Compiled from 12 sources; we haven't tested these products ourselves yet. How we research
Quick answer
Most fountain pens fill one of five ways: a cartridge pushed onto the nib section; a converter that draws bottled ink; a built-in piston turned by a rear knob; a vacuum plunger; or an eyedropper barrel filled directly. Cartridges must match the brand: Kaweco and Pelikan use standard international, while Pilot, Platinum, Sailor and LAMY are proprietary.
On this page10 sections
Eight pens to one scale (1 mm = 1.3 px), with how each fills.
Kaweco Classic Sport Fountain Pen: Made in Germany: Kaweco's German product page labels the Classic Sport "100% Made in Germany" and says all nibs and the pen itself are made in Germany; its series page says Classic Sport pens are produced and assembled in Germany. Cornelissen says hand assembled in Germany, and Milligram says designed and made in Germany. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Kaweco dates the first Sport pocket pen to 1911; Pen Chalet says the Classic Sport follows the original 1935 design.
Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen (02 EF / 03 F / 05 M): Made by Platinum Pen Co., Ltd. (Tokyo). Made in Japan: per retailer listings: Hunter Paper Co says made in Japan and Unsharpen gives Japan as the country of origin (both read on October 20, 2026). Platinum's Japanese product pages don't state it. Source. Price: example listing.
LAMY safari Fountain Pen: Made by C. Josef Lamy GmbH, Heidelberg (part of Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd.). Made in Germany: LAMY's own product listing (India storefront) gives Germany as the country of origin and names C. Josef Lamy GmbH, Heidelberg, as the manufacturer, and also says made in Germany. LAMY's German page names no country. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Museum Boijmans and LAMY's India listing give 1980; LAMY's German page says the safari was introduced in the 1980s.
Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen: Made by Pilot Corporation (Japan); sold in the US by Pilot Corporation of America. Made in Japan: per Milligram's listing (made in Japan). Pilot's Japanese catalog page for the Cocoon (read in full on October 20, 2026) doesn't state a country. eBay and Rokomari listings cited earlier blocked our access on that date, so we dropped them. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Pilot's Japanese site says the Cocoon, the Metropolitan's Japanese sibling, went on sale in 2012; Wikipedia gives 2012 for the Metropolitan. We found no Pilot page dating the Metropolitan itself.
Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pen (black, gold trim): Made by Pilot Corporation (Japan); sold in the US by Pilot Corporation of America. Made in Japan: per retailer listings: Makkura gives Japan as the origin, and eBay item specifics from sellers in Japan list Japan as the country of origin. Pilot's Japanese web catalog and press release don't state it; the 2022 anniversary edition's cap ring is engraved JAPAN. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Pilot's Japanese press release for the 30th-anniversary model (November 18, 2022) says the Custom 74 went on sale in 1992; Goulet Pens gives the same year and ties the name to Pilot's 74th anniversary.
TWSBI ECO Fountain Pen: Made by TaShin Precision (Taiwan). Made in Taiwan: Goldspot's ECO spec sheet says "Made in Taiwan", and Pen Chalet shows "ECO-T Taiwan" engraved on the ECO-T's cap band. TWSBI's own product pages don't print a country of manufacture, and its Taiwanese site, twsbi.com.tw, didn't load for us on October 20, 2026. JetPens says TWSBI nibs are made in Germany. Source. Price: example listing.
Pelikan Classic M200 Fountain Pen (Black, gold-plated trim): Made by Pelikan Group GmbH (Germany), owned by Hamelin since December 13, 2023. Made in Germany: Pelikan's German product page for the Classic 200 Schwarz says "Gefertigt und montiert in Deutschland" (made and assembled in Germany) and "Qualität, made in Germany". Source. Price: example listing. Released: Per the Pelikan's Perch collectors' database; Pelikan restyled the trim in 1997. Pelikan doesn't give a launch year on its product page.
LAMY 2000 Fountain Pen (L01, black Makrolon): Made by C. Josef Lamy GmbH, Heidelberg (part of Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd.). Made in Germany: LAMY's own product listing (India storefront) gives Germany as the country of origin and names C. Josef Lamy GmbH, Grenzhöfer Weg 32, Heidelberg, as the manufacturer. LAMY's German page names no country but calls LAMY a Heidelberg company and one of Germany's leading pen makers. Source. Price: example listing. Released: LAMY's German site gives 1966 ("Seit 1966"), as do Wikipedia and most retailers; Fahrney's Pens gives 1973, which we treat as an outlier.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.
Key takeaways
Goulet Pens' compatibility chart lists Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, LAMY, Parker and Cross cartridges as proprietary, and Kaweco, Pelikan, TWSBI, Visconti and Monteverde as standard international.
A Pilot CON-40 converter holds about 0.4 ml (Unsharpen) and a LAMY Z28 about 0.8 ml, while piston fillers such as the TWSBI ECO hold up to 1.76 ml (Goulet Pens).
Pilot's Japanese support page names 3 converter types (squeeze, twist and push-button) and says a converter never fills completely because it draws in air too.
Pilot's Custom 823 vacuum (plunger) filler takes no cartridges; Pilot says to fill it from its 70 ml INK-70 bottle.
Of our 8 example pens, 3 fill only from a bottle by piston, and 5 take cartridges or a converter.
What are the ways to fill a fountain pen?
There are five common systems: cartridge, converter, piston, vacuum (plunger) and eyedropper. Cartridge and converter pens share one design, a nib section that accepts either; the other three build the filler into the pen.
Unscrew the barrel, push the cartridge straight onto the section until it seats, and screw the barrel back on. Pilot’s Japanese support page warns against inserting the cartridge backwards or twisting it in, which can stop the seal from opening.
The first time, ink takes a minute to reach the nib. Pilot suggests gently squeezing the cartridge to push ink into the feed, and changing cartridges with the nib pointing up.
What is the difference between international and proprietary cartridges?
Standard international cartridges fit many brands; proprietary ones fit only their maker’s pens. Goulet Pens’ chart lists Kaweco, Pelikan, TWSBI, Visconti, Monteverde and Faber-Castell cartridges as standard international, and Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, LAMY, Parker and Cross as proprietary.
International cartridges come in short and long lengths; small pens such as the Kaweco Sport take only the short one. Platinum sells an adapter so its pens can take international cartridges, while a LAMY safari needs LAMY’s T10.
How do you use a converter?
Fit the converter in place of the cartridge, dip the nib in the bottle up to the section, and draw ink in. Pilot describes three converter types: squeeze (板バネ式), twist (回転吸入式, like the CON-40) and push-button (プッシュ式, like the CON-70).
Twist (LAMY Z28, Pilot CON-40): turn the knob to push the piston down, dip, then turn it back.
Push-button (Pilot CON-70): press the button with the nib submerged to draw ink in.
Squeeze (Pilot CON-B): squeeze the sac and release.
Pilot notes a converter never fills completely because air comes in too. Converters are as proprietary as cartridges: LAMY lists the Z28 for the safari, AL-star, abc, vista and other LAMY pens, and Pilot’s CON-40 and CON-70 fit only Pilot pens.
Pistons hold the most; a twist converter can hold less than a cartridge.
How do you fill a piston fountain pen?
Twist the end knob to drive the piston to the nib end, dip the nib, then twist back to draw ink into the barrel. Piston pens take no cartridges, so you always need a bottle; see our best fountain pen inks. Goulet Pens lists up to 1.76 ml for the TWSBI ECO and 1.35 ml for the LAMY 2000, and Pelikan’s Perch gives about 1.20 ml for the M200.
How do vacuum and eyedropper fillers work?
A vacuum or plunger filler sucks ink into the whole barrel in one stroke; an eyedropper is simply a sealed barrel you fill by hand. For its Custom 823, Pilot says to unscrew and pull the rear knob all the way out, dip the nib, hold the pen upright and push the knob straight in: ink rushes in at the end of the stroke.
Pilot specifies its 70 ml INK-70 bottle for the 823, and the pen takes no cartridges or converters. TWSBI’s GO uses a spring-loaded plunger instead, holding up to 1.61 ml per Goulet Pens.
For an eyedropper, Goulet Pens says a Preppy’s barrel can be filled directly once you add an O-ring and silicone grease to the threads. The whole barrel then becomes the ink tank, so it holds far more than a cartridge.
Which filling system should you choose?
Start with cartridge-and-converter if you are new; move to a piston or vacuum filler for bigger capacity and bottled ink.
Cartridges: cleanest for travel and the office; check the brand.
Converter: opens up bottled ink in the same pen.
Piston or vacuum: fewer refills between fills and an ink window to watch the level.
Eyedropper: the most ink in a cheap pen, once the threads are sealed.
Frequently asked questions
How do you put a cartridge in a fountain pen?
Unscrew the barrel, push the cartridge's open end straight onto the nib section until it clicks or seats, then refit the barrel. Pilot says to push it in straight, not twisting, and to point the nib up when changing it.
How do you fill a fountain pen from a bottle?
Fit a converter (or use the pen's piston), dip the nib past the breather hole up to the section, and draw ink in by twisting, squeezing or pressing. Wipe the nib and section afterwards.
What is a standard international cartridge?
A cartridge size shared by many brands, including Kaweco, Pelikan, TWSBI, Visconti and Monteverde, and made in short and long lengths. Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, LAMY and Parker use their own shapes instead.
Can I use any cartridge in my fountain pen?
No. A Pilot pen needs Pilot cartridges and a LAMY safari needs LAMY T10. Platinum sells an adapter so its pens take international cartridges.
What is a converter?
A refillable reservoir shaped like a cartridge that lets a cartridge pen use bottled ink. Most have a twist piston; Pilot also makes squeeze and push-button types.
What is a piston-filling fountain pen?
A pen whose barrel is the ink tank, with a built-in piston turned by a knob at the end. The TWSBI ECO, Pelikan M200 and LAMY 2000 work this way and take no cartridges.
What is an eyedropper fountain pen?
A pen whose whole barrel is filled with ink, usually with a dropper or syringe. Goulet Pens says a Platinum Preppy can be used this way with an O-ring and silicone grease on the threads.
Why doesn't my converter fill all the way?
Air comes in with the ink. Pilot's Japanese support page says a converter draws in air along with ink, so it never fills completely; that is normal, not a fault.
Kaweco Classic Sport Fountain Pen
Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen
LAMY safari Fountain Pen
Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen
Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pen
TWSBI ECO Fountain Pen
Pelikan Classic M200 Fountain Pen
LAMY 2000 Fountain Pen