The Best German Fountain Pens

Almost certainly the best-known name in luxury pens, Montblanc remains a well-respected brand to those who love fountain pens. And that's because, while some luxury brands decided to start making pens too, Montblanc were a pen maker from the start. Yes, they make other luxury products now, like fragrances and watches, but they started out making fountain pens, with innovative engineering and top quality manufacturing.

If you think of a luxury pen, it's likely that the first idea that comes to mind is something very like the Montblanc Meisterstück 149, with its classic 'cigar' shape, and that white Montblanc logo.

They don't stick with just the traditional styles, either, with more contemporary designs like the Starwalker; and even making digital pens.

And if you like Montblanc's pens, their range of accessories is well worth checking out - Italian leather pen cases and notebooks especially, make a perfect match for their pens.

Pelikan make a very wide range of pens and other stationery. Here in the UK, they're best known for their luxury Souverän fountain pens, but in Germany, many people would first know them for their school supplies. The Souverän range includes fountain pens from quite compact up to hefty 'oversize' pens, all made to the same style and quality. And they're some of the most respected fountain pens in the world.

But there are also steel-nibbed pens following the same style, at more accessible prices, and other fountain pens with more modern styles, even down to school pens made for kids.

Must be a bit like leaving school, and realising later that the wall clocks were all made by Rolex, or the old school mini bus was actually a Bentley.

Kaweco is a historic German pen maker, best known for the Sport, a pocketable fountain pen designed in 1911. The original Kaweco company went out of business, but the brand was resurrected to great success by Michael Gutberlet. He loved the old brand and designs, and had the manufacturing skills and experience to bring them back, using modern techniques.

Along with the Sport, many other designs from the Kaweco archives have been brought back, and bought up to modern standards. The tiny Liliput is especially well-loved, as a tiny pocketable fountain pen that's still good to write with for most people. And like many of Kaweco's other pens, it's available in several different metal finishes, making it perfect for those who want a pen to age with them.

Lamy's speciality has long been good German design, working with some of the best industrial designers to produce some of the best and most distinctive pen designs anywhere. The Lamy 2000 still looks fresh and modern, even though it's been in production since the 1960s.

The Safari is probably one of the most-recommended fountain pens for beginners. Made from tough ABS plastic, with a simple and modern style, it's a reliable workhorse of a pen. If you prefer a bit of metal, the AL-star wraps the Safari in aluminium. And both get regular new colours, so you can look out for one that really appeals to you.

Most of Lamy's fountain pens use their standard push-fit nibs, too, which is a feature you might appreciate if you change your mind about nib size, or drop your pen. Like jam on toast, fountain pens do love to land nib-down if dropped.

Lamy is now owned by the wonderful Japanese pen company Uni-ball, or the Mitsubishi Pencil Company (not the same as the car company, but it's a long story). This is starting to have some very cool benefits, with things like Lamy refills with Jetstream ink, and Safari pencils with Uni's Kuru Toga engine inside. A rare case where we all seem to be benefitting from a change of ownership!

Faber-Castell is one of the top German stationery brands, and one of the most successful pencil makers in the world. But they also make some very nicely put-together fountain pens, including the very popular Ambition and e-motion designs - the Ambition with its straight-sided simplicity, and the e-motion with it's beautiful curved shape.

They make a wide range of fountain pens, from well under £20, generally with quite modern styling, from colourful and fun designs to sleek modern designer pens.

With many pen ranges on the 'luxury' or 'designer' side of things, the fountain pen is often the main focus, with matching ballpoints and pencils looking like afterthoughts. The Ambition and e-motion are a bit different here, with the other pen modes fitting just as well into the range - the e-motion has an especially great mechanical pencil that's a real pleasure to use. Because even those of us who love fountain pens sometimes need to pencil things in.

The luxury arm of Faber-Castell, Graf von Faber-Castell, takes all the manufacturing experience of Faber-Castell, and applies it to the finest quality materials, with German craftsmanship to add some luxury.

The most distinctive design feature is the 'trumpet-shape' cap, with the end of the pen flaring out at the end. Along with the very practical internally-sprung clips, it makes these pens quite recognisable, even when only the end of the cap is poking out of your pocket. Stylish, but still quite understated.

At the top end of the range, each year, Graf von Faber-Castell go all out to make their Pen of the Year, with the very finest materials and craftsmanship, often bringing in experts from around the world to show off the very best they can do.

Diplomat has been making pens in Germany using traditional craftsmanship since 1922. Their traditionally-styled 'Excellence' range is aptly named, while the Aero and Elox pens are great examples of German design, with their dirigible-inspired shapes.

And, honestly, we're just happy for any excuse to use the word 'dirigible'.

They're probably a bit less known outside Germany than some of the other brands here, which is a shame - the quality is as good as any, and we love their designs.