Why Buy Expensive Pens?

[dudedembo]

Hey everyone,

 

Since joining FPN I've been bothered by the same question... why buy expensive pens? And for those who do, why build such extensive collections of luxury pens?

 

A recurring theme that I have encountered is that of the older, more experienced members, generally with better handwriting, exclaiming that 'the pen does not make the writer/writer maketh'. Therefore, I would really like to know why so much money is spent on pens?. (Don't get me wrong... I also love the feeling of a new pen... but why?)

 

Do higher end pens actually make a difference or is it aesthetic?

 

Thanks!

 

[GabrielleDuVent]

Hello,

 

I'm not in the "older" camp but I certainly do say "pen does not make the writer make". I don't have an extensive collection of high-end fountain pens, but I do have, in my possession, two MBs.

 

One reason I have an MB is because it fit my hand. I do like the weight, and the nib is much better-crafted in my opinion than my Preppy (as much as I love Preppies). Another reason is probably due to my family's tradition to buy a good pen and to keep using it for decades.

 

Am I saying that MBs are better crafted than mid-tier pens? Nope. But due to its price (and the constant "this is gold, this is platinum nib" thing), I do tend to treat it a little more carefully than my cheap Varsities and Preppies (for instance, I'd have Preppies lying around on my desk for hours... MB goes straight back into the case and into the pen stand). It also gives me a sense of... formality? Discipline? while writing with it.

 

It's sort of like the question of "why bother buying shirts from Jermyn St, surely Tesco's would do". Yes, it would, but it gives a different sense and awareness to the user/wearer. I guess higher-tier pens are also made to last a bit longer... but that's up to debate and certainly not one I'm willing to get into!

[proton007]

Firstly, what would you define as 'expensive'? Everyone has their own definition, based on their age/experience and economic capabilities.

 

The general jargon of any product applies here.

[Namru]

Because why not?

[richardandtracy]

That is a very big question to answer.

 

With expensive pens you tend to get more of the desirable bits of a pen and less of the undesirable.

Expensive pens tend to come in lovely boxes that increase the initial pleasure of ownership. As you open one beautiful layer of box after another, the tension builds, the feel of the packaging is superb and you anticipate the pen even more. This feeling may be ephemeral, but the memory lasts.

 

Then the pen. It is more likely to be made from a desirable material if expensive. The higher end pens tend to be made from acrylic (aka 'precious resin'), celluloid, hard rubber or precious metals rather than polystyrene, abs or polycarbonate. The feel of the former materials is very different from the latter, giving the impression of rigidity, solidity & permanace that tehe latter materials just cannot compete with. Celluloid feels like no other material and along with hard rubber feels absolutely gorgeous to the touch. Celluloid (I mean Cellulose Nitrate rather than Cellulose Acetate) also has a taste & smell that is distinctive and pleasant to some.

 

More expensive pens tend to have thicker plating on the furniture, so it doesn't wear through so fast, or the furniture is made from solid precious metal, so there is never any brassing, and the pen looks good for decades.

 

On more expensive pens you tend (not always, I conceed) to get better workmanship and more care in the assembly. Furthermore, the design tends to be better giving a more comfortable and attactive looking pen.

 

You are more likely to get a nib that has been tested before it leaves the factory and made sure that it works properly. There are some manufacturers of luxury pens that skimp on this to their utter shame (Stipula for one, but then their QA appeared to be shambolic when I bought my FPN Etruria), but not all.

Gold nibs are more frequent on more expensive pens. Unless you want flex, I do not see the benefit from a gold nib, however some people feel that £95 of the final price should be spent on a lump of bling.

 

One further thing. Some designs, like overlays, inherently take longer to make and it's only right that the buyer should pay for the extra labour.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Edwaroth]

All depends on what one considers expensive, what financial means one has and what one is willing to pay for a pen. The history and reputation of the maunfacturer come into play as do the materials used. I think it safe to say, no matter what our means, we all like a good solid smooth writing high quality pen to write with. I consider 100USD to be an expensive pen (six of my ten or eleven pens fall under that mark) with my personal limit at 300USD. I consider solid gold LE pens at 12000USD to be toys for collectors with rareified upper means. I doubt the writing experience could possibly be worth the cost, then again those type of pens probably never get inked much. And some folk will walk away from what others would say is a great deal at 80USD because they feel it's too high for what they get. It's all a very personal matter at all points of the spectrum. eg: No matter what the price, I just won't buy a pen that is much over six inches posted...they just feel funny to me.

 

I do feel that my hand has gotten better since using a fountain because I think about what I am doing, especially when I am writing a letter or in a journal. The price of the pen has little to do with it, I enjoy the whole experience of fountain pen writing and thus take a slightly slower time to do it. Also, I buy pens to write with, my pens work.

Edited August 6, 2013 by Edwaroth

[proton007]

Not to mention Vintage. Using a pen thats 50+ years old has a different feeling altogether, its like holding a piece of history from a great era of fountain pens.

Edited August 6, 2013 by proton007

[Tom Aquinas]

Because I have learnt through life that you get what you pay for. I am in an industry that still relies upon handwriting for much coal face work. I found early in my career that the better quality , hence expensive, pens were the more reliable. For me , that is .

[Tom Aquinas]

Not to mention Vintage. Using a pen thats 50+ years old has a different feeling altogether, its like holding a piece of history from a great era of fountain pens.

Supported.

[OldGreyGuy]

Good question. I bought a Lamy 2000 (Medium) back in 1983 and have been using it almost daily since then. It cost me around $90 in 1983 dollars and I was hesitant about the purchase then but I am still using it 30 years later on a daily basis and it has never failed me. I figure at $3 per year it hasn't been such a bad buy.

 

My other pens:

• 2 x Safari (Medium & Broad)
• 1 x Vista (1.1)
• 1 x Italix - Parson's Essential (Medium Italic)
• 1 x TWSBI 580 (1.1 Stub)
• 1 x Konrad Ebonite (Goulet 1.1Stub)
• 1 x Montblanc 149 (Fine)

I really prefer the Medium to 1.1 Stub nib range and really only bought the MB because it was available second hand at a good price. I like the size but I figure that later I may have a custom or triple B nib put in.

 

So for me, it is all about the nib and how it feels/writes, not necessarily the price.

[humsin]

Why buy expensive clothes?

Why buy expensive cars?

 

Why buy expensive sunglasses?

 

Why buy expensive anything?

[View from the Loft]

I use my pens extensively at work. It depends on how my hand on any day as to which pen I will find most comfortable that day. On a bad day, my most comfortable pens happen to be my most expensive purchases but they are worth every penny to me because they are so comfortable, reliable and just right for me.

 

On other days, my cheaper pens will be the right pens for me on that day.

 

so, most important is my comfort on any given day. After that is how the pen looks - and my Onotos oose class, in my opinion.

[rochester21]

People buy luxury things because they make them feel special. It`s a form of compensation.

 

Well made pens don`t have to be expensive in order to make production possible, and high prices don`t guarantee you will receive the best quality.

 

I used to believe that in order to get a good quality pen, I have to look only for the high-end, top of the range pens. But as i found out, that`s simply not true.

Edited August 6, 2013 by rochester21

[georges zaslavsky]

People buy luxury things because they make them feel special. It`s a form of compensation.

 

Well made pens don`t have to be expensive in order to make production possible, and high prices don`t guarantee you will receive the best quality.

 

I used to believe that in order to get a good quality pen, I have to look only for the high-end, top of the range pens. But as i found out, that`s simply not true.

Because the craftsmanship on an expensive item is far more superior than the one found on an entry level model.

You don't compare a mid 1960's-1970's 149 alongwith a pilot 78 or a capless, it is like comparing a 1970 Cadillac Eldorado or 1970 Buick Riviera with a Scion XB or a Nissan Micra. It is like a good old Rolex or Omega which is far more prestigious and of better quality than a basic Seiko.

Why do you think that some vintage MBs, some Maxima vacs, some Oversize Retromax vacs, some Eversharp Dorics, some Oversize Vac Filled Balances pens or some Waterman Patricians reach such high values? Because craftsmanship was better.

I never had any disappointments with my Omas, MB, Pelikan, Nettuno, Montegrappa or Dunhill and they are all top of the range pens.

Edited August 6, 2013 by georges zaslavsky

[CS388]

Most consumer items have an entry level product and a top end product.

The price gap between these two can be enormous or slight, but there will be a demand for both.

 

As to the 'why' part of your question - impossible to give a 'cover all' answer.

We all have different reasons for buying at the level we choose.

 

When I bought my pens, I chose to buy expensive, because it was becoming something of a hobby, as well as being an everyday writing tool. I knew I didn't need to spend so much, but I wanted to, because I wanted a particular set of pens.

 

If I had no pens and found myself in the same position nowadays, I would probably buy a decent mid-range pen and keep that for as long as it worked.

[flatline]

It's all about opportunity cost. If you have the money to spend and the pen will provide more satisfaction and pleasure than anything else that you would have spent the same amount of money on, then it would be silly not to buy the pen

 

I use this same reasoning for most things I purchase (pens, pencils, flashlights, trombones, tools, etc).

 

--flatline

Edited August 6, 2013 by flatline

[jar]

Some folk are satisfied with hamburger.

[dudedembo]

Very interesting...

I still don't understand buying many expensive, well built pens....

Unless; do you find your writing experience, or handwriting, changes with each pen?

 

Thanks

[raffaele from turin - italy]

why buy expensive pens?

 

 

mmmmhhhh....hard to give an answer.....

 

a little help....

 

which do you prefer?

 

 

this

 

 

or this?

 

[ziptrickhead]

I have pens that I consider expensive (my Pelikan M600 and M650) but those costs can be thought of as peanuts to some of the other pens I see of people have collections of.

 

Why I bought those pens? Well I wanted to try the writing experience of Pelikans but I didn't feel like the M200 and M400 sizes fit my hand well so I sucked it up and paid extra for the M600. No regrets with that because I now carry the pen as an everyday writer. Sometimes when I pull the pen out to start writing with I end up just staring and admiring it. Oh, and the pen also writes well, feels good in hand, and is pretty much the perfect size of pen for me.

 

Why I bought the M650? That was more of an impulse buy than anything. It was a few weeks after I got my M600 and I was still in the honeymoon stage with that style of pen. For some reason I swore a friend of mind had a green stripe M600 with a gold cap. I could see it in my dreams! Then I found out I was just crazy, he didn't have one. But now I just had to have one cause I thought it was a gorgeous pen and I found out it was a discontinued line. Probably not the smartest of purchases, but I inked it once and used it for a bit and flushed it out and put it into my pen case when I went on vacation. Now I figure it'll be like a special occasion pen or a dress pen to go with my suits or blazers while the M600 goes with jeans or cargo pants.

 

So those are my reasons for my expensive pens. Would I love even more expensive pens? Sure! As a fountain pen lover the more I have the better, but I can't afford all the pens I want. I do see a MB 146 and 149 and maybe even a plain Nakaya in my future, but not my near future for sure.

 

I have other "lower end" pens in my Lamy 2000 and my Pilot Custom 74 which write well and I still love, but my M600 has basically taken over as my main pen. At the same time I still write with my Lamy Safaris and TWSBI pens as well, but they just don't quite make it into the rotation quite as often any more.