Greetings all FPNers. I seek the advice of all you experienced fountain pen users in finding an ideal pen ((s)(more than one suggestion of pen is most welcome).

I am looking for a fountain pen which is: about the same length as the Lamy Studio, though a little bit wider with a grip section that gives a bit more width at the most tapered part.

The grip section should be comfortable. I am not too much a fan of slippery metal grip sections, nice as they look, so I would prefer no chrome plating, rhodium, etc. If any kind of metal, stainless steel. Otherwise, a comfortable rubber/wood/acrylic/resin/celluloid grip would be nice. Just a bit wider than the Lamy studio.

Good balance with the cap posted, as is my general habit.

Doesn't matter to me if the cap screws on and off or is a click cap, long as the inside of it is well made and has a good clip and it posts solidly (preferably with a click), or very snugly otherwise.

The nib - stainless steel or gold is no matter to me - long as it can write smoothly, wetly, readily - a bit of flex is not minded.

The weight - wouldn't mind a lighter weight, if it was going to be an everyday pen for lots of writing.

Body materials preffered - stainless steel, pearl, celluloid, a good quality resin or acrylic, vegetal resin. Would not prefer nickel or chrome platings of any kind.

Overall appearance - I'm fairly open. Would not object if it was realatively subdued looking like the Lamy Studio - I know, I know, some of you think this is a fugly pen. It's no showboat, but it's advantage lies in the fact that you can pull it out wherever, without feeling too showy yourself. Then again, I'm also a sucker for a sexy design.

Ink Filling: a big one for me - I would really like it to use a C/C system, and the cartridge component to accept internationaly cartridges. I know they're not as cool or have as much capacity as some other built in systems, but with a removable converter, I'll use bottled ink 90 percent of the time anyway, and I just like the idea of being able to use international cartridges, since they seem to be the most commonly available. Never was crazy about the idea of proprietary carts.

Overall, I have a recently gotten Lamy Studio, but realized after using it for a bit, the grip may be a bit too narrow for my liking, and I did not know that it doesn't accept international cartridges. Imagine my annoyance when I got home and tried to stick in a great colored J. Herbin Cartridge. Gah!

It's almost like a want the pen I have, just with the option of international cartridges and a slightly wider grip.

But any, I mean any suggestions for pens you can think of which meet all or most of the specifics I listed or fall within them generally, would be HUGELY appreciated by me. I thank you all so much.

R.ticle One

Hmmm,

You know what? I think your solution is to try a few more pens out. Trying to get objective about what is in the end a subjective item is fraught with disaster.

I think that you need to go around the second-hand block for a while, try loads of stuff and see what floats your boat

If you buy sensibly, you are going to almost certainly get your money back as you trade on. If you lose a bit, then that is the cost of learning and we should almost always be prepared to pay to learn.

As a suggestion, try a Parker 61, I would say a "51" but the CC fillers are fairly rare as they were a limited production. I always feel that pens from the 'Golden Age', ie 1930 - 1965 ish are worth a try as they are still hard to beat. Any of the Sheaffers from that period are good too, as are Pelikans and MB.

If you like Lamy, and want to stay New, then how about the 2000. methinks a trip to a B&M pen store could be a good move or better still, when is the next Pen Show you could get to? That would be a very good learning experience.

Hope this ramble is some help

Jim

Aye, Aye. I am infact planning to go to the Toronto Pen Show whenever it is this summer, and did infact purchase the Lamy Studio that I have at a local (relatively) B&M store in Toronto. They have a fair, though not massive, selection of pens, unfortunately, it seemed that a lot of the ones they do have start getting up into the 2, 3, 5, 8 hundred plus dollar ranges. Didn't see a whole ton within the hundred to hundred and fifty range. There was a Monteverde, but I didn't like the slippery metal grip section, and it's medium nib wrote way too fine.

Thanks for the suggestions, I may just go back, see if I missed something, and I definately want to go the Pen Show. And Richard Binder will be there!

So there were cartridge/converter fillers made by Parker, Pelikan, etc.? Did not know.

Thanks for your help!

Any other suggestions from anyone are still greatly welcomed. Thanks!

Parker made (and still make) a lot of cartridge fillers, from the 45, through later 61s and the 75, on to the moderns. The 45 and 75 are fine pens, but might be a bit skinny for you. Parkers take their own cartridges, not internationals.

IIRC, Pelikan made some midrange cc pens in the 1980s, but they tend to be very thin. The modern Pelikan Future is cc, and a fine pen, but at ~USD20 is maybe not what you're looking for now.

If you can go to another cc system, Sheaffer have made some splendid pens that tend to go for not much money on the used market. Triumph Imperials, especially.

But I do advise you go to that pen show, and try a lot.

Good luck

Michael