Which Pen You Would Choose?..

[spottydot]

Hello..

IF you are offered to choose one or two from the below pens, which pen you will choose and why?..

 

Franz Kafka

Thomas Mann

Dostoevsky

Dumas

Marlene Dietrich

Schiller

John Lennon

 

All are limited editions except John Lennon and Marlene Dietrich which are just special editions but are also good in their own way..

 

All of the pens are really good and great in some aspects but if you had the chance to get one or two, which ones you will choose and why would you choose it over the others?..

[Trom]

Dumas as it has a thicker nib section. Thomas Mann as it is heavier.

[zaddick]

Dostoevsky and Mann as I do not already have those - just to add to the collection.

 

Based on what I like the best I would chose Dumas and Kafka. If only one, the Dumas for the large nib on a relatively short pen.

 

I don't like the Marlene black special edition, but I do like the limited 1901 edition.

 

Out of curiosity, how did you pick the list of pens to start with? Is this a real situation you are facing?

[spottydot]

Ya, it is.

I agree with you in the Marlene Dietrich, the limited 1901 edition is a masterpiece, been offered one before for around 2800 US$, very reasonable price id have to say.

 

Why did you choose Kafka over others?

What do you think of Schiller?, One of the very few pens with a material other than precious resin cap "Amber" with a vintage look to it too.

[zaddick]

A Dumas will hold value the best in that group, followed by Dostoevsky, in my opinion.

 

The Kafka is very special to me for reasons that may not mean anything to others. The edition is 2004 when my daughter was born and I received it as a father's day present. I also bought a Kafka set to give to her upon graduation from college so I can share my love of pens with her. From an aesthetics point of view, there is something I really like about how the shape transitions from round to square, I love the translucence of the resin and the color, the clip is great and I like the silver furniture. Finally, where else are you going to find a cockroach on a nib besides this pen?

 

I love the Schiller pen. I actually liked it so much that I bought a second one so I could keep one in mint condition. The amber is very subtle and I enjoy the color. It is not so amazing that you will be blown away, but it has a subtle beauty and I can appreciate the material in the context of the pen. Also the clip has a vintage feel in how it is attached to the cap. The other nice thing about the pen is that if you do not post the pen, it is very "businessy" in meetings as it is just a black pen with one gold band.

 

One other comment about the regular Marlene is that is is very often faked and thus hard to buy of the internet without knowing the source. I have the 1901 and it is so different it is almost hard to see how how they were related.

 

Not that you asked, but I did not buy the Dostoevsky because I was not into fairly plain black pens at the time and the Mann because the design just didn't grab me.

[meiers]

The Thomas Mann pen for its design which strikes me as art-deco.

Edited December 4, 2014 by meiers

[s5blitzer]

My preference in the right order and many personal reasons:

 

Thomas Mann (weight and artsy look) - reminds me of the Faulkner

John Lennon (iconic/love the Beatles) - love both special and 4810 editions which I love because of the weight

Dumas (nice tone of brown resin) - have both signatures

Schiller (marbke-like amber resin)

Franz Kafka (unique shape of barrel and translucent look)
Dostoevsky (varies texture of the resin)
Marlene Dietrich (nice to have Dive pen) - again focus on a genre for collection purposes.

 

All have great histories and you can't go wrong.

 

Good luck!

[arcanaz]

Another vote for Kafka here.

Love the way the pen looks and love the writer as well.

 

@zaddick: your daughter is 10 and you're already setting aside graduation presents?

I got a Montblanc fountain pen as a college graduation present and it made me really happy at the time.

Edited December 4, 2014 by arcanaz

[zaddick]

@arcanaz I got the set when she was about 3 or so. I wish I had been saving for her college that long! At least she knows the expectation is that she goes to college. I joke with her that if she does not I am selling the pens.

[HermetiC]

Dumas.

 

I have Dostoevsky and is also a good election, but if money is not a problem (Dumas is much more expensive) I would choose Dumas because of the bigger nib.

[Inked]

1. Dumas

- Great big 149 nib, incredible artistry and execution of the nib design(arguably the nicest nib in the WE series)

- love the marbled resin on body; gives pen a nice historical shout

- beautiful artistry and craftsmanship on the gold cage/trim that runs on the body and cap. Very detailed markings

- very light for such a stout pen

 

2. Thomas Mann

- Very defined and definite design

- beautiful inlay work and materials

- good solid pen in the hand

- beautiful MB star on cap

 

Inked

[Lamb South]

I have the Dumas and love it. It is my favorite FP. The Schiller would be my next choice.

[A1979]

I also bought a Kafka set to give to her upon graduation from college so I can share my love of pens with her

Poor daughter, a lot of pressure! What happens if she doesn't go to college? ;-)

[zaddick]

They'll probably go for sale here.

[Opooh]

The Dumas , for the 9 nib.

[A1979]

They'll probably go for sale here.

Ok, let me know in ten years...

[DanielLiao]

Schiller,because I like it. no more reason.

[Chrissy]

Thomas Mann because it's really beautiful, Schiller because I like the amber cap

[Michigan]

The sterling Dietrich is sensuously shaped and I love the bluish mother of pearl on the cap. If I see a deal, I will gladly run up the credit card for it.

Edited December 13, 2014 by Michigan

[sailorboy]

Hello..

IF you are offered to choose one or two from the below pens, which pen you will choose and why?..

 

Franz Kafka

Thomas Mann

Dostoevsky

Dumas

Marlene Dietrich

Schiller

John Lennon

 

All are limited editions except John Lennon and Marlene Dietrich which are just special editions but are also good in their own way..

 

All of the pens are really good and great in some aspects but if you had the chance to get one or two, which ones you will choose and why would you choose it over the others?..

I would go for the Schiller, Kafka and Dumas. The Schiller is a nice, clean but classy pen. The market price also tends to be at the lower end of a MB WE. The Kafka is interesting, not least because we see MB starting to move away from "adapting" their vintage pens design to the Writers Edition. Dumas is a pretty pen - and that is enough reason to get one.