Guides
Cartridge vs converter
One is convenience, the other is choice. Most people end up with both, and the order you buy them in matters.
A cartridge is a sealed plastic tube of ink that you push onto the back of the nib section until it punctures. A converter is a small refillable piston that fits in the same place and draws ink from a bottle. Both do the same job; they differ on cost, capacity and choice.
| Cartridge | Converter | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per fill | Several times higher | Low after the first bottle |
| Capacity | Small to moderate | Usually similar or slightly less |
| Color choice | Whatever the maker offers | Every bottled ink in existence |
| Mess | None | Some, until you have done it a few times |
| Portability | Excellent — carry a spare | Poor — you need the bottle |
| Setup cost | None | A converter plus a bottle |
| Cleaning | Swap and go | Rinse when changing ink |
The surprising row is capacity
People assume a converter holds more than a cartridge. Often it does not. A converter is a piston mechanism occupying the space a cartridge would fill, and the mechanism itself takes up room — LAMY's T10 cartridge holds 1.25 ml, which is more than several converters manage.
If capacity is what you are after, the answer is not a converter. It is a piston filler, where the whole barrel is the reservoir.
Quick picks
Ranked for the beginner buying their first setup. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image Pilot CON-40 converter The screw converter that fits the widest range of Pilot pens, including the ones with narrow barrels. | Bottled ink in a Metropolitan or Kakuno | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 2 | No image LAMY Z28 converter The piston converter that turns any modern LAMY cartridge pen into a bottled-ink pen. | Bottled ink in a Safari, AL-star or Vista | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 3 | No image Monteverde international standard cartridges The universal cartridge size, twelve to a pack, in the colors the original makers do not offer. | Any pen that takes the standard cartridge | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
1. Bottled ink in a Metropolitan or Kakuno
Pilot CON-40 converter
The screw converter that fits the widest range of Pilot pens, including the ones with narrow barrels.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
Pilot sells several converters and they are not interchangeable. The CON-40 is the small one that fits nearly everything; the CON-70 holds far more but only fits wider pens.
The CON-40 has agitator balls inside it, which look like a defect and are not — they stop ink clinging to the walls.
If you own a Metropolitan and want to use a bottle, this is the part.
| Type | Screw-type converterSource: Pilot CON-40 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Fits | Pilot fountain pens that take the CON-40, including the Metropolitan and KakunoSource: Pilot CON-40 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Capacity | Not published |
| Larger alternative | The CON-70, for pens with a wider barrelSource: Pilot CON-70 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- Fits the widest range of Pilot pens
- Cheap enough to buy two
- Screw fitting will not fall out
What it does not
- Small capacity
- Not interchangeable with the CON-70
- Pilot does not publish the capacity
Skip this if your Pilot takes the larger CON-70 — buy that instead and get double the ink.
2. Bottled ink in a Safari, AL-star or Vista
LAMY Z28 converter
The piston converter that turns any modern LAMY cartridge pen into a bottled-ink pen.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
Buying a Safari without a converter is the most common first-order mistake in this hobby. The pen ships with one cartridge and no way to use bottled ink.
The Z28 is a twist piston: put the nib in the bottle up to the section, twist, and it draws ink. There is no trick to it.
Check the number. The Z24 looks nearly identical and fits a different set of pens.
| Fits | LAMY ABC, AL-star, joy, Lx, nexx, nexx M, safari and vistaSource: LAMY Z28 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Type | Piston converterSource: LAMY Z28 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Capacity | Not published |
| Not to be confused with | The Z24, which fits older LAMY modelsSource: LAMY Z24 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- Fits the whole current LAMY range
- Simple twist piston with nothing to break
- Turns a cartridge pen into a bottle pen for a few dollars
What it does not
- Holds less ink than a T10 cartridge in practice
- Easy to confuse with the Z24
- LAMY-only
Skip this if you only ever use cartridges — it is a part you will never fit.
3. Any pen that takes the standard cartridge
Monteverde international standard cartridges
The universal cartridge size, twelve to a pack, in the colors the original makers do not offer.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
The international standard cartridge is the closest thing this hobby has to a universal part. Kaweco, Jinhao, Faber-Castell, Diamine, J. Herbin and most European pens take it; Pilot, LAMY and Platinum do not.
Once your pen takes the standard size, the cartridge market opens up and you are no longer buying color from whoever made the pen.
Check the length: the standard comes in short and long, and a short-barrelled pocket pen only takes the short one.
| Format | 12 international standard cartridges per packSource: Monteverde international standard, black (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Fits | Pens that take international standard cartridgesSource: Monteverde international standard, black (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Colors | Black, blue, blue-black, burgundy, brown and others in the same sizeSource: Monteverde international standard, blue/black (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Published drying time | Not published |
What it does well
- Works across most non-proprietary pens
- Wide color range at a low price
- Twelve to a pack
What it does not
- Does not fit Pilot, LAMY or Platinum pens
- Short and long versions are easy to confuse
- No published performance figures
Skip this if your pen is a Pilot, a LAMY or a Platinum — none of them accept the standard cartridge.
The order to buy in
- Use the cartridge that came with the pen. It is enough writing to find out whether you enjoy the pen at all.
- Buy a converter when that runs out, if you have decided to keep going. Check what fits your pen first — Pilot, LAMY and Platinum all use different ones.
- Buy one bottle of ordinary ink at the same time. The beginner ink page explains why boring is the right first choice.
- Keep a cartridge in your bag afterwards. For travel, cartridges remain the better answer.
Cost over a year
We do not print prices in body copy, because they change and a number typed into a sentence goes stale. What we can describe is the shape: a converter plus a bottle costs roughly the same as a few packs of cartridges, and the bottle then lasts a year or more.
If you write daily, the converter pays for itself within months. If you write occasionally, cartridges may genuinely be cheaper over a year because ink in a bottle can dry out or be abandoned when your taste changes.
The pens where this decision does not exist
- Piston fillers such as the TWSBI ECO take neither. The barrel is the reservoir and a bottle is compulsory.
- Disposables such as the Pilot Varsity take neither. They are sealed.
- Eyedropper conversions fill the barrel directly with a syringe. This is a modification rather than a designed feature and is not a beginner move.
Refilling a cartridge
A blunt syringe fills an empty cartridge from a bottle, giving you bottled-ink economics in a cartridge shape. It is genuinely useful in pens where no converter is available, and it is fiddly enough that most people do it once.
Questions people actually ask
Is a converter better than a cartridge?
For cost and color choice, yes. For convenience and travel, no. Capacity is roughly a wash — a converter is a piston occupying the space a cartridge would fill, and some cartridges hold more.
Do converters hold more ink than cartridges?
Often not. LAMY's T10 cartridge holds 1.25 ml, which beats several converters. If capacity is the goal, buy a piston filler where the whole barrel is the reservoir.
Which converter fits my pen?
It depends on the brand and often on the specific model. Pilot uses the CON-40 or CON-70, LAMY the Z28, Platinum its own. The compatibility guide lists them.
Can I refill an ink cartridge?
Yes, with a blunt syringe and a bottle. It works and it is fiddly, and the cartridge's seal degrades after a few cycles. Useful mainly in pens where no converter exists.
Should I buy a converter with my first fountain pen?
Not necessarily. Use the cartridge in the box first — that is enough writing to decide whether you want to continue. Buy the converter and a bottle when it runs out.
Sources
- Pilot CON-40 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01)
- LAMY Z28 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01)
- LAMY T10 cartridges — 1.25 ml each (retail listing, read 2026-09-01)
- Kaweco Sport mini converter — 0.47 ml (retail listing, read 2026-09-01)
- Monteverde international standard cartridges (retail listing, read 2026-09-01)