{"id":9003,"date":"2022-12-30T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=9003"},"modified":"2025-12-19T12:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T17:28:09","slug":"2022-top-pens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2022-top-pens\/","title":{"rendered":"My 2022 Top Tens"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Once again, I’m sharing my current top pens. I took a somewhat different approach this year, so that I actually<\/em> choose a top 10. I’m judging my pens based on appearance and the way they write. So I have two different top ten lists. Because of this, I won’t be comparing to last year’s top pens, which ended up being a top 28. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was just as hard as I expected it to be. I’m fortunate enough to have an absolutely fabulous pen collection, so narrowing it down to my favorites grows increasingly difficult each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But without further preamble, enjoy my top 10 pens of 2022 by appearance and by nibs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Top 10 Pens by Appearance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All of these pens bring a smile to my face whenever I pick them up. And, almost every time I do, I spend a moment or two just admiring their beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10: Feather in the Wind<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Benu<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I bought Benu’s<\/a> Feather in the Wind<\/a> as soon as I saw it. I didn’t even need to think. Between the feathers, hand painting, and color scheme, it was a no brainer. I love it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9: Rock Garden<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Namiki<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At first glance, the Rock Garden isn’t at the same level as the rest of the pens on this list. However, the 3D stones are a fabulous tactile sensation. And, something about this design really grabs me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8: Art Deco Nibs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Iron<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Plain and simple, I love this design. What sets this pen above the other Iron Feather Creative<\/a> art pieces I have is the complexity of it. But, with my Mayan pen in the works, I image this guy will be dethroned next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7: Four Elements Fire<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"ARTUS<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Fire<\/a> is beautiful. The different layers of color lead your eyes on a merry dance. When viewed alone, it’s absolutely gorgeous. But, when viewed next to the other three Four Elements pens, there’s something slightly lacking. Perhaps it’s the lack of raden? I’m not sure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6: Four Elements Earth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"ARTUS<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Earth<\/a> is everyone you could want from late spring\/early summer: rich greens, beautiful flowers, and the bright gold of sunlight. Whether viewed up close through a loop or from afar, you can’t fail to find something worth appreciating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5: Skull and Crystals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Skull<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While my custom pen will always be dear to my heart, the Skull and Crystals<\/a> is well above it in execution, while maintaining a similar theming. Cypress<\/a> pens continues to improve and impress, and I don’t doubt there will be more of their pens joining my collection in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4: Four Elements Air<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"ARTUS<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Air<\/a> is just as beautiful and swirly as Water. This one simultaneously makes me think of Van Gogh’s Starry Night and galaxy photos from the Hubble telescope. While it’s technically the last of the series that I bought, it’s worked its way up in my favor the more I’ve looked at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3: Four Elements Water<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"ARTUS<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Water<\/a> just slightly<\/em> edges out the Air because of the raden scales. This pen always makes me think of The Rainbow Fish<\/a><\/em>, and the nostalgia that goes with it gives the Water an extra point. And, the fact that it was my first<\/em> ARTUS pen doesn’t hurt, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2: English Garden<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Full<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I’m sorry to keep featuring this when you can’t just buy one, but look at it!! How could I not include the English Garden<\/a> in this listing? Lisa did an absolutely fantastic<\/em> job on this pen, and I still<\/em> have a hard time believing I was lucky enough to get one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1: The Right Royal Pen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If this surprises you at all, then you must be new to my blog. What other place can this special place hold. Stanford Pen Studio<\/a> collaborated with Marian Binder<\/a> to create a pawtrait pen<\/a> of my familiar, His Meowjesty, Alpha Bumbledore I. If this pen is ever not<\/strong> in the #1 spot, it’s because I’ve somehow gotten a pen made with a perfect carving of Bumbledore on it somewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top 10 Nibs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some of these nibs are specific to a certain pen, others are nib grinds. But these are my favorite nibs to write with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10: Pelikan m600 14C F<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I enjoy the smoothness of the nibs on my M640 series. Pelikan runs so wide, though, that even the M is a bit too broad for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9: Cursive Italic M<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I love the line crispness on cursive italic nibs. Plus, they give a nice bit of character to my writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8: Visconti 18K EF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More specifically, I love the EF nib on my Il Magnifico Lapislazzuli. It writes like a M, not<\/em> an EF, but it’s fantastically smooth and a joy to write with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7: Vintage Esterbrook 9128<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I’ve tried several vintage Esterbrook nibs at this point, and this is my favorite. The bit of flex adds some unique character to my writing, but is minimal enough for everyday use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6: Platinum President F<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is definitely a daily writer. The line is beautifully precise, and, despite the thinness, the nib isn’t remotely scratchy. It’s fantastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5: Pilot Custom 74 F<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I still have a hard time believing how much I love the Custom 74 nib. It’s such a great writer, truly. If you don’t have one, go get one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4: TWSBI 580 F<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I’ve raved about TWSBI 580 nibs often enough that I don’t really need to do it again. Suffice to say they’re fabulously wet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3: Namiki Yukari M<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is my “finger of God” pen. Its nib is so smooth. It’s like it isn’t even touching paper. It’s hard to say it’s in third place, but I can’t deny I love the first place winners a teensy bit more for their versatility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1: StyloSuite Spencerian and Oblique M<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These tie for first because they’re both amazing, but are so different. I love them equally, and can’t place one above the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Spencerian<\/a> is my favorite for specialty writing, although it is perfectly usable for standard writing. The line variation is exquisite, ranging from hairline to at least BB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The oblique<\/a> is my favorite for everyday writing. I adore the character it gives to my writing. To me, it provides all the best aspects of both the stub and the architect. It’s so cool. I’m slowly working on having an oblique of each type of nib. I have a few oblique Jowo’s, a Bock, and a TWSBI. I want to get a Pelikan and probably a Schmidt as well. If I can buy an extra Sailor nib, I would like an oblique one of those, too. If anyone has a source, please let me know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Well, there you have it, my top 10 pens based on appearance and my top 10 nibs. I’m proud of myself for actually sticking to 10 this year. I didn’t even spill over into honorable mentions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed my post. What do you think of my lists? Is there anything you disagree with? Did anything surprise you? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure to subscribe to my blog<\/a> or follow me on Instagram<\/a> so you don’t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once again, I’m sharing my current top pens. I’ve done things a little different this year \u2014 including actually sticking to 10 pens on the list! Check out my best of the best of 2022.<\/p>\n

Keep ReadingMy 2022 Top Tens<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[269,251,261,437,233,257,300,335,235,326,209,216,177,169,279,265,249,215],"class_list":["post-9003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fountain-pens","tag-artus","tag-benu","tag-mr-cypress","tag-end-of-year","tag-esterbrook","tag-iron-feather-creative","tag-namiki","tag-nibs","tag-pelikan","tag-permies-world","tag-pilot","tag-platinum","tag-rankings","tag-retrospective","tag-stanford-wood-studio","tag-stylo-suite","tag-twsbi","tag-visconti","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/topTens2022_IGSm.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-2ld","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16167,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2025-favorites\/","url_meta":{"origin":9003,"position":0},"title":"My 2025 Favorites","author":"Rachel","date":"December 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Once again, I\u2019m sharing my current top tens. Or not. This year, I'm changing things up and sharing my favorites. It has nothing to do with my inability to limit myself to 10.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Stanford Pen Studio Ardently","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cutout-spsArdently.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cutout-spsArdently.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cutout-spsArdently.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cutout-spsArdently.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cutout-spsArdently.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cutout-spsArdently.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12180,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2023-top-pens\/","url_meta":{"origin":9003,"position":1},"title":"My 2023 Top Tens","author":"Rachel","date":"December 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Once again, I\u2019m sharing my current top pens. 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These are pens I know of that are unique to a brand.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Desiderata pen showing Zebra G Flex nib","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/daedalus_engraved_capoff.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/daedalus_engraved_capoff.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/daedalus_engraved_capoff.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/daedalus_engraved_capoff.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/daedalus_engraved_capoff.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/daedalus_engraved_capoff.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14493,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2024-top-tens\/","url_meta":{"origin":9003,"position":3},"title":"My 2024 Top Tens","author":"Rachel","date":"December 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Once again, I\u2019m sharing my current top tens. Although it gets hard every year, I stuck to lists of 10. This year, I also added inks.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Diamine Marigold swatch","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/image-2481761.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/image-2481761.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/image-2481761.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/image-2481761.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/image-2481761.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14511,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2024-pens\/","url_meta":{"origin":9003,"position":4},"title":"Year in Review \u2013 2024 Pens","author":"Rachel","date":"December 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Another year, another ranking of pen acquisitions! 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