One of my dearest friends from school is turning 40 this year. He is an editor for a small publishing house. Does anyone have any suggestions on what pen and/or nib might be appropriate? (Hmm, might need to make a clandestine call to his wife to see if he does much editing by hand, and what his favorite color is.) He has never used fountain pens to my knowledge.

Thanks in advance,
Lisa

I'm thinking durable and forgiving, and hooded might be a plus for marking up text.

"51"?

Being myself a publisher & an editor, maybe I can tell you what I like to use ?
A FP wide & long (more confortable in hand for long period of writing), with a fine & smooth nib (easier to write in the margin & between lines). I prefer non-screw cap (faster opening) but I don't mind if they are not. One other thing I appreciate is the ink capacity: the bigger, the better as I hate running short of ink while working.

I love my Waterman Ideal GT & use daily for more than 2 years, but it is rather expensive.
I also use a smaller pen: a Sheaffer Prelude fine nib, wich is as become a joy to write with (really fine!) after a few days not so joyful. It is less expensive, but smaller than the Waterman.

Given the statement that he has never used an fp it does not sound like it would be used gift. Sounds like an upscale rollerball, like a Cross would be the more appropriate gift.

You're going to want a fine or XF nib probably, if you're writing between lines or in the margins. My picks are:

Pelikan 400 or 140: can change nibs to suit your editing needs, visible ink levels help too. Fairly conservative looking by modern standards, but still very classy. Feeds hold a fair amount of ink. Piston fill is simple and easy- ideal for quick refills.

Sheaffer Balance or Flat Top Lever Fill: Straightforward, basic pens. Many have firm, fine nibs that are quite smooth- perfect for writing in smaller spaces. Celluloid is a bit fragile (esp. cap lips), but beyond that they're simple to own, maintain, and fill. All around they're very reliable.

Sheaffer Touchdown or Snorkel: Quick filling and made from basic plastic. Triumph nibs are quite firm and smooth and can often be found in fine sizes. They look classy but are still basic and easy to use. The Snorkel has the plus of being able to fill at your desk with virtually no mess at all (no dipping of the nib!). The feeds hold a decent amount of ink. Many Triumph points can also be written on both sides of the slit- the top usually being a size finer than the bottom (perfect for squeezing text in small spaces on the run).

A possible option: Account or book keeping nibs are quite firm and very fine. If you want something very fine in line width look at these too.

Vintage I would say a OS Sheaffer Balance.
Vintage / Modern Lamy 2000

If the editing involves a lot of writing (for proofreading, corrections, notetaking etc etc), I think you'd need something with an XF nib and which is pretty chunky (narrow pens cramp up the fingers). I suggest a Duofold. Barring that, perhaps a Sheaffer Balance.

The two I would recommend (no surprise here) are a 51 Vac fill or a Vacumatic... either with a nice xf or F nib
Both pens hold a load of ink and are very comfortable to write with....
The Vacumatic will hold more ink, but I find either pen very comfortable for continued writing.

I'd be quite careful about vintage pens. As we know, they're known for being way more flexible than moderns, so they might be a no-no for a person who never used FPs. 51 should be good to go, though.

Sheaffer Balance or Flat-tops, as said nor necessarily vintage ones are an attractive choice.
I would go for a Pelikan M600 or 800 with a wet Broad nib without second thoughts. Or a Lamy 2000. Both reasonable and with styles different enough to suit diverse taste, more classic or modern classic design.

Edited to add that I agree with SqueltchB, vintage for non FP lovers may be too risky. A restored Balance is a dream of a pen, but for an editor, a sturdy and elegant Lamy Studio may fit the bill much better. Just my two cents. Hum.... I would be terrified to give a non pen user a first ever FP with the looks of a 51!. For as good as the pen is, well, you have to really like Fpn's to like say is a looker. Don't kill me here, please....

Good luck with the decision!

Since he is someone who really does value his words, I recommend you go for the highest possible writing quality in a pen. Which means you should shop at a nibmeister's shop like John Mottishaw (nibs.com) or Richard Binder (richardspens.com). Determine what basic characteristics he likes if you can, but even if you can't, a "standard" adjusted pen (which is a free service with every pen they sell) from one of these shops will write twice as well as the same pen off the shelf. I think this will be most enjoyable to him in the long run to have a pen adjusted by a fine technician.

As for fit and finish of the pen in general, I recommend modern Pelikan, Visconti, Sailor, Pilot, or vintage Sheaffer. Any of these pens should serve him for at least another 40 years of hard writing. Good models to consider would be the Pilot Vanishing Point, Lamy 2000, Pelikan M600, or, on the vintage front, restored Sheaffer Snorkels, Touchdowns, Targas, and Imperials. The vintage pens in particular can be had at great prices, and the quality is often at a level not seen in many modern pens, especially for the price.

Good luck and happy 40th to your friend!

Best,
Summer Greer

Donot forget if you get him a vintage pen there is a good chance you will need to get it fixed as most vintage pens need sac changed or nib adjusted.
Pen I would get him is a Parker Vacumatic.

I'd say either a "51" or one of the Triumph-point Sheaffers, probably best with a touchdown or snorkel filler (although a well-restored vac has the charm of VAST ink capacity). Both are fairly tolerant of being waved around for minutes at a time without the cap on, and unless you stumble into one of the super-rare flexy triumphs both are firm and should survive an non-FPer's learning curved. If you do make that stumble, I will happily trade you for it so as to not disappoint the birthday boy.

On the other hand, a 3B nib with some red ink will really get the markups flowing with all speed!

For the qualifications suggested I'd go with a Vacumatic--greater ink capacity,ability to see amount of ink,easy to fill--
But as Griz suggests,a "51" will come up as a great workhorse...
BTW,make sure the Vac is at least standard size;Maxima would be better....

John

Thank you, everyone, for your helpful suggestions. I think I should do a little more research into my friend's preferences before I make any decisions. I can see how a non-FP user could even be intimidated at the thought of using a vintage model -- I had a vintage pen I waited two years to ink, and I've used fountain pens for years (though until recently, almost exclusively moderns).

It seems I have had a lot of questions lately, and many people have kindly taken the time to respond. Thank you again for your time and your trouble.

Lisa