I have recently decided to take a foray into the world of fountain pens. I am currently using a Waterman Expert II which doesnt seem to be holding up to the daily note taking of the final classes of my collegiate life (well, undergrad anyway). I have found that after a full day's class load I have to refill the pen and in faster paced classes the pen seems to start off flowing very nicely and after a few minutes it loses its gusto and begins to scratch. So I need a cheap to moderately priced fountain pen that will hold enough ink to get me through a day or two, and wont get "tired" in my classes.

I have also been using Waterman black ink, which doesnt come out particularly dark. Are they any inks that come out a very dark black that wont feather and bleed through my pages?

Thank you for any help

-Ben

Pens with the largest capacity are eyedropper fillers and (I believe) piston fillers. You can get a Wallity 69L eyedropper for very little money ($9.99 plus s&h at www.isellpens.com) from various vendors on the Web.

I am no expert on piston fillers (or much of anything else for that matter), but someone will probably have a good suggestion for you. Or use the Search (up there ^ ) and look for "piston filler" (be sure to set the date to "any date).

If you can afford $175 for a pen, I would recommend the Danitrio Densho Raw Ebonite, without any reservation. But that is a lot of money for a student, even though a Danitrio should last you a lifetime. And a Densho holds enough ink to write for several days, especially if you get the fine nib. Winedoc (a pillar of the FPN community) sells this pen.

For ink that meets your specifications, I would also recommend Noodler's Black, without any reservation. Besides being well-behaved on cheap paper, it is waterproof once it is dry. It's also low-priced.

Good luck with your studies!

Added: See this thread on longest-writing pens from a couple of months ago. It seems that piston fillers might be in third place after eyedroppers. Lots of different suggestions in the thread. Found by searching on "piston fill" as outlined above.

There are two ways to combat this

1) An eyedropper pen, which previously mentioned, holds a bunch of ink.

orrrrrr.....

2) Use a pen that is a little on the dry side, like a Parker Ellipse.

-Bruce

If you are looking for a good pen that will write all day and into the next and not break your pocket book, I would suggest a Pelikan 200 with a fine nib. The piston fill Pelikan holds a load of ink and if you purchase one from Richard Binder, he makes sure the nib is writing perfectly before he sends it out....
A nice Pelikan 200 with a fine nib will be under $100 and leave change for a bottle or two of ink.

Despite the fact that I love eyedroppers and lever fillers and Snorkels and ... If you really have only one pen and you want the maximum mileage without refilling from a bottle - you should look into cartridge fillers There are plenty of great looking, well performing cartridge fillers. Several FP users look down at them but they are practical and clean . Practically all tons of Namikis, Sailors, Sheaffers, Parkers, Watermans and others to choose from. Having a fine or an extra fine nib will increase the amounts of notes that you will take.

This is a sincere question -- I've never done the math. How does the price of a bottle of Quink (57 ml of ink) compare to the cost of an equivalent amount of ink in cartridge form? I didn't suggest cartridge fill because the poster indicated "student" status and "assumed" that cartridges would be a less attractive option because of the cost.

This is a sincere answer Of course cartridges are more expensive - it is just a matter of convenience.
But this is exactly what happens when I try to anwer without reading the post that started the thread.
Not only he is a student but he does use cartridges now
A NNS eyedropper conversion is what he needs...

Another option for note taking might be a Parker "51". With its hooded nib design, it would not dry out while uncapped during note taking. Also, the ink supply should be good enough that it should last the day. I started using fountain pens after college, but my dad used a "51" in college on usually filled it up the once before classes. Also, a good user grade "51" should not be too expensive.

I can echo the prior reply in support of the Pelikan 200. I own several, all F or EF nib. I am often in meetings, will take 6-10 pages of notes on legal pads at a rapid pace. Never a skip, never a leak. Using a F nib instead of a broader one gives you the benefit not only of fast drying, but also using less ink. I have one of those Lamy 2000 pens with a broad nib and it seems to need a drink every page! The piston reservoir on the M200 holds much more than a converter or certainly a Skrip or Quink cartridge.

When I was in college in the 70's I used the Sheaffer Triumph (I think) series of pen--the ones with the plastic bodies in various colors and inlaid steel nibs. Looked like a smaller PFM. These got me through 6 years of college with nary a leak and I never ran out of ink. I used to use converter and kept a couple of Skrip cartridges in my briefcase in case I ran out--which I never did. These were inexpensive, beautiful writers. I've been some of that series on EBay recently in the $20 range.

Alternatively, I own several vintage Esterbrooks; with the right point they will also provide you with reliable, faithful service very inexpensively. Benefit if that you can buy the point for your writing style. Not flashy, but that isn't what you were looking for anyway. You want something that won't cause a stroke if it gets lost or dropped in class.

This sounds like a Sheaffer Imperial model, and I agree, they hold a lot of ink and would be great for note-taking.

I'm also a college student and a furious note taker, so I'm familiar with the problem. I primarily use two pens for in-class notes:

1. Parker 51 - this is my primary pen for note taking. It has great in capacity, is extremely comfortable for long-term writing, an as rak suggested, it survives long pauses without drying due to its hooded design. A cheaper alternative would be the Hero 100, which is a Chinese replica of the 51. It's of extremely high quality for the about $30 and provides all the performance of a 51.

2. Pelikan m215 - any mXXX Pelikan would do the job nicely. Their ink capacity is excellent, and I find them to be very comfortable for long writing periods. The advantage of a Pelikan over a 51 is the ink-view window, which allows you to know exactly how much writing you have left in the pen.

Best of luck finding something that works for you!

I second the suggestion of a Pelikan M200 from Richard Binder. A 200 with a gold-plated steel nib will get you through your Ph.D. and beyond. For a dark-writing ink, I recommend Noodler's Black or Noodler's Swishmix Nile Ebony (the latter sold exclusively by Chuck Swisher). Nile Ebony is free-flowing and fast-drying, which makes it particularly suitable for note-taking, IMO. And it is the blackest of blacks (and waterproof, like Noodler's Black).

Good luck, and have fun choosing!

Although it was a few years back, (OK Old Griz you can laugh your head off about now, get it over with so you feel better), I used a Parker "51" for note taking all through my undergraduate years, however mine was a new one that my parents bought me :doh:

I still say that the hard as nails smooth nib and the hood to keep it from drying is the ideal combination. Also the Aeros take just a few minutes to fill and do take on a load of ink. I still use a "51" for notetaking today, either on a small A6 notebook or a large A4 pad, using a fine or medium nib respectively.

But I also agree that for convenience, either a Binderized Pelikan 200 or a Hero 100 could be a good choice as a new pen.

Best of luck with your studies Ben

Jim

So, I was going to post a question along these lines... but I'll tag along here...

I'm having problems in seminars, where the ink runs out. Then I use a backup pen, which is always in a different color ink, which is annoying.

But I think the answer is to use an Eyedropper. That means some of the more enjoyable pens I own can't be used during seminars.

I've got a Phileas that I converted to an ED, but there is ink leaking out past the threads -- yes I used silicone grease. I'm reluctant now to try converting my Shaeffer Javelin or Kaweco Ink Ball or Reform Skywalker.

I'd buy a ready-made ED, but the only one in my $15 price range that comes to mind is the Wality 69, but I'm boycotting Wality after two leaky nibs.

Can anyone think of a good inexpensive eyedropper?

My suggestion is a Lamy Safari ($25) -- mine keeps going and going on cartridges. The converter is great with bottle ink, but cartridges are quicker to change when you are running low.

Another consideration not yet mentioned is the quality of paper you are using. I found that a lot of the note-taking difficulty is related to the poor quality paper found in the spiral bound and loose leaf notebooks. Try a better quality (but not that much more expensive) notebook with paper better suited for fountain pens. Hit a local stationary store and test-drive a few if they will let you.

Just my thoughts.

Twotone

This was done with a Waterman Taperite. I like it and it lasts a long time.

Swisherpens.com sells Kaweco Sports FPs that are modified to be eyedroppers. It's apparently a mod that Nathan Tardif (of Noodler's Ink) came up with, and Swisher (obviously) suggests Noodler's/SwishMix ink to go with it. It's in the price range you mentioned.

I don't have one, but I'm thinking about picking up one in the nearish future; I just got a Kaweco Sport Al that I'm really enjoying. It has a very Fine nib (even though it's marked "M"), and it's a great little pen for EDC.

I'm not associated with SwisherPens in any way, but have bought from them in the past and have had a good experience.

Firstly - Your Waterman shouldn't be misbehaving like that if there was nothing wrong with it. You are experiencing the classic signs of nib/feed starvation, and I think the most likely reason is sticky converter syndrome. It is quite common with converter pens and is another reason why some people are put off by converters.

Secondly - I recommend a Pelikan Piston filler too. As a student myself, I find Piston fillers much more convenient than Eye-droppers. Eye-droppers hold a lot of ink...but you have to fill the fountain pen with an eye dropper <_< I have heard many many messy stories concerning Eye-Droppers...

If you're ok about writing with a very light-weight pen, which is small - I recommend a Pelikan 150. A compact and reliable little piston filler which has no flow problems at all. At $45, for me, it certainly beats any other pen which is at the same price

http://pendemonium.com/pens_pelikan.htm#m150

(if you want a slightly bigger pen, go for the M200)

I work at a motorcycle shop and am CONSTANTLY writing. I've been very happy with my Lamy Safari. I've been using the piston converter with Waterman green ink. We use staples brand 1/4 legal size notebooks with VERY cheap paper. No problems with bleeding or extremely wet ink.

The Safari really is a workhorse pen. It's not pretty, but it always gets the job done with absolutely no problems. And, if anything happens to it, at $25 each, it's not the end of the world.

I use cheap (10$ or less) Chinese fountain pens from isellpens.com for daily use in my college classes. Generally, depending on the load, one of the pens will last a few days to a week +. Most are F nibs or almost M, but generally they are smaller nibs than american nibs.

For ink capacity, nothing beats an ED (IMHO, of course).

I use 4 of them at work: one each blue, black, green and red ink. I need to refill the blue and black ones about once a month. The green and red last about 3 months.

Using Waterman Kultur F-nibs (clear translucent ones) sealed with a dab of grease and filled with MB Blue (I need to empty the bottle, so that I can use it as an inkwell), Noodler's black (when I need tamper-proofing), and Herbin Rouge Caroubier and Vert Reseda.

At less than 10 EUR / pen, this has been working for about a year, and never had a leak yet (touching wood right now...)

Greetings

Miguel

The problem with any bottle-fill pen is that when you run out of ink, you're stuck, unless you also carry a back-up pen. That's why in important note-taking situations I always use a cartridge pen: it isn't hard to switch cartridges mid-stream, and it's easier to carry around a couple of extra cartridges than an extra pen. But I guess if you already have a cartridge pen, you could get a bottle-filler as the main pen and still carry the cart pen as back-up.

Agree with Kay, fountain pens are wonderful but subject to 'not now' disorder. My solution is to put several favorites into a small black velvet bag that I acquired somewhere. It occupies a corner in my briefcase and allows me to pick out a fountain pen whenever the one I am currently using decides not to cooperate. Back-ups are great -- that's why I wear a belt and suspenders.

Miguel, agree that four pens -- one in each of the standard black, red, blue, and green -- is really nice to have. Love the MontBlanc Royal Blue as well as the Noodler's Black. I'm using Private Reserve for red and green. Guess I will have to try the Herbin inks, hear really great things about them.

Get a Platinum Preppy converted to eyedropper from Pendemonium (or buy a 4.5 oz bottle of Noodler's Black, which will have one in the box). That will fix your gray ink problem as well, and the ink is waterproof to boot. The pen holds several mL of ink, should last a week even taking copious notes during class, and I found the nib to be quite nice. Too fat for me, but I prefer XF nibs -- my favorite is an Esterbrook x550.

$24 plus shipping for the ink with pen. If you don't want to stick with black ink, you can also use Legal Lapis (blue-black) or Polar Blue -- however, the Polar Blue will give you bleed through problems where the others won't.

Peter

This is another one for a Pelikan M200/250 or a Parker 51.

My university years (heavy notetaking) had been accompanied by a M250 and a M200. They never let me down (except that I lost the 250 ). Now I have Pelikan 400s and Parker 51s at the office. They are very different in the way they write but they have two important things in common: both are very reliable daily writers and hold a lot of ink.

Another vote for a M200

I doubt that it holds more than a Skrip cartridge--those things can hold 1.5 mL (similar to the long international cartridge). The M200 should be able to hold about twice as much as a typical piston converter, though.