Scriveiner Fountain Pen Review: The “Budget” Pen that Beats Luxury Brands

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a high-quality fountain pen. This Scriveiner fountain pen costs only a little over $50 but gives a smooth writing experience and stylish design that matches brands that are 10 times more expensive.

In this article, I will highlight the features of the Scriveiner fountain pen and share what I personally liked about the pen and what isn’t so great about it. Overall, I think it’s the best fountain pen you can purchase for around $50, and is a great beginner’s fountain pen.

The Scriveiner Breakdown

Scriveiner Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Excellent weight and balance	Problems with free cartridges
High quality nib that is made in Germany	Picky with inks (some brands tend to leak or become splotchy)
Good range of nib sizes	Made in China
Free converter for use with bottled inks
Elegant and Timeless design
Easy to get refills or replacement ink cartridges

Scriveiner Specs

Pen Type	Fountain Pen
Finish	Black Lacquer with 24k gold finish (silver, emerald green, blue, and red also available)
Trim	Gold (chrome trim availble)
Ink Colors	Black or Blue (cartridges included)
Material	Brass
Weight	5.6 ounces
Nib Size	Extra fine, fine, medium or broad
Package Dimensions	7.01 x 2.64 x 1.73 inches
Closure	Snap

Scriveiner: a pen with a cause

Scriveiner is a boutique brand based in the United Kingdom. Its name is inspired by an old English surname that means “professional scribe”. It sells luxury pens, stationery and journals—all made with sustainable and recyclable materials.

While Scriveiner strives to be a luxury brand (in the sense that its items are high quality, beautiful, and elegant) its prices are very affordable. That’s part of its mission. It breaks the perception that fountain pens and pretty paper are only for special occasions. You can use it every day, and turn even the mundane act of writing a grocery list into a simple pleasure.

Scriveiner also wants to counter the culture of cheap, disposable items. Fountain pens can be reused, and have a smaller footprint than ballpoint pens that we lose or throw away after just a few uses. You actually save money investing in a pen you’ll use for yours… and save the Earth, too.

All Scriveiner fountain pens have a gilded 18-karat nib that is made in Germany. The classic collection comes in several colors: black, silver, emerald green, red, and blue. The luxury collection is made of brass with a 24-karat finish.

This pen is part of the luxury collection, and despite being just a little over $50, it’s quite a stunner.  The classy black and gold combination, and its shape and heft, looks very similar to fountain pens that are $500 or more—but not as heavy in the hand, or on the pocket.

Is the Scriveiner fountain pen for you? 

I completely agree with the Scriveiner mission to turn everyone into fountain pen lovers, or at least be willing to try it even once. Before, fountain pens were too expensive or inconvenient and most often sold in specialty stores or luxury boutiques.

But Scriveiner breaks the barriers, not just with its price point but with its user-friendly design. This pen is for you if:  

You’re looking for a simple “first fountain pen”

You don’t have to worry about breaking the nib or spilling the ink. The pen nib is of very sturdy German construction and materials, and you can use ink cartridges or the super-simple ink converter.

You want to learn calligraphy

This pen is much more affordable than other fountain and art pens and comes with a converter so you can practice with absolutely any kind of ink you like. I also tested this on different kinds of paper and got a smooth writing experience each and every time.

You enjoy art or bullet journaling

If you didn’t like how other fountain pens “bled” or looked too thick on your planner, then try the Scriveiner.

While I picked the medium nib for this review you can also get a fine or an extra fine nib that’s perfect for smaller notebooks or making very fine lines or dots in bullet journals.

You can even use it on a standard yellow pad—it won’t feel scratchy or bleed ink everywhere.  

You need an everyday / travel fountain pen

As a pen collector, I have many very expensive pens that I love using at home. I never dare bring them out for fear of losing them or even scratching their finish.

The Scriveiner isn’t “cheap” but it’s not going to hurt too much if I drop it, scratch it, or lose it in the middle of the workday.  It’s affordable enough for me to get more than one, so I can switch out a pen if I run out of ink or want a different-sized nib.

You want an elegant gift

The pen comes in a nice gift box—perfect for celebrating a graduation, promotion, birthday, or any other special occasion.

This is not for you if…

While the Scriveneir is a very reliable brand, it doesn’t exactly have the same prestige as a Mont Blanc, Cross, Parker, or other luxury pens. So, this is not the best gift if you need to impress someone with very discerning tastes.

What I Like About The Scriveiner Fountain Pen

Honestly, sometimes we’re surprised at how good this pen is, despite being 1/10th of the price of premium pens.

Excellent weight and balance

After you’ve tried dozens of fountain pens, you’ll notice a very distinct “feel” to the pen. If it’s too heavy or unbalanced, it’s difficult to write with. If it’s too light, it also affects your strokes.

The Scriveiner fountain pen hits the sweet spot of the perfect weight for writing, especially cursive and calligraphy. I even used this while transcribing notes—very fast writing where you will really feel how the pen feels—and it was a pleasant, comfortable experience.

High quality nib

A common pain point of cheap fountain pens is a scratchy nib. It can really affect your handwriting and even slow down your writing because of how it drags on the paper.

The Scriveiner fountain pen has an excellent nib that simply glides across the page. That’s very rare for a budget pen since realistically the brand will have to cut costs somewhere to make a profit.

We’re glad that they didn’t scrimp on the quality of the nib. The body may be made of cheaper materials, but the writing tip—where it counts—is top-notch.

Different nib sizes

You can pick from extra-fine, fine, medium, and broad. A lot of pens don’t have extra-fine, so this is definitely a plus, especially if you’re using the pen for architectural or engineering drawings, illustrations, or simply prefer a delicate stroke.

When picking a size, bear in mind that the nibs are a little thicker than expected, i.e. their version of “medium” draws a slightly thicker stroke than the medium of other fountain pens.

Easy to get refills

The Scriveiner fountain pen can be used with international standard size cartridges, including the short and long ones.

The manufacturer recommends getting from high-quality brands, such as:

• Montblanc
• Waterman
• Schneider
• Pelikan
• Beaufort
• Stabilo
• Caran’danche

Do not get Parker Quink, Dryden, Monaggio or Jinhao—even if they are labeled international standard, they won’t fit properly.

Free converter

The pens come with a free converter, so you can use any kind of ink that comes in a pot. That opens a whole new world of ink colors, and personally, I like that it’s more environmentally friendly and cheaper in the long run. An inkpot will last for months!

Elegant design

The Scriveiner fountain pen doesn’t have a lot of collections, but the available designs are modern, classy, and have a universal appeal. If you’re shopping for a gift for someone, you know the style is a “safe” bet – whether you’re buying for a student or a CEO, a man or a woman, etc.

What I Don’t Like About The Scriveiner Fountain Pen

Alas, even a great pen will have its flaws, and there are hiccups when you deal with a small niche brand.

Problems with free cartridges

The pen ships with two free cartridges, so you can theoretically try it right away. Unfortunately, there are occasions when the ink from the cartridges doesn’t flow smoothly, perhaps because it dried up or the quality wasn’t that great, to begin with.

This isn’t a deal-breaker, since you can always buy better ink cartridges or use an inkpot, but it can ruin your first impression of the pen. I recommend that if you gift this to somebody, include a pack of high-quality ink!

Can get “picky” with inks

You’ll see two kinds of reviews of Scriveiner fountain pens: some of them gush over the amazing ink flow, and the others simply hate it. After testing it out, I realized the problem lies in the ink that you use.

While Scriveiner is compatible with all international standard cartridges, the pen seems “sensitive” to certain types of ink. Sometimes, it gets leaky or blotchy—but the problem gets solved if you clean the pen and then change the ink.

You can avoid the problem by using the ink cartridges that Scriveiner recommends, or if you’re using an ink pot or a new brand, test the ink with the pen first before writing anything very important.

Made in China

This isn’t a problem per se, since there are many quality brands that are manufactured off-shore. However, this can be a prestige issue for some people, and thought I might as well put it on the table so you aren’t disappointed or surprised.

While the brand is based in London, and the nibs are made in Germany, the pen itself is assembled in China. In comparison, the expensive premium brands are hand-assembled in Europe or the brand’s country of origin, which will mean closer quality control.

What’s included?

The Scriveiner fountain pen luxury gift set includes one pen with a converter (already installed inside the pen), one black ink cartridge, one blue ink cartridge, a warranty card, and a cardboard gift box.

You must register your pen within 10 days of purchasing it to get the extended warranty. The warranty entitles you (or the person you’re giving it to) to a free replacement within 365 days of purchase, if you experience any problems with the pen.

Final breakdown

The Scriveiner fountain pen is one of the best high-quality, affordable fountains you can get for less than $100.

The German-made nib creates one of the smoothest writing experiences—in this regard, it performs just as well as more expensive fountain pens and is ideal even for people who have never used a fountain pen before.

While it can get picky with inks, the ability to use either a cartridge or an inkpot means that you still have a lot of choices. As long as you get high-quality inks, especially from the list that the manufacturer recommends, you won’t have a problem.

The pen also looks and feels great: stylish design, perfect weight and balance, and a fairly comfortable grip. All in all, this is a fountain pen that meets our standards and our budget.

If you are interested in purchasing the Scriveiner Fountain Pen, you can buy it on Amazon.com