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Advice On 2Nd Fountain Pen


Pen_andy

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Hello

 

I am a newbie, so I plead for patience...

 

The story: I have a Pelikan M800 for the last 25 years and use it regularly for day to day writing. I write a lot of mathematics (being an acedemic), and one of the things that always annoyed me was that when making corrections in texts or simple annotations etc., I would need to switch to a ball pen or pencil as of course there is only 1 colour in the pen. I once bought myself a cheap Waterman pen, but found the nib unplesant, the pen too light and the converter wobbly. Now is the time finally to consider buying a second and maybe third pen (I am thinking of blue or/and red inks).

 

The questions:

1. By your experience, if you change fountain pens frequently, I mean back and forth within minutes, is this a problem if the pens are not the same? Of course I could buy just a second/third M800, but would like to consider other models.

 

2. I do not like the idea of a converter but would prefer to stay with a piston, that restricts my choice considerably. Is this rational? My father had a Montblanc converter about 15-20 years ago that leaked a lot, he exchanged it a few times but it did not improve. I like to take them on planes and they get shaken quite a bit during transport on trolleys. Are the converters not too wobbly/leaky for that?

 

3. I like a pen about the length (can get longer but not shorter than a few mm), diameter and weight of the M800 and would look for something comparable. I would also not want to break the bank (aka known as attracting the staring eye of my wife), so it should not really go much beyond £400 ($600 for those on the other side of the pond). Do you have any suggestions of a suitable pen - ideally one that is even availble in the UK to physically try out rather than relying on internet orders? This is meant to be a pen to work with daily and not one to put in a showcase to look nice.

 

Thanks all for your help.

 

Andy

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You want a Large medium heavy pen.

You didn't say what width nib you have and which you want.

Cross Townsend...is a tad heavier, a tad thinner...is a Large pen.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Hi,

 

Kindly consider the Pelikan M215 which has a metal barrel.

 

Also, when I was dithering between a Pelikan M600 and the M800, I chanced upon the M640, which has a metal barrel. As these things go, those are out of production, so perhaps not all designs are readily available.

 

An off-Topic suggestion: If you use the same pen for general writing and tiny marginalia, consider having the nib hand-ground to provide a duo-point: normal line width in the usual position, and a very narrow [dry] line when used inverted - feed uppermost. I write a fair bit of non-ASCII characters which include various 'squiggles', and find that capability very handy.

 

Bye,

S1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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I'd think of one of those Pilots with pistons. Send it to a nibmeister to have it ground down to a needlepoint and you're good to go.

If you're ok with a converter, I'd suggest you try a Vanishing point.

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I've got a bunch of pens with converters, and they are not wobbly or leaky. I've carried them in pockets and shoulder bags with no leaking whatsoever. A cartridge/converter pen is not inherently a problem. Your father's Montblanc had an issue, and they should have fixed it. Period.

 

If you like a largish, heavy pen, you might look at the Pilot Vanishing Point. The retractable nib is very nice to write with and because it's a push-button mechanism it's easy to pick up, make a note or two with, and put down again.

--

Lou Erickson - Handwritten Blog Posts

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The VP does seem like a very intelligent choice for you. The ability to extremely quickly jot down one line of text with only one hand seems like it would suit you well. The only problem is that it is a C/C. While C/C are not as as cool as a vac or piston filler, they work well. I would agree that the problem that your dad had with his MB was a pen problem, not a problem with all converters. Look into the Vanishing Point.

I am the artist formally known as Ambrose Bierce (I recently changed my username from that). If you love me you'll check out my blog http://fpinkgeek.blogspot.com/ or follow me on Instagram and Twitter @Fp_Ink_Geek :D

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1. By your experience, if you change fountain pens frequently, I mean back and forth within minutes, is this a problem if the pens are not the same? Of course I could buy just a second/third M800, but would like to consider other models.

 

 

In the course of a day, I switch from whatever I've tagged for my pocket for the day to a Parker 51 desk pen to a Sheaffer school pen to a Parker to the pocket nominee to a Pilot Varsity and then back to the pocket one. I don't have a problem with this, but I'm pretty flexible when it comes to meeting my pens halfway on writing posture. Post? Not? Whatever the pen likes.

 

2. I do not like the idea of a converter but would prefer to stay with a piston, that restricts my choice considerably. Is this rational? My father had a Montblanc converter about 15-20 years ago that leaked a lot, he exchanged it a few times but it did not improve. I like to take them on planes and they get shaken quite a bit during transport on trolleys. Are the converters not too wobbly/leaky for that?

 

 

I met a fellow recently that was amazed he'd bought an MB because in his childhood experience they all kept their ink in the cap. ;) This is not a uniform cartridge problem.

 

That being said, and touching on the third point-- there's plenty of good candidates. The TWSBI Diamond is about the same size and quite inexpensive. A Sailor of some sort with Realo in the name would also serve. I'm a fan of my Pelikan M600.

Ravensmarch Pens & Books
It's mainly pens, just now....

Oh, good heavens. He's got a blog now, too.

 

fpn_1465330536__hwabutton.jpg

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In my mind, the closest a pen has come to my MB 146's in build, writing and spirit is the M800, so looking at your position, maybe a 146 would do the trick? They are known to go the distance, survive daily usage even in environments not traditionally associated with them and have the right size and balance and are piston affairs...

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Thanks guys, will have a look at the vanishing point pens, they look interesting. The converter of my father was dodgy and he might have got a faulty batch (twice they changed the pen, then he was fed up and settled for a M800 as well), so will give it good consideration.

 

Any views on Omas? Never heard of them (but yeah, I am new to this :blush: ).

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Thanks guys, will have a look at the vanishing point pens, they look interesting. The converter of my father was dodgy and he might have got a faulty batch (twice they changed the pen, then he was fed up and settled for a M800 as well), so will give it good consideration.

 

Any views on Omas? Never heard of them (but yeah, I am new to this :blush: ).

I have no experience with any Omas pens, but I know they are awesome looking pens that have a good reputation. I know a lot of people who love Omas, but very few who dislike them. Definitely something to look into. I'll include a photo of their gorgeous brown acro celluloid just to influence you little bit ;)

post-117799-0-43035300-1427914987_thumb.jpg

I am the artist formally known as Ambrose Bierce (I recently changed my username from that). If you love me you'll check out my blog http://fpinkgeek.blogspot.com/ or follow me on Instagram and Twitter @Fp_Ink_Geek :D

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I have no experience with any Omas pens, but I know they are awesome looking pens that have a good reputation. I know a lot of people who love Omas, but very few who dislike them. Definitely something to look into. I'll include a photo of their gorgeous brown acro celluloid just to influence you little bit ;)

attachicon.gifbrown acro.JPG

Mmmmmmhhhhh, need to find a shop that actually stocks them, which is a major headache unless I go to London.

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Answering your questions in order:

 

1. I bring a pen wrap to work with 5 pens from different eras, different manufacturers, different widths, different nibs... you get the point. I have no issues swapping between the different pens minutes apart, but the secret may be that I only bring pens to work that I enjoy and write with frequently. I have an M805 that is a true pleasure to use, and I'll swap from that to a Parker "51" or modern Japanese pen with no issues.

 

2. I haven't had any problems with converters, but I tend to seat them once and leave them in place. I'm not a fan of filling them with a syringe when I can just draw ink up though the nib.

 

3. Modern Japanese fountain pens are excellent examples of fine writing tools. The Big 3 still make their own nibs, and you will find them finer than their similarly labeled Western counterparts. In other words, a Japanese F is closer to a Western XF. You'll find Platinum, Pilot, and Sailor make excellent pens, and their widths (depending on model) can be similar to your M800. But most will be lighter without the brass piston and thick barrel material. The Japanese pens are generally light, well balanced, and good quality. Use caution when looking at a VP. I recommend trying one out in your hand before buying one as the clip location can press against your index finger as you write. This does not bother many people (including my wife), but I don't use my VPs for long writing sessions for this exact reason.

 

Unless you are determined to expand your collection slightly, you can easily get another Pelikan that will last you another 25 years.

 

Buzz

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Mmmmmmhhhhh, need to find a shop that actually stocks them, which is a major headache unless I go to London.

 

Your choices are kind of limited even if you go to London. The UK mostly doesn't have very good Fountain Pen shops compared to our cousins on the continent.

 

Sadly online shopping is probably your best bet via shop like

http://www.lacouronneducomte.nl

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Thanks for the help so far, what I did was ordered a nice Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Oversized with an EF nib... Thanks to Penbox it arrived today, had it inked prior to despatch and it writes really fine and smooth, even before I put any ink in (not done that yet). So far love it, also the handlig seems nice.

 

Now, a dilemma: I would need to put it into a case for transport. The pen is slightly bigger than my Pelikan M800 (as I knew), but that also means it won't fit into my Pelikan 2-pen case (well with some pushing it will, but that's not the point).

 

1. I was thinking either to get a Onoto case (the big roundy thing) but my worry is that because of the clip it won't fit. Can anyone confirm/deny that?

 

2. The alternative would be a Viscont 3 pen case (future growth in pen numbers!), I assume it fits, but again, does anyone know?

 

3. Another alternative would be the Diplomat 4 pen leather case, would that work with all 4 pens of similar size to the Visconti?

 

Of course any other good cases/ideas are appreciated.

 

Thanks.

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