactly that. It's a shame as it is otherwise a nice pen. My only B&M store is a fair distance away and their droids return a blank stare and open-jawed confusion when questioned over anything more complex than an HB pencil. I have no means of trying before I buy. Neither are there any FP clubs/groups in this region as far as I know. So, all this can be rolled up into me being disinclined to get another 1911S or others in the 1911 range. Pity really.
@@bikkies Thanks for the heads up about the threads on the 1911S. Pen comfort is my main priority, even edging out the perfect nib. At 61 years of age, I am unwilling to conform my grip to any pen. To me, a fountain pen should be made for a novelist and have no threads or steps in the grip section. A fountain pen needs to be comfortable for those all-day sessions.
Wow, Drew, you covered a lot of ground fast and you're not even breathing hard! Great job. My personal favorite tablet / paper brand is Mnemosyne, though I like a lot of others too. Pilot, as a brand, simply cannot be beaten. Others may have a few magnificent pens, but Pilot, imo, rules the roost from top to bottom (goodness, I'd love to have one of Namiki's top tier urushi pens). If you limit it to the under $100 range, though, I cannot disagree with your conclusion - TWSBI !
Drew: Is there a real Robert Oster person? I don't think I've ever seen a picture, interview, or anything for that matter about Robert Oster, the person behind the brand.
I think this is one of the best videos that you guys have put out, Drew. Concise yet detailed, and so informative. How long do you think a Brian version would be? 😂
Out of the “generational pens” is there a recomendation for buying used? I just picked up a used Visconti Voyager for $150, normally around $600 new. What brands will stand the test of time and will most likely not arrive broken or need nib work?
I love Pelikan. My school fountain pen lasted more than 10 years, always wrote nice (even tho I bended him heavily). Sadly as a child I wasn't nice enough to it over the test of time.
i recently won $1500 and spent it. wish i had seen this video first! now there about 4 kinds i am coveting. great video but you guys are going to make me broke
I wanted to work for you, but now I know you travel to visit pen factories, I’m totally sold. I’m quite envious that you can write off a trip to Italy.💝
There are so many brands whose main appeal seems to be just being unaffordable, offering nothing interesting design-wise, and nothing innovative either. And so many brands who make very generic seeming pens. For example, there has never been a Pilot, Parker, Cross or Sheaffer that appeals to me. They all look like pens for boring 80s office workers who worked boring jobs in boring offices. Pens for a dull life. Pens that usually had some boring company logo printed on it and were given away to the highest earning sales executive at some corporate dinner. I dont get why such pens are so well regarded when theyve got just nothing going for them other than reputation for being around a long time (making boring stuff for a long time... what an accomplishment).
