I now have myself a Waterman Phileas and I am loving it. It writes like a dream for me. I am also starting to understand this addiction. I am already looking at different inks and thinking how that one would look and how I would like to get that one. This could get expensive fast.

I also seem to be looking at other pens already or maybe just a different color Phileas. The thoughts seem to go along the lines of if I have different color inks, I will want different pens to hold them. At least one for everyday writing and at least one for use with different colors. Along those lines, does anybody have any recommendations about a pen that is in about the same price range as the Phileas and writes just as nicely? I am up to trying something different than just another Phileas even though I may get another one of those anyway.

Thanks for the addiction.

Wality is a line of pens made in India and they are terrific for the money. Probably better writers than the Phileas but not as pretty. You can pick one up for under $20 easy. The Piston-Fillers are reliable and the eye-droppers have enormous ink capacity. Nibs are on the fine side.

If you want to upgrade your price a bit go for a Parker "51." Some think it is the best pen ever.

If you want a vintage pen that looks vintage, check out the Esterbrook J lever fillers. Nice colors and it is a VERY sturdy antique with a wide variety of nibs available. $10-30 on eBay, or even less if you can resac it on your own.

Warning.... once you start there is no going back.

Andy

Andy has some good recommendations there. Restored Esterbrooks seem to go for around $25 or so. Parker "51"s usually sell for $30-50 on Ebay if they are just the common versions. You could also look for a Sheaffer Snorkel or Touchdown if one comes along that is restored (or if you feel willing to restore it). Sometimes you can find one on the Marketplace for $20-40 and they are also great pens.

Ron

Charlie - I would second the Parker 51 recommendation. 51's are high quality, reliable, pens, that write very well too. And if you dont want a "collectible" or "mint" one, you can get one on Ebay, or the sales/marketplace boards here on FPN or Pentrace at a very reasonable price.
And before you jump into buying more pens, maybe you ought to visit Prof Cullen again, and ask to try out some of his pens!!!
-Sid

Don't forget the lower end Pelikan's M200 and I think there are some 150(?) models that are fairly inexpensive, have neat translucent or marbeled barrels and are piston fillers that are dependable as all get out. I miss my 200 as a daily user. I could always depend on it.

Best-
Brian

Brian, that's interesting that you say you valued the Pelikan 200. I would have guessed you might say something like: "If you want a pen like the Pelikan 200, you can buy an Estie for less than half the price." I was even toying with buying another Binder nib and putting it into one of my Esties instead of buying another Pelikan pen for it.

Ron

Well, yes, that is true, but since charliecompany mentioned the possibility of getting another phileas, I figured a second modern pen might be easier. Not that a J is difficult, but there's a little more to owning a vintage pen sometimes, and if something happens, you can't just send it back to the manufacturer to fix it, it has to go to a repair person, which may not be readily evident to someone new to fountain pens.

Now for the third pen, then I recommend an Esterbrook.

Best
Brian

I recently acquired an Esterbrook J and like the feel and finish quite a bit - but at least with PR American Blue it seeps around the nib/section and gets ink on my fingers with some regularity. Thus I am getting some silicone grease and will empty it out, remove the nib and seal the threads with the grease to see if it fixes this relatively known problem. I may switch nibs actually - the 1551 on it is really smooth but the lousy copier paper at our office feathers a good bit so I could benefit from a fine or perhaps even an EF nib. Anyway - the point is well taken that as we move along various finicky aspects of older pens come to light and having a certain tolerance for dealing with those little things is part of the progression as an addict!

For a new user I'd probably stick with another newer pen or as suggested a 51 aerometric - a really reliable pen with few known issues.

I'll ask maybe a relatively obvious question, is the nib unit screwed in tightly? Do you see any cracks in the section? If the problem is as bad as it sounds, those would be the first places I would check. You may also see the problem if there's a crack in the threaded portion of the renew-point itself.

The 51 is certainly reliable, particularly the aerometric version, although some people might have problems getting the pen in the proper position for writing. With that hooded nib I find it difficult to get the pen writing properly sometimes. Now, if it's a Nathan Tardiff BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB nib, then there's probably not an issue there.

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Brian

Brian - Thanks for asking the obvious - you never know! The nib is screwed in "snugly" (first thing I checked) and under my loupe I cannot find a crack in the section. The problem is not as bad as it might sound for some - Goodwhiskers had a thread on this in the Estie forum - it gets ink right around where the section meets the inner cap. When you remove the cap there is a little ink on the rim of the inner cap and aroudn the top of the section - in use this seeps a bit to the edge of that rim and I tend to hold the pen close to the edge of the section - the result is inky fingers. It doesn't pour out by any stretch - I suspect that the free flowing PR ink combined with the natural small variations in tolerances of nib units and section in this older mass produced pen (neither of which is a bad think mind you!) is allowing a small amount of ink to seep through.

Actually, this is closer to what it feels like to be addicted.....
And this does not include the pens that I make.....


UHHH!! These photos were taken when SWHTM was still out on her school bus run...
No sense in letting her know how pens I actually have stashed away...

Nice Tom! What is that lapis blue Pelikan?

That is my Pelikan 605... beautiful blue with silver hardware and a two tone 14k F nib... lovely pen....

Yea, that is definitely what addiction looks like there OldGriz. I think we can call what I have a starting addiction. Give me a year or two here to get a job that actually pays something worthwhile and we will see how bad it actually gets. And thank you everybody for the ideas. Considering the Phileas is my first pen, I would probably prefer to stick with the newer pens for the second and maybe third pen. After that, who knows. Even though I keep hearing about the 51 and might have to look into that more closely. I was actually looking at the Pelikan M200 as a possibility. Heard only good about it so far and it looks nice and it is definitely within my price range. And Brian, the Esterbrook might happen around number 4 or 5.

Nice pens, there, Tom. I see some that I want

Ron

Make me an offer.... Most of what I have is for resale.... How else would I buy even more pens..

You know you are an true addict when you start to house your pens in furnitures.

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...?showtopic=7191

Kev

Aaaahh, ok, I get it now. You hold your pen like my wife holds hers. She complains about ink stains sometimes too. I hold mine farther up so never have that problem.

You were probably right in your earlier assumption to use some silicone on the threads. Had to try though.



I can live with that. Pelikan would be a good choice, although if possible, the 14kt nib would be better choice than the plated one that usually comes with it.

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Brian

Nice start with a Phileas: your're a braver pen addict than I am to consider Pelikans and Esterbrooks. I'm still thinking about a suitable Apogee to go with my Townsend... and my Phileas