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Pen Sizes - Is There A List?


migo984

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Good morning all,

 

I know I'm being lazy, expecting someone else to have done the work, but is there anywhere on FPN where the sizes of FPs are listed together for easy comparison purposes? Size is an important factor for me & when buying on internet or reading reviews it is often difficult to remember all the (standard commercial) pens around so I can compare with say, pens I already own. Just something that shows size capped, open, posted, dia (max/min) & weight.

 

thanks in anticpiation

 

Marie

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Just something that shows size capped, open, posted, dia (max/min) & weight.

 

 

And section diameter. That appears here and there on different web sites, but very rarely unfortunately. For me the section diameter is really important for how my meaty old paw is going to be required to grip.

 

And why can't pen manufacturers and pen selling web sites agree on what dimensions they should note. Just writing "length 148mm" is pretty useless. Is that capped (probably), open, posted...?

 

CultPens does a lovely job for (unfortunately only) some of the pens they offer, e.g.:

 

146.9mm long closed, 132.7mm long open, 174mm long posted. 15.9mm max barrel diameter, grip section tapers down to 10mm. Weighs 32g.

 

Now if we could have that for all of 'em, that'd be just great :D

Edited by RobertP

There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up a pen to write.
William Makepeace Thackeray

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Goulets have a tool on their website which allows you to select a range of pens and compare the sizes. The list is no where near exhaustive, but it is still excellent.

<p>Currently collection:<strong>Lamy Safari's</strong> x5, <strong>Lamy Al Star's</strong> x3, <strong>Lamy Studio's </strong>x2, A <strong>Lamy 2000</strong>, <strong>Kaweco Sports/AL Sports</strong> x7, <strong>Noodlers pens (Konrad and Ahab)</strong> x10, <strong>Noodlers Konrad Ebonite</strong> x2, <strong>Hero 616</strong> x10, <strong>Reform 1745</strong> x10, <strong>Sailor 1911m</strong> x2, <strong>Sailor 1911 Realo</strong> x3, <strong>Sailor Pro Gear Realo</strong> x2, <strong>Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black</strong>, <strong>Sailor 1911 Sterling Silver</strong>, <strong>Visconti Opera Club Cherry Juice</strong> (M <span>Dreamtouch</span> Nib), <strong>Visconti Opera Elements </strong>x3 (Amber and Black with M <span>Dreamtouch</span> Nib, Blue with M Gold Nib), <strong>Visconti Homo Sapiens Steel Age Maxi</strong>, <strong>Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age</strong>, <strong>Montblanc 146 Le Grande</strong>... Plus I am sure I have forgotten some.

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And section diameter. That appears here and there on different web sites, but very rarely unfortunately. For me the section diameter is really important for how my meaty old paw is going to be required to grip.

 

And why can't pen manufacturers and pen selling web sites agree on what dimensions they should note. Just writing "length 148mm" is pretty useless. Is that capped (probably), open, posted...?

 

CultPens does a lovely job for (unfortunately only) some of the pens they offer, e.g.:

 

146.9mm long closed, 132.7mm long open, 174mm long posted. 15.9mm max barrel diameter, grip section tapers down to 10mm. Weighs 32g.

 

Now if we could have that for all of 'em, that'd be just great :D

 

Yes definitely agree. Some standardisation would be great

 

Marie

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Goulets have a tool on their website which allows you to select a range of pens and compare the sizes. The list is no where near exhaustive, but it is still excellent.

 

Thanks msolok. I'll take a look. Would still like a list all in one place though. Guess I'll stop being lazy and start one of my own.........

 

Marie

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The best tool that I have used is found on nibs.com. You can get sizes, and even ink capacity for most major high end pens out there. I often reference this site when buying new pens.

 

http://www.nibs.com/pen_measures/

 

Thanks so much. That + Goulet Pens comparison tool makes for a great start. I think I'm going to adapt into my own spreadsheet (adding other manufacturers and changing to suit UK names etc). But that's great info - thanks again

 

Marie

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I hope there is never standardization. There are lots of reviews with images of different pens for size comparison but the idea of standardizing sizes is abhorrent.

 

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I hope there is never standardization. There are lots of reviews with images of different pens for size comparison but the idea of standardizing sizes is abhorrent.

 

Jar - not sure I understand why a list of standard measurements is abhorent? Images are good but you can't compare pens unless photographed side-by-side. So standard measurement/siz details of different pens and compiled in one place would surely be helpful?

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Jar - not sure I understand why a list of standard measurements is abhorent? Images are good but you can't compare pens unless photographed side-by-side. So standard measurement/siz details of different pens and compiled in one place would surely be helpful?

 

My issue is with the concept of Standardization.

 

I have no problem with anyone that so wishes putting together a database of fountain pens dimensions, but I also know from experience that simple measurements will tell you little about the actual ergonomics of fountain pens.

 

Fortunately such a feat could be achieved today should you wish to undertake it.

 

My Website

 

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The best tool that I have used is found on nibs.com. You can get sizes, and even ink capacity for most major high end pens out there. I often reference this site when buying new pens.

 

http://www.nibs.com/pen_measures/

 

That's a very user friendly list. It's makes a nice compliment to this one. (And thanks to David for having it. I've used it often.)

 

http://www.vintagepens.com/pendata.pdf

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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I hope there is never standardization. There are lots of reviews with images of different pens for size comparison but the idea of standardizing sizes is abhorrent.

 

Not statndardisation of pen sizes! That would be horrible!

 

Just standardisation of how the sizes are reported. Obviously a few numbers can't take the place of actually handling a pen to get a feel for balance, material, ergonomics, nib performance, etc., but it is at least a start. Especially if you are looking at buying something that you just can't find in any local shops :)

There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up a pen to write.
William Makepeace Thackeray

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I've done this with my pens and some of the pens that I am interested in. Because, I do NOT like FAT pens, nor heavy ones. Having measurement specs on my pens gives me a reference that I can compare other pens to.

 

The section diameter is tricky when the section/grip tapers, so where do you take the measurement. I like Robert's idea of a from/to (max/min). That would be the only practical option for a tapered section, since I may hold it in a different place than others. I've been using max-diameter of the section, but I think I will go back and add the min-diameter. Although that gets difficult for a pen like a Parker 51 that has no obvious grip, and the section starts at the tip of the nib. Always a problem maker in the bunch.

 

David's PDF is interesting as he specifies a distance from the tip 25 and 38mm where he takes the grip diameter. This is for 2 different grip positions. This is interesting as I currently hold my pens at about his 38mm distance from the tip. That takes care of the section diameter question for the Parker 51.

 

In my case, diameter and weight are important, length is not important enough for me to chart.

 

I also add measured tip width to my table, because some tips (ie Parker 51s) are not marked, that is my only way to size them.

It is quite interesting to see how the measured tip size varies between manufacturers and even within the same manufacturer. But I have not figured out how to record tip profile, as that also affects the ink line.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

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Not statndardisation of pen sizes! That would be horrible!

 

Just standardisation of how the sizes are reported. Obviously a few numbers can't take the place of actually handling a pen to get a feel for balance, material, ergonomics, nib performance, etc., but it is at least a start. Especially if you are looking at buying something that you just can't find in any local shops :)

 

 

Exactly. Standardization in the way sizes are measured/reported is a far cry from mandating the manufacture of specific sizes.

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This is getting interesting - I'm glad I asked the original question. There is so much info out there - perhaps too much in some cases! I think like some of you on here I will compile my own (simple, in my case) spreadsheet drawing on the rich seam of data already available.

 

Not surprisingly, I've noticed some differences in the actual measurements recorded between various data sources. But to be honest I'm not too worried if these vary very slightly here or there. Like @ac12 I don't like very fat, heavy pens so I just really want to compare pens I'm interested in buying with my favourite, which is (currently but will change cos I'm fickle!) a cheap-ish Platinum Cool. Perfect size & weight, for my hand.

 

thank you all for your replies

 

Marie

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Exactly. Standardization in the way sizes are measured/reported is a far cry from mandating the manufacture of specific sizes.

 

So once a standard for what will be measured is settled, the next step is to persuade the companies selling such products to use the standard.

 

My Website

 

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Hi,

 

The only issue I have with the nibs.com list is that the ink capacities are often quite different from the capacities that I and many others on FPN have measured. I don't know their methods for measuring ink capacities, but it's often misleading, and it's kind of moot if it isn't possible to consistently replicate their data using measurement procedures. Standardization of the measurement for pen sizes would be useful since you know that even if the measurements are far from perfect and you don't know how the pen feels in the hand, you will know how it was measured and be able to get more of a sense of the size of the pen in real life. This doesn't mandate that people make pens all the same sizes. I think that would be really silly. Instead, it will give people a rough metric to use when comparing pens of completely different shapes and sizes. For example, I could classify a Nakaya as x mm from cap top to barrel end when closed and y mm from barrel end to nib tip when uncapped. Specify the min and max diameter of the grip section, where the min and max occur, grip length, general grip shape, and average grip diameter. I can also specify the rough shape of the barrel and indicate min and max diameter.

 

Having a basic metric can be quite useful. One could also use it to make cases for pens among other things. I have no idea how you are going to use a pen measuring method to make standard pen sizes. It only dictates how you measure the pen, not how you size it up. Body measurements are standardized in a similar matter. Imagine if we just made clothes for people based on their height? Some people have a wider girth than others in different places. Some people also have different torso/leg length ratios and other people. What to do? Figure out the measurements in specific parts of the body, then figure out what kind of clothing would potentially fit the person.

 

DIllon

Stolen: Aurora Optima Demonstrator Red ends Medium nib. Serial number 1216 and Aurora 98 Cartridge/Converter Black bark finish (Archivi Storici) with gold cap. Reward if found. Please contact me if you have seen these pens.

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