Ok, so as per the poll, I am looking to purchase my first expensive (by my standard) pen. So far, I have bought a Waterman Phileas, and a Lame Al-Star, and I am now looking for a pen from about $100 to $125, although a little over that is not a big issue. So, what do you think would be a good first pen over about $40?

If you choose other, please specify in the forum. The choices listed are ones that I have seen (trust me, I spent way too much time looking for these... ) and liked, which is why my poll only has a small number of choices. However, you may suggest something that I like a lot more than the choices that I listed, so feel free to suggest things that are not in the poll

-Nkk

Voted Pel 200 because of the nib exchange capability and the ink capacity.

For OOTB perfection but less capacity and slightly more complicated nib exchange should you desire one - Sapporo.

I voted for the LAMY 2000 for only one reason. The Pelikan 200 is a very very nice pen but small. The nib and ink capacity is exceptional.

Based on my experience, it's a toss-up between the Vanishing Point and Pelikan M200

I went with the M200 because after getting mine, I am a complete covert to the internal fill mechanism. I may never buy another c/c filler again. I hear good things about the 2000, but I have never used one so I can't comment.

Plus, you can buy from Richard binder with an additional nib in a second size, or something interesting like a stub.

The only one that I would rule out is the Taccia, but that is only on the grounds that I have never seen one.

The other 4 are all good for different reasons.

Lamy 2000 - if you are tough on your pens you should pick this one. It holds plenty of ink and has a snap cap.

Sailor Sapporo - Very smooth nib, but uses C/C

Pilot VP - Excellent for sporadic note-taking and no cap to loose. Buy a CON20 adaptor for it to avoid cartridges. The CON50 adaptor that it comes with is regularly moaned about.

Pelikan - Benchmark pen with good ink capacity and easy change nibs.

I have all 4 of these and if the house was burning down I would probably get burnt to death choosing between the VP and the Lamy.

Edited to delete repetition

The only one of the pens in the poll I have used is the M200, which was, in fact, my first pen over $40. I am coveting a Taccia Staccato at this very moment, in vanilla latte. I just have to figure out how to pay for it without SWMBO finding out I spent the money, then how to hide it from her once I get it.

Donnie

I voted for the Vanishing Point for two reasons: the first may not apply to you, but I like F nibs that write true F lines, and so far the only pens that do that for me are Japanese pens. The second reason is that the retractible nib is just plain cool. When I was still coveting the VP, my boyfriend was skeptical about its merits, because he thought a fountain pen with a nib that clicks in and out like a ballpoint would just be tacky. But when I finally got the pen, even he had to admit it was very nifty

Oh, here's maybe another reason to get a VP: the replacement nib units are cheap cheap cheap!

The pens you already have write really well, so what is it you're looking for in a more expensive one? If an aesthetic improvement, it's just a matter of taste, but if it were my money I would choose, on that basis, a Lamy 2000 or Sailor Sapporo. Why? Because neither looks like a cheap version of "the real thing" - they *are* the real thing (a Pelikan M200, by contrast, looks very much like a cheap version of their more expensive lines, unless you choose all-black). What's more, both come with gold nibs, which neither of your current pens has; nor does the M200; I'm not sure this matters, though - I'm not convinced that gold nibs write better than steel nibs). I quite like the look of Vanishing Points, but for my taste they're too heavy and, being left-handed, find the clip gets in the way of holding it properly. With few exceptions Taccias look a bit tacky to me, so I've never been inclined to try one.

Performance? I rather doubt that any of the pens you're considering write better than the two you have, so consider other aspects of performance: the Lamy and Pelikan are both piston fillers and hold quite a lot of ink (this doesn't matter to me because I keep changing ink colours). The Sailor is cartridge/converter, but a good converter and some people like being able to use cartridges (but you're stuck with using Sailor's, I think), while the VP has very small ink capacity.

Your two pens have, I expect, standard round-tip nibs, so consider an italic/stub/cursive italic of some sort. If that seems tempting, and you want such a nib to come *with* your pen rather than having to send it away to be reground, that narrows the field to VP (if you buy it from Richard Binder), Pelikans and Lamy 2000. VP and Pelikans have the advantage of easily replaced nibs; so you could get one body and more than one nib and swap them to suit your mood. And if you get them from RB, you can get one/some of his preground italics/stubs/obliques, which come in a far wider range than Pelikan factory nibs (there's no factory equivalent for VPs). If you want an oblique nib, the factory obliques made for the Lamy 2000 are superb; their OM is one of the best nibs I've met. But this is all a matter of taste too....

If it was me, of the pens you suggest I would buy either a Lamy 2000 with an OM nib or a black Pelikan M200 with two nibs of different RB regrind (two different sizes of oblique cursive italic, or a stub and a cursive italic in different widths or...).

Finally, I'll toss out two more pens for you to consider. First, a Namiki Falcon, an excellent introduction to the world semi-flex nibs (in part because they're easy enough to write with if you aren't interested in making the nib flex; without flexing you still get a marvelously cushioned ride and the nibs are excellent either way). These don't cost much more than $100. Second, another pen from the same company, the Pilot Custom 74 - no obliques or italics/stubs, and no real flex, but they have a variety of nibs including some that are "soft". You'll have to import it from a Japanese source (there are some on ebay), but they're surprisingly inexpensive (online stores sell them for less than $100; I just won a new one with a soft medium nib in an ebay auction for less than $60). I've not tried one myself (that should change within the week), but from my experience with Falcons and more expensive Pilots I would expect it to be excellent - I have yet to meet a Japanese pen that didn't write superbly out of the box.

Simon

I really can't improve upon Simon's great analysis, but I do want to say that, overall, you've done a great job picking out really good pens in the price range you are looking for. I assume you are not looking for vintage? A Parker Vacumatic is gorgeous to look at, extremely dependable, and writes like a dream...

Erick

I own the Lamy 2000, Pilot Vanishing Point, and Pelikan M200. Of the three I think that the Pelikan M200 is the best pen. The Pelikan has a large ink capacity, easy nib exchange, and a classic design. As a rule, I prefer Lamy over Pelikan, but I think that the M200 is the better pen overall. However, if you are rough with your pens then you may want to consider the Lamy.

I'm predictable, voted M200.

Andy

Well...it is pretty much decided. I think I am going to get an all black M200 with a XF nib (for not taking (I will be a science major)), and a stub, for fun.

Thanks for the input,
-NKK

If you are getting an XF, I suggest buying from a nibmeister so they can smooth/adjust it before sending it out. The XF nibs seem to be the most likely to need adjustment.

My first pen over $40 was a Parker 100 that I found in a clearance sale about 18 months ago for $79. If you can find a Parker 100 for less than $100, I recommend it!!

I vote for the Pelikan M200 because for a first pen more than $40 it has all the things representative of a good FP:
(1) classic design with piston filling mechanism
(2) very user friendly design for a piston filler including a user removable nib
(3) inkflow that is well, classic. By that I mean it is not stingy with inkflow and provides a good measure of what it was probably like to write with in your grandfathers day.
Thank goodness for pens like this.

I voted the VP, but the M200 is also a very good and classic choice. Get one or the other from a nibmeister like Richard Binder and have the nib smoothed/adjusted and checked for flow right off the top. Both have nibs that can be changed out easily enough, though I think the VP has it the easiest of all. The only drawback to the VP might be the clip placement if it bothers you. I don't mind the clip placement at all. It's a matter of how you hold your pens and what you are comfortable with, but many overcome the initial difference in writing with the clip placement quickly.

So, VP for the high end of your budget.
M200 for the lower end.

I voted Lamy 2000 simply because the Pelikan M200 (close second) is a tiny pen and the Lamy 2000 is bigger and so more comfortable to use.

Well, my first expensive pen was a Sapporo and now I month later I bought a ProGear. So if you want to save 100$, start with a ProGear

Otherwise I would get a Lamy 2000. It's the only pen I want to try now. I'm a user, not a collector, so the L2K sounds perfect. Good size, really solid and perfect design. I hope I'll be able to try one in a shop, and if the "ears" don't bother me I'll buy it.

i would go for the lamy 2000.

I voted for the Pilot Capless. It's a better writer than the Pelikan, and it's easy to change nibs if you don't like the one you start with. Spare/new nibs for the Pilot are also cheaper than the M200 units. If the clip is an issue, i'd go with the Lamy.

The VP has indeed 2 issues
1.The clip that either you get used to or just make the whole writing experience bad
2.It has a very small ink capacity.

When I owned a VP I loved the nib,got used to the clip but the small ink capacity was too much.
I write very little at work and I still needed to fill it every 2 days so off it went to the Marketplace.