Are you a Writer or a Collector? If you are a writer, why are you so interested/involved/devoted to the writing characteristics of the Wahl-Eversharp Brand? Why were you originally attracted to the Wahl-Eversharp brand? If you are a collector, what is your area of focus in building your Wahl-Eversharp Collection. Do you like to complete one segment of the Wahl line at a time? Like getting every color in the Flat-Top Gold Seal pens? And then moving on to another series of Wahl Eversharp Series. If price is an object then how does that affect your acquisitions and if it is not what will you go after next?

Syd the Wahlnut

Syd;

Wahl collector. It is an extension of Boston Safety expecially the tempoints. Wahl is a little underappreciated and has always been a good value. 75 Wahls though no desk bases as I have only room for Sheaffer bases.

Roger W.

I'm primarily a writer with accumulating tendencies. I was first drawn to Wahls by the unusual style and price of vintage Skylines. The were also some of the first pens I cut my repair teeth on. Cracking a Skyline barrel while reinserting the section after repairing and polishing a beat up pen to a nice finish was the impetus for my purchasing a decent controllable heat gun. I have a bunch of Skylines, not trying to collect a series or any such thing, but I like the way they write. I then picked up a Rosewood Gold Seal and a BHR flat top. The most recent acquisition was the OS RHR Greek Key chased Signature pen - Now that is a writer's pen - big, light, smooth, wet - it's a dandy.

Regards,

Kelly

I forgot my long sought after Metal Deco - I had a ringtop or two but had been looking for a clip model that was reasonably priced (I'm sort of cheap). I found one in a box-o-pens at an estate auction - got it very cheap. Turned out to have a #5 nib - now that's a lucky break. I need to get the nib tuned up by someone who knows what they're doing.

Roger,

My favorite desk set story is around a Wahl set. I ran across a green and bronze two band desk pen at one of my favorite antique/junk shops - it was priced at six bucks, so even without a base, I couldn't pass on it. It took about a year to find a correct Wahl base and matching trumpet. I picked those up in two separate ebay buys. It was a long journey for this desk set, but it's a decent set and the hunt was worth it.

Kelly;

Well, I'm not 100% Sheaffer. I found a nice Conklin desk pen years ago for $20. It belongs with one of those slag glass bases and last year I finally ponied up the price (Conklin bases are usually obscene in cost) which wasn't bad considering and it is a set I use often. I still need a base for an Eclipse I acquired somehow. Then there is the oversized lapis Parker desk pen ($16 at an antique store)...

Roger W.

I think Wahl nibs are just fantastic. I like a nib with flex, but wet noodles are not comfortable for me. So far, I have only met one Wahl nib I didn't like (flexible, on a flattop I have, though I have other Wahls marked flexible that are great), and most offer a nice bit of backbone along with the line variation. I have a kind of dinged up metal Wahl with a number 4 nib that is just wonderful. Perhaps the best, though, is a stub nib I have. So far, however, I have made a mess of trying to reset the nib and don't have the pen in working order.

As a collector, the late twenties, early 30's stuff pleases me very much. Oddly, I don't give a hoot about Skylines and later pens. So far, anyway.

Then, of course, there's the whole delightful Brazilian Green thing--

While I like to write with the pens I find & try to refurbish them, my main focus is as a collector. I was once called a "hoarder" by my local pen collecting "competitor" (although that was his term for our "relationship"), but he had no problem buying lots of high quality pens from me when his "acquiring jones" was bugging him!

I don't specialize in any one brand, but love the Wahl's because they're just different looking enough than a lot of the other pens out there. The metal Wahls (my favorite of the brand) have such great & unique designs machined on them & catch my eye every time. The Skyline's are so distinctive and the Flat-top Greek Keyband pens have such great colors...very hard to resist!

And their 1920's pencils (as a pencil collector too!) are so classic that it's hard to resist them when the price is right. Lower pricing on a number of Wahl pens & pencils is another factor, but not really as important if you really enjoy a specific brand...it helps, but all balances out in the end since sometimes you have to shell out bigger bucks for specific models in primo shape.

This...


And this...


And this...

EQUALS FUN!

Happy 2007!
DocNib