Which Do you guys think is the best Sheaffer, Lamy or a bunch of plastic Pelikans with different nibs.

Don't forget, Schneider has a calligraphy set some think is good also.

Ron

There's also Staedtler calligraphy set (has anybody tried this?) and Pilot makes one too. I had used Pilot's calligraphy FP - it looks cheap but I'd say it writes better and much smoother then NoNonsense with italic nib.


Regards,
alex

I have a Parker Calligraphy set that I got on eBay... it uses the Parker Vector pens... I actually prefer it to the Sheaffer set I tried. I found the nibs to be nicer to write with and the set came with an instruction book and sample papers.

I really like the cheap Pelikan calligraphy pens. The steel nibs have a good bit of spring, and will take a very sharp edge. I only wish I could find a converter to fit them. At the moment I use old cartridges, and fill them with a syringe

I second the Parker Vector sets. There are several different Parker Calligraphy sets, some with three nibs and some with six or more nibs.

My preference:

/1/ Lamy
/2/ Parker
/3/ Sheaffer

... in that order.

And don't forget Osmiroid sets either.

Just to add another log to the fire, Manuscript makes a wide selection of calligraphy sets that are sold at Hobby Lobby stores. I've heard James P. praise them in the past, but I've not personally tried them.

I only have a Sheaffer calligraphy set (with "No Nonsense" pen) and a set of 3 Pelikan calligraphy-nibbed pens (with long tapers).

The Sheaffer set is a dream to write with but the Pelikan nibs were rather "hard starters". Perhaps I should rinse them out with mildly soapy water before using them; the Sheaffer was second-hand so it was already put thru its paces by someone else....Oh, I got a new Sheaffer "Viewpoint" (cousin to the NN above) set and it writes very well---no problems starting up. The line variation on all has been very good; it just bugs me when pens don't work right away... <_<

Southpaw said:
>And don't forget Osmiroid sets either.

But they're no longer manufactured, nor are Platignum sets or the discontinued Sheaffer Prelude Calligraphy Sets.

Another brand to look for may be the Speedball Panache pens --- possibly a wider nib variety than Manuscript.

William

..

The Parker Vector sets are very good.

I've actually liked the Sheaffer Calligraphy sets that I've used. The nibs were very useable, especially given the price.

I haven't had any experience with the other sets listed.

TMann

Today I went to the pen shop looking for a calligraphy pen and compared a lamy and a pilot plumix .
The pilot was really smooth and more comfortable to use to me so this is the pen i bought with a B nib for about 7 euros the lamy was more expensive too.
This is too bad it doesn't make my writing any better though but at the moment this is my favorite fountain pen (note doesn't have many pens ) .

Don't overlook the Rotring Art Pens. They're quite good.

I have an old Osmiroid, three Rotring Art Pens, and a Lamy Joy.

In terms of the quality of the writing each produces, I would rank the Rotring Art Pens first, the Osmiroid second, and the Lamy a close third.

However, the Rotrings are very unforgiving of any departure from proper nib placement on the paper; the Osmiroid and Lamy are much more tolerant of doing so but extract "payment" in the form of less obvious variation in line width.

Most of my journaling is done with a 1.1mm Rotring Art Pen.

I've had Parker Vector and Osmiroid sets but I much prefer the Sheaffer Nononsense set.

Recently, my roommate and I each picked up a nice Osmiroid set for real cheap (I got him hooked on fountain pens since coming to school!). They write pretty well, and have a decent range of sizes (6 nibs), although the converter that comes with the set is a little cheap. They're selling at Flax Art for 13 bucks, not a bad deal. (not affiliated, just a happy customer...)
I also had the Sheaffer No-Nonsense pens, and found them to be inconsistent writers. I had to sharpen them often, too.
Anyhow, I like my m200, custom Italic nib from Pendemonium, which I can use for just about anything: notes, letters and signatures. xD

I once found a box of speedball nibs at a garage sale (score!), and shortly bought the handles to use with these nibs, but was shocked at how poorly they worked... Perhaps I'm using them incorrectly.

(1) The pointed nibs were SO scratchy (but had wonderful flex).

(2) the curved nibs ran out of ink rather quickly. Yes they have the reservoir thing clipped to them

I have a real dip pen, and at least it can write a sentence or two before it runs out. These speedball nibs won't write more than two words! Is there a trick to these?

I've only tried the Sheaffer product with the No Nonsense pens but have been quite satisfied. For a basic "starter" product, it is satisfactory, especially given the price.

If you have a regular Sheaffer fountain pen, use can borrow its converter for use in the calligraphy pen. The Sheaffer standard converter fits the No Nonsense pens perfectly. I had to address a bunch of envelopes and wanted to use a color of bottled ink that was not available in Sheaffer cartridge (Noodler's Antitiem). I used a converter from a fountain pen which I was not using that week in the No Nonsense pen until I finished the job, then cleaned the converter and put it back in my regular Sheaffer fountain pen. Worked flawlessly.

Hi,

If you want, I could get you a Pelikan calligraphy pen set (The new models) which I will work on before sending to you. Let me know. I would get you the converters too.

I like the Artpen quite a bit too and I will not hesitate recommending it.

Dillon

Thank you for the great tips everybody! I got a little sidetracked by other concerns.