In Search Of....

[Arkanabar]

I am hoping to find a pen for my wife. I've tried on numerous occasions to give her a fountain pen she would like enough to use, but so far, to no avail.

 

Her current favorite pen is an inexpensive yet refillable no-name roller ball. She cites its very fine line, infallible reliability, light weight, balance, size, and the minimal pressure required as factors for liking it. The runners-up are Sanford Liquid Expresso Extra Fine Line fiber-tip pens and some Zebra Antique Hyper-Jells (0.7mm point), which we've not seen in some time.

 

The failures: I gave her a Namiki VP (1st type, matte black.) Too heavy. A red Lamy Safari FP in M (it was a gift & I was rushed, or I'd have gotten F or EF). Far too broad, and she doesn't much like the grip facets, because she rolls her pens as she writes. I asked her what she thought of my Pelikan M250 Fine FP, and it's nice, but the grip is too thick.

 

Ease of use is also going to be important. She has a zippo lighter, and she likes it quite well, but she will not fill it or replace the flint. She won't want to be bothered with a complicated filling procedure. I'd be delighted if it was a bottle-fill pen, because I don't like to spend on cartridges. And she'd probably prefer a slip cap to a screw cap.

 

My budget is $50USD or less. (I had more free money when I was single, but I love being married.) Does anyone have any suggestions?

[amh210]

I've found it difficult to buy pens "for" the wife. I've found it much easier to buy pens "for" myself and she "goes shopping" from my store.

 

She is happy, I am happy, and when I make suggestions about which pen she might like she is unusally open minded until she ignores my advice.

 

On the other hand, she must have her own ink and will not share. She has me order it, and then takes the bottle to work.

 

Aint life grand?

 

Andy

[NeoTiger]

A red Lamy Safari FP in M (it was a gift & I was rushed, or I'd have gotten F or EF). Far too broad, and she doesn't much like the grip facets, because she rolls her pens as she writes.

Hi,

 

I'm not sure if I'm understanding this properly, but it sounds like she wouldn't be able to use any fountain pen comfortably if she likes to roll the pen as she writes... Fountains pens need to be held at the same rotation most of the time.

 

Otherwise I was thinking maybe a Waterman Audace... interesting style, not too heavy, nice to write with.

[wimg]

I had a similar quandary a few years back. I was well into fountain pens, having rediscovered them, and I desparately wanted to share this feeling of joy with my wife.

 

As she has very small hands, I ended up getting her all kinds of relatively thin, slim, light pens, and she uses them because she has realized it helps with RSI.

 

However, she really got hooked when I got here an Aurora 88 medium size, piston filler. The only thing she doesn't like about it, is that it is black. Even so, I am not allowed to touch that pen anymore for my own use, except for filling . Yes, she couldn't be bothered either, but then that is where you help out as a husband .

 

For a light, not too expensive pen, I was thinking Waterman as well. other than the Audace, you may consider a Waterman Ici-et-là. Very nice, slim, light metallic coloured pens, and the new model will fit a long cartridge or a corresponding converter. They are maybe just over your proposed price ($55 ?), but I think they are certainly worthwhile considering.

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

[kissing]

Waterman Phileas with a Fine nib might be ok...but then again that's on the wider side...

 

If she doesnt mind aerometric, a Hero 100 is both inexpensive, slim to hold and writes fine...

 

A Parker Vector or Jotter FP ("Parker 15") with a fine nib might be ok...

 

A Sheaffer Javelin with a fine nib might not be so bad...

 

A Parker Frontier is just inside your price range and have a comfortable grip

[fjf]

A pelikan m320 may be it...Small, thin and girly color...

 

http://www.stylophilesonline.com/images/10-04/10p3204.jpg

 

http://www.stylophilesonline.com/10-04/10p320.htm

[mike1]

Give it up. Let her find her own way. Fountain pens are like religion, you must find your own path. Don't be too pushy or you may never get her to see the light.

[Ashland]

Why not provide her with a pack of Pilot Varsity/Vpens containing pens of various ink colors (black, blue, purple, and I think I've seen pink, red, and/or turquoise)? They are quite inexpensive, available from office supply stores, lightweight, travel well in a purse, extremely reliable even after weeks of disuse, and have ink level indicator windows. I know they are intended to be disposable, but they may be refilled with a little know-how. If she doesn't like them, you can use them yourself or give them away as first-fountain-pen gifts.

 

I agree about not pushing someone to use something she's not inclined to, but I definitely understand why you want to share this very important part of your life with your wife.

 

Regards,

Ashland

[sonia_simone]

Get a nice-writing little "51," maybe have it ground down to a nice fine point, and fill it every morning for her.

[Judybug]

I remember when I used to roll my roller ball or ball point in my hand. Then I took a calligraphy class and found out right away that I couldn't do calligraphy unless I broke that rolling habit. It was hard to break - and if I hadn't been motivated by a burning desire to form those beautiful calligraphic letters, I doubt if I would have been successful in breaking the habit.

 

My point is that your wife will need something to motivate her - some good reason to stop rolling her pen. Maybe this is silly, but I'll put up with some minor imperfections in a pen and do what I have to do to adjust to it, if it is a BEAUTIFUL pen. If your wife is anything like me, the beauty of a pen might be enough to get her out of the rolling thing. So find out what she thinks is gorgeous.

 

I vote for that beautiful little Pelikan m320, but it might be a bit out of budget. There are some beautiful Duke pens for under $50 that are great writers. Would the novelty of a pen that looks like a tube of lipstick do the trick? The Monteverde Diva La Penna Lipstick is an excellent writing little pen. The only negative thing about it is that it's not a pen you can whip out in a hurry to jot a note. You have to unscrew the cap, twist out the point, and then the cap has to be screwed on to post. But it's a great little pen - on sale right now at Swisher.

 

Judybug

Edited September 10, 2006 by Judybug

[JimStrutton]

Get a nice-writing little "51," maybe have it ground down to a nice fine point, and fill it every morning for her.

I have to agree with Sonia-Simone But then I would

 

But, refill every morning? How much do you expect this poor woman to write in a day?

 

Jim :ltcapd:

[æon]

This is probably a bannable offense on this forum, but...

 

Get her a rollerball. Especially if she wants ease of use and rolls her grip, a fountain pen may be impractical. It's tempting to try to change her, I know (I've been there), but in the end, most people just aren't that interested in pens in general or fountain pens in particular. You might have to skip the slip cap part, as most of the attractive resins and celluloids that make for a light pen will be threaded.

 

Take her to a pen shop to choose, and if she isn't thrilled by any, take her to a jewlery store instead.

[Michael Wright]

Neotiger and aeon have pretty powerful points. Does she show any sign of actually being interested in fountain pens?

 

All that considered, a Sheaffer Snorkel or Touchdown, with a fine Triumph nib, might be a possibility. Slender, convenient filling systems, and the Triumph nib is about as likely as any to cope with a moderate amount of pen-rolling. Particularly for a Touchdown, you should just about be able to get one from a reliable seller within your budget, and the retro-cool factor *might* be relevant. But it might still be a good idea to get it for yourself, ostensibly, and push it in her direction.

 

Good luck

 

Michael

[Ana]

Agree with above.

 

However, that being said. The Lamy is a great pen, and if she can get over rolling the pen, then just swap the nib out for a fine or extra-fine (each one is about $11 on swisher) and there's that.

 

Also, might I recommend at Pilot Namiki Knight? Easy to fill, and also takes cartridges. It's a nice middle of the road pen - not too expensive, not too big and not too small, nib says medium, but writes like a fine, available at your local Office Depot (maybe - it's available at mine, anyway) in silver. Also comes in red, black, and navy blue. And affordble.

 

They have it in black here for $31.50, but if you like the silver one, print out the page and bring it to Office Depot - they'll match the price. Or, if you're feeling particularly amorous, get her BOTH the black rollerball and silver fountain pen, as the internal parts are swappable, you'll have FOUR pens instead of 2. (That's what I do).

 

Also, the Waterman Harmonie and Hemisphere are lovely and don't cost an arm and a leg. The fine nib writes more like a medium, IMO. The Ici et La is a beautiful pen, very petite, but I understand that it takes special cartridges because of it's tiny size. So that may or may not be an issue for you. Good luck!

Edited September 11, 2006 by Ana

[sonia_simone]

Jim, filling it every morning, while perhaps not necessary, just adds to the gallantry of the gesture.

[Ana]

Oh, and I forgot to add that the Namiki Knight rollerballs take the Pilot G-2 refills. As do the Watermans. But that's another story altogether.

[elena]

It sounds like your wife knows what she likes. Why not get her what she likes, those rollerballs that she seems to have a relationship with, and add a Moleskine or Clairefontaine Journal. Rolling her pen may be something she enjoys doing, or may be part of her thinking process.

 

Just my 2 cents, from someone who knows what I like, and don't like people messing with it.

[Arkanabar]

Andy: I don't like narrow pens. The M250 she considers overly thick is about as skinny a pen as I want to own. That leaves out buying pens for me and letting her choose from them.

 

An important secondary motivation is to increase the variety of bottled ink. I want an excuse to buy bottled ink for us instead of just me. This seems to let the Ici et La out of the running, as I can't find one that permits a converter. I don't have and consider myself unlikely to find an ink syringe. I don't have enough bandwidth to find out about the Audace, Hemisphere, or Harmonie until the library opens tomorrow. Sharing dialup three ways is no fun at all.

 

NeoTiger, I'm not convinced the complaint about the grip facets on the Safari is truly valid. She almost likes the Safari. I suspect she'd be a lot happier with it if it had an F or EF point -- perhaps enough to put up with the grip facets and keep the pen. But I'd rather try to get her something new ... so the Lamy can become my work pen.

 

As for liking fountain pens: she does. She likes my M250, except for girth. I think the Hero 100 (or some of the other Hero Aerometric fills) may be a good choice as well. The folks at www.isellpens.com think that the 100 is very much like the old 51. Can anyone else corroborate this?

 

As for the Parker 51, Pelikan M320, and assorted Snorkels and Touchdowns -- what's the odds of finding any of these anywhere close to $50 USD?

 

The RB she's so fond of a) uses rare refills, and is missing.

[AndrewC]

Hero 616. Cheap, slip cap, easy to fill squeeze converter. F/EF nib that is smooth. Slip a sheet of floss for increased flow. Seems to do well with some rolling of the angle of attack. I think DWL has some for $12 posted. This is a Parker 51 clone.

I gave up on getting my wife to like FPs. She's an engineer, and she likes the VP 'cos it's a "click" type pen. She was happiest with a Parker Jotter... Good luck.

[æon]

I bought my Sheaffer Imperial touchdown (early 60s) for about $25, and it's a fabulous pen, with an attractive inlaid nib. I have a couple touchdown Admirals, and I love those as well, but the Imperial has the edge in fit and finish. Make sure you buy a working one, otherwise repairs need to be factored in.

 

Here's a link (big pictures) http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer...erialsEarly.htm