Filling system

Piston fillers

Turn the knob at the end of the barrel and a screw draws a piston up the barrel, pulling ink in through the nib. Pelikan built its first pen around the idea in 1929, Montblanc's Meisterstück 146 and 149 use it, and it's still how most Pelikans fill today. Piston fillers hold a lot of ink, and most show the level through an ink window or striped barrel. On older pens the piston seal was cork, which dries, shrinks and stops sealing, so a pen that leaks past the piston or won't draw needs a new seal. Later pens use synthetic seals that last longer. Either way, a filler that turns smoothly and draws a full load of water is the thing to ask about.

12 pens we cover.