The Best German Fountain Pen Brands

Germany is known all around the world for their quality manufacturing. For many historic reasons, the country has a strong education system, with an emphasis on technical and practical training. Companies have long been encouraged to keep a strong and well-skilled workforce, and compete hard with each other, and between cities and regions, to make the best goods.

The result is a reputation for making the best things in a lot of categories, and while very good arguments can be made for other countries too, it’s easy to argue that Germany makes the best pens in the world.

Montblanc

There are many luxury brands making fountain pens, and they’re not usually all that well-loved by real fountain pen fans. But Montblanc is different - they started with pens, and pens are their history. They have branched out into other luxury goods now, like leather goods, fragrances and watches, but their pens are still the core of their business. They were one of the main innovators in the development of the piston-filled fountain pen. And they continue to use the highest quality materials and German craftsmanship to make some of the best pens available anywhere. The Meisterstück is the pinnacle of their traditionally-styled pens, while the Starwalker range is Montblanc at their more contemporary.

Kaweco

Kaweco has a long history of making some cleverly-designed pens in Germany, tracing their story back to 1883. But the original company went out of business. Happily for those of us who love fountain pens, pen enthusiast Michael Gutberlet bought the rights to the brand, and began making pens based on their classic designs. The Sport range is the most popular, handy little fountain pens that can slip easily into a pocket, but when the cap is posted on the back of the pen, become full-sized pens in use.

Pelikan

Outside Germany, Pelikan is best known for their luxury Souverän fountain pens, considered by most fountain pen fans to be as good as any available, with their top quality piston-filling mechanisms.

But to many Germans, they’re just as well known for their basic school supplies. They apply the same manufacturing experience to even quite basic pens, pencils and art materials. Plenty of them are available outside Germany too, including a selection of stylishly designed fountain pens that kids will love, and they’re built to stand up to school use.

Faber-Castell and Graf von Faber-Castell

One of the longest-standing stationery brands in Germany, Faber-Castell has passed through many generations of family ownership, and their head office is a real German castle. Their origins are in pencils, but they make some very well-loved fountain pens too, including their design classics, the Ambition and e-motion.

At the luxury end of the market, their Graf von Faber-Castell pens use everything they’ve learned about quality manufacturing and artisan craftsmanship to make the very best writing instruments they can. Their simple styling and ‘trumpet’ cap means they’re understated, but stand out to those in the know.