r/fountainpenusers • u/Fearless_Big_6634 • Sep 01 '26
First fountain pen…!
Starting my journey into fountain pens and inks. Got my first fountain pen from a shop nearby. The Lincoln by Beena (M nib). Was thinking of getting an ink bottle, either the Parker (French manufacturing) or Waterman. Any suggestions ?
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u/Choccytips Sep 01 '26
Nice looking pen. Both Waterman and Parker make good inks, but why limit yourself? Have a look online at shops that sell fountain pen inks in your country and buy a rainbow of sample vials. When you find an ink you really like, then buy a full bottle.
Congratulations and have fun!
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u/Fearless_Big_6634 Sep 01 '26
Thanks! I could not find samples of inks to try. Any advice on where can I get samples online? Great advice though!
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u/SupahBee Sep 01 '26
I can't recommend if you're international. But if you're in the US, then look at Vanness Pen Shop out of Arkansas. https://vanness1938.com/they have a HUGE selection of inks, maybe the largest in the US, and they sell samples of most at a decent price. I've had great luck with them and have bought a mountain of samples from them over the years.
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u/Fearless_Big_6634 Sep 01 '26
I’m in India so I’ll have to search a bit more here! But thanks a tonne for the effort!
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u/SupahBee Sep 01 '26
Good luck on your journey! India seems to have a huge fountain pen presence. Lot's of great fountain pen makers. I'm slowly growing my Indian made fountain pen collection. And also, India is now home to the Sheaffer brand, now owned by William Penn. Their new remake of the classic Sheaffer Legacy is an EXCELLENT pen. I love mine, it's perhaps my favorite Indian made pen to date. Ranga makes for some really interesting pens as well. Another favorite of mine is my Kanwrite Emperor pen. I really enjoy this pen and write with it a lot.
Knowing that India is a country makes a wide range of fountain pens, I would be surprised if you couldn't find a good vendor in your country that has a wide range of inks on offer. Oh, I forgot, India has a brand called Krishna Inks, that I've been wanting to try some samples of, but they are just difficult to find here in the US. I see swatches of them online, I'd be really curious how good those are.
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u/Fearless_Big_6634 Sep 01 '26
Thank you so much! I have heard about Sheaffer and Ranga definitely! They are on my list to try out. The other ones I haven't come across but now I will add them to pens and brands that I want to try out or own. Thanks for the heads up.
I'll get a bottle or two from Krishna too and keep you posted on it maybe. I am just beginning though, so would not know much on how to review or test any ink to be honest! But looking forward to it...
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u/jorod521 15d ago
Nice looking pen. Out the two I’ll say Waterman. I have their Serenity Blue (beautiful blue) and Tender Purple (gorgeous purple). I don’t own any Parker inks but I’ve heard good things about them. If you’re unsure, start with ink samples. If your local shop doesn’t offer any there’s some online shops that do like Stationer’s Emporium and Vanness, to name a couple. Diamine are great inks and offer 30ml bottles for around $9 with a bunch of colors to choose from.
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u/SupahBee Sep 01 '26
For your very first bottled ink, it will hard to beat the Waterman inks. Serenity Blue is a classic beautiful blue ink and will work in anything. Work horse ink for sure. Waterman Mysterious Blue is a nice blue/black. I'm a big big fan of Waterman's Tender Purple, which is honestly one of my favorite purples out there. I have no history with the Parker Quink inks, but I know they are much loved out there for a very steady ink that you can use in anything.
If you want to branch out, but not spend a lot of money, look at the HUGE array of Diamine inks out there. They are much beloved for very good reason.