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Help Me Pick One Last Pen


JLZenor

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Okay, so I've always loved pens and just recently found fountain pens and I'm fascinated by it. I can see how this can get extremely expensive so I'm trying to keep a leash on it.

 

Currently I have 2 pens, Pilot Metropolitan Medium and another Fine nib. The M is okay, but I really enjoy writing with the Fine. These make great every day pens and I've been using them every day. Now that I know I will be enjoying these fountain pens I want to make one more, and just one more (at least until my birthday in November) pen purchase. I'm not looking for an every day pen as much as a special occasion pen that looks nice and is fun to write with.

 

Originally I was thinking of getting this Baoer pen because it looks nice and is cheap (so I can afford ink or a wax seal stamp). But then after reading a thread on favorite Chinese pens I realized there are other really awesome pens that I would love to have that are relatively inexpensive.

 

So, after looking through that thread I have three more pens I'm debating that I like for different reasons.

So, what pen do you think I should get? I prefer Fine for my every day writer but for special occasions using a pen that I love I don't mind if it's medium. I want it to look nice when autographing my book if this convention deal I'm working on works out!

 

Can you shed some light on my predicament here? :D

 

 

tl;dr

I can't decide between the above mentoned Baoer, Jinhao 5000 red, Picasso 903, or Hero 7022. What should I do?

- Jon Zenor

Christian, Author, Starship Captain, and all around fun guy.

Follow me on Twitter: @JLZenor

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If it's more about the pen and less about the presentation box...have you checked fleabay? Or even isellpens?

 

I don't own any of the pens in your post, but I am partial to Hero.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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The J5000 pen may start to looks a bit tired fairly quickly if used a great deal due to the gold wash colouring on the filigree. There cannot be much gold in it at that price.

The H7022 is painted. I find paint bubbles fairly fast under my fingers - I have very acid skin.

I know almost nothing about the Picasso 903.

 

The J5000 is very nice & I'd probably plump for that. In fact I'm going to get one for everyday use in addition to the one 'for best' that I have.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

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If it's more about the pen and less about the presentation box...have you checked fleabay? Or even isellpens?

 

I don't own any of the pens in your post, but I am partial to Hero.

Never heard of them, but I'll check them out. I know it isn't completely about how the pen looks, but as I already have my plain daily use pen that I enjoy how it writes now I'm looking for something that looks nice that is fun to write with. Plus I'm trying to expand my knowledge of pens and try out how different pens write outside the two that I have used.

 

 

The J5000 pen may start to looks a bit tired fairly quickly if used a great deal due to the gold wash colouring on the filigree. There cannot be much gold in it at that price.

The H7022 is painted. I find paint bubbles fairly fast under my fingers - I have very acid skin.

I know almost nothing about the Picasso 903.

 

The J5000 is very nice & I'd probably plump for that. In fact I'm going to get one for everyday use in addition to the one 'for best' that I have.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

This, is why I started this thread! I had no idea about this stuff. :)

 

I think the J5000 and H7022 are my favorites. I never considered the painted one bubbling. As I don't plan on using this pen except on special occasions I'm not too worried about them being worn out too fast. I do realize that at this price point I'm not going to get something that lasts forever.

 

Thanks for the tips. I look forward to what others say so I can make the best decision.

 

Edited to correct stupid spelling error...

Edited by J.L. Zenor

- Jon Zenor

Christian, Author, Starship Captain, and all around fun guy.

Follow me on Twitter: @JLZenor

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What's your budget? What sort of 'looks' do you like in a pen? Are you partial to any particular filling system or barrel material/color?

 

Isellpens used to have excellent deacriptions of how a particular pen felt and wrote.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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Yeah, we all thought there was one last pen.

Haha! Notice I said one last pen until my birthday, in November. :P

 

What's your budget? What sort of 'looks' do you like in a pen? Are you partial to any particular filling system or barrel material/color?

 

Isellpens used to have excellent deacriptions of how a particular pen felt and wrote.

Budget, I could probably go up to $40 without feeling too guilty.

 

As far as look... I don't know. I'm new to all of this and am finding a lot of different things to be awesome. I LOVE the look of the Sheaffer Legacy Fantasy pen (bottom pen in this post: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/143711-what-does-your-handwriting-look-like/page-56?do=findComment&comment=3340062) but I know that's unrealistic.

 

For filling system, I have only used the converter that comes with the Pilot Metropolitan (squeeze type?). As far as barrel material, I like the metal one but I think style is more important.

 

I'll make sure to read the reviews on isellpens for each of the ones I'm debating.

 

Thanks. :)

- Jon Zenor

Christian, Author, Starship Captain, and all around fun guy.

Follow me on Twitter: @JLZenor

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Haha! Notice I said one last pen until my birthday, in November. :P

 

 

Budget, I could probably go up to $40 without feeling too guilty.

 

As far as look... I don't know. I'm new to all of this and am finding a lot of different things to be awesome. I LOVE the look of the Sheaffer Legacy Fantasy pen (bottom pen in this post: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/143711-what-does-your-handwriting-look-like/page-56?do=findComment&comment=3340062) but I know that's unrealistic.

 

For filling system, I have only used the converter that comes with the Pilot Metropolitan (squeeze type?). As far as barrel material, I like the metal one but I think style is more important.

 

I'll make sure to read the reviews on isellpens for each of the ones I'm debating.

 

Thanks. :)

 

That helps narrow it down, thanks. Hmmm....

If you can go up to $40, why not also have a look at xfountainpens ? They sell rebranded Jinhaos and others, some very nice-looking, along with inks.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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That helps narrow it down, thanks. Hmmm....

If you can go up to $40, why not also have a look at xfountainpens ? They sell rebranded Jinhaos and others, some very nice-looking, along with inks.

I'll take a look.

 

What does rebranded mean? Same pen just different name?

 

I don't mind browsing different websites for pens, but I get a bit overwhelmed not having a clue what to look for. What got me set on those 3 pens was hearing about people's favorite pens (for one reason or another) on the forum topic. I had specific things to look for and found some that I really liked so it made it easy to stand out and consider.

- Jon Zenor

Christian, Author, Starship Captain, and all around fun guy.

Follow me on Twitter: @JLZenor

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Please, do not say "last pen". It will not bo, I wish you a long life full of pens.

Never say "last one".

 

Enjoy all of them, this last and next last one.

 

Cheers,

 

G

Gilberto Castañeda

 

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I would suggest a Pilot Justus.

To complement your new collection of Pilot Iroshizuku inks.

You ask, we enable, your welcome.

Edited by LeonW
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I'll take a look.

 

What does rebranded mean? Same pen just different name?

 

I don't mind browsing different websites for pens, but I get a bit overwhelmed not having a clue what to look for. What got me set on those 3 pens was hearing about people's favorite pens (for one reason or another) on the forum topic. I had specific things to look for and found some that I really liked so it made it easy to stand out and consider.

Yes, but also spiffed up a bit as far as the nib and converter go...maybe even the finish.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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Please, do not say "last pen". It will not bo, I wish you a long life full of pens.

Never say "last one".

 

Enjoy all of them, this last and next last one.

Just the last one I plan to buy for the next 7 months. ;)

 

 

I would suggest a Pilot Justus.

That pen just might be slightly outside my price range. You know, by 780% or so...

 

But it looks nice! :D

Edited by J.L. Zenor

- Jon Zenor

Christian, Author, Starship Captain, and all around fun guy.

Follow me on Twitter: @JLZenor

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I've had the Jin Hao 5000 in black for quite a while. No wear I can see and it's a great writer.

"how do I know what I think until I write it down?"

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I have and like the Baoer 388 that you linked to on Amazon. It is a copy of the Parker Sonnet.

You can find them for less than $4 on eBay, shipped to your mail box.

 

One thing to be aware of with the 388 is the nib/feed. I have found that 4 out of 5 needed to be adjusted to get the ink to flow the way I want it to. Usually they are dry or really dry. Increasing ink flow is not difficult, but you do get ink on your fingers/hands as you adjust the nib.

 

But very oddly, all the Baoer 801s that I've handled, wrote just fine without needing nib adjustments. This makes the need to adjust the nib on the 388 puzzling.

The Baoer 801 is a rough copy of the Parker 88.

 

Another pen to look for is a Parker 45. You can find them on eBay for about $20 or so. Depending on finish, the price will go up from there.

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

www.SFPenShow.com

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Save just a little more and get an Italix Parson's Essential - http://www.mrpen.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d184.html Scroll down the page to see all the colors. Select "Pick your currency" right above the picture at the top of the page on the right.

 

Take a look around the forum at PE's, and you'll quickly see that people love them. They are extremely smooth writers, and you can get any type of nib you want.

 

A concern you may have is that you have to purchase from Mr. Pen in England. Do not let an international purchase stop you. It is extremely easy to buy from him, and he (Mr. Ford, who owns the company - Mr. Pen) has excellent customer service. The Parson's Essentials are currently around $50.00 and shipping is around $15.00. This may change slightly from day to day as currency rates change. These pens would easily be valued at $100.00 if bought through a third party (which you can't do because you can only buy them from Mr. Pen (and Amazon UK, which is also through Mr. Pen).

 

You've heard the expression, "If it sounds too good to be true,..." so don't take my word for it. Look at some of the threads here on the Italix Parson's Essential. Also, take a look at SBRE Brown's review. You've admitted that you're new to the world of FP's, so in case you've never heard of him, he's kind of seen as the FP Video Review Guru. He knows a lot about FP's, and his videos are very good.

 

Here's one thread, but don't stop there. Look up others yourself.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/197729-italix-parsons-essential-fountain-pen/?p=2007307

 

 

 

BTW, I'm a fellow Trekkie and really like your pic!

Edited by Blue_Moon

Franklin-Christoph, Italix, and Pilot pens are the best!
Iroshizuku, Diamine, and Waterman inks are my favorites!

Apica, Rhodia, and Clairefontaine make great paper!

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+1 for the Parson's Essential if you can possibly afford it. Even if you have to wait awhile and save for it.

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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Yeah, we all thought there was one last pen.

The lies we attempt to convince ourselves regarding this passion! Told myself the same regarding my last bottle/sample vial in quest for the perfect red ink. Just placed another order for samples. :lticaptd:

Edited by fountainpenlady

Ea Alis Volat Propiis, per/Repletus Fontis Calamus!
She Flies by Her Own Wings, with filled Fountain Pen

 

Delta DolceVita, F-C Intrinsic 02, Pelikan M800 red/black striation, Bexley ATB Strawberry Swirl, Red Jinhao 159, Platinum 3776 Bourgogne. :wub:

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