The 10+1 Fountain Pens I Used Most in 2025

Introduction

Every year around this time, it is worth stepping back and asking a simple question: which pens actually earned their place in the rotation? Not the most hyped, not the newest, but the ones that spent the most time inked, in hand, and on the page over 2025.

This year’s lineup is eleven pens. Two are all-time favorites that keep proving themselves, several are recent discoveries that punched well above expectations, and one is included purely for what it means rather than what it costs. All were used with real writing samples, real ink, and long sessions. Here they are, in no particular order.

Lambrou Pens LB6

The Lambrou Pens LB6 is a pen that brings genuine joy every time it is used. It is big, yet remarkably comfortable, with facets that catch the light in a way that is honestly hard to describe without seeing it. The material is diffusion-bonded acrylic and the red is simply stunning. The silver components were made by Paul Rossi, a silversmith and pen maker who sadly passed away, and his workmanship shows in every detail.

With a wonderful nib and a build quality that feels special in hand, this is a superb pen through and through. The brand’s demise is a genuine tragedy and the circumstances around it were unfortunate, which makes owning one of these all the more bittersweet. For those fortunate enough to find one, it is a pen worth treasuring.

54T Titanium Ultem

The 54T Titanium Ultem stands out for its filling system. Among the various Conid-style vacuum filling mechanisms on the market, this one is the smoothest operating of the lot, drawing up more ink in one go than the others and making refilling genuinely pleasant. The Ultem material gives the barrel a distinctive translucent yellow look, paired with a titanium grip and turning knob.

It runs a number 8 fine nib with an ebonite feed, and the result is a beautifully tuned writer: not too dry, not too wet, superbly balanced. It is heavier than most because of the titanium, but that weight works in its favor. It can even be posted fairly deeply and stays balanced. Large ink capacity and a very comfortable section shape round out a genuinely well-designed pen.

Yard-O-Led Viceroy Grand

The Yard-O-Led Viceroy Grand in Victorian finish is a classic that earns its place year after year. It is a sterling silver pen with a couple of thousand handmade hammer strikes creating the pattern, and the quality you get back penny for penny is astonishing. Few brands at any price deliver craftsmanship this honestly: a small brand, master craftspeople applying their trade.

The 18K broad nib is very smooth, delightfully balanced, not too wet and not too dry, and it even sings a little on the page, which some will find charming. The weight of the silver makes it feel wonderful in hand, and the tiny scratches it develops over years of use only add character. It is expensive, unapologetically so, but it is also a conversation piece that draws admiration from pen people and non-pen people alike. If one is on the wishlist, save up and get it. There will be no regrets.

Parker 75 Godron

The Parker 75 Godron is not a special or spectacular pen by monetary standards, and that is entirely the point of including it. This one belonged to a grandfather and carries a kind of emotional value no price tag can capture. Every October, inking it up and using it brings back a connection to a person who is no longer there, and that is something pens can do remarkably well.

As a writer, it is perfectly pleasant: a 14K medium nib paired with a nice washable blue. One clever detail of the 75 is worth knowing if you ever find one: the nib unit can be rotated in the section to align differently with the finger grooves, letting you tailor the writing angle to your own grip in a way that mimics an oblique nib. Sentiment aside, these were genuinely well-made pens.

Gravitas Monster

The Gravitas Monster has not been uninked since it arrived, which says everything about how it fits into daily use. It is called the Monster, but it is not obscenely huge; it is a good size for many people, with a fairly tapered section that makes it comfortable, and metal micro grooves on the section that keep it firmly in hand. Feedback from owners online is overwhelmingly positive, and it is easy to see why.

The vacuum-type filling system involved serious research and development, with heart valves cited as an inspiration, and it works very well with a large capacity. The broad steel nib is smooth, quite wet, and delicious to use. There is even a hidden engraving on the shiny metal ring quoting Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: “Beware, for I am fearless and therefore powerful.” This particular finish appears to be sold out, but new versions seem to be coming. Save up and get one.

Asvine V800

The Asvine V800 is the value story of the year. This Chinese-made vacuum filler has not run dry a single time, even with a demanding 1.1 mm stub nib that drinks ink. The entire barrel fills with ink, capacity is enormous, and the tuning is superb: not too wet, not too dry, with lovely line variation from the stub.

The polishing of the resin is crystal clear, the fit and finish are insane for the money, and it is fully user maintainable: the section unscrews so the piston seal can be lubricated, and if the nib and clip bother you by not aligning, unscrew the finial, rotate the clip, and screw it back together. The plastic feels very hard and rigid rather than yielding, so be prepared for that, and it runs a bit larger. But for anyone who wants a serious writer without premium-brand money, this punches massively above its weight.

Andrew Lensky Grandeur

The Andrew Lensky Grandeur is the largest pen this Ukrainian maker produces, built on a small scale and available by contacting him directly. The design is simple but elegant, with a red ebonite ring on both barrel and cap that pairs beautifully with an orange nylon feed. It was fitted with a number 8 steel double broad nib from William Shakour, and those nylon feeds keep up ink flow superbly.

It is very comfortable if you like bigger pens, and the blind cap adds a nice touch: unscrew the end and you can operate the converter from behind, almost like a piston filler. For anyone in the market for something less run-of-the-mill, supporting a small independent maker makes this a doubly rewarding choice.

Benu Tribute to Charles Darwin

The Benu Tribute to Charles Darwin is a toned-down take on Benu’s usually exuberant sparkle, and it completely works. Benu pens can sometimes look wonderfully wild, but this one pairs a translucent earth brown with green and rose gold flakes for a combination that checks every box while staying charming rather than loud.

Nib options include the standard number 6 Schmidt or a JoWo, and the springy JoWo nib with cutouts delivers genuine line variation when pushed. As a commemoration of an important figure in science, it is a really fun pen, and the way Benu executes the material shows real care. Nicely made, distinctive, and a joy to use.

Ashera Aeon

The Ashera Aeon is a wooden pen that manages to win over someone who does not normally seek out wood. It is a larger pen, quite light because of the wood, with titanium accents on the section that give a nice forward weight balance. The lacquer is glossy, very shiny, and feels excellent to the touch, and the titanium bits are engraved with the owner’s name.

It runs a solid gold nib, 14K in this case, available in different options, and it is a beautiful writer with a very smooth nib, likely a Bock. The company is sympathetic in more ways than one: they plant 250 trees for every pen sold to offset their carbon footprint. These are expensive pens, there is no way around that, but you can pick your wood and options, and the brand does genuinely cool work off the beaten track.

Leonardo Momento Zero 2.0

The Leonardo Momento Zero 2.0 in the “Canadian Winter” material is a collaboration between Leonardo, who made the pen, and Jonathan Brooks, who hand-poured the resin, with a name inspired by a winter photograph. Hand-poured material means color variations are possible, and some examples turned out bluer than others, but the results are striking.

This one carries a ruthenium-plated 18K stub nib and an ebonite feed, and it is a really pleasant writer. As a Momento Zero 2.0, it offers a big ink capacity, an ink window, and a piston that can be disassembled with a separate tool if needed. A lovely example of what small-scale collaboration can produce.

Santini Vacuum Filler

The Santini Vacuum Filler is the runner-up, and it could easily have taken the place of any pen in the regular lineup. It looks black from a distance, but up close it is a very dark purple, a genuinely beautiful material. The vacuum filling system delivers a big ink capacity, which is essential because the solid gold broad nib is an absolute gusher: it goes through ink like there is no tomorrow.

Santini makes nearly all the parts of the pen in house, including the nib and the feed, and that level of vertical integration deserves real compliments. At 695 euros, it is an expensive pen, but it is beautifully put together, very well made, and a company that can be heartily recommended. Since it arrived, it has never been uninked.

Buying Advice for Each Type of Buyer

If budget matters most, the Asvine V800 is the clear standout: a vacuum-filled pen with huge capacity, a well-tuned stub nib, and full user maintainability, all at a price that puts far costlier pens on notice. Nothing else in this lineup comes close on value per euro or dollar.

If craftsmanship is the priority, the Yard-O-Led Viceroy Grand delivers master-level handwork you can genuinely feel, and the Santini Vacuum Filler offers in-house nib and feed production with a stunning dark purple material. For something unusual from a small independent maker, the Andrew Lensky Grandeur and Ashera Aeon are rewarding paths less traveled, with the Aeon adding a meaningful environmental angle through its tree-planting program.

For character and filling-system enthusiasts, the Gravitas Monster and the 54T Titanium Ultem both bring excellent vacuum-type systems with very different personalities. The Benu Tribute to Charles Darwin and Leonardo Momento Zero 2.0 cover the fun-material territory with real writing credentials underneath.

Conclusion

What ties these eleven pens together is not price or prestige, but how often they were actually used. The best pens are the ones that stay inked, that put a smile on your face mid-sentence, and that sometimes carry a story beyond the page. Whether that means a hammered silver classic or a value vacuum filler that never runs dry, the right pen is the one you keep reaching for. Here is to a new year of good ink and good writing.