There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Your thoughts and feedback are what drive us to source the right products for each community so it's extremely valuable for us to hear what you think. We wanted to share the community's thoughts on each of these pens as discussed in the original post wherever possible.
Since we've had some of these pens on Massdrop before, we've included the links to those products in case you wanted to make your official request to get them back on our site. We'll also be making every effort to source the pens listed below that haven't yet made it our way!
View the original discussion here:
https://www.massdrop.com/talk/2273/community-picks-best-fountain-pens-under-100
View the community poll results here:
https://www.massdrop.com/vote/Best-Fountain-Pens-Under-100/result
So without further ado, here's the list of pens:
#1. Platinum 3776
Community Endorsement:
"Japanese quality, 14kt gold nib, under $80; what more do you need?" - @theroc
Massdrop Link: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/platinum-3776-fountain-pen
#2. LAMY Safari
Community Endorsement:
"I would have to second, third, and fourth Pilot Metropolitan, and Lamy Safari!" - @thomdavies2053
Massdrop Link: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/lamy-safari-fp-mp-bundle
#3. TWSBI Eco
Community Endorsement:
"TWSBI ECO! Fantastic pen for the price no other piston is even close to that low of a price point or quality." - @ROBERT
Massdrop Link: Not on Massdrop yet!
#4. Pilot Metropolitan
Community Endorsement:
"They always have great nibs that write well out of the box and great selection of colors, and this is the pen I buy for stocking stuffers, birthday presents and graduation gifts for those I want to spread the fountain pen bug to. :) Absolutely can't go wrong with this as a first fountain pen." - @AC-Mitchell
Massdrop Link: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/pilot-mr-fountain-pen
#5. TWSBI Vac Mini
Community Endorsement:
"I've only had one other TWSBI but from what I recall the nib is similar - reasonably stiff but smooth. Even though I like springy gold nibs I enjoy my Mini Vac very much :)" - @StitchpunkNZ
Massdrop Link: Not on Massdrop yet!
#6. Faber-Castell LOOM
Community Endorsement:
"I do think FC loom is a phenomenal pen for the price." - @Bailey2013
Massdrop Link: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/faber-castell-loom
#7. Faber-Castell BASIC: Carbon
Community Endorsement: @thomdavies2053
Massdrop Link: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/faber-castell-basic
#8. Kaweco Sport
Community Endorsement: "Best compact fountain pen: Kaweco Sport aluminum, brass, or steel." - @theroc
Massdrop Link: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/kaweco-al-sport
#9. VENVSTAS 78
Community Endorsement: @theroc
Massdrop Link: Not on Massdrop yet!
#10. Kaweco Liliput
Community Endorsement: @Kados
Massdrop Link: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/kaweco-liliput