$100-$150 pens, recent experience and ratings...

October 2, 2008

All,

This is a series of mini-review/comparisons that is the result of walking into my local pen shop and testing some pens out. I originally put some of this material in another thread and realized that it made sense to create a separate thread from it. I suspect this little sample of pens are very popular for their price range and features.

It's a unique review in that I had the pleasure of dipping and writing with all of these pens in person with my favorite inks and was able to form some solid opinions about them. I can't claim to be completely unbiased, but I do hope these descriptions help anyone who happends to be looking at one of these excellent pens.

First, let me say, these are all well made pens with good nibs. You can't really go wrong with any one of them in my opinion, given that it's comfortable to you. Second, all of these pens have something unique about them that might appeal to you.

So if you lack the priviledge of being able to walk into a shop and try these pens, I do hope this is helpful to you. I can't begin to tell you how fun it is to be writing with a pen and have your sales guy say, "have you tried this one?" as he comes tottering over with yet another pen. "Let me tempt you with another one, try this one out..." Gotta love it.

Caveats

- I tested all pens with Noodler's Black, Noodler's Legal Lapis, and Noodler's Galileo Manuscript Brown. (Except for Falcon, see below.)

- Paper used was Clairefontaine from pads and the Parker pad that was at the counter.

- All pens have gold nibs, not steel.

- I refrain from pictures because there are several pens being reviewed here. I also figure most readers will be familiar with the pens in discussion.

- Not having a scale with me, the line widths are estimated.

- Line widths were judged on the Noodler's Black.

- My hands are medium in size for a man, so judge grip opinions accordingly. I don't favor thin pens and don't find a Pelikan M150 comfortable. M200, yes.

Mini Reviews

Sailor 1911 Medium: The main one was a clear demonstrator. He had three demos, two clear and one red. I went in later to try them again and they were all gone. It's a rather traditional resin body with a nice large nib and included converter. Being in a shop and dipping the pen, I couldn't try the converter. It would be a traditional fill method, either removing the converter and filling alone, or dipping the nib and operating the converter.

Fit and finish were excellent with all parts mating up well and finished well. The nib was well polished with high attention to detail on the etchings. When writing with this pen, it was the second most flexible of the ones I tried. While not scratchy, it was the least smooth of the five. In my opnion, it wrote on the fine end of medium, about a .4-.5mm line. The body and section are substantial and form a good gripping experience. It has the traditional flaired grip surface that helps prevent fatigue from gripping the pen.

So many people give this pen great high marks for the smooth nib, but I can't say this one was spectaculor. All three were about the same. Again, it was smooth enough with a certain amount of feedback, but I had expected "smooth as butter" like my Pelikan M200 which feels like writing with vasoline. I'm not saying it's a bad nib - it's a nice nib. It just didn't live up to my expectations. But then again, three isn't a great sample size.

Waterman Charleston Medium: This one was black with rhodium trim, a very traditional looking pen with a wonderful traditional shape and weight. It was flawlessly made and finished. Like the 1911, it had the flaired grip surface and was easy to grip and write with. The metal band in the middle is a very classy touch. Without quesiton, this was the smoothest nib in the sample, with some flex. This line was a fine medium, writing about a .5-.6mm line. I didn't try varying the pressure, but there was a tiny bit of flex in this nib. Converter is included but I didn't get to try it. It would be a traditional fill method, either removing the converter and filling alone, or dipping the nib and operating the converter. I really liked this pen and wonder why I didn't buy it...

Lamy 2000 Medium: This is the pen I went home with. It's very different from the others because of it's Bauhaus inspired design which is almost completely devoid of terrain features. There are no ridges or flairs at the end to stop your fingers from sliding down. If you grip in the metal section, you might find that it slides a bit and fatigues your hand. But if you can get used to gripping at the little metal tabs, it's quite comfortable. The hooded nib on this pen was the second smoothest in the bunch.

Being a medium, it wrote/writes like a fine medium giving a .5-.7mm (!) line depending on the pressure you give it. As for flex, don't expect much; although it does have more than a Lamy Safari. It's also a fairly wet writer. It was the only pen with a built-in piston which I love. Some have complained about the stiffness of this piston, but I didn't find the demo or my own pen to be too stiff. Becuase of it's simple design, dipping the nib and filling was easy. Given the comlete lack of terrain features, it's very very easy to wipe off with a tissue after filling. Some have complained about the ink window, but if you just wait a few seconds while holding it horizontally against a light, you can see the level very well. I love the filling system on this pen.

The fit and finish of the glass-filled plastic is perfect - it has no flaws and the brushed, understated design says "simplicity and quality". There's very little to break, and very little to catch on anything. Like Mac computers or iPods, it has a "monolithic" style. Yet, this plastic is tough as can be and I don't anticipate much will go wrong with it. It's a clip cap, but very secure. The little aluminum pocket clip is spring loaded, so not likely to get bent out and broken. I love the pen, after all, it's the one I bought.

Pilot VP Medium: This pen has the unique priviledge of having a retractable nib, much like a push-button ballpoint. This makes it extremly convenient to use one-handed. The nib retracts behind a little door that essentially seals it from drying out. I can say, it didn't dry out while retracted. I gave it several minutes after dipping and it started up right away. While a small and unobtrusive pen, it grips like a large pen due to the bulk at the gripping end.

The build is all metal with variuos nice laquer type finishes. The sections mate up well and everything is typical Pilot quality - flawless. It's a short pen, but like I said, it is substantial in your hand. It also has a little bit of heft from all the metal hardware and workings, so if you like some slight heft, you'll like this pen. In fact, there was nothing to dislike about this pen!

This nib was fairly smooth but wrote like a fine, putting out a line in the .4-.5mm range. The nib was flexible, but not as flexible as the 1911. One cannot fill this pen without removing the nib/converter as a whole and dipping the nib. That being said, it appears to be easy to fill without being too messy. You can also pull the converter and fill it alone. But you do have to essentially disassemble the pen completely to do this. That and the limited capacity are the only down sides to this pen. But then, the retractable nib more than earns it's keep!

Namiki Falcon Medium: This black resin pen is a really cool design. It has a special, very flexible nib that gives some line variation from pressure. It was as expceted, the most flexible nib in the group. As a result, it wrote between .5 and .8mm. This nib was smooth, but unlike the others, I wasn't able to use my ink as it had a cartridge installed. So I can't compare it's smoothness to the others. You can change widths while in any angle which is a nice option over a music or stub nib.

The fit and finish were perfect, but then it's a very simple pen. It comes with a converter, but like all the others, I couldn't try it out. The grip is surprisingly comfortable for it's size. It doesn't have any flair, but since it has no taper either, it feels quite substantial and would be comfortable for me. With this pen, if I buy one, it will be a fine point. The reason is that it is so soft, it's hard to write with it at it's thinnest. As a result, I wasn't able to experience the full range of line widths as I wrote. All this may take some time to get comfortable with, but I feel sure I'd prefer a fine.

Or to put it another way, in order of "most":

Flex: Falcon, 1911, VP, Charleston, 2000

Smooth: Charleston, 2000, VP, Falcon, 1911

Grip: VP, Charleston, 2000, Falcon, 1911

Most of these mediums write like medium-fines which I can really live with. I dipped a Conline Durograph and it was quite a bold medium - more so than any one of these. Contrary to popular belief, I found that the Lamy 2000 in a medium is a good meduim. This is a very tolerable medium that I can vary pressure on and get a fine to true medium line. I can live with that!

Ultimately, I chose the Lamy for it's looks and piston fill. My next pen will be the VP or the Charleston. Don't understimate the Charleston! And for me, no real love for the Sailor. It was a very nice pen, but it didn't really hit me like the others. I'd buy the Falcon before the 1911. However, all in all, these are all nice pens and I'd recommend any one of them. Not a single one of these mediums wrote wider than a medium fine and none were scratchy or toothy.

As always, your mileage may vary...

S

October 2, 2008

Stevo, this is very, very good and exceedingly informative. I have an interest in three of the pens you reviewed (Falcon, Charleston and 2000) and thus found your comparative analysis very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

October 2, 2008

Stevo, thanks for taking the time to write this review. Although you don't have the full contact experience of ownership for all of them, first impressions are something to be reckoned with. And there's nothing quite like quick switching between pens to get a comparative writing sensation. I'm glad to hear that you chose the Lamy 2000. It's one of my favorite pens for design and utility. I also find it writing a bit on the wet side, but I'm having it tuned right now and will hopefully have a glowing report to post sometime next week. Do let us know how your ownership of the 2000 progresses. Maybe even some writing samples.

October 18, 2008

Interesting comparisons.

The VP is small and short? Have you tried a Pelikan M200 or 400? Those must be micro-pens from your POV.

Not complaining or anything, just find it interesting because I've never heard anyone say that about a VP. In fact, many people were so happy with the Decimo coming out because the VP was too large and fat. Just goes to show that individual perception is - well - individual. Sometimes I think we need some sort of "standard" at the top of the review section. Just a range that a pen can be fit into size-wise so that a person hearing that the VP is small doesn't think they'll get an M200-sized pen. Or that a person who hears that a Pel 150 is "medium" doesn't think they're getting a 600-sized pen.

October 18, 2008

Thanks ! I have been thinking that I would enjoy a Charleston (in white!0 for some time - your review really made me know that I want one !

October 18, 2008

Nice comparison. I love my 2000, but it's nice to see how it compares to similarly-priced pens. I've been spoiled by the 2000's piston filler, though, so it would be tough to go to a converter-fill after it.

October 18, 2008

Reading that, I'm a bit surpised you went for the 2000 over the Charleston. Very nice reviews though.

October 18, 2008

Thanks for this comparitive review. Very Informative

I have all the pens in this list except the Charleston whose nib size I thought at that time was too small for an open nib. My Sailor medium is also a bit toothy, I think it is more suited if you hold the pen at a higher angle. Lamy 2K (my F writes more like a M) remains my favorite and the Capless (VP) has presently dropped out of my rotation.

April 22, 2009

I, too, love the Charleston and bought a second one. I am really disappointed with my Sailor 1911. Way too scratchy. My advice to you: go back and get that Charleston. I almost always use mine.

February 12, 2011

Great review

February 13, 2011

I love my Falcon, but your review makes me want to check out the Charleston (although I tend to shy away from Waterman because so many of their pens have leaked in the past).

February 13, 2011

Thanks for the great review!

I own a Charleston, VP, and Falcon. I'll add a few words on each:

Charleston

I bought the Charleston, because its nib was the smoothest one I could find. I still find it to be an absolutely luxurious writing experience.

Although it is a resin pen, it has partial brass inserts in that give it a nice weight in between a pure resin and a pure metal pen.

VP

I bought this because I wanted a pen that would be very easy to use. I don't have to unscrew the cap, and I don't have to recap it to prevent drying. Simply click on, click off.

However, I find that it is more scratchy than my other pens (I have a F nib, perhaps the medium is different, and I would like to try one). If you like more feedback, however, it is fine.

Falcon

I love this pen because I adore Copperplate style writing (I make no claims of true copperplate, maybe I'll learn one day). But, I would not choose it for daily writing.

Basically I would rate them like this:

If I know that I am going to be writing for a long time without breaks, I choose the Charleston for smoothness.

If I am taking short notes on and off, I choose the VP so that I don't have to recap the pen.

If I want to write slowly and beautifully with variation, I use the Falcon.

I love them all, and from what I have tried, they are the best that I've found for each of their purposes. I am currently carrying all three of them regularly!