recommend a pen?

January 30, 2006

Hello all. I am a new poster, but have been lurking for awhile, looking for input on a purchase I intended to make, and have since made. I picked up a Pilot (Namiki) Vanishing Point in Blue carbonesque. I am enjoying the pen and no, the clip placement isn’t bothering me at all.

I am interested in adding a more “traditional” FP to my arsenal (imagine that!). I really like the look of the Montblanc Solitaire Silver Fiber Guilloche (the one with the alternating stripes on the cap), but am turned off by the price ($595.00). If anyone is familiar with the look of these pens, can you give me a recommendation? I am also quite fond of the Graf Von Faber Castell Guilloche series, so you may get an idea of my tastes. I am absolutely no fan of gold on my pens. I don’t know what it is, I just don’t like gold. I tend toward the darker colors (blue and black), silver (or platinum, or stainless) trim, an nothing terribly overstated.

Any recommendations? Any thoughts/opinions on the Graf Von Faber Castell pens?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Dean

January 30, 2006

Hi Dean & welcome!

If you like those pens, how about

taking a look at Caran d'Ache's range as well?

Have fun!

Claes in Lund, Sweden

http://www.algonet.se/~claesg

January 30, 2006

Claes,

Thank you for the recommendation. I have seen that name, but haven't pursued. I have looked briefly and some of those look like they're right up my alley. Any opinions as to quality?

Thanks again, Dean

January 30, 2006

I am interested in adding a more “traditional” FP to my arsenal (imagine that!).

Dean,

I am more of a fan of older pens. But I also own 3 modern pens. (a VP Raden, a Conway Stewart Dandy, & A Pelikan 800.)

If I were to own just 1 "traditional" modern pen. The Pelikan 800 series is hard to beat. Mine is a Black Med. & it is as close to a perfect PF as it can be:

http://www.worldlux.com/cgi-bin/navigate.c...ENS&collect=800

Just a thought,

Best,

Dave

January 30, 2006

Caran d'Ache has a very high quality.

They are also famous for their Fixpencil 77,

a superb 2.0 mm mechanical lead holder [unfortunately

_not_ made in any precious metals, I would just love

one in silver :-)].

Have fun!

Claes in Lund, Sweden

http://www.algonet.se/~claesg

January 30, 2006

Thank you for the fine recommendations.....and feel free to keep 'em coming

Claes, I do really like the Caran d'Ache, especially the hexagon series (something about the stripes). If I'm going to spend $500+, I think I would do so on one of those before a Montblanc (no offense to MB lovers, just personal preference and my aversion to things overly popular..........although I did just by the Namiki VP......go figure).

Dave, thanks for the Pelikan recommendation. I was just about to lament the fact that the trim was gold, but I looked further and found the 805 series.......in silver trim. Very nice, and a more appealing price point for my budding collection. I also like the 420 black.... very simply elegant with the black color and the guilloche engraving.

Thanks to both of you for accurately interpreting my taste and providing a couple of very nice recommendations. I can surely see the appeal in this "hobby". I'm a sucker for tastefully and artfully-created instruments like these.

Dean

January 30, 2006

Oh, and by the way. There is a saying in a headphone forum I used to visit. I will shamefully steal their slogan and insert the name of this forum here.

Welcome to the Fountain Pen Network.......and sorry about your wallet.

(Stolen from Head-Fi.com, but very appropriate)

Edited January 30, 2006 by Caboose

January 31, 2006

Oh, and by the way. There is a saying in a headphone forum I used to visit. I will shamefully steal their slogan and insert the name of this forum here.

Welcome to the Fountain Pen Network.......and sorry about your wallet.

(Stolen from Head-Fi.com, but very appropriate)

So true, so true!

Welcome aboard, Caboose! Glad you're here and hope you enjoy yourself.

Concerning pens, (I can't believe I beat Wim to this), take a look at the Stipula Etruria. It's a wonderful pen that's available in at least two sizes, different interesting colors/patterns, and Stip nibs are amongst the best. Some Etruria also are true piston fillers, some have integral piston converters, and some are c/c.

You also might want to check out the Omas Paragon, 360, and Ogiva. All are piston fillers and the Paragon and 360 can be had in various sizes (not sure about the Ogiva). There are some reviews around that you can check out, and if you want to spend more $, you can look at their celluloid. Omas in general is pricey, but good deals can be found at much less than MSRP.

You probably should wade through the Pen Reviews Forum a bit - that'll give you plenty of ideas.

See you around.

January 31, 2006

Also think about S.T. Dupont FPs. Currently, they have also a wide range of Silver, Palladium or Platinum designs for their pens. The quality is top, as is the price

January 31, 2006

Thanks for the additional recommendations. All of those are nice pens, and ones I hadn't yet explored entirely. I had looked at some of the DuPonts, but hadn't discovered the Orpheos yet. I especially like some of the placed laquer designs. I can tell my next pen purchase will have to be a little more thoroughly thought-out than my last - stepping up from the >$100 range to the $400+ range.

I will also take the advice and read through the reviews. That's something I usually make habit of doing and the contributors to this site have submitted some very well-written and thorough reviews.

Thanks again, Dean

January 31, 2006

Hi Caboose(Dean),

Welcome to the FPN society!!!It's nice to see another Audiophile over here Is Head-Fi changed their servers?I know them as a Head-fi.org? Whatever Welcome again.I don't have any experience with Graf von Faber-Castell but boy they look great!!!But I think S.T.Dupont pens are better everybody raves them.You can look both

Take Care,

Emrecan

January 31, 2006

Hello Emrecan, and thanks for the welcome. For the record, I don't qualify as an audiophile. I am blissfully unable to hear and be bothered by the incredibly subtle differences....however, I do enjoy a good pair of headphones.

In the short time I have been looking at the Faber-Castell's and the DuPont's, I have sensed a difference in quality (difference in price too, but obviously that's not always an accurate indicator of relative quality). I will have to study some good reviews and handle the pens in person before making my next choice. I have to say, though, that I am very happy with my Vanishing Point thus far. In my business, it's also a much more practical pen for everyday use. I fear coming off as ostentatious with some of the other pens I'm looking at, but I love their beauty and quality of fit and finish. I think that's one thing that keeps me from liking the gold. Too flashy for my purposes. I also appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into some of the pens painted with scenes or "artwork", but my intention is to use the pens I purchase and not just collect.

Whew, I didn't mean to get too wordy.

Thanks again. It's always nice to find a forum with passionate, informed and friendly contributors...... and you folks don't disappoint.

January 31, 2006

Hello all. I am a new poster, but have been lurking for awhile, looking for input on a purchase I intended to make, and have since made. I picked up a Pilot (Namiki) Vanishing Point in Blue carbonesque. I am enjoying the pen and no, the clip placement isn’t bothering me at all.
I am interested in adding a more “traditional” FP to my arsenal (imagine that!). I really like the look of the Montblanc Solitaire Silver Fiber Guilloche (the one with the alternating stripes on the cap), but am turned off by the price ($595.00). If anyone is familiar with the look of these pens, can you give me a recommendation? I am also quite fond of the Graf Von Faber Castell Guilloche series, so you may get an idea of my tastes. I am absolutely no fan of gold on my pens. I don’t know what it is, I just don’t like gold. I tend toward the darker colors (blue and black), silver (or platinum, or stainless) trim, an nothing terribly overstated.

Any recommendations? Any thoughts/opinions on the Graf Von Faber Castell pens?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Dean

Welcome Caboose! I'm a big Vanishing Point fan, moreso than any other pen that I've owned, so I'll hold in abeyance other recommendations.

One idea is getting a different sized nib for your VP, you can find them for $25-30, its a tad cheaper from non-factory sites.

http://www.namiki.com/parts.htm

January 31, 2006

Thanks. I ordered mine with the Medium nib because a number of people said that Namiki (Pilot) nibs tend to run finer. This may well be true, but the medium is not really quite fine enough for me. I will be ordering a fine nib soon.

A little OT, but can anyone elaborate on the nib issue with regard to the Asian manufacturers vs. European? I got the impression that the Asian (i.e. Japanese) pens tend to run finer than their stated size implies. Does that mean that, if I like a very fine point, I should order Japanese pens with a "F" nib and European pens with an "EF" nib?

I can almost hear all of your eyes rolling . This is probably an age-old topic and one that doesn't have a real pat answer, but I thought I'd take a shot.

Thanks, Dean

Edited January 31, 2006 by Caboose

January 31, 2006

Close enough, Dean,

You should order a Japanese XF and wonder

why on earth no Western manufacturers can be

that sharp :-)

It's a matter of taste, of course, as well as a

matter of your handwriting (as well as paper,

ink and writing desk slope &c &c &c). Here is a

table of some typical nib widths:

http://www.nibs.com/Tipping%20Sizes%20page.htm

Nib widths is *not* an exact science, but as you can see,

Eastern grades tend to be one size more narrow than

Western grades.

Have fun!

Claes in Lund, Sweden

http://www.algonet.se/~claesg

January 31, 2006

Close enough, Dean,

You should order a Japanese XF and wonder
why on earth no Western manufacturers can be
that sharp :-)

It's a matter of taste, of course, as well as a
matter of your handwriting (as well as paper,
ink and writing desk slope &c &c &c). Here is a
table of some typical nib widths:
http://www.nibs.com/Tipping%20Sizes%20page.htm

A wonderful link I've not seen before. I have both a medium and broad Vanishing point nib and concur with this website completely.

Edited January 31, 2006 by saturation