Why Buy Expensive Pens?

[rwilsonedn]

I was planning to let this thread fade away. But the pen that came up in the rotation last week has kind-of compelled me to comment. It's a bubble-pack, house-brand fountain pen I picked up in a neighborhood Tesco a few months ago for a couple of pounds. (This is essentially the same pen that shows up in many other places, including Daiso Stores. I reviewed one here.) I needed to grab a pen in a hurry for use on a potentially rough and dirty trip, so I grabbed it, gave it a cursory flush, and popped in the provided no-name cartridge.

Well. Unlike the Daiso example, this pen writes beautifully, first time, even after days of sitting capped and ignored. No sign of leaks or creep. Flow is consistent and just right. The nib is a very smooth medium-fine, not unlike good Sailor nibs in feel. The size and balance are just about perfect. I don't have a firm pen that writes significantly better.

So, reminder to self. A couple of pounds can buy a great writer, off the shelf. The additional money goes to fancy materials, brand value, and emotional impact. These are not unimportant things, but they are not necessary for a great writing experience.

ron

[Sailor Kenshin]

I was planning to let this thread fade away. But the pen that came up in the rotation last week has kind-of compelled me to comment. It's a bubble-pack, house-brand fountain pen I picked up in a neighborhood Tesco a few months ago for a couple of pounds. (This is essentially the same pen that shows up in many other places, including Daiso Stores. I reviewed one here.) I needed to grab a pen in a hurry for use on a potentially rough and dirty trip, so I grabbed it, gave it a cursory flush, and popped in the provided no-name cartridge.

Well. Unlike the Daiso example, this pen writes beautifully, first time, even after days of sitting capped and ignored. No sign of leaks or creep. Flow is consistent and just right. The nib is a very smooth medium-fine, not unlike good Sailor nibs in feel. The size and balance are just about perfect. I don't have a firm pen that writes significantly better.

So, reminder to self. A couple of pounds can buy a great writer, off the shelf. The additional money goes to fancy materials, brand value, and emotional impact. These are not unimportant things, but they are not necessary for a great writing experience.

ron

Heyyyyy! I HAVE one of those Daiso pens, in burgundy. Someone kindly sent it to me. It writes beautifully, and last month I re-discovered it, having never flushed or cleaned, added some water to the almost-dried cart, and it wrote again just like that, in a color resembling Noodler's BSIAR.

 

Thanks for the memories!

[trax]

So, reminder to self. A couple of pounds can buy a great writer, off the shelf. The additional money goes to fancy materials, brand value, and emotional impact. These are not unimportant things, but they are not necessary for a great writing experience.

ron

 

I really agree with this. If I choose a more expensive pen it's all about the emotional impact. My daily writers are No Nonsense italics which I often got used off of eBay. And I love how they write! I need nothing more when it comes to writing-joy So it's something else that makes me go for more expensive pens when that happens. They satisfy something else in me.

[pajaro]

To buy expensive pens, you must have some means to do so, and you can congratulate yourself on that.

 

Not all expensive pens are all that good. Once you have obtained the means and congratulated yourself on obtaining the means, you must then have discriminating taste to not make a fool out of your self by buying junky expensive pens.

 

Think of the proles you will keep busy by buying lots of costly pens. Think of your satisfaction when you first ink that $50,000.00 Jinhao.

[Blade Runner]

When I was starting out i kept buying nice, middling pens that held my interest for a while, but soon I'd be looking again. Then a person I deeply respect asked me, "Would you rather have ten of those pens or the one you really want?" I bought that coveted pen, and loved it so much I wasn't interested in buying or looking at another pen for over 10 years. Sometimes buying that expensive pen you really want will save you money in the long run.

[flatline]

When I was starting out i kept buying nice, middling pens that held my interest for a while, but soon I'd be looking again. Then a person I deeply respect asked me, "Would you rather have ten of those pens or the one you really want?" I bought that coveted pen, and loved it so much I wasn't interested in buying or looking at another pen for over 10 years. Sometimes buying that expensive pen you really want will save you money in the long run.

 

That mirrors my experience with flashlights. Spending $140 on a single flashlight stopped me from sinking $60 every month into lesser flashlights.

 

If I knew what I wanted, I'd do the same with a fountain pen, but I don't really know what I want yet.

 

--flatline

[sanyalsoumitra]

_{This question of why to buy an expensive pen does in fact play in the minds of all of us, no matter if it is a 2000 USD or a 20 USD pen that one would find expensive. The reasons of fine material, fine nib and fine rendering of technology etc generally stops at the USD 250 mark, beyond that it is all about brand name, barrel/cap ornamentation and of course exclusivity and feel good. A large part of collectors psychology is about identifying the self with the collection, guess that the money value of the item takes a backseat compared to the emotional value of the collection.}

[ethernautrix]

When I was starting out i kept buying nice, middling pens that held my interest for a while, but soon I'd be looking again. Then a person I deeply respect asked me, "Would you rather have ten of those pens or the one you really want?" I bought that coveted pen, and loved it so much I wasn't interested in buying or looking at another pen for over 10 years. Sometimes buying that expensive pen you really want will save you money in the long run.

 

Yes. I agree.

 

When I had many more pens than I do now, I found myself trying to "preserve" my nicer (more expensive) pens, even though I enjoyed writing with them better than the cheaper ones. Also, I realized that I didn't want MANY pens; I wanted a few pens, but ones I really, really liked.

 

I didn't start out buying expensive pens. The journey led me to them.

[recluse]

The inherent problem of such discussions is that they go around abstract generalizations, juxtapositions like "there are cheap pens that are incredible writers" and "there are expensive pens that are lousy writers" and an implicit assumption that there is an obligation to buy whatever.

 

It is necessary to depart from abstract speculations. There's a reason why in any thread soliciting a recommendation for a pen cheaper than XXX dollars, there's always a post to the effect "if you stretch your budget a bit you can get...". Practically in every one of them, no matter what XXX is, 20, 50, 100 or 400. Particular pens have features that people value a lot and it may happen that those pens are expensive.

 

Recently I was asked to make a list of what I'd like to see in a pen for a present idea. I've listed a few limitations, which would preclude me from using the pen (for instance, too short or slim would be uncomfortable to hold, clear demonstrators are not up my alley because I dislike seeing ink droplets when the ink level is low). I didn't specify how precious should be materials of the nib or the body and things like that, since I need a pen for writing in my home office. Nevertheless, overviewing the list I came to conclusion that I definitely would like to own Pelikan M600 one day. Simply because it turns out to be one of the cheapest pens that fit the requirements.

 

Briefly, people buy pens (including expensive ones) because they like them. And, frankly, I find offensive and not fair the way of thinking that expensive pens are bought in order to flash them, or to waste money, or to satisfy internal greed and so on. Surely, all these things exist but they far from exhausting the reasons.

[Blade Runner]

 

 

Briefly, people buy pens (including expensive ones) because they like them. And, frankly, I find offensive and not fair the way of thinking that expensive pens are bought in order to flash them, or to waste money, or to satisfy internal greed and so on. Surely, all these things exist but they far from exhausting the reasons.

Exactly. There are so many reasons to enjoy and own pen and to criticize on the basis of cost, whether small or large, is small minded and self righteous.

[ethernautrix]

Exactly. There are so many reasons to enjoy and own pen and to criticize on the basis of cost, whether small or large, is small minded and self righteous.

 

There are plenty of flashier ways to show off one's affluence that would actually get other people's attention. I should think the pen is a fairly meager choice for that. Who notices pens besides other pen nerds?

[Edwaroth]

Barring who thinks what of a particular pen and who thinks how much is expensive (all personal)...Why buy expensive pens? Because sometime you just need to, to get the pen you really want.

Edited October 5, 2013 by Edwaroth

[jetsam]

I usually want a pen before I find out how much it costs, usually because FPN has made something about it sound desirable.

If it's expensive, I don't buy it because I'm cheap.

If I weren't cheap I'd buy it for the same reason George Mallory climbed Mt. Everest.

[TSherbs]

I save money for college payments (for my kids) and retirement (mine) by saying "No" to many things. Expensive pens are now among the "No"s.

[Lyander0012]

Haha, a Sailor 9/ Sailor Matsumoto Leiji fountain pen is exactly as the name implies it to be: a limited edition Sailor fountain pen designed by none other than Leiji-shi himself.

 

Some may find the design to be a bit odd, but I think it actually looks awesome. The fact that it comes with a KNIFE SHEATH-shaped pen case and a bottle of limited edition ink just makes it all the more desirable for Harlock fans and anime fans in general, such as yours truly

 

It's a bit beyond my price range just now, though, so I'll be getting a full size 1911 instead. Hopefully someone will be willing to put their Sailor 9 up for sale in a few years, haha.

 

Cheers!

 

Kevin.

[fpconverted]

expensive is relatively an objective issue! For me I cant fathom spending over 500$ max for a fountain pen BUT for a Mont Blanc Id invest 500$ + no prob. For example id love to have a Visconti Opera in special edition clear demonstrator BUT for the 1000$ price tag id rather get a lower priced demo like a Lamy Vista and Id rather spend that sort of funding on a higher end fp like MB.n

[JazzDoc]

I don't go after expensive pens. I simply buy pens which appeal to me. They just happen to be expensive.

[Offret]

I believe there is definitely a sweet spot with fountain pens with respect to price. Most of my pens are in the $200 range and that is probably the most I will ever spend. However, I only own a few pens and they all write supremely better than any of the sub $50 pens I have tried.