Why do I like piston filler

[goodguy]

I think many people on the FPN will agree with me that piston filler is the best filling mechanism.Yes I know some like others better but in general the vertues of the piston filler is evident.

 

1.Its got a big ink capacity second only to the ED fill pens.

2.I think its the pures and even sexiest (if there is a thing like that) filler but thats just me (am I weird-ah dont answer that )

3.Because there isnt a lever on the body of the pen the pen remains clean from anything sticking from it.

4.Its very reliable,I never had any issues with the pens I own with piston filler.The mechanics of it is very simple and every one knows simple=reliable.

 

1.The thought that this plastic tube (cartrige) will sit for the next 1000 years in some landfill doesnt make me very happy.

2.The cartriges is a strong reminder for today disposable colture.

3.Converters are actualy ok but simply because its associated with the cartrige it gets bad rap.

4.Converters holds less ink then pistons.

 

I know when you go to a meeting and you have few cartriges in your pocket for a worst case scenario is a big advantage but to be honest I never got into a situation that I ran out of ink in such a situation.If I would go to a very important meeting and will have to write loads of pages I would take both my MB 149 and Omas Paragon,both pistons that hold enough ink to cover any need any time.

[CharlieB]

I totally agree with all of these reasons for prefering a piston-filler over a cartridge/converter filler. The bottom line for me boils down to two factors: first, the greater volume of ink that a piston filler can hold, and, second, the ability to fill the pen without having to unscrew the section from the barrel.

 

And for those who claim that lever-fillers or button-fillers also have these advantages, let me say that pens with sacs do not hold as much ink as a piston-filler, and they are far more fragile (i.e., the sacs deteriorate, the levers snap off, and the inner bars get damaged) than piston-fillers.

Edited February 28, 2008 by CharlieB

[ilubiano]

I personally think that the best filling system was the Vaccum-Fill aka plunger system. same as or maybe larger capacity than a piston filler, and just as sleek in that it has no outward levers/buttons/etc that show during normal use. Also, no sacs to rot away, etc, just gaskets and packing like a piston filler would.

 

Plus, it's simple as pulling the plunger and dropping it back, rather than that agonizing twist motion with piston fillers. :roflmho:

 

 

Piston fillers are definitely a close second to my favorite fill mechanism though, and at least those are still around.

 

a distant third would probably be eyedropper fill, just because of the huge capacity available.

[fpfanatic5]

This only speaks for one piston filler, but my Parker 21 and 51s hold way more ink than my Pelikan M605. It takes me so long to write them dry it's almost agonizing. I have to admit that the piston is much easier to use, though.

[Jinnayah]

I personally think that the best filling system was the Vaccum-Fill aka plunger system.

You know, I was looking at a cross section of the Sheaffer vac-fil this weekend, and was lamenting how close this came to being the PERFECT filling system. If they'd just used a retaining ring and a gasket (or other seal) instead of a press fit on the packing unit, it would have been an easy repair as well as easy to use. Just pop out the retaining ring, and you could have pulled out both packing unit and plunger from the barrel end. The press fit basically guarantees you've got to destroy something.

 

I personally like Touchdowns. Yes, they have smaller capacity, but that great noise they made when you push the plunger in! And ink efficiency is good on them.

 

Pistons fills are nice, too, though. Good for every day pens. But I have to remember to fill them up with one of my favorite colors, or by 3/4 of the way through a load I'm thinking "Just run out already!"

[ilubiano]

This only speaks for one piston filler, but my Parker 21 and 51s hold way more ink than my Pelikan M605. It takes me so long to write them dry it's almost agonizing. I have to admit that the piston is much easier to use, though.

 

 

Thank the huge collector right behind the feed for that big capacity. I'm no parker expert, but i think that's unique to the parker pens, so other similar filling pens (i.e. squeeze fillers) won't last as long as P51/21s.

 

More seasoned pros please correct me if i'm wrong. Still learning this hobby.

[Inkquest]

Yeah, but you simply cannot beat a c/c filler for the ease of smuggling small quantities of contraband... ahhhhhhh, the microfilm tucks quite nicely.. the... oh never mind..

[goodguy]

Yeah, but you simply cannot beat a c/c filler for the ease of smuggling small quantities of contraband... ahhhhhhh, the microfilm tucks quite nicely.. the... oh never mind..

For that you could also use ED.

[girlieg33k]

Pens that utilize a sac will generally not hold as much ink as a piston, though my P51s give my piston-fillers a run for their money. As far as certain filling mechanisms being more fragile, even piston-fillers have their kinks. I can easily replace a sac in a pen or buy a new converter -- but if one of my piston-fillers begins to act up or worse, fail, I'm not sure where I'd begin. I'd have send it out for warranty repair to the manufacturer or to Ron Zorn.

Edited February 28, 2008 by girlieg33k

[Shelley]

I like the elegance of the piston fill system, the window to see the ink, and the heft of the pen that has that system, but I like other systems as well...it depends more on the pen in total than the fill system to make me choose one pen over another.

[jonro]

My favorite filling system is probably the snorkel filler. There's never a need to wipe ink from the nib or the section and it holds a lot of ink. It's also fairly easy to clean, quicker than a piston filler. The only thing that prevents it from getting a perfect score is that you can't see the ink supply.

[naniwa46]

I totally agree with everyone but man.....aside from being able to unscrew some piston FP nibs, cleaning

a piston fp really really sucks. All the twists and turning, wouldn't they be prone to break(piston mechanism) quicker

than a c/c fp? Even if I tried, I can't run the pen dry from a days worth of writing. Does everyone who

love the fact that pistons hold more ink actually run the pen dry in one day's worth of writing? I'm assuming

that you mean you don't fill up the pen as much as a c/c would. I can't imagine that a person after filling it up

in the morning, you come home with a dry pen. Of course that's me... it's possible but, wow! That's a lot of

writing!!

[Deirdre]

Today, I realized that, while I like my Recife Resin demonstrator eyedroppers, I'm not a fan of non-demonstrator eyedroppers -- too hard to see when the innards are clean.

 

Piston fillers are great for flushing.

 

The one thing I like about a C/C is the ability to change the ink more readily without wasting the remainder of a pistonfull (since I don't put ink from a piston back into the bottle). You can just swap converters, put plastic wrap over the end of the partly-full one, and go on.

[wspohn]

I own some pens with a lot of different filling systems, but let me act as Devil's advocate for a minute on behalf of the humble converter.

 

Yes, some do have low capacity, but other than pens like the Vanishing Point, most are good for a day or two of normal writing before you need to refill.

 

If the converter screws up, you spend $10 and toss the defective one out - all fixed in 30 seconds. If your piston fill screws up it is a paid trip back to the fatherland for the laying on of hands by the Nib Gnomes, and a bill when it eventually makes it back to you (been there, done that, just got my 149 back with a new seal in it).

 

If you want to change colours with a CC, just pull the converter out and soak section while flushing the CC, or do it the lazy way and use the CC to flush the section as well. Change colour with a piston filler? Water in, inky water out, water in, inky water out.....(repeat 57 times until the water turns clear or you fall asleep waiting, whichever happens first - no wonder they need to replace those over worked seals every once in awhile).

 

Stub your nib? Swap another section into your fave pen while the bent one is off getting straightened. Stub a piston filler nib? Say bye bye to money, hello gnomes again.

 

All of which may lead you to the conclusion that the ED is the best of all. Easy to flush, no mechanism to foul up, and drinks like a camel to which the bricks have been applied (old joke). One fill will do even the most verbose for days, weeks......I am still waiting for my Densho to run out - I think there is a small ink factory inside that thing!

[Tojusi]

I am still waiting for my Densho to run out - I think there is a small ink factory inside that thing!

 

Not only that... Yesterday I decided that now my Densho must really be low enough on ink that I can just flush whatever little remains and change inks. Yes, the barrel was quickly emptied and flushed - but that nib unit certainly has a huge amount of ink hidden in the feed! It took some flushing to get it clear.

 

/Tojusi

[Luca]

I believe the very best filling system would be an empty barrel made of sterling silver with a long inner thread to the section (e.g. GvFC): just unscrew the section from the top, poor ink into the barrel with an eye-dropper, screw the section back in, and you are ready to go. Maximum ink capacity, minimum maintenance, safety even when travelling.

 

As no such system is available, although the technology is already in place, one has to go along with the market. In my view, (a) c/c filling systems are easily maintained by the pen owner, while other filling systems demand uncommon expertise and the availability of spare parts; ( cartridges are handy when traveling, ink bottles are not; © bio-degradable cartridges are preferable to the non-biodegradable waste from the other filling systems; (d) easily inspectable barrels allow for better informed shopping at pen shows.

 

Some people prefer the vacuum filler because they can write forever with their 51. However, the 51 has an ink capacity of exactly 0.8ml, which happens to be the same capacity of a short cartridge (standard size). The piston-filler of a Lamy 2000 has an ink capacity of 1.4ml, which happens to be the same capacity of a long cartridge (standard size). The Namiki's Bamboo (1.7ml), Namiki Falcon (0.9ml), Pelikan Souveraen M400 (1.5ml) and Sailor 1911 (0.9ml), they all have less ink capacity than a standard cartridge. Therefore, the claim that "piston fillers have greater ink capacity than c/c" is a false claim. The reason the 51 runs forever is not its ink capacity, but its ink efficiency.

 

Luca

Edited February 28, 2008 by Luca

[wspohn]

I believe the very best filling system would be an empty barrel made of sterling silver with a long inner thread to the section (e.g. GvFC): just unscrew the section from the top, poor ink into the barrel with an eye-dropper, screw the section back in, and you are ready to go. Maximum ink capacity, minimum maintenance, safety even when travelling.

 

As no such system is available......

 

 

Ah - untrue.

 

Buy a Parker Esparto (a Duofold International) and use a sealant on the section threads, and just fill that puppy up!

 

The only glitch is that ink is acidic and silver doesn't like that, so in any sterling ED you'd need to arrange an inert coating on the inside of the barrel unless you like silver salts in your ink.....

[goodguy]

let me act as Devil's advocate for a minute on behalf of the humble converter.

Well Bill once a lawyer always a lawyer ha ? :ltcapd:

[Rapt]

One of the advantages over a filler system as opposed to a cartridge is that the nib and feed are also filled and ready to go. Put a new cartridge in an "empty" dry pen and it'll take a fair whack of it to fill the feed before you get to write anything.

 

Of course maybe I'm doing it wrong...

 

 

I believe the very best filling system would be an empty barrel made of sterling silver with a long inner thread to the section (e.g. GvFC): just unscrew the section from the top, poor ink into the barrel with an eye-dropper, screw the section back in, and you are ready to go. Maximum ink capacity, minimum maintenance, safety even when travelling.

 

As no such system is available, although the technology is already in place, one has to go along with the market. In my view, (a) c/c filling systems are easily maintained by the pen owner, while other filling systems demand uncommon expertise and the availability of spare parts; ( cartridges are handy when traveling, ink bottles are not; © bio-degradable cartridges are preferable to the non-biodegradable waste from the other filling systems; (d) easily inspectable barrels allow for better informed shopping at pen shows.

 

Some people prefer the vacuum filler because they can write forever with their 51. However, the 51 has an ink capacity of exactly 0.8ml, which happens to be the same capacity of a short cartridge (standard size). The piston-filler of a Lamy 2000 has an ink capacity of 1.4ml, which happens to be the same capacity of a long cartridge (standard size). The Namiki's Bamboo (1.7ml), Namiki Falcon (0.9ml), Pelikan Souveraen M400 (1.5ml) and Sailor 1911 (0.9ml), they all have less ink capacity than a standard cartridge. Therefore, the claim that "piston fillers have greater ink capacity than c/c" is a false claim. The reason the 51 runs forever is not its ink capacity, but its ink efficiency.

 

Luca

 

[Luca]

Buy a Parker Esparto (a Duofold International) and use a sealant on the section threads, and just fill that puppy up!

 

The only glitch is that ink is acidic and silver doesn't like that, so in any sterling ED you'd need to arrange an inert coating on the inside of the barrel unless you like silver salts in your ink.....

 

Hello there!

 

Parker Esparto? A fabulous ... jewel.

 

On a second thought, we can do it, with any c/c pen! Great!

 

Just use a pH neutral ink for metal barrels. Besides, inks are mostly neutral nowadays.

 

Re: Rapt

I never had the problem you mention. New pen, dry ink, new cart in, and it wrote immediately.

 

Luca

 

Edited February 28, 2008 by Luca