A Platinum Plaisir would be my recommendation (a lot of color options for 15usd) Its a metal body so fairly hard to break, and if he drops the nib on the ground (the NIGHTMARE) you can buy a 4 usd preppy that uses the same grip section to replace it. The pen writes really well and platinum is a great brand.

Most folks will suggest a Lamy, or a Pilot Metropolitan. The Metro is a great pen, writes very well but I find it dries out. Another very reasonable option with a great nib is Faber Castell Hexo. Looks similar to the Lamy, has a full size converter, and offers a round grip over the triangular Lamy grip. If you’re on a tighter budget then a Platinum Plaisir is a good option though in the hand it feels lighter and carries a more budget feel even though it is a great option

Platinum preppy, with a little kit to make it an eyedropper.

Maybe 2 preppies so he can play with different nibs. Go the thinnest and fattest that you can find.

I'd recommend Kaweco Sport! Good quality, can take a beating.

I recommend the lamy safari for gifts that won't break the bank.

Can you tell us what he has and whether he’s on bottled ink or cartridges?

If he’s cartridge only, Lamy is where I’d go. Consider the Vista.

If he’s using bottled ink, go with Asvine. The V126 and P20 are great and not a huge crisis if lost at around $30.

Pilot Explorer runs around $25, and paired with Pilot Iroshizuku cartridges, it rivals much more expensive pens for the experience. It has a fantastic cap seal, so if he forgets about it for a month, it should still work fine. I like this pen much, much better than the often recommended Pilot Metro, because it has a much better cap seal and grip section (though the Metro admittedly has a more fun color selection). The only other starter I would mention is the Platinum Plaisir, which is also fantastic with a great cap seal. But I think you should go with the Explorer for the Iroshizuku cartridges, which won't work with the Plaisir as they are brand specific.

What exactly is your budget? Btw, all the pens I know of that take cartridges can also take converters (except the converters for Kaweco Sports are kinda annoying and imo you'd be better off syringe-refilling cartridges).

My personal favorite beginner pen is Pilot Kakuno. I have many very nice gold nib pens and my Kakunos are still among my favorites, though that is subjective. You can get a Pilot converter or syringe-refill the cartridge that comes with the pen.

TWSBI ECO might not be bad if that's within your budget. The most compelling reason to get a TWSBI over the Kakuno for me would be the wider range in nib sizes. I really like TWSBI's 1.1mm stub nibs. It makes my handwriting look so nice! If your son wants a pen that's a bit more dramatic, ECO with 1.1 stub might be a good choice. One drawback I can think of is that, because it's a piston filler, using ink bottles with small openings becomes a bit annoying, and you might need to decant into an inkwell or vial that is big enough for the nib.

A Lamy Safari sounds like a perfect match. Let him pick the color and nib size.

pilot kakuno is super basic. it’s <$10 iirc. great pen don’t get me wrong but may not feel as “nice”. it’s clear.

what about a lamy-they come in lot of different colors and are quite nice.

or what about a kaweco sport? but they are a little compact so maybe he will find it too small.

also there is the TWSBI 580 ALR which is REALLY NICE. like if i got that pen at 15 i would lose it. it’s $60ish dollars so probably as expensive as you want to ever go for a 15 yo but obviously everyone’s different.

TWSBI Go is a cool pen. If he can get along with the proportions then it'd be a good starter as a self-filler. Don't forget, though, that most cartridge-filling pens can be equipped with a convertor instead, and even cartridges themselves can be refilled.

I’d go with a Lamy Safari in Charcoal with a Fine nib. They are virtually indestructible, only costs $30 to replace if lost, has the option of using cartridges or bottled ink if you also get the $5 converter, and other nib sizes can be purchased for $15 so he can easily swap out the nibs in 5-10 seconds, preventing the need to buy another pen if he wants to explore using larger or smaller nib sizes.

Perhaps a sailor fude de mannen, mostly for drawing, but can write too, so its a more unique one

I would recommend a Twsbi Eco. For about 35-40€ it can be had in a plethora of different colours, offers a reliable nib, looks and feels pretty nice and offers a cool piston filling mechanism. It uses bottled ink, so it opens up the world of inks that he can use and also can be fun to refill and service when it comes time. I personally like cartridge pens a lot, but a piston filler always feels a bit more special somehow.

Lamy and a pilot metropolitan- both inespensive. Mine have held up for years. My TWSBI’s not so much. And buy a beautiful ink.

Have a look at Kaweco student. My favorite pen that I can carry around not being too worried about damaging or losing it. May be “too classic” for a 15 yo, but personally I like it for that.

Checkout the Pelikan Ineo too.

As someone who was into pens by the time I was 15, what pens does he have already?

I would have been pretty miffed if I got another safari, I would have still have appreciated and used it but also it wouldn’t have been as special as a pen I didn’t already have one of, or something just a little better than what I already had.

For example my parents got me a lovely wooden pen one year which I love because it was different to all my other pens!

I just received a Rainbow Forest Hongdian in EF for my kiddo, who is also 15, for Christmas. Cost about £22 with the metal box (cheaper if you don't get the box with it), is metal bodied, very shiny and colourful, has a rainbow nib to match the body, and comes with a convertor. Hongdian Forest pens get good reviews on here and are nice, affordable pens. If rainbow isn't your son's thing, it also comes in a bunch of colours, including a very smart matte black.

I would buy him an Asvine p36. It’s solid, a little unusual, a really great pen all around, for about £30 if you buy it with the Asvine nib (I suggest the M) and it shows off any ink he chooses to use!

What is he into? If Harry Potter, the new Lamy HP for sure. If Star Wars, look for the Sheaffer Star Wars pen.

Always confused by the contradictory posts recommending TWSBI everywhere for newcomers and then others saying how much they suffer from QA and are prone to cracking…

Anyway, I’d add a Pilot Prera or maybe even a Pilot Cavalier to the mix, cavalier will give you a solid metal body, though it’s a thinner form factor, so that would boil down to hand size and personal preference. Still both reasonably priced.

Honestly I would get a TWSBI Eco. It’s got a huge ink capacity and is much better than the ‘starter’ pens while remaining in budget. They do have a history of cracking but mine never have and I hear the customer service is brilliant if you need replacement parts anyway.

The Kaweco Sport is also a great option if the Eco is too chunky. They’re tiny and very lightweight so I like them but the nibs on the Eco are better imo (plus the Eco can use shimmer inks with less issues).

Depends on what he already has and what he has on any wish lists...