Inexpensive, Buttery Smooth, Ergonomic Pen Suggestions?

[LagNut]

OK, I have to put my $0.02 in...

 

If you have (already) some pens that you wouldn't mind sacrificing, get some abrasive sticks from Richard Binder's store, or 8000 or higher grit sandpaper, and smooth them yourself.

 

I had pens that I had an emotional attachment to that faded in favor because I was finding better nibs (thanks, FPN). Then after reading (da Book, Binders website, here) I tried nib smoothing on my own, and now those pens compete with any I've got for smoothness. Really turned some pens around for me.

 

Take your time, practice on pens that you can live with destroying (though I haven't ruined one yet), and give it a go. Really changes your relation to this obsession... er hobby.

 

Mike

[Descartes]

I'm very happy that you are pleased with your pens. I don't find the Parsons too heavy, but then I'm not writing for long periods as you are. I have to admit I had never heard of the Loom before. I must look into it for the future. (My pen budget is all spent for now). What ink are you using in your shiny new pens?

 

J. Herbin's Lie de Thé It's beautiful. I use it for revision at home because I love it so much. I also use Parker quink

for college to keep it practical.

 

 

Good going, I just ordered myself a Loom. I hope you are happy now.

I am over the moon. You'll enjoy it

[Descartes]

OK, I have to put my $0.02 in...

 

If you have (already) some pens that you wouldn't mind sacrificing, get some abrasive sticks from Richard Binder's store, or 8000 or higher grit sandpaper, and smooth them yourself.

 

I had pens that I had an emotional attachment to that faded in favor because I was finding better nibs (thanks, FPN). Then after reading (da Book, Binders website, here) I tried nib smoothing on my own, and now those pens compete with any I've got for smoothness. Really turned some pens around for me.

 

Take your time, practice on pens that you can live with destroying (though I haven't ruined one yet), and give it a go. Really changes your relation to this obsession... er hobby.

 

Mike

Haha, it really is an obsession (sorry hobby!). Thanks for the advice. I will look into purchasing a smoothing kit. To be honest though, I don't really have a fountain pen I wouldn't mind getting destroyed. I'll probably purchase some at the £1 shop and try it out on them. Or better yet, grind down those ball-points to destruction

[huhjunn]

The pens have arrived and all I can say is that I am blown away. The parsons is super smooth (more so than both my lamy safaris) albeit a little on the heavier side and boy do I love the finish. I know when you guys said it looks like a pen 5 times its price, you weren't joking. I prefer the look to even the montblanc 149 and the pelikan souveran m200. I think this is a very nice pen with a smooth nib but the only thing I would say I didn't like was the weight (36g). Now, don't get me wrong, it's not the pens fault for having that weight and I should have done my research before buying. Furthermore, some people like a weight to their pens so its not a bad pen by any means. I just feel that for its a bit heavy for college daily use and writing 40-50 pages daily.

Then I opened the LOOM...

This pen is an absolute steal. I felt like calling up thewritingdesk and apologizing for robbing them. For £25, you get a pen that is about 20g uncapped (good weight), a nice chrome finish and an air hockey nib. I LOVE the nib. There is no resistance. Simple as. It glides across the paper exactly as I hoped. I have large handwriting and used a bold nib and specifically told thewritingdesk to smoothen it and they did an amazing job. I love this pen. I will purchase a c/c and a few bottled inks. I think it's awesome that I have a fancy-ish pen (the parsons) and a smooth pen (the LOOM) for my little collection and the addiction is really starting to get hold of me. I will wait for the TWSBI diamond 580 to come back in stock then make my move when I find the money. Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions and I hope this thread has helped other newbies other than myself

Hey Descartes, I'm in the same boat as you. Unfortunately, my TWSBI 580 F experience was not what I had hoped. It was very scratchy and the pen dug into the paper, even when I held it ever so lightly. Might I ask what nib type you got with your Loom? Thanks!

[Edwaroth]

If you have not decided yet... The Parson's Italix Essential or may I suggest a Picasso...one of the smoothest steel nibs out there.

[RINGO]

I currently own a LAMY safari and as excellent a writer as it is, and a smooth one, it just isn't good enough for me. I want no feedback from a pen. I also have a pretty tight budget (£80) for the pen. Any recommendations from you wonderfully wise people out there?

 

 

===============

 

Edited November 26, 2014 by RMN
deleted trade information

[cellmatrix]

probably find a good English-made Parker 51 aerometric, medium nib. The all-time greatest pen, but it might need a small amount of tuning.

+1 the english made parker 51s are quite nice

[Algester]

Smooth nib... (And wet) F-C large ink no its just a cartridge converter pen and chances it may not come with a converter even though it is international sized... Relatively smooth nib and can be a hit or miss a TWSBI 580 large ink capacity definitely

[lmarine0510]

A Pilot 78g with a <M> nib would be a fine option. They are cheap, the stock squeeze convertor can be swapped for a CON-50 to provide decent ink capacity, the nibs are great and are quite smooth, and they can be had for about 10 US dollars (6.39 GBP). Also, a restored Sheaffer Touchdown or a Vac with a Triumph nib would also be an excellent option. The touchdown and vacuum filling systems hold a good amount of ink, the Triumph nibs are quite literally the smoothest nibs that I have ever used, and restored examples can be found for under 100 US dollars (~64 GBP). The Sheaffers are also quite beautiful pens. Another option would be the TWSBI Vac 700, It also has the Vacuum filling system with a huge capacity, the nib units are interchangeable with the nibs being smooth from the factory, and they are user-serviceable. these go for about 70 US Dollars (~45 GBP).

[RINGO]

A Pilot 78g with a <M> nib would be a fine option.

 

 

Does any reason to prefer M? Why I ask your opinion: in general, in industry F nib has less resistance while writing. Thus less efforts to apply.

For our pens (ergonomic RING PEN, we made and sold over 1 000 000 pcs) we made firstly FINE (ball point). But markets, especially in the USA - obliged us to switch to M to produce. F was very good for us, but ,... "market resided " by other way. So we make from 1997 only M.

[Namo]

If you can find any, Bexley Corona is probably the best piston filler you can find for the money. A M steel nib will make you happy. The ergonomics is great: nice balance, long grip section. The only point that could be troublesome is that the pen is not really designed to be posted. It does post, though, but the pen is not at its best then.

Edited November 22, 2014 by Namo

[lmarine0510]

 

A Pilot 78g with a <M> nib would be a fine option.

 

 

Does any reason to prefer M? Why I ask your opinion: in general, in industry F nib has less resistance while writing. Thus less efforts to apply.

For our pens (ergonomic RING PEN, we made and sold over 1 000 000 pcs) we made firstly FINE (ball point). But markets, especially in the USA - obliged us to switch to M to produce. F was very good for us, but ,... "market resided " by other way. So we make from 1997 only M.

 

I have found that the F nibs on the 78g are hit-and-miss as far as smoothness goes, 2 of the 3 I have had were pretty rough and dry from the factory while only 1 was decently wet and smooth. Both of the Medium nibbed 78g's that I bought were buttery and wet from the factory. I don't know how you figure that broader nibs have more resistance than finer nibs. This may very well be true in ballpoint pens, but I have found that nib size is irrelevant to how much the nib drags. A nib that drags almost always has ink flow issues (too dry) and the tines are often misaligned. I have used B and BB nibs that skate across the paper with no resistance at all. On the other hand, a lot of XF and needlepoint nibs that I have used were miserably dry and scratchy with added resistance due to it wanting to dig into the paper as I wrote. The M Pilot nibs write as fine as a western F, anyways.

[freewheelingvagabond]

Pelikan M200.

Parker Frontier, which is cheaper still.

[RINGO]

.... I don't know how you figure that broader nibs have more resistance than finer nibs. This may very well be true in ballpoint pens, but I have found that nib size is irrelevant to how much the nib drags. ....

Thank you for detailed explanation. Yes, indeed seems here is the big difference for F and M in ball point refill case and for the founitain pen's nib. Viscosity is the key, that makes things opposite.

[RINGO]

^{I also found that TOMBOW Objest is very good inexpensive (15 Euros in Europe), and nicely balanced pen, very pleasand in hand.}

^{Very wise mass distribution along the body (to deminish momentum of forces). And very good in wiriting !}

[sirgilbert357]

Thank you for all your replies

I just ordered the italix parsons as it seems so classy and you all reviewed it so highly. I looked into the ondoro suggestion and found it to be a bit on the expensive side. The Faber castell loom has the same nib as the ondoro but for the amazing price of £25. This means I couldn't resist ordering the loom as well as the parsons. I understand the nib smoothing advice you have given and will look to purchase a kit for it if the nibs are scratchy. The lamy 2k and the m200 were also a bit expensive and I thought I'd rather get 2 cheaper (i prefer inexpensive) pens to add to my young, developing collection. Thanks to everyone for the great advice!

I'm a bit late to the party, but glad others could guide you. I would just add that 40 pages a day is a lot of notes, and most usually try to match a good paper to their pens, so my next thought would be: what paper are you planning on using? Writing that much on crappy paper would be a huge bummer to me! If you need suggestions, ask away. I'll just say that buying a ream at a time is probably going to be more cost effective than individual notebooks or bound journals...

[sirgilbert357]

Pelikan M200.

 

Parker Frontier, which is cheaper still.

While I love my Pelikan M205, at 40 pages a day, he'd have to refill at least once and being a piston filler, he would have to have an ink bottle with him. I personally wouldn't mind carrying ink around, but it'd be easier to just have two pens... Edited November 24, 2014 by sirgilbert357

[sirgilbert357]

Haha, it really is an obsession (sorry hobby!). Thanks for the advice. I will look into purchasing a smoothing kit. To be honest though, I don't really have a fountain pen I wouldn't mind getting destroyed. I'll probably purchase some at the £1 shop and try it out on them. Or better yet, grind down those ball-points to destruction

I have a Pilot 78g in fine nib that was a bit toothy on certain strokes. Not quite scratchy...anyway, I read a nib smoothing thread and found the "glass mirror" suggestion. I rubbed and wrote with the nib on my bathroom mirror and it seems to have helped. Try it out.

[setriode]

For buttery smooth, a Pilot Custom74 with a soft SM or SFM nib from a Japanese eBay seller. The CON 70 converter will take up almost as much ink as a Pelikan M200 piston filler. The finish, balance and feel are outstanding. It is a light pen slightly heavier and larger in each dimension than a Pelikan M200.

Edited November 24, 2014 by setriode

[siopaopei]

A Parker 51, though it may require some tuning when you get it. Also at the top of my list is the Pilot 78G.