Regrets And Lusts And More Regrets

[pelman]

Hello all,

I have a couple of questions to pose to you.

 

I am fairly new to "collecting" although I have been using for many years. I have 6 fountain pens so extremely modest collection.

 

1) what pen do you have that you regret buying and why? I have a Waterman liaison which I purchased many years ago and I find not writing with because of heft.

 

2) do you buy pen(s) that you lust for and simply have no reason to buy because of some other constraints? Of the 6 pens, 4 of my pens have been purchased in the last month. Ofcourse one always sees "good/great" deals pop up and seriously consider... in the same breath is there a pen you regret NOT purchasing? I had a chance to purchase a montblanc (can't remember which one now) for more than half off the msrp, but I didn't do it because couldn't justify the $425.00 asking price.

 

Look forward to reading your answers.

[Trom]

1) I never regret something

 

2) it takes time to know what kind of pen suits you best. The size, the weight, the way it writes, the material, the look, etc.

 

Sometimes you have to be lucky, as not all pens write very good (for you) and the search continues. Of course the desire to add more and more plays an important part.

 

I am lucky that I have pens now I really like. I use most of them and will probably never sell them.

My search is over.

[BrandonA]

#1 I have no regrets. I like all the pens I have but...

 

#2 My collecting goal is to eventually own every MB WE pen. I have therefore bought pens simply because they are part of the set even though they may not be particular favourites of mine.

[Garageboy]

I regret picking up a few vintage pens- restoring them, not liking them and selling them at a giant loss

[Paddler]

I purchased about 80 vintage pens during the last few years. I did that because I wanted to learn about fountain pens. I don't regret buying them or restoring them all because each one taught me something and very few of them cost me more than $10.

 

I have no need to buy any more pens; I have found out what I needed to know. Out of the whole collection, I have perhaps a dozen superb writers. I use those. The rest are only "very good". I am not sure what I'm going to do with them. I am too busy writing to worry about the second string.

 

Paddler

Edited November 14, 2010 by Paddler

[Bo Bo Olson]

Everyone is noobie once or twice or even three times.

Writing is 1/3 nib width and flex, 1/3 paper and 1/3 ink.

 

I too had, well still have a heavy metal pen.

I like lighter plastic pens more. I have one plastic pen that has brass piston, so is back weighted. I like that a lot.

I have many other vintage pens.

First they have better nibs than modern pens, second they are even fully refurbished cheaper than new pens of middle class.

 

I like semi-flex nibs a lot.

I rant on them.

 

Take your time in buying 'new'/vintage pens.

 

 

www.richardspens.com/ Go here to learn all about pens; filling systems, nibs and good advice about inks.

 

 

 

You should learn hot to hold a fountain pen. It is different than a ball point. Many to most 'new' to fountain pens hold one wrong.

 

Go to the search section,

Author...type in Death...from Death Grip, and in section Writing instruments.

holgalee…Death….writing instruments

 

That is a start.

[tonybelding]

There are not many pens I've bought and regretted. . . One that does come to mind is my OMAS Emotica -- a pretty expensive pen by my standards. It's an awkward shape and the nib is not as smooth or flexible as I thought it should be.

 

I bought a couple of Sheaffer Intrigues that were super-wet gushers with a skipping problem. I've had the flow adjusted on one (which was a trial in itself, as I first made the mistake of sending it to Sheaffer), but it still wants to skip a bit once in a while. It's a pity, and I may yet have more work done on them. . . They're very attractive pens.

 

I bought a Sheaffer Balance II with a factory stub nib. It turned out to be more of a broad italic, which isn't my thing. Plus, it's an oversized pen that (to me at least) lacks the charm of the original Balance that it tries to emulate.

 

AS for pens that I regret missing. . . There have been a few along the way, but the one that sticks in my mind most was a Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal oversized (with the deco band) in lazulitic blue with a factory stub nib, and EXC+ condition. It went for $750+ on eBay. At the time of the auction I adored the photos, but I didn't know what kind of price something like that would bring, nor did I appreciate just what a rarity it was.

[Glenn-SC]

Writing is 1/3 nib width and flex, 1/3 paper and 1/3 ink.

I question this.

This means that the pen means nothing.

Not the filler or feed or the weight or the length or the diameter.

 

IMHO, if the paper doesn't work well with my pen/ink then I use other paper.

IMHO, if the ink doesn't work with my pen then I get different ink.

 

I personally don't like "flex" (as in producing variable line width) and have no use for it in my use of FPs at work.

I want a certain line width (which can be anywhere from Medium to Fine depending on the nib) with instantaneous and consistent ink flow.

And I'm happy.

 

If others live for flex, great! That just means we won't be fighting over the same pens and driving up the prices.

 

You should learn hot to hold a fountain pen. It is different than a ball point. Many to most 'new' to fountain pens hold one wrong.

Again, I write the way I write. I shouldn't have to change my writing style or grip to make a pen happy.

If the pen doesn't work with my hand/grip there are many many pens out there that do and I will use one of them.

Edited November 14, 2010 by Glenn-SC

[alexander_k]

I would have regretted buying a pen that failed to perform. There have been a couple of hard cases but in the end I managed to find a matching ink and a use niche for every pen I own. As for the pens I haven't acquired (yet), the sour grapes approach works well with me: after all, they were probably too expensive.

[ballboy]

 

 

You should learn hot to hold a fountain pen. It is different than a ball point. Many to most 'new' to fountain pens hold one wrong.

Again, I write the way I write. I shouldn't have to change my writing style or grip to make a pen happy.

If the pen doesn't work with my hand/grip there are many many pens out there that do and I will use one of them.

 

I've just found a slightly modified way to hold my CdA Leman and the difference in weight and balance, not to mention comfort is enlightening. Granted, it has an unusually stepped section/barrel join just where I hold it. Having said that, other pens have refused to make for long writing comfort and enjoyment, despite being very similar in most regards to the above criteria.

Win some, lose some.

[fpSuperstar]

First of all apologies for resurrecting an old thread however I thought it was an interesting one.

 

The one pen I regret buying more then any other has to be my my Cross Century II, it's nice looking pen however the isn't slit perfectly down the center and I noticed a few other faults however these were only found a while after purchase. Also it is too slim for my tastes, I guess it was a good lesson to learn though.

 

I have other pens I'm not hugely fond of however they still have something going for them.

[Christi0469]

I regret the two super cheap eyedropper pens I bought from India. They dry up badly if you don't use them as daily writers. It's not a huge regret but still.

 

I also regret buying Noodler's Konrad. I was unlucky enough to get an absolute lemon.

[napalm]

I would suggest a journal of this type:

 

http://www.semikolon.com/en/product/antique-vintage-notebook-phryne-ou-desirs-et-remords_1162.aspx?page=466&pn=gi%3d3%26cat%3d10

 

to document your relationship with pens, ink and paper

[ac12]

My biggest regret was a Lamy 2000 bought over the internet. As soon as I picked it up, I knew it would be a problem. And it was, it was too fat and heavy for my hand. According to my notes it weighs 25g, 2x the 12g weight of my Parker 51 desk pen, and 50% more than the 18g of my P51 clip pen. I was so close to selling it, when I changed my mind and put it into my collection.

 

Lesson here is you can't fit a pen over the internet, it has to be in person.

Although, the more data you have on your ideal size and weight, the easier it will be to eliminate pens outside your range, if you can get the measurements.

 

I've also missed a few pens that I kick myself for not making my max bid higher, but hindsight is always 20/20.

 

Collecting can lead to the lust for pens.

- I just got to get this one (or more) pen(s) to complete my collection.

- Ooooo that pen looks so nice, I just gotta have it.

Edited July 23, 2014 by ac12

[Runnin_Ute]

I lost a pen I wish I still had. Terrific writer, but it disappeared on me. It was my second pen ever - a red marbled Waterman Phileas with fine nib from the late 1990's. I wish I still had it.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/Runnin_Ute/Fountain%20Pens/watermanphilieasfineptredmarblefountain-1_zps4fc2d4b3.jpg

 

I can't say I regret buying the Parker IM Premium Twin Chiselled Metal, but doesn't get a lot of use. It is inked with Noodler's Black as I wanted something with black in it. I bought it purely for the aesthetics of it. Beautiful pen. Is my only modern Parker. Fortunately I don't have a lot of money in it. So if it just sits there and doesn't get much use, so be it.

 

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/Runnin_Ute/ParkerSkyfall-a_zpsf9f0d3b4.jpg

[playtime]

No regrets - at least for now. To be sure, I've discovered that a pen I purchased proved wanting - but I was able to sell it on the Classifieds.

 

As for purchases, lust has driven a number of purchases. No matter - luxury purchases are emotional. I've resigned myself to that. Of course, reason eventually re-emerged - and I've sold those pens on the Classifieds. Been lucky so far.

 

Regret NOT purchasing? A few. But then I grab a pen from my modest collection - and all is better:)

[I like mango cheesecake]

any pen from India, or made in India. This includes the Serwex, that had the piston seize up on me and bend inside the barrel and piston nob snap right off, to the Ahab, from which I'm told, is made in India as well.

[de_pen_dent]

I dont regret buying any pens - there are quite a few pens which, in hindsight, i probably shouldnt have wasted time on, but:

a) Knowing what i dont like is a large part of figuring out what i DO like

Pens are cheap enough in the grand scheme of things (even the expensive pens) that "regret" is far too strong an emotion for it.

 

That being said, the ones I probably shouldnt have bought are a lot of the mid-tier pens from companies which make really nice high-end pens - eg, Omas Bologna, Visconti Van Gogh, Pilot 743, Montegrappa Espressione. Nice pens, all, but somewhat bland in comparison to their higher-end brethren.

[discopig]

I have no regrets as far as pen purchases go, both with modern and vintage pens.

Edited July 23, 2014 by discopig

[Sasha Royale]

There are no fountain pens in Heaven. No wine. No bacon&cheese burgers Seize everyday of your life with both hands.

Drink deeply. Taste everything. Even the bitter tastes are worth experiencing.

 

If not for profit, your collecting should bring you joy. Don't set too many limits to it. i learned the most from the worse-writing

pen I own.

 

I wish you much joy, and a little madness.