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intro-how-we-tested
Fountain pens seem hopelessly geeky to the uninitiated. Why bother with an expensive, finicky pen when most of us do all of our writing on keyboards and touchscreens anyway? And what's wrong with a ballpoint?
But there are significant advantages to using one, other than it looking beautiful on your desk. Writing longhand is not only more pleasant, since you don't have to exert as much pressure on the page, but also more thoughtful. Because you're using a lighter grip, it's easier to add your own unique touch to your script. Fountain pens are also more environmentally friendly -- the same pen can be used for a lifetime instead of joining the other cheap ballpoints in the trash year after year.
How We Tested
We chose six popular pens from some of the top manufacturers, ranging in price from $3 to $175. All of the tested pens have medium nibs, unless otherwise noted. We chose mostly medium nibs for a couple reasons. First, it's the most common option, and it's available on nearly all fountain pens. Second, script written with a medium nib is more consistent across different pens. It closely resembles the type of line you would get from a rollerball or gel pen, which most people are familiar with even if they've never used a fountain pen before. Each pen was tested with the manufacturer's ink cartridges on different papers of varying thickness.Photo by Ariel Zambelich/WIRED 
