How to Choose Your First Fountain Pen: Nib, Grip, Ink, and Maintenance.

Choose your first fountain pen around four decisions: a nib suited to your ordinary handwriting, a grip that works with your writing angle, a filling routine you can maintain, and care instructions you are willing to follow. Start with those practical checks rather than colour or appearance. How to Choose Your First Fountain Pen: Nib, Grip, Ink, and Maintenance. This guide helps you turn those four decisions into a manageable shortlist.

Illustrative buying scene: You are comparing two pens, wondering whether “medium” will suit your small notes and whether bottled ink means extra work. Before choosing a colour, look at a page of your usual handwriting, check the exact nib option, and read how each pen is filled. Those checks give you more useful questions than appearance alone.

Choose the nib for your ordinary handwriting

Begin with what you actually write: compact appointment notes, everyday journal entries, or large headings. Your preferred handwriting size is a useful starting point for choosing a nib, but it is not the only consideration. Paper and ink also belong in the decision, so avoid treating a nib label as a promise of one exact result.

Fine, medium, and broad are general relative widths, not standardized millimetre measurements across brands. Fountain pen nib sizes describe choices within a range; they do not establish that every fine or medium nib will make an identical line. Use the labels to narrow your options, then seek information about the specific model.

Nib choice	Consider it when	Check before buying
Fine	You usually write small or fit notes into tight spaces.	Whether the specific pen, ink, and paper suit your small lettering.
Medium	You write average-sized notes and want a middle option.	Whether that model’s medium suits your everyday spacing.
Broad	You prefer larger handwriting or more prominent strokes.	Whether your page layout, paper, and ink suit the wider option.

These are recommendations, not fixed rules. Small handwriting does not automatically require a fine nib, and choosing a medium nib does not establish a particular drying time. If you can try a pen before buying, write your ordinary words at your ordinary size rather than drawing oversized loops that tell you little about daily use.

With TUZU, distinguish the manufacturer’s range from the retailer’s listing. Sailor lists a stainless steel nib and F, M, and B grades for the TUZU ADJUST range. That does not confirm that Unsayable offers every grade. Unsayable lists its product as TUZU ADJUST Fountain Pen Medium Size; its colour variants are not nib-width choices. Confirm the listed nib rather than assuming a different colour changes it.

Check grip and writing angle before appearance

Consider where your fingers normally rest, whether you rotate a pen while writing, and how you angle it toward the page. A beginner fountain pen should be assessed against those habits, not against a photograph of someone else’s grip. Do not choose a shape simply because you expect it to teach you a supposedly correct way to hold a pen.

If trying a pen is possible, use a normal writing posture and write several ordinary sentences. Notice whether your fingers settle naturally or whether you keep repositioning them. Consider the pen with the cap placed as you expect to use it, following the model’s guidance. Treat the exercise as a preference check, not a prediction of long-term comfort.

What TUZU’s adjustment changes

Sailor describes TUZU’s Rotating Nib Feature as adjusting the nib angle in 10-degree pitches. Its Natural Fit Grip has two gently sloped sides. These are specific design features to consider if you want to investigate the relationship between your finger position and nib orientation. They do not promise comfort, improved handwriting, or an ideal fit for every buyer.

The adjustment concerns the nib’s orientation; it is not a way to choose a different nib width. Follow Sailor’s adjustment instructions rather than improvising by pulling or twisting the nib itself. If the mechanism is unclear, ask the retailer for guidance before attempting an adjustment.

Illustrative scenario: A buyer likes a pen’s appearance but finds that their usual finger position turns the nib away from their preferred writing angle. An adjustable design might be worth examining, but the next step is checking its instructions and fit, not assuming adjustment will solve everything.

Cartridge vs converter: choose a filling routine you can maintain

A cartridge is a small, prefilled ink container that fits into a compatible pen. A converter is a refillable reservoir used to draw ink from a bottle. The cartridge vs converter decision is therefore partly about routine: would you rather replace a prefilled container or handle bottled fountain pen ink when refilling?

Consider cartridges if you want fewer filling steps at the outset. Consider a converter if you are willing to set aside a suitable place and time for bottle filling. Neither choice makes you a more serious writer. Choose the process you can realistically repeat, including the cleaning required by your particular pen.

Verify compatibility and what comes in the box

Do not assume cartridges or converters are interchangeable. Verify compatibility for the exact model before buying supplies. For TUZU, Goulet’s listing identifies bottled ink and proprietary Sailor ink cartridges as compatible. That supports checking the correct cartridge system; it does not support recommending universal cartridges.

Sailor specifies TUZU ADJUST as a converter-and-cartridge fountain pen and lists a fitted converter in its manufacturer specifications. Those specifications do not confirm Unsayable’s package contents. Ask what the retailer’s particular package includes, whether compatible ink is included, and what you need separately. Do not let an assumed accessory determine your purchase.

For product-specific filling, use the official Sailor TUZU instructions. Sailor directs users to insert a cartridge straight into the back of the pen without twisting or excessive force. For converter filling, its instructions say to submerge the nib to the heart-shaped hole and turn the converter knob to draw ink. Read the complete procedure before starting.

Choose ink explicitly suitable for the pen and its filling system. Do not assume permanent or drawing ink is appropriate without verified compatibility. If the seller cannot clarify a proposed ink, postpone that ink choice rather than experimenting with your first fill.

Give your first fountain pen a sensible start

Keep your first week simple: one pen, one compatible ink, and ordinary writing tasks. Avoid changing the nib orientation, ink, and writing habits together. A manageable start makes it easier to describe what you like and what you need help with, without turning every short writing session into a troubleshooting exercise.

Keep the paper question focused

Include your usual paper in the buying decision, but do not infer its suitability from a nib label alone or expect a fixed drying time. For the fuller paper discussion, read The Ink Test: What Fountain Pen Paper Reveals Before You Write. Here, the practical recommendation is simply to consider the pages you actually intend to use.

A realistic first-week checklist

1. Before filling: Confirm the model, nib option, compatible ink, and package contents. Read the filling and care instructions for that exact pen.
2. Day one: Prepare a suitable workspace and fill according to the manufacturer’s procedure. Keep the instructions nearby rather than relying on memory.
3. First writing session: Write a short note in your usual handwriting. Use a light touch; do not press harder to force ink flow.
4. Days two and three: Use the pen for one normal task each day. Notice your finger position, letter spacing, and whether the chosen routine feels manageable.
5. Midweek: If something seems wrong, check the relevant instructions and record what happens. Avoid taking the pen apart to investigate.
6. End of week: Review the four original decisions. Identify one specific question or preference before buying more supplies or making adjustments.

You do not need to refill or clean a pen on an arbitrary day simply because a checklist says so. Let the manufacturer’s directions and the pen’s actual condition guide those actions. The first week is about establishing a workable routine, not completing every possible maintenance task.

Maintenance without unnecessary tinkering

Before purchasing, read the care instructions as carefully as the features. If a pen’s required maintenance feels impractical, that is useful buying information. Prefer a routine you can follow reliably over a pen you like in theory but expect to neglect.

Sailor’s TUZU care instructions describe cleaning with water. They also warn against wet wipes or chemicals containing alcohol on the body or lid because these can damage the resin. Use the manufacturer’s specified procedure rather than substituting a household cleaner or treating an alcohol wipe as a convenient shortcut.

The TUZU instructions distinguish opaque sections from transparent or skeleton sections and warn against soaking the latter because of ink pigmentation. Check which version you own before following any soaking instruction. Do not transfer an overnight-soaking recommendation to all TUZU variants, or to fountain pens generally.

Know when to stop and ask

Keep cleaning separate from repair. Do not pull or twist a nib, use extra writing pressure to force ink flow, or dismantle parts because an online tip suggests it. A filling problem is not permission to force a cartridge or converter into place. Pause when the documented procedure does not match what you are seeing.

Seek help from the retailer or manufacturer if you cannot confirm compatibility, a component will not fit as described, there is visible damage, or the pen still will not write after you have followed the relevant instructions. Describe the model, ink, filling method, and steps already taken. That gives the person helping you a clearer starting point than further experimentation.

A buying checklist before you decide

How to choose a fountain pen becomes simpler when you turn preferences into questions the listing or retailer can answer. Separate confirmed details from assumptions, especially where a manufacturer describes a broader range than one shop carries.

• Nib: What exact grade am I buying, and why does it suit my ordinary handwriting?
• Grip: Can I assess the shape and writing angle, rather than choosing solely from appearance?
• Filling: Do I prefer compatible cartridges or a converter routine with bottled ink?
• Compatibility: Have I verified the specific cartridge, converter, and proposed ink?
• Contents: Has the retailer confirmed what this package includes?
• Care: Have I read the model-specific instructions, including any material or soaking restrictions?
• Support: Do I know whom to contact if filling or writing does not go as described?

You need clear answers, not an elaborate collection. A sensible first purchase is one whose nib choice, grip, filling process, and care requirements match the way you plan to write. Leave uncertain details as questions to resolve before ordering.

If TUZU is on your shortlist, examine the TUZU ADJUST Fountain Pen Medium Size product details and check that its listed nib and filling routine suit you.