Indestructible Pen For Someone Who Writes A Lot?

[mirosc]

Cartridges are so incredibly expensive.....really.

You need a pen with a converter, and a with have big selection of bottled ink, so much cheaper.

 

I wouldn't recommend a high school student to carry a bottle of ink. I used one or two cartridges a day that time and if you need to refill in school/university a bottle of ink is not that convenient.

[ZaphodBB]

Faber Castell Loom - mine is practically indestructible.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Well, I'd suggest a piston pen....so he'd only need to re-fill every morning or right after he is finished with his homework.

But a Pelikan 200, is not a a pen to be put into one's pants pocket and break dance with, or chew on. Suggest buying gum....but might not be allowed in school.

[domnortheast]

A stainless steel option sounds like a good idea...let your teeth make what they can of that.

 

I have a Waterman Hemisphere which, new, would be of a higher price than the pens you list but which can be picked up much more reasonably second hand or as new old stock.

 

Mine has lasted many years being carted round in my pocket / wallet / bag etc to no ill effect and obviously takes cartridges and converter.

 

Dom

[Consulting_Detective]

I know my recommendation is sort-of at the higher end but I highly recommend a Monteverde Jewelria because it is made out of resin, which is very light, and that means you can write for longer amounts of time. It also accepts international catridges, although I'm not sure if it accepts long ones but it accepts short cartridges. The other thing is, it does come in a fine. As far as I know, there are only two drawbacks for the Jewelria, the Price and perhaps the plastic grip.

 

It does retail for 50$ but it is worth it in my opinion, and i don't exactly know how the resin will hold up to being bitten on but I doubt it will crack, maybe scratch but not crack.

 

-RTMC

[Mercian]

Hi enzio,

I think that you already answered your own question:

 

• Parker Jotter FP: This one was my favourite! The plastic grip was comfortable, it was small but fitted into my hands, looked cool. ~$60

 

I think that you ought to buy a Parker Jotter FP.

 

It doesn't matter if everyone else in the world recommends a particular pen; if that pen doesn't feel 'right' in your hand then you shouldn't buy it.

E.g. I would have recommended a LAMY Safari or Vista, but you have already found that you do not like them. So, those pens are no good for you.

 

If you have tried a Parker Jotter in a shop and found that you like the feel of it, I would say that that pen is a good 'fit' for you. I have owned a stainless steel one for many years, but I don't use it very much because I have large hands (so it feels a bit too small for me).

 

The only potential problem with the Jotter is that Parker pens will accept only cartridges made by Parker.

They will not accept the cheap un-branded ‘International’ cartridges that one can buy from many stationery shops (e.g. Pelikan sell cartridges of that pattern under the names GTP5 and GTP6).

 

But: $60 is WAY TOO MUCH MONEY to pay for a Jotter!

 

In the UK they sell for MUCH LESS than $60.

 

Jotter at Tiger Pens

 

Jotter at Cult Pens

 

Jotter at The Online Pen Company

 

EDITED TO ADD: Of those three retailers, ONLY the last one - The Online Pen Company, allows you to select a Jotter with a 'Fine' nib.

In most UK retailers Jotters are only available with a 'Medium' nib. So, most of the Jotters on ebay will also ONLY have the option of a 'Medium' nib.

 

There are also many other sources for the Parker Jotter on Amazon.co.uk, including Jotters with coloured plastic barrels if you don't want one in stainless steel.

 

I am sure that one or other of these suppliers will ship/post a pen to you in Hungary.

Parker cartridges may also be more expensive in Hungary than they are here in the UK (though it is equally likely that they may be more expensive to buy here).

So, I also advise you to see how much Parker cartridges cost in Hungary and here, and how much it would cost to buy a lot of cartridges at the same time as you buy the pen.

I would expect that the price of shipping/postage would not increase by very much over the price of shipping/posting just the pen.

 

You should also look on the internet for retailers who will sell Parker cartridges in bulk, because that will be the cheapest way to buy them.

 

I wish you good luck with your quest, and many hours of happy writing with whatever pen you buy.

 

Cheers,

M.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Mercian

[Manalto]

Man you gotta stop biting the ends of your pen.

Paint it with chili paste or something.

 

I concur. The exposure to organic polymers in plastics is suspected in the disruption of human hormones and may be responsible for certain cancers. Consuming and exposing mouth tissue to them can only heighten the risk.

 

The Hero 616s are a blast, the beauty of a Parker 51 with none of the worry of losing or damaging a vintage pen. The fine point writes with a true fine line and smoothly, once it's buffed on a paper bag. Switch with the clip from a gold one and you've got a handsome two-tone look. (the three pens to the left) Not cartridges, but environmentally better because of that.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Manalto

[Algester]

hmm how bout goulet's invincia deluxe in stainless steel

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

+1 for a Parker 45 Flighter. There are some models that have a Black colour plastic piece at the end of the barrel, so while I do not encourage biting a pen (they have feelings too!), your teeth are less at risk of damage than a full metal barrel. e.g. eBay item number: 151582919589

Also, if you do like your Preppy, kindly consider the Platinum 'Plaisir', which is a metal cap+barrel pen. Uses the same nib+section assemblies as the Preppy, so is a c/c filler, and if a Plaisir suffers nib damage upon landing after a flight test, a Preppy nib+section can be swapped in. Excellent cap seal avoids dry-out. Grippy clip. Selection of colours - forget Black - go for a Red one! There are now three Preppy nib width options: EF, F & M.

 

Bye,

S1

[enzio]

Thanks to everyone for the helpful answers! So, currently my final contesters are:

• Parker 45 Flighter
• Sailor High-Ace Neo
• Parker Jotter FP
• Parker Frontier
• Hero 616

What do you think? And again, I need a slim pen that's comfortable for a long time.

[Consulting_Detective]

As I stated before, highly recommend Monteverde Jewelria..

 

-RTMC

[Mercian]

A couple of pictures for reference.

 

Top to botom:
Parker Jotter;

Parker Vector;

Parker Frontier;

Parker "51" (the Hero 616 is a clone of this pen).

 

 

Although my picture is slightly out of focus, you can see that the Frontier and the Parker "51"/Hero 616 are rather wider pens than the Parker Jotter and Parker Vector.

It may also be worthwhile for you to know that I have bent the clip on my Frontier, and the rubber on its grip section has worn off in places when I used water to clean it out.

 

Here are the same pens with their filling systems exposed:

 

 

Note that, while the top three pens all take cartridges or converters, the Parker "51" will NOT accept cartridges; it has a built-in squeeze-filling system and can ONLY be used with bottled ink.

I don't own a Hero 616, but as it is a clone of the Parker "51", I assume that it won't accept cartridges either.

 

A Parker "51" will hold about 1.6ml to 1.8ml of ink, which is a decent amount of ink, but is much less than 2 Platinum (or Parker) cartridges.

I believe that Parker cartridges hold about 1.4ml of ink, whereas Platinum cartridges hold about 1.1ml of ink.

If you find that you use many cartridges in one day at school, it may be more sensible for you to buy a pen that enables you to just switch cartridges if you run out of ink in class.

It's easier to carry a few spare cartridges than it is to carry a whole bottle of ink!

[grahamtillotson]

Pilot Kakuno rocks. Solid plastic and fabulous writers with some flex in the nib. Also the standard issue plug for the Lamy Safari (highly durable).

 

Graham

[grahamtillotson]

 

 

 

It may also be worthwhile for you to know that I have bent the clip on my Frontier ...

 

Whoa ... fix that clip! Pressure underneath and push down from the top. Should take about 15 seconds.

 

Graham

[Ecriveur]

Faber Castell Loom - might be slightly out of your price range, but it's built like a battleship.

[enzio]

A couple of pictures for reference.

 

Top to botom:

Parker Jotter;

Parker Vector;

Parker Frontier;

Parker "51" (the Hero 616 is a clone of this pen).

 

Some Parker FPs.JPG

 

Although my picture is slightly out of focus, you can see that the Frontier and the Parker "51"/Hero 616 are rather wider pens than the Parker Jotter and Parker Vector.

It may also be worthwhile for you to know that I have bent the clip on my Frontier, and the rubber on its grip section has worn off in places when I used water to clean it out.

 

Here are the same pens with their filling systems exposed:

 

Some Parker FPs with fillers on show.JPG

 

Note that, while the top three pens all take cartridges or converters, the Parker "51" will NOT accept cartridges; it has a built-in squeeze-filling system and can ONLY be used with bottled ink.

I don't own a Hero 616, but as it is a clone of the Parker "51", I assume that it won't accept cartridges either.

 

A Parker "51" will hold about 1.6ml to 1.8ml of ink, which is a decent amount of ink, but is much less than 2 Platinum (or Parker) cartridges.

I believe that Parker cartridges hold about 1.4ml of ink, whereas Platinum cartridges hold about 1.1ml of ink.

If you find that you use many cartridges in one day at school, it may be more sensible for you to buy a pen that enables you to just switch cartridges if you run out of ink in class.

It's easier to carry a few spare cartridges than it is to carry a whole bottle of ink!

Wow! Thanks very much for the comaparison! Which pen do you use the most? Which is the most comfortable? And, yes I do need a cartridge pen, so maybe I'll drop the 51/616. And, I might haved typed it wrong, but I use a cartridge up in two days, not two cartridges in one day.

[enzio]

Pilot Kakuno rocks. Solid plastic and fabulous writers with some flex in the nib. Also the standard issue plug for the Lamy Safari (highly durable).

 

Graham

The Kakuno seems good, but I just don't like it's looks, sorry.

[enzio]

Faber Castell Loom - might be slightly out of your price range, but it's built like a battleship.

Thanks, but yes, it is out of my range unfortunately.

[Mercian]

 

Whoa ... fix that clip! Pressure underneath and push down from the top. Should take about 15 seconds.

 

Graham

 

It's in a shocking state, isn't it? Alas, the simple pressure method hasn't worked for me.

 

I actually need to get the clip out so that I can fix a problem with the pen's inner cap.

THAT has been very loose for years now. I tried to glue it and that didn't work, so I'm going to need to wrap some tape around the lower part of it to try to make it fit snugly into the metal outer cap.

 

I think that this issue was common on the early production run of the Frontier. Mine dates from 2005, when the Parker company was running out of money and cutting costs - before it collapsed and got bought by Sanford/NewellRubbermaid.

 

While I have the cap in pieces I shall try to bend the clip back into shape.

The pen's stainless steel nib writes absolutely beautifully, it's only the cap & the rubber on the pen's grip section that have been problematical.

[Mercian]

Wow! Thanks very much for the comaparison! Which pen do you use the most? Which is the most comfortable? And, yes I do need a cartridge pen, so maybe I'll drop the 51/616. And, I might haved typed it wrong, but I use a cartridge up in two days, not two cartridges in one day.

 

Because I have large hands, I use the "51" the most.

When it was made it was Parker's most-expensive, 'flagship' pen, and its build quality is far above that of the others here.

Like many people, I find that it is not only very reliable, but that it balances perfectly in my hand and is very comfortable to use.

 

Mine dates from about 1957, although I have paid to have a new (fine) nib fitted to it.

 

I use the Frontier only rarely now - mostly to write Christmas cards each year.

That is because I still have a few cartridges of Parker's 'Penman' range of inks left over. They were very beautiful inks, but were discontinued in the early 2000s. I use those cartridges of beautiful ink for special occasions, and of my Parker pens that accept cartridges, the Frontier has the nib that I find nicest to use.

It 'springs' very slightly, and has the nicest nib of my Parker pens. My Vector, Jotter, and Urban all have very reliable nibs, but they are all very stiff, and have very rounded tips. That makes them ideal pens for school or university use, but less interesting when writing personal letters or cards.

The nib on the Frontier feels as though it is (very slightly) 'shaped', and it seems to give my handwriting a little bit more 'interesting character' than the other pens do.

 

Because I have large hands, I find that the Vector and the Jotter are a bit too narrow for me to use comfortably for any length of time.

Nowadays, I mostly use them with converters filled with water-resistant iron-gall ink, for addressing envelopes.

Iron-gall ink can cause problems in some pens, so one has to take extra care and time when cleaning it out of a pen.

The Vector & Jotter are pens that both work well, and which I don't mind being without for a day or so while I soak all the iron-gall ink out of them.

 

If you find that a cartridge lasts for two days, you COULD still buy a 616.

You would just need to remember to fill it from the ink bottle when you get home from school each day, so that you always have a full fill of ink in the pen at the start of each school day.

 

I do not know how 'well-built' a Hero 616 feels, or how comfortable one would be to use - you would have to ask someone who owns one - but it is a copy of a pen which is an absolute 'design classic'. The fact that the nib is hooded means that you can leave the cap off the pen for longer without the nib drying out.

 

Also, buying ink in bottles is far cheaper (per ml of ink) than buying it in cartridges, and there is a much greater range of ink that you can buy. Be careful though - chasing after new inks to try out can be very addicitve, so very expensive!

Edited February 13, 2015 by Mercian