Tired of trying to find the perfect 'travel pen'..

[DrScott]

Hello everyone!

 

I love all my pens dearly (ballpoint, roller, and fountain), but recently I've been trying to find my perfect travel pen. That is, the pen that goes everywhere with me in my pocket. My inability to find an appropriate pen today finally came to a head when my most recent attempt (an Omas Milord) failed miserably to write with a consistent, wet line -- also, I'm not a huge fan of the 12 sided shape.

 

So far, the closest I've come to finding a perfect pen is my Dani Trio Hanryo. The nib on that pen is absolutely flawless in terms of flexibility, wetness, and line width. I love the lightweight black ebonite, the silver trim, and the torpedo shape is perfect. Even though it is the smallest of the Dani Trio's, however, it is still far too long to comfortably keep in a pocket while on the move. Also, I'd prefer a piston filling system.

 

My question to everyone out there is this: Are custom-made fountain pens an option? Are there people out there that would make a fountain pen to my specifications, but without a lot of 'bling'?

 

Any advice or comments are, as always, greatly appreciated!

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

[Kees]

An obvious possibility would be the Kaweco Sport, which is quite short and reaches a normal length only when the cap is posted. Today, it’s a cartridge filler, but you could try to find a vintage one with a piston mechanism.

 

I’ve had a modern one, and it had precisely that quality you missed in your Omas: it wrote a consistent wet line.

[JimStrutton]

My thoughts would be to go for a cartridge converter type pen rather than a pure piston fill as it will always be easier to put in another cartridge whilst on the run.

 

My preference is for a Flighter style pen as the metal case makes them more rugged. My current carry about pen is a Cross Century II in chrome finish, and the medium nib writes a wet line and starts easily, but I did adjust it to make it a bit wetter and smoothed the nib.

 

Rather than taking a really valuable pen, either in money or sentimental value, I tend to use a replaceable one.

 

Just a few thoughts,

 

Jim

[meanwhile]

Scott -

 

You could have John Mottishaw or Richard Binder modify the piston filler or your choice so that the nib behaves like a Dani Flex nib. (Is that what you want??)

 

I don't know which piston filler to suggest as the base pen - a Pelikan is the obvious answer, but they're not torpedo shape and I think their short sections make them very awkward to hold for some people. (Certainly they are for me, and they are definitely not torpedo pens.) But still, try out a 200, 400 or 600.

 

Oh - whatever pen you start with will need a 14K nib if it is to have flex added. This may or may not allow a Lamy 2000 to be a candidate.

 

Otoh, if you have the regular rather than flexible Deani nib, try a Pelikan Go. They don't look like much, but they have excellent holdability and great nibs. They're cheap and very light. You could wetness tweaked by JM or RB, or by Deb Kinney (her work is superb - I didn't recommend her before because she doesn't do flex).

[meanwhile]

Oh - another pen to try: a Sheaffer Snorkel (Thin or PFM). If you like pistons, you should love these. The body design is a variant on the torpedo, and you would have a 14K nib pen tweaked for flex. The Thin (normally just sold as the "Snorkel") is amazingly comfortable even for my large hands.

[sleek_lover]

And then there is the "answer for every situation pen"---Parker 51.

 

Comes in enough variants to fit size of hand, the ink capacity goes on forever, Richard B. can deal with the nib characteristics and you can find them in conditions/prices from beater to decent looking writer to MIB-rare as hens' teeth/stratospheric.

 

Contemporary option...Waterman Carene. Damn fine looking pen, cart fill or convertor. The metal body is not overly heavy and can take a licking and keep o writing. The inlaid nib is a bit more "protected" than a more traditional nib.

 

Contemporary runner-ups...Sheaffer Valor. I do not own one (I am on pen purchase restriction ) but the look of the pen and its heritage seems solid. Likewise with any of the Sheaf Legacy series.

 

Hope this helps..

 

Bill

 

 

[kenneth cooke]

Delta produce a large, mediun and small version as well as a stout version on their DOLCE VITA range. I would think it would be wise to use cartridges for travelling unless you fancy yourself as a Fraya Stark type. I am fascinated, how much travelling is travelling, I know of journalists who travel extensively who don't seen to have the problem that you appear to have. Maybe a reality check might solve the situation and save you money into the bargin

[howaboutthat41]

I would second the Waterman Carene recommendation. I bought two of them with travel in mind, and they have performed flawlessly (and do take a "licking.") So much so, that they have become my "go-to" pens at home, as well. Not too large, they fit well in shirt (and suit coat) pockets and the clasp holds fast. Not necessarily a flexible nib, however. The medium nib is clearly more wet and flexible than the fine point (I have, and regularly use, both).

 

Sticking with the Waterman theme, the LeMan 100/200 series are wonderful pens with relatively flexible nibs and a classic, elegant, flat-top style. They were Waterman's flagship pens in the 80's and into the 90's. Nice examples can be found on eBay and occasionally as NOS elsewhere. I am not particularly familiar with the array of Italian pens, but would guess that the LeMan series is quite similar in terms of nib flex and overall feel. I have a medium point, model 200 (the thinner barrel model) and it writes more smoothly than any pen I have experienced. It has never leaked, starts immediately every time, does not skip, and lays down a perfect (for me, at least) line. The Rhapsody models (the 200 series in various colors and finishes) are particularly beautiful. Not sure if they are short enough for you, but they fit well in my pockets.

 

Good luck in your search, and let us know what you choose.

[DrScott]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Perhaps I should add some context to my post to be a little more specific. I have tried a number of the pens suggested...I actually love my P51 demi (the nib isn't really up to the quality of the Dani Trio), the Carene is too heavy, and I don't really like to lug around cartridges (I have a Mozart tha works fairly well).

 

I may try the Kaweco sport, but the real goal of my post was to find out if there really people out there that would make a custom pen? I'd easily be willing to pay for what essentially amounts to a Dani Trio Hanryo that is shorter (both the barrel and cap), has a slightly more sturdy clip, and was a piston filler. So, are there people that custom make pens?

 

Thanks again for your help everyone...this place is a wealth of knowledge as always!

[cowboyjack]

Maybe this is too obvious, but have you looked at the Nakaya pens? They seem to be highly customizable.

[FrankB]

I was going to say the same thing as cowboyjack. The favored custom pen here seems to be Nakaya. You can be very specific about your writing needs and they will do their best to comply. The pens will be c/c, so you can carry cartridges for easy loading. I have only one Nakaya pen, but I think it is excellent and I am saving for another.

 

Otherwise, your option would be to find a penyou like and have it customized.

 

Good luck.

 

[Rique]

These replies have left me completely mistified... Nakaya, Le Man, etc, as travel pens? In my view, a travel "something" should be something that works reliably, but that can be easily replaced when lost, possibly discarded if broken, that doesn´t attract too much attention from robbers, that doesn´t cause problems with airport security people... Any pen that costs more than, say, 50 usd, should be out of question.

When I travel, I usually carry a Parker Frontier, or a Lamy Alstar, which I think fill all the requisites above...

 

regards,

Rique

[BillTheEditor]

Lamy 2000: piston fill, holds lots of ink, length slightly longer than a "51" but fits easily in any pocket, spring-loaded clip, pleasing shape, zero bling, tough construction, under $100, world-wide distribution. Nibs run wide, so if you like a medium nib, get the Lamy 2000 with a fine.

Edited March 28, 2007 by BillTheEditor

[DrScott]

Hmm...never really considered the Lamy 2000. Does anyone have a length capped and uncapped for this pen? Can't seem to find any hard numbers in the reviews.

[Taki]

I was going to recommend Lamy 2000, too but am not sure if it's smaller than Hanryo.

 

Swisher Pens' site says "DIMENSIONS: CAPPED 5 1/2" POSTED 6" DIAMETER 7/16" " I've seen a photo taken with Pel M600 and the size looked almost identical uncapped.

 

EDIT: It is Hanryo that looks almost identical to M600. See this thread.

Edited March 28, 2007 by Taki

[halljer]

If you want a custom pen made, contact David Broadwell. He can make a pen that is exactly what you want. Personally, I travel a lot, and the two most reliable pens I carry are my Sheaffer Legacy and a Pilot Murex. The Legacy has a stub nib that writes very wet, and the Pilot has a fine line for some detail work. Good luck.

Best regards,

Jerry

[Lloyd]

QUOTE (Taki @ Mar 28 2007, 10:57 AM)

I've seen a photo taken with Pel M600 and the size looked almost identical uncapped.

I'd love to see this.

[BillTheEditor]

QUOTE (Taki @ Mar 28 2007, 09:57 AM)

I was going to recommend Lamy 2000, too but am not sure if it's smaller than Hanryo. Swisher Pens' site says "DIMENSIONS: CAPPED 5 1/2" POSTED 6" DIAMETER 7/16" " I've seen a photo taken with Pel M600 and the size looked almost identical uncapped.

Just measured my own Lamy 2000 and can confirm the figures shown on Swisher's site.

 

I meant to mention earlier that the Lamy 2000 has what I would call a "matte" finish, similar to the matte finish on the Danitrio Densho. The Lamy would not "polish up" like a hard rubber pen, of course -- Makrolon is a different creature entirely. But it does make the pen light.

[Johnny Appleseed]

I would also recommend talking to David Broadwell for a custom pen. He does a number of custom pens and limited edition pens - and it sounds as if you are willing to pay what that would cost.

 

You might also talk to Winedoc. He has some very close ties to DaniTrio and might be able to work on something with that Hanryo.

 

If the only problem with the Omas is the line it lays down, I would send it to a nib specialist. Someone like Richard Binder could probably take care of an problems with the way it writes and have it all perfectly tuned and flow-adjusted for less than $50.

 

John

 

[Taki]

QUOTE (Lloyd @ Mar 28 2007, 10:27 AM)

QUOTE (Taki @ Mar 28 2007, 10:57 AM) I've seen a photo taken with Pel M600 and the size looked almost identical uncapped. I'd love to see this. Grrrr...I can't find it now. It was an older post on FPN and I saw it ealier today when I was trying to find dimentions of Lamy 2000. The photo was taken with a red striped M600.   EDIT: I was really wrong!!! It was Hanryo that looked almost the same lentgh as M600. The photo is in this thread. Sorry about the confusion!!!

Edited March 28, 2007 by Taki