How Many Pens Do You Have, And How Much Would You Spend On Each...

[wspohn]

I have no maximum number of pens, although I should probably sell off some of my least favourites one of these days.

 

My program says that my average cost is over $100.

[wetnoodlepens]

No pen limit.

 

No price limit.

 

The sky ain't even the limit.

[canibanoglu]

I voted "Other" for both questions, because it's a bit vague for me.

 

I don't limit myself to any number of pens and I will most likely buy anything that strikes my fancy, funds permitting of course. But if the question is about the number of pens that I actively use, I'd have to say around 5.

 

As for the price, sky is the limit for me. If I really like something so much that I think to myself "It's so pretty I'm gonna die!" every time I see the pen, whatever the cost it is justified for me. When I say whatever the cost, don't get me wrong, I can't drop $10,000 on a pen, however much I would like to. Now you might say that $10k is my limit, well, technically you are right, but around $7-8k feels like the sky for me, so there you go.

[Paddler]

I have more pens that I can ever use. I bought nearly all of them at flea markets and antique stores and refurbished them. Made them write well (to suit my taste, anyway). Now that my curiosity has been satisfied, I am giving them away to family and friends and friends of family - one or a handful, whatever they want. The number is down to about 70, right now.

 

The $25 choice in the poll is way too high for me. I have never spent more than $10 for a pen, Skylines, Snorkels, P51s included. I intend never to buy another one, although I may obtain another or two in a box of other junk treasures. I have a handful (perhaps 15 or so) that I won't part with.

 

I am out of ACQUISITION MODE and am in WRITING MODE. There comes a time when one should quit buying tools and start using them.

 

[_Stormin_]

I think that I am just under 20 as of right now, but I did have a bit of a buying spree this past month. They all get regularly used, and I think that when I have pens not being regularly used I'll begin to thin out the collection. A majority of them could be resold if I decided that they should head to a new home.

 

As for price:

but I have no issue spending the $x00 it costs for my Starwalker or Carene because of they joy they are to write with

This sums it up for me to. I have an MB Starwalker I bought after an exceptional month at work. I love the pen and have zero qualms about it's cost given the enjoyment I get out of using it. It's a fine instrument and very sentimental. There is no upper limit if I'm willing to put ink into the pen. I have zero plans to ever buy a pen and keep it in the box indefinitely. The appeal is in their usefulness as a tool, and not in their existence as a collectable.

Edited May 6, 2014 by _Stormin_

[mongrelnomad]

In answer to your questions:

 

1. As many as I feel I use.

2. As much as I feel I can spend and not miss.

[RCliff]

I think it was the Hunt brothers who made the statement in the 70's about their worth, "if you know how much you are worth, you aren't worth very much"... well the same could be said about pens I suppose.

 

I have accumulated fountain pens since my college days in the late '60's. My hoard is now over 600, maybe 700 could even be higher. 95% are vintage pens that I have stalked and found in flea markets, antique stores, etc. Rarely paid very much for any of them.

 

The most expensive was a replacement Wahl pen which I bought at the Ohio Pen show, as it was to replace one that I had lost and I still owned the pencil. Probably would have been a better idea to sell the pencil, so it was not a constant reminder of the pen I really enjoyed. I have picked up a few Sheaffer Masterpiece pens, but not for excessive prices.

 

I have started changing my thoughts and am considering selling off these fellows now. I rotate probably 20 or so in my daily users, and enjoy giving low end pens as starters to people who show an interest. My wife laughs at me when I start discussing selling, but I did sell a pen/pencil set a couple weeks ago.

 

Today's users are a vintage Black and Pearl Duofold Senior Desk pen, and a Waterman 351 lever filler with a flex nib as my pocket pen.

[yamborghini]

Never will have a limit lol. I had about 50+ before i was 20.

 

Limit is just gonna keep going up once I finish uni and start working i reckon.

[trdsf]

Six (Parker, Sheaffer, two different Esties, Romus, Fellowship) right now, but I'm only just (re)starting, one is going away as a graduation gift for my elder niece, and I have a bunch of watches active on a certain auction site, so this number is subject to change in the near term.

 

How much I'd be willing to drop really depends entirely on mood and amount of available cash, although I can't really see myself going over $50 except in really exceptional and infrequent circumstances.

 

I'm not sure what my maximum number of pens is. If I take a liking to one, the "oh, just one more" instinct takes over...

Edited May 8, 2014 by trdsf

[FloatingFountain]

I'm down to where I started a few months ago: One. Only my Sailor Sapporo Black/GT is left. I've sold and traded the rest.

 

There are two fountain pens on order though, as part of the trade:

- Parker Duofold International Black/GT

- Parker Sonnet Black/GT (Which will probably have its nib replaced by an 18K one.)

 

Also, I'm going to order a ballpoint, because I encounter VERY bad paper quite often, and I find it embarrasing having to ask 'could you lend me a pen?' while I have a €150+ one sitting in my pocket.

- Parker IM Black/GT

 

At some point, these will be joined by a Sailor 1911L.

 

The result is a loosely matched set: a big square Parker, vs. a big cigar-shaped Sailor, and a small cigar-shaped Parker vs. a small square Sailor.

 

Then, I'll carry two pens: one fountain pen (rotating), and the Parker IM ballpoint for bad paper/lending. I'll probably done for the rest of my life.

Edited May 7, 2014 by FloatingFountain

[Aurko]

I have no pen limit, beyond perhaps what I can feasibly store.

As a college student, I currently do have a price limit of under 200 but as soon as I have the means, I would not mind spending much more on a pen. I know for sure that I would at least like to buy a couple of Nakayas in the future, and I would also gladly pay to have more vintage pens in my collection.

[knarflj]

In answer to your questions:

 

1. As many as I feel I use.

2. As much as I feel I can spend and not miss.

 

I picked numbers in the poll, but this says it better for me than any of the poll answers. I've been using fountain pens for almost twenty years, and own seven pens. I think I've only bought three of them myself, and never spent more than $50 on a pen, although a couple of my pens probably cost my husband more than that. I can imagine owning and using more pens, and I can imagine being in a situation where I could justify spending more on a single pen, but I'm not there now and probably won't be any time soon, so I'm just happy with what I've got.

[Elyptic]

At this point in my life, I can't see having a need for more than 10 pens, so that's my choice. I guess I'm utilitarian in nature -- if I won't use it regularly, I don't "need" it.

 

With regard to price, that's harder. I'm totally willing to spend more for quality. My first pen was a Pilot VP for this exact reason. It fit my uses perfectly and I have no regrets as I've been using it very regularly since I purchased it. I figure that I get enough enjoyment out of it that the price was worth it to me. On the other hand, I just picked up a relatively inexpensive Lamy AL-Star (in comparison) that I can play around with. I wanted something that would last though which was my choice of the Aluminum over the plastic Safari. This pen is specifically purchased so I can swap nibs around and try some odd ink combinations. Is it still worth money? Of course! But if I were to destroy the nib by playing with it, I can replace it relatively easily. And because it's not the cheapest pen out there, I should still get an appropriate level of satisfaction out of it.

 

So I guess, price directly depends on utility for me...

[abritdownunder]

When I see a pen I like I usually want it, so I have no idea how many pens I will really have around me on my deathbed. As for top price, again it's difficult to say. I've bought (and love) some relatively cheap pens, in the $AU60 - $AU80 range, and have some much more expensive pens.

[Yaakova]

I wouldn't spend more than $75 - $100 for a pen. What good is a pen if it's to expensive to use? As for the actual number of pens, I don't see any reason to limit myself. It's not like I'm addicted or anything. I can stop any time. Really.

 

I've collected about 20 regular fountain pens over the years, mostly Sheaffer, Waterman, Parker, and Esterbrook. Of course, if you want to count calligraphy pens, the tally rises considerably higher. Sheaffer is well-represented there as well as Osmiroid and Plantignum.

[Runnin_Ute]

Currently I have 13 fountain pens. I marked up to 20. Not sure how close I would actually ever get to that number. The most I have spent to date is $99 + $6 shipping**, however I marked "Other", as I may spend more in the future. It was a huge jump to go from $50 to $100 which is the most I had spent before acquiring that pen.

 

The collection currently includes:

Pelikan M150 black, M

Pelikan M205 black F

Pelikan M205 Toledo Red M

Pelikan 120 Merz & Krell EF

Parker 45 Flighter 14k M

Parker 45 burgundy F

Pilot Metropolitan black/dots M

Esterbrook J green 9550 EF/1555 Gregg/Venus F

Noodler's Konrad Red Mesa Tortoise Goulet B

Parker IM Premium Twin Metal Chiseled M

Lamy Al Star aluminum(silver) 1.1 mm (also have a F)

**True Writer Silver Anniversary gunmetal F

Waterman Phileas black M

[Takai]

Right now I have:

1. Misc Pre-war German "Edel" Pen- M/BBB Flex

2. Misc Pre-war German "Bock" Pen- M/B Semi Flex

3. Parker Vector- F

4. Parker 21- F

5. Everwear- M

6. Noodlers Ahab demo- M

7. Montblanc 146- M

8. Montblanc 164R

9. Sheaffer Triumph Crest- F

10. Parker Rialto- F

11. Waterman Apostrophe- F

12. Pilot Metropolitan- M

 

Pens I purchased for my other half:

1. Pilot Metro- M

2. Jinhao x250- M

3. Montblanc 164R

4. Sheaffer Craftsman Lever- F/B Semi Flex

 

Most expensive pens were the MBs, though not by much, right now my limit is 100$, and Im not letting myself purchase any more pens for a bit, at least not till I make myself a nice box to store them in.

[trdsf]

Let's see. In early May I posted that I had six. I'm already up to twenty-six (twenty in hand, six en route), and I have not one but two bidding wars to win tomorrow -- while at work, during a busy period, yeesh.

 

And oh, my achin' wallet... XD

[ksaarto]

I set the limit to 40 and $250, but it is just an educated guess. I currently have 7 (#8 on the mail). I don't feel any urge to get higher number than 10 in near future, but I'll cut myself some slack. in case I'll find some sort of focus for collecting.

 

I am a bit of tightwad, so I'll probably just enjoy hunting bargain prices for my grail pens. I can't see myself using more than $100 on regular basis, but perhaps I am willing to go up to $250 once of twice if I _really_ fancy something and feel like I should reward myself.

 

Right now, all my pens are extremely cheap, under $15. I guess I have reached the limit on cheap chinese pens, and will be getting some vintage next. On my grail-list I have a Parker 51 and Montblanc 149, latter might be replaced with another MB, since my 2 cigar shaped chinese pens don't appeal to me as much as I thought they would.

[Mezzie]

I hit my ten limit since my first response here, but have actually purchased fourteen (I gave one away to a student, two away to my parents, and one away via PIF). I like that number -- it allows for a wide, but not overwhelming, variety of inks and nibs and grips, all with their purpose. I did get a dip pen to sate my desire for a super flex nib (those things on fps are expensive!), but as it isn't a fountain pen, it doesn't count.

 

Originally I posted that I would possibly allow myself one more pen a year, but I think I'll amend that to: I'll allow myself one more per year IF I'm willing to give up one that I already have. I am allowed to get nibs, though, so I think I'll first invest in all the nib sizes for Lamy as they're very cheap, and then if I find I enjoy things beyond extra fine, I may get different nib units for my VP. If I limit myself to a major part once a year, I should always have something to look forward to without going broke or completely cluttering my desk and drawers with pens I can't possibly use.

 

I should note that I function in the academic year, so I only have to wait until September for that first nib set.