In my quest for the absolute fountain pen, if money were no object, what would be your suggestion?

Parker 51

What a question! This is really a very personal thing, because what I like may be what you hate. First of all, there is no absolute fountain pen - there are many good pens, but the most expensive is not necessarily the best. Price depends on the pen's material and the workmanship involved in making it; so, very elaborate pens with complex designs are invariably expensive.

If money was no object, I would buy a Parker Duofold Presidential in solid 18k gold, a Waterman Exception in solid 18k gold, and then a Montblanc 149 in solid platinum with solid gold accents: http://www.montblanc.com/products/precious...tinum.18002.php . I can only dream!

I'm not tellin'! I don't want any extra competition!

The Sheaffer vac-fill triumph points are hard to beat if they're in good kip, and while I've no direct experience, I'm fairly mesmerized at the thought of the Pelikans numbered 800 to 1000. Note that none of these are THE MOST EXPENSIVE pen possible.

For a vast pile of money, how about paying for the skilled labour to set up a short run of Waterman safety pens with properly noodly flex-points but otherwise long-lived modern materials? That should cost a pretty penny, and you'd be hard pressed to make back the investment.

Pay a Japanese nibmeister/artist to make you a Maki-e Parker "51" MarkII, with a custom made, hand-finished 18K Sailor nib, complete with ebonite feed (which, through the use of some ancient Japanese methods, doesn't smell). The hood is attached via a locking mechanism, that could be removed... to allow the nib some flex. Of course, the seam, when the hood is attached, is invisible. The cap is the double-jeweled version, but set with real diamonds, and the cap itself would be platinum-finished.

Probably run you $3000-$4000?

A fountain pen is a very personal writing instrument. As opposed to a BIC, you have many types of designs, materials, dimensions, nibs, etc.
So the absolute PERFECT fountain pen for you is a voyage of self-discovery that only you can take. For me, it is my Red-Veined Marbled Grey Sheaffer's OS Balance with a flexible stub nib, and my Reddish-Black Tamenuri Nakaya with the Elastic Music nib.

Sheaffer Valor, no doubt

Parker "51" Double Jewel in Yellowstone with an Empire State 14kt gold cap.

In my (admittedly limited) experience: Pelikans200-800 have been perfect, though a simple Pelikano has also never failed me, either. Sheaffer Legacy Heritage and Balance II ain't shabby, and Sailor 1911 and Sapporo are ok after nibmeister adjustments...But I've never had the truly expensive Auroras and Viscontis, so who knows.

I like all 25 of my fountain pens. But there is some little something I don't like about everyone of the blessed darlings. So - just like the perfect horse doesn't exist - the perfect human doesn't exist - neither does the perfect fountain pen exist. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings.

Judybug

It's too late. I already own "The Precious"

Of the +/- 50 pens that I've got, I would say perhaps the Nakaya Aka-Tamenuri that I have AFTER Richard Binder adjusted it: it is beautiful, light, I don't mind its longitude and the Urushi feels very nice (not slippery) in my fingers. I do not own a vintage, so this is the smoothest and flexiest nib I own.

I must add not for the looks but for the nib an Aurora Talentum that Greg Minuskin ground to a very smooth Cursive italic.

Conway Stewart Drake with medium italic nib.

Pelikan M805 with exchangeable Binderized F and XF nibs, with a Parker "51" coming in a close second.

And I have both of those pens! Lucky me!

Gah, I guess I must give the standard reply which others have hinted at:

It's whatever pen works best and is perfect FOR YOU!!!

Here is my short list if money was no object!

Pelikan 800 Brown Tortoise
Pelikan 800 Blue Ocean
Pelikan 1935 Lapis

After reading all of the excellent posts on this subject, I would have to concur that the absolute fountain pen is not the destination, but the journey.

Its the delight of opening the mail box and seeing that newly arrived package or leaving the pen shop with "the full and weighty bag" in hand that is the absolute!

Its the exquisite thrill of the chase that makes the next one "the absolute fountain pen".

I can't imagine finding the perfect one. If that were to happen there would be no reason to visit our local pen shops or stop by any pen shops in our travels. Our favorite nibmeisters might as well close shop as we now have the absolute instrument and it writes perfectly. Ebay could do away with their "writing instruments" category, Google stock would drop by 50%, and the internet would all by dry up because, as we all know, it is we pen seekers that keep it all going anyway.

So, perhaps we continue in one of the simplest joys of living. Picking up that newest acquisition, satisfying it with fine ink, and putting it to paper for the first time.

M805.

Custom nib. You choose.

Then, for a back-up, if you lose that pen or break it...

M805.

Custom nib. You choose.

I would probably stick with my Sailor 1911 with the MF nib. To me it's perfection.

That Montblanc is a beauty! I want it but, most likely will never be able to afford it.

Nakaya or Danitrio Urushi, some of the designs that can be had are absolutely stunning (not a big fan of Maki-e though).

The perfect fountain pen has been the quest for whole my life. I am not a collector, just a user. Now I have a small collection of about 15 pens, but none of them is perfect. I use them all (one at a time ) and I enjoy most of them, the best is probably Waterman Charleston (M nib), because it reminds me a pen a got some 45 years ago. But Parker 100 suits better my style, I just do not like the width and wettness of the medium nib. So I think a perfect pen is just an illusion and it still eludes most of us, pen users. The day I find a perfect fountain pen, my life will be fullfilled . I hope it will not be so soon.
Regards,
Denny

In did a very personal Q but in my opinion one of the high end Sailors with fine nib.

If this one is to cheap for You:
MB can do better! In Viennas shop there's a special edition for Max Reinhard for: 19.000 EUR!

The Jaguar D-Type 1956 Limited Edition (titanium/18-carat solid gold version) sure looks like it might fit the bill as a 'perfect' pen... If not perfect, then pretty darned close.

(Edited for those infernal spelling errors!!! -CMM)

So far, I've found the perfect FP for me is the Pelikan M605 with fine nib. But I fully intend to see if other Pelikan models will become perfect for me.

MB 149 that writes and feels like my Omas Paragon

I found two of them this summer. So far, I haven't been able to choose between them. They each cost me $10.00. They even came with good sacs! (I wrote that fact down in my chrome-plated log book)

Pen 1) Sheaffer Balance, black with silver furniture and military clip. It has a two-tone Lifetime medium nib that is just butter smooth. The section is visulated. Its line has just the right wetness and just the right width with every ink I have tried in it.

Pen 2) Esterbrook LJ in Fern Green. Of course, being an Esterbrook J, the furniture is stainless steel. It has a 2668 nib that is butter smooth. Its line matches that of Pen 1: perfect wetness, medium width. I have only had this one for five days and have only tried it with one ink, so far, (Quink blue black) but I think it will be OK.

After buying and trying 67 other fountain pens, these two suit me right down to the ground. This is great: I can quit looking for more pens, now. No more flogging flea markets! No more stopping at garage sales!

One problem: I have to attend an 18th century event this weekend. I am afraid to leave these pens at home; they may be stolen. If I take them along, they could be stolen from the hotel. If I lock them in my safe deposit box, they won't be here Sunday afternoon when I return. I could send them to myself by registered mail, but then I couldn't retrieve them until Monday morning. I could triple-bag them and bury them in the garden, but then there is always that thrice-damned woodchuck. I could carry them in the bottom of my possibles bag. They would be bits of FARB, but nobody would need to see them.

'Tis a fustian riddle. What to do, what to do?

Paddler

Out of all of my pens, I consider my Pelikan m605 the best performing pen. Excellent (fine) nib, holds lots of ink, clearly visible ink window and it writes first time, every time, even if I haven't used it for a couple of weeks. It's a good looking pen, but somewhat plain in appearance. It's a little too small to be my ideal pen. I have a Pelikan m800, but am in the process of trying to get an extra fine nib that is smooth and fairly wet. Once I have that settled, I'll be able to give the 800 a fair evaluation. The size is perfect for me, so I'm hoping that will become my new best pen.

Other pens that I give "best pen" status to:
Visconti Van Gogh - beauty and brains (brains = excellent, smooth nib)
Lamy 2000 - the Hummer of fountain pens?
Sheaffer Balance (c. 1930's) - a true writer's pen with a great story behind it
Bexley Submariner - Another great writer's pen with good looks and nib that would be perfect if it were just a little finer

I'm going to stop there because a Top 5 list is enough for now.

Impressive, but why can't a pen celebrating a British brand like Jaguar be made a British company. Why outsource it to an Italian company?

I thought it was designed and manufactured via a joint effort between Jaguar's advanced design team and their partners in Italy, Aquila Brands... No???

A nice old faded BHR (that's not so B anymore) Waterman 52 with a fine flexi nib.

Seems to me like they got it right on the very first design, everything that came after is just moving away from perfection.

Hi there Bisquitlips,

At first, I was going to just second david's post (which would be my standard reply too):



but then I saw your subsequent post:


and all I'll say is "right on, right on".


raf.

Hi,

If I wanted any pen, I'd probably have it already by now. (and I do)

Omas Princess Green Arco.

Dillon

I am not sure the absolute pen and the perfect pen are necessarily the same. A solid gold pen may be the absolute pen for someone, but considering how heavy it can be, I doubt it will also be his perfect pen.

To complicate matters more, at least as far as I am concerned, it is not always the same pen that feels the best in my hand.

So the bottom line is that you need more than one pen!

Now there's a FP connoisseur that knows what he's talking about!!!

-Clive

My suggestion would be a fountain pen made by Paper Mate (like the Monogram).

Oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhkkkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!

Form
Function
Dependability

Obvious choice would be a Pelikan. And they look and feel good.

My fantasy pen is an oversize Parker 51 Flighter with a Sailor Trident style nib and demonstrator type hood, plus the earlier 51 blue diamond gold clip. Any Frankenpen artists up for this?

Check this:

this poem

I picked up a Sheaffer full-size vac-fill silver striper of e-Bay about 3 years ago (I have a weakness for silver stripers, pearl marbles, and gray/black marbles). The cap band was a bit loose and partly brassed, there was a crack in the cap lid, and the clip had the usual brassing in the rhodium finish. However, the vac-filler unit worked well, and the M/F nib has been my favorite since I first used it. It has just a little bite to it, and it never complains about any ink I have used, including inkjet printer refill ink. Sadly, about a year ago the barrel broke just behind the section. I wasn't even carrying it at the time. I transplanted the nib in a near user-grade pearl marble Balance (shorter humped ball clip), and the nib is working exactly as it did in its former home. Sure, I carry my Duofolds, an occasional Vac or 51 or even a 61, but that pearl Balance is my favorite to use day in and day out.

The moral? Well, you can say a pen chooses you, or you can say you need to try several pens to find out which one you like best. Even in a series of nearly identical pens, there is enough variation you may love one and not care for its sister.

custar

Interesting question. As far as looks, I like the look of pens shaped like the Namiki Yukari, Aurora Ipsilon, Waterman Phileas, colored like the dark blue marbled Phileas. The same design made to high fit and finish standards, perhaps a bit larger around, with a smooth wet medium nib that never skipped, AND the pen needs to be as light as possible.

And even then I would still switch around and use my Sheaffer school pens a lot because I like variation.