What's Hot In Pens

A pen so cool they even called it Fly

Nearly 125 years after the invention of the fountain pen, there are modern pens available that feature technology more advanced than the first computers. Pens have always made respectable gifts, and even more so today. A traditional pen and ink combination gains from its association with the authors and literary endeavors of the past, while a Fly pentop computer will impress even the most jaded gadget geek. Let's take a look at what's hot in pens.

Fountain pens

Fountain pens are eternally classic. Patented by Lewis Waterman in 1884, fountain pens are the business standard, and make excellent gifts for executives and their clients.

High-end fountain pens can be made from gold, silver, or titanium, among other things. Some of the leading manufacturers of quality fountain pens include Aurora, Cross, Waterman, and Caran d' Ache.

If you're looking for a fountain pen with a distinctive style, try the Visconti Van Gogh Midi. The Van Gogh Midi fountain pen combines natural resin and vegetal components to achieve dense and swirling colors reminiscent of the famed impressionist painter. They sell for $125 to $135.

Pen and ink

A pen and ink set is a pleasingly warm and traditional gift. The tactile quality of writing with pen and ink creates an intimacy that carries beyond the page.

A calligraphy pen and ink set makes for an elegant yet inexpensive gift for the writer in your life. Try a classic Elizabethan style with a pen and ink set that features a wooden pen, brass nibs, and ink.

A truly unusual gift would be a Chinese calligraphy pen and ink set. A standard set might include two 9-inch brushes, a black ink stick, a stone mixing plate, a water dish, and a brush, all lined in a beautiful upholstered box.

Calligraphy sets will sell for anywhere between $15 and $200, though quality pen and ink sets will cost about $40 and up.

Fly pen

The Fly pen, or as it's also known, the Fly pentop computer, is an interesting little tool that makes a very contemporary gift. The Fly pen contains an optical scanner that sees everything you scan and write on special dot-matrix Fly paper. And the Fly pen has a voice, so it can also solve your math problems or remind you of scheduled appointments.

The Fly pen was released by LeapFrog Enterprises and is aiming at teens and tweens as its primary target market. The Fly pen sells for about $100, and the Fly paper it needs to work is about $10 per notebook.

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