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Would You Rather Buy A Pen In Your Favorite Color Or Get The Pen In Another Color Because It Is Cheaper?


legitimate3

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This is my problem right now. There is a really nice pen I have wanted for a while. I finally have the money to buy it, but I don't know if I should get it in blue (my favorite color) or get it in another color. The other color is about 23% cheaper. The reason I am concerned is I have been questioning why I want the pen in the first place. On one hand, I want the pen for its functionality, but I wonder if I do care about what it looks like. So, I am posing this as a general question.

 

Given the choice, would you rather buy a pen in your desired color/pattern/material or go with another material/color/pattern that is cheaper.

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I'd buy what I like the MOST - so I'd buy it in my favorite color. Another hobby of mine is archery and you wouldn't believe how much worse you'll shoot when you got a bow that you don't really like, it's in your subconscious and it will ruin your life if you invest into the wrong tools - figuratively speaking. It might be another thing if you're extremely short on money and could use the spare money really well but then you'd probably not think about buying a pen right now ;)

 

I've paid 70€ extra and waited 3 weeks for my bow handle in my favorite color - a 30% plus ;)

Edited by bardiir

My Pens/Nibs (inked/active): Lamy Studio/Vista/Joy (XXF slight-flex custom | 14k EF | EF | F | 14k M | M | B | 14k 1.1 custom | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.9), TWSBI Diamond 580 (F | Pendleton BadBoy | Zebra G | F.P.R. semi-flex), Pilot Falcon EF, Penkala Vintage 14k semi-flex, Pilot Parallel (2.4 | 3.8 | 6.0)

http://www.fp-ink.info/img/button.pngI'm still looking for help/data/supporters/sponsors for my Ink Database - It already contains over 900 Inks but is still low on data about the inks except on the Inks I got myself or where I found nice data sheets. So Im looking for these: InkSamples mailed to me, Permissions to use InkReviews - preferable by people who have a lot of InkReviews online, InkReviews mailed to me so I can scan them, Sponsors that will help me to finance InkSamples, People willing to trade InkSamples (list of available Inks from me is available via PM request - please include available Inks)

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A good question I've been there before.The way I would think of it is that 23% extra isn't that much more and you may be unsatisfied with the cheaper colour and still want the blue one afterwards and than you would end up spending far more money.

 

If it was 1/2 price I'd go for the cheaper color as I'd be prepared to make a compromise for that sort of saving but not for a little more then 20%.

 

What pen is it?

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To me the 23% is less important than what that amount represents. 23% of a Lamy Safari is around $7, while 23% of a Visconti Opera Elements might be $80.

 

To me, if the thought of that pen in a lesser color makes you doubt whether you want it, maybe the extra 23% is worth it. On the other hand, if what you really want is then pen and you're just picking the blue because you like blue, maybe that 23% can buy some blue inks you've been waning to try.

 

BTW...The use of the Visconti Opera Elements was not random. I was looking for one in Blue or Red, but I found one in Brown for $225 (about 36% savings). I reluctantly got the brown, and I love the pen. It's probably the most beautiful pen I own.

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Never compromise. I've learned the hard way that waiting a bit longer in order to get what I really want is the only way to go, the only way to be truly happy with a purchase. Patience brings rewards that hastiness never will have.

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Save up some more and buy your favorite color, or this will irk you forever. In the end, you WILL end up with they one anyway.

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I buy what I really want and like ... I don't "settle", as I learned a good while back, that settling is most always a mistake.

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I had to spend more on a forest green 51 because collectors deem it to be rarer. I'd been trying to find a 51 in any colour on the cheap for a while, but in the end I just paid up to get what I wanted instead of wasting time and money buying multiple 51s I would never be happy with.

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I think you should get the one you like most. It doesn't seem like a significant enough difference to be worth getting the one you don't like as much. I think it's even more worth the extra if it's an expensive pen. You might have to save up a bit longer, but it's not something you're likely to repurchase later, whereas if it's a $15 pen you may end up getting two or three in the long run. A $500 pen, on the other hand(or even a $50 pen, if that's a lot of money for you--it is for me!), you'll probably only get one of that type unless the first one stops working or you lose it or something. Get the one you really want.

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Please be more specific. Which pen ? How much ?

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It sounds to me like you need to pause and think about the pen some more. Maybe if you wait a month or so, the desire to acquire will wear off.

 

Another thing to consider: green is my personal favorite color, but I own almost no green pens.

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Let's be honest. We all purchase pens not so much because we need the pen in question because we have nothing else to write with. Rather, we buy the pen(s) we buy because we want them for our collection, as elements of the collection. That being said, for the marginal addition price or +23%, as the element of a collection, you should get the one you prefer. Otherwise, why bother with the collecting?

Moshe ben David

 

"Behold, He who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps!"

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I'd definitely pay the extra to get the colour I like best.

Whatever is true,whatever is noble,whatever is right,whatever is pure,whatever is lovely,whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

Philippians 4.8

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Personally I'd regret getting the other colour as I would always think that it isn't the first choice. I'd therefore continue to save until I have enough cash for the blue one.

 

It sounds like you're not even sure why you want either pen though. This to me is another reason to continue to save as it will give you time to make up your mind.

 

Are these pens expensive?

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To me the 23% is less important than what that amount represents. 23% of a Lamy Safari is around $7, while 23% of a Visconti Opera Elements might be $80.

 

To me, if the thought of that pen in a lesser color makes you doubt whether you want it, maybe the extra 23% is worth it. On the other hand, if what you really want is then pen and you're just picking the blue because you like blue, maybe that 23% can buy some blue inks you've been waning to try.

 

I agree. It all depends on your situation - are we talking about an expensive pen, mid-level pen, etc.? Is it a buy it now or lose it situation? We need more details. Not having much information, I'd recommend that you continue saving. You don't sound completely convinced that you really want it, and buying a color that's not your first choice - these two together sound like a recipe for buyer's remorse.

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I'd suggest waiting and thinking about what it is you want. For me, the color or design on my pen is part of the fun, so I would save for a while longer to get what I truly wanted. I've only had to pay more for a design once (it was raden, so that's no surprise), but I am still happy with that purchase many months later because the pen writes well and is beautiful, which is what I wanted in that case.

 

All the pens I've purchased in colors, shapes, or designs that didn't make me excited have now been given away. It's not a lot compared to some (I've bought fourteen pens total, I think, and I'm now down to seven I love), and I don't regret my purchases of pens I didn't keep because I learned about what I do and do not appreciate in a pen and was able to make others, mostly students, happy. That said, I don't intend to buy any more pens that I am not absolutely excited about, nor will I allow myself to spend any budgeted money on pens because I have enough now and any more pens would be superfluous. That means I can only spend loose change on pens, which gives me quite a lot of time to think about what I want next.

 

Time is your friend in this case. Time to think about what you want, and time to continue saving if it turns out blue is important to you. If it turns out blue is not important, there will have been no harm done by waiting -- you'll just have extra money for ink.

Edited by Mezzie
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Go with the color you like. Your satisfaction is almost always worth the extra price so long as you can afford it.

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All the above being said I bought a Parker 15 in red GT rather then the matte black as it was significantly cheaper.I would have though I would have preferred the matte black however I am so pleased I did as I never really considered red pens however I really like it. I will happily considered certain finishes I wouldn't have before.

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I'm going to be the contrarian here. I was in the same dilemma as you regarding a Pilot Prera. I really wanted the Yellow, but the ivory white was a bit cheaper by about 30%. I bit the bullet and bought the Ivory. I thought I would hate it or have buyers remorse. After writing with it in a Fine nib, the pen has grown on me and I love it. Color is neutral as well.

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