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A Purely Fast Writing Pen


dornblaser

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I have used fountain pens for decades but over the last 15 years or so I have sold off my MB's and '90s Waterman's and kept primarily vintage Duofolds and Pelikans (and cheap Llamy's). My wife writes almost exclusively with a fountain pen as well. I have returned to school later in life, the seminary, and I am now on a quest for another fountain pen(s) which caused me to happen upon this forum. Even though I record with Evernote I take copious written notes. The last time that I was in school was in the mid '80's for law school and I used a fine, relatively non-flexible nib to write fast - Parker's and Waterman's. Now I am looking for another purely note taking pen(s). I ordered two Sailor 1911s in fine and the nibs are too fine, I did not look at their dimensions first, and the ink capacity is too low. I ran out of ink after one three hour course. I was considering ordering another Pelikan M600 with an XF nib until I read the thread about XF nibs in the Pelikan section on this forum. I like the M600 and have several in F nibs. I find that I write too slow with Pelikan F nibs, or others M nibs, for them to be a note taking option. Also I think that a fine line will be better for Greek and Hebrew. I am only interest in piston filling pens, any thoughts? I was thinking of a Sailor Realo with a M nib. I have never written with an Aurora. No MB's, sorry.

 

I am glad to have found this forum, I hope to post more interesting posts in the future.

 

- David

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What ink are you using with your Pelikan? Pelikan, in general, are very wet writers (they lay down a lot of ink on paper). Thus, this helps the nib to have very high lubrication and the writing is smoother. Smooth experience on fast note taking is a plus. However, if you use a dry ink (ink that flows moderately), you can minimize this wet writing effect quite a bit. I learn that a nib can behave quite differently by manipulating the use of dry and wet ink.

Edited by Downcelot
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Iroshizuku Asa Gao, Tsuki-yo, Kon Peki. Diamine inks are good but many of them are dry/moderate flow inks. In general, Iroshizuku line is the most free flowing ink I know. Pick one color you like. J.Herbin Perle Noire is what I use for super stingy ink flow nib because it has very good lubrication as well, but this one is black and some people think black is too boring.

Edited by Downcelot
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If you really want to have a lot of ink capacity, I would look into the TWSBI Diamond 580 or Vac 700 - I've got the 580 and it's the only pen in my collection that has an ink capacity to provide even prolonged flex-writing sessions without interruption.

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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What about a Pilot Custom 823? 14k gold nib, vacuum filler with high capacity, decent size pen. Pilots' 'extra fine' and 'fine' nibs are pretty narrow writers.

 

New 'Custom 823s' are around US$280, but can be found for around US$230.

 

Like others said, TWSBI's, but they are usually a hit or miss, and they have a SS nib.

 

Tom.

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In college I used Parkers (45, 75 and 180) with F nibs. The F nibs of the old US Parkers are similar to some Japanese F nibs. And it was quite nice for FAST note taking. The old US Parker F is similar to my Pelikan M200 XF nib. For FAST writing, I would recommend that you have the nib adjusted and smoothened/polished by a nib meister. That should take care of the issues with the Pelikan XF nib.

BTW, I personally prefer a HARD nib for fast note taking. A cushy nib seems to slow me down.

 

But remember the paper. An old US Parker F or Pelikan XF nib needs SMOOTH paper so the tip won't drag or snag on the paper surface. And FAST note taking needs that smooth paper surface for the nib to glide. Then match the ink to the pen, and the pen should write smoothly.

 

When I was in college, my FP/ink/paper combo was smooth enough that the pen glided on the paper with very little friction, so that I could take FAST notes.

In college, I carried two Parker 45s. When I ran one dry, I just switched to the 2nd pen. Then I changed cartridges on the empty pen between classes, when I had plenty of time to do that. Grad school was similar, except longer 3 hour classes.

 

BTW, is your Pelikan F nib polished? What I mean is a very smooth polished tip will write smoother, and thus faster. You could get it adjusted smoothened/polished so it glides easily with your ink. That might make it write faster. But remember you also need smooth paper.

 

I do not know for certain, but I understand that the Pelikan pens have similar ink capacity. IOW, the larger pens do not have a larger ink cylinder/more ink capacity. You might ask on the Pelikan sub-forum.

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

www.SFPenShow.com

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Hello David,

 

If you want a rock solid pen that has a decent ink capacity, a piston filling system and a smooth solid gold nib, then I would strongly recommend that you look into a Lamy 2000. (If you do not mind fiberglass pens; some people do).

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

Edited by LamyOne

- He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me; and I in him. (JN 6:57)

- "A woman clothed in the sun," (REV 12.1); The Sun Danced at Fatima, Portugal; October 13, 1917.

- Thank you Blessed Mother and St. Jude for Graces and Blessings obtained from Our Lord.

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As for paper, I have been using Moleskins and Rhodia notebooks. The Pelikan bleeds through the Moleskin paper pretty badly. And, no, the nibs on my Pelikans are not polished.

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Edison makes a pump filler that has a large capacity and it can be fitted on most of their pen models, so you have your choice of shape and color. Their nibs tend to run a little dry which helps with bleedthrough since there is not as much ink being laid down.

 

I would stay far away from Moleskine, total junk for FP's in my opinion. Rhodia and Clairefontaine are great choices for notebooks. I prefer the Clairefontaine for regular notebooks, and Rhodia for smaller note pads I keep on my desk, etc.

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The best pen for quick note-taking is a ballpoint -- the Unibal Jetstream. I mention it for four reasons: It's inexpensive and works well as a second pen, in case you run out of ink in the middle of a lecture. It will work on just about any quality or type of paper, including some of the inexpensive paper that you are likely to encounter. It's also a standard that you can compare a fountain pen against. Finally, you won't have to worry about managing the pen when you move from one setting to another over the course of a day. if a $400 Pelikan falls off a desk and breaks, it will ruin your whole day. If a $5.00 ballpoint falls off a desk, you pick it up and keep writing. If you leave your desk and it's not there when you get back, you reach for another. My Parker 75 EF writes almost as fast as the Jetstream, but I only use where I am confident that it is safe.

 

Note-taking is actually a fairly demanding exercise on the person, the medium, and the instrument. How quickly a pen writes, especially over the course of many hours, depends on how its size and weight matches your hand, and on how you take notes. Do you write text only, or do you draw pictures and schemas? Before you invest in a Pelikan or a simiilarly priced pen, be sure you will like it, because even if you are able to find a suitable nib, the girth and balance may or may not be right for you. Still, you might find that if an m600 isn't suitable for taking notes, it may be fine for writing drafts or outlines at home.

 

Finally, congratulations on returning to school after 30 years away. I admire that.

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As for paper, I have been using Moleskins and Rhodia notebooks. The Pelikan bleeds through the Moleskin paper pretty badly. And, no, the nibs on my Pelikans are not polished.

silly lad Moleskine have FP unfriendly paper switch to Apica or Rhodia if not Clairfontaine then the pen we will leave to you what you want whats important it sits well with you

Edited by Algester
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So many good options, it's hard to pick just one. Here's my suggestion:

 

Pilot Custom 74 with Soft Medium (or Soft Fine Medium) nib, with a Con70 converter. Converter choice depends on the seller, some use the 70 by default, other charge a bit extra.

 

This (as is the case with all Pilots I've ever tried) is an absolute workhorse pen. Never a skip, never any startup hesitation.

 

It is lightweight, so you can write for hours on end. The converter is huge. 1.1ml is a lot of ink. The soft gold nib is just dreamy, but of course you have a full range of nibs to choose from. The hard part is that you need to rely on reviews, unless you have a local pen store where you can try them out.

 

I recommend to buy from pisuke2005 on ebay. Even with the extra $13 for EMS shipping you'll pay way less than with any domestic sellers.

 

-k

Edited by katerchen
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Shame that you are ruling out MB, as a used MB 146 would be ideal: smooth, wet line that rarely skips, even on a F nib - so would a Peli M600/800/1000, depending on preferences and budget.

 

Alternatively - the Gates City New Dunn and Postal, now revived. They hold boatloads of ink and come with gold nibs, if you so desire. And they are really comfy in hand and fantastic for extended writing. The Bexley Corona recommended above, or the Bexley Poseidon, are also a good choices and can also be hand in a gold nib.

 

Or one of the Deltas or Viscontis, if you fancy something bigger - my Blue Moon Gallery (on classifieds, hint hint) in a M nib lasts a very long time, but is a fairly chunky pen.

True bliss: knowing that the guy next to you is suffering more than you are.

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I had a MB 146 before and it is a very nice pen; I am likely to purchase another in the future. For my class work and the work that I do with homeless, I prefer to have a pen that is only recognizable by pen aficionados. I should have mentioned that as one of my requirements in my original post. One of the things that attracted me to the Sailor 1911s is the colors that it is available in, a yellow pen comes across to many as being a "fun" pen and not a serious pen. A lot of good suggestions here. Thank you. FYI - I am in the process of using up Moleskine notebooks and replacing them with notebooks that are FP friendly. I have decided to leave my Pelikans at home and use them for more relaxed writing. For the time being I am going to carry both of my Sailors, one for the morning class, the second for the afternoon class and a Lamy as a back up. Of the suggested pens I am considering one of the Pilots or a Sailor Realo.

Edited by dornblaser
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