I am just curious how many of you can see the ink levels in one of the striped pens without holding it up to a light? Am I the only one that needs direct light behind it to see the ink level, and are the modern ones easier to see the level than vintage generally.
Thanks

In one or two of my green stripes and my tortoise I can see the piston mechanism without shining a light through it as long as the ambient light is good.When it's filled with ink the pen looks like it's opaque

i have trouble with my blue stripe and with my green translucent.

the white tortoise is easier and of course my 200s all have windows.

The visualated sections or bodies of vintage pens also generally lose some of their transparency with time. This explains why a clear section or barrel on such pens carries a premium.

Denis.