College Pen! High Capacity Demonstrator?

[minibear453]

Hey, I just started college, and, long story short, I need a pen for note taking. I have a Decimo and a TWSBI Mini. But the Decimo has too little capacity for me, I'm often dry in the middle of a lecture, and it is hard to check on ink levels. TWSBI just takes too long to uncape and post. So I'm looking for a pen with the following characteristics:

 

~$80 (or under, it'd be nice to save!)

-Fast capping/uncapping (clicky would be great, but I don't know of any other ones.)

-Larger ink capacity (as much as possible here)

-Clear window/body (to see the ink levels)

-Pilot Fine nib-size

 

Other than that, size, weight, materials... those don't really matter to me, I just need something that works. I've recently switched back to regular ballpoints just for convenience!! Please, any suggestion is greatly appreciated, thank you!

[ac12]

IMHO ink capacity is overblown.

I used 2 Parker 45s with F nibs in college. When pen #1 ran out of ink, I simply switched to pen #2. I refilled (changed to a new ink cartridge) between classes. So for me, there was absolutely no issues with ink capacity. The Parker 45 had a black body, so I could not see the ink level. But it did not matter to me. If I really wanted to see the ink level, I unscrewed the body.

 

If you want a clear pen, try 2 Lamy Vistas with EF nibs.

You can monitor the ink level through the body, and just swap pens when the pen runs dry.

 

BTW for a cartridge/converter pen, if you want max capacity, you would use cartridges, as the cartridge holds more think than a converter.

But SOP should be to refill the converter after you finish your homework, so you start the day off with 2 pens full of ink.

Edited October 30, 2014 by ac12

[Glenn Atkins]

TWSBI Vac700 except it's a twist cap.

 

Glenn

[owend]

ac12 has the answer - two Parker 45s, which are pretty bombproof, would come under your budget. I'd suggest a refinement: have the same nib so they're interchangeable, have one with a converter for filling the night before, the second aweigh cartridges as a backup, and spare cartridges in case.

[Lou Erickson]

Two pens is the answer; just get another Decimo or a VP. Clicky-clicky happiness, no ink shortage. They'll take (relatively large) Pilot cartridges, too, which means less fiddling if you do refill during the day. Buy a brick of Pilot Blue or Blue-Black carts and be happy.

[Davros]

Consider a TWSBI 580, which needn't be posted, just uncapped. And instead of recapping during lecture, try sliding the pen into the cap but not tightening it.

 

Other options include a Noodler's Ahab with a Goulet nib. Eyedropper that sucker and slap on a fine nib and you’ve got the ink capacity of 4 to 6 normal pens. I also like the Nemosine Singularities, though you can unscrew the section from the barrel while uncapped your pen. Or a Preppy - get a few, some silicon grease, and eyedropper them. They are a bit broader than a Pilot fine, but well behaved and the cap pops off.

[Glenn Atkins]

Two pens is the answer; just get another Decimo or a VP. Clicky-clicky happiness, no ink shortage. They'll take (relatively large) Pilot cartridges, too, which means less fiddling if you do refill during the day. Buy a brick of Pilot Blue or Blue-Black carts and be happy.

 

This is a good idea too. I really like my VP.

 

Glenn

[holgalee]

What about the Pilot Custom Heritage 92? Demonstrator, piston filler with smooth Japanese fine nib.

[arcadeflow]

Get a Pilot Custom 74 demonstrator with F nib and order a CON-70 converter. Twist cap though. I doubt there is a snap cap with bigger than usual capacity, unless it is some piston filler. Maybe Lamy 2000 with steel nib?

[shuuemura]

Pilot Custom 823. 2 mL capacity.

 

 

 

Oops, > $80. Try used?

Edited October 31, 2014 by shuuemura

[zuhandensein]

Some people use the Pilot Prera Iro-Ai as an eyedropper...

[BT-7274]

If you drop the demonstrator requirement, you could easily get something along the lines of a nice Parker 51 Vac/Aero. Yes, you won't be able to see the ink levels, but they hold so much, and with a fine or extra-fine vintage nib, they can easily go a week sans refilling. Heck, I get that much mileage out of my vac, and that has a .8mm stub on it.

[Fox Point]

Davros has it with the ahab, nemosine or preppy eyedroppers. I use a preppy with Kung te Cheng as a lab pen and has lasted nearly 2 months from 2 fills without even nodding towards drying out. Very snappy cap.

 

The nemosine is a short twist, and my fine nib is springy. Haven't ED'd it though - not until it gets a nib which needs it.

[huy3825]

Vista with modified cartridges

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/uploads/post-106737-0-71729700-1407139434.jpg

 

Capacity 1.15mL

Price ~$20 (Might be able to get more than one)

Can be refilled with a syringe (4 Pack $1.50 USD DX.COM)

[Zinonas]

Find a nos nononsense sheaffer with a transparent body. Use silicone grease on it's threads to convert it to an eyedropper. It has a very large capacity and a feed that resists the burping problem usually encountered when an eyedropper pen is more than half empty. Sheaffer nibs are really good, but I have to say that they are not as fine as a pilot fine nib. On the other hand, an old nononsense costs a lot less than 80$.

[sirgilbert357]

I'll echo the TWSBI Vac700. If you do the "top off" method, you can get about 2.3 ml into it. If you go through more ink than that per day, an eye dropper is about the only other solution (unless you are cool with using cartridges or having two pens on you to switch mid-day). I don't really understand the dislike of twist caps, as it only takes me a second longer to unscrew and the pros of that setup far outweigh the cons, but I guess we all have our preferences.

Edited October 31, 2014 by sirgilbert357

[ac12]

Personally I would not hassle with an eye dropper for college. To much chance of a massive ugly ink spill if the barrel becomes loose in your bag. Then you could ruin a $100 text book, that you could no longer sell back to the used books people at the end of the semester.

I prefer reliability and minimal hassles.

[deepak23]

Try the Wality 69TL. Multi-start cap, Huge barrel and a nice F nib. You can get these from both FPR as well as ASA (No Affiliation). Both sellers offer other models like FPR Dilli and Oliver which are also good pens.

[Algester]

A lamy vista converted to an aerometric filler? I wish I could say pelikano or pilot's Non self filling pen which i think is a good ed pen if it really does have mechanisms to stop the burping the very least I would really say would be the lamy 2000...

[Tanzanite]

Consider a TWSBI 580, which needn't be posted, just uncapped. And instead of recapping during lecture, try sliding the pen into the cap but not tightening it.

This is my choice when I need to take notes for an entire day. I have not had any problem with dry nib and there is no risk it will run out of ink.