Indestructible Pen For Someone Who Writes A Lot?

[enzio]

 

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!

Thanks for the help! I love this forum and it's helpfulness! I'll probably get the Jotter, though it is kind of expensive, so I think I'll wait for my birthday. Thanks again. Also have you heard anything of the Sailor High Ace Neo?

Edited February 13, 2015 by enzio

[Skyppere]

Thanks very much, but I've decided against the Metropolitan.

Did you check out that web site? LOTs of choices in your price range. Enormous variety of colors and shapes to meet your needs. Virtually all are cartridge compatable... A wise man visits every tent in the bazaar!

skyppere

[Mercian]

Thanks for the help! I love this forum and it's helpfulness! I'll probably get the Jotter, though it is kind of expensive, so I think I'll wait for my birthday. Thanks again. Also have you heard anything of the Sailor High Ace Neo?

 

I'm afraid I'd never heard of that Sailor pen before (maybe it isn't sold in the UK?).

I've just looked it up, and found a couple of reviews on here that do discuss it.

I've also found out that Sailor's cartridges hold between 1.0 and 1.2ml of ink, which should be enough for you.

 

You ought to read several reviews for each of the pens that you are interested in.

Some people may say that they dislike a pen precisely because it has features that you want - e.g. I find pens like the Jotter, Vector, and that Sailor to be too narrow for me, whereas you've already said that you prefer narrow pens.

If you read a few reviews you should get a good idea of how well the pen is made, as well as any problems (or really good experiences) other people have had with it.

 

It's also worth knowing that Japanese pens usually have nibs that are narrower/finer than Europen/American nibs that are sold as the same width.

i.e. a Japanese 'Fine' nib will be narrower than a European/American 'fine' nib.

If your Platinum nib is marked 'fine', and it's only just 'fine' enough for you, you may find that European 'fine' nibs are too wide for you. In which case you ought to buy another pen made by Platinum, or Pilot, or Sailor.

 

I do advise you to find out how easy it is to buy cartridges before you decide which pen to buy.

E.g. if Sailor cartridges are hard to find or very expensive where you live, it might be a better idea to buy a different pen.

The same is true for Parker cartridges, and for any other brand of pen too - if the cartridges that the pen needs are hard to get, or if they cost a lot of money, it might be better to buy a different pen.

Unless you can find an online shop that will sell you a lot of cartridges in one purchase for a low price.

 

I admit that I'm surprised that you have said the Jotter is a bit expensive for you.

In the UK, The Online Pen Company will sell you a Jotter with a 'Fine' nib for £12.95 - which is roughly US$19.95, or 17.50€

Jotters can be bought for much less money on ebay, or Amazon.co.uk, but those pens will nearly all have 'Medium' nibs.

 

Of course, I do not know how much any UK retailer would charge you for shipping to Hungary.

Have you tried entering your delivery address into e.g. the OPC website?

You can do that before you send them your bank details, and the website should calculate the total price (including shipping costs) for you.

 

Good luck in your quest

[Sailor Kenshin]

Another vote for the 616---but only if you buy from a reputable dealer. Remarkably, this inexpensive workhorse is often faked.

[Freddy]

Hi!

 

I'm a high-school student, I'm relativley new to fountain pens, I've only used a Preppy. I take apart/fix/modify/lose/break/bite my pens. So most of my pens are short lived... (I already managed to crack my Preppy after a week of usage) So I need a good pen in the $20-$30 category. I also have quite small hands. I live in Middle Europe. And I want a kind of a "cool" pen, but not too flashy, though this isn't a priority. I also like fine nibs. I also need the pen to support cartridges.

 

 

Thanks very much!

Since you..."take apart/fix/modify/lose/break/bite my pens"...So most of your pens are short lived..Well..consider a bag of Bic Cristal pens..they are cheap, plentiful and will

do the task..................................................................................................................................

Or..ROtring 600, which you can also use to flay a deer with................................................

 

Fred

DickSolomon: I want ceaseless joy and never ending passion

like Romeo and Juliet.

MaryAlbright: They both wound up dead.

DickSolomon: That couple from Wuthering Heights.

MaryAl: Insane and dead.

DickSol: F. Scott Fritzgerald and Zelda.

MaryAl: Drunk, insane and dead.

DickSol: Tristan and Isolde.

MaryAl: Abgeschossen.

DickSol: Aha..Siegfried and Roy.

MaryAl: Ok..one.

[sandy101]

A decent Parker 45.

 

A Parson's Essential from Mr Pen.

 

Faber Castell Loom.

[bokchoy]

The Lamy Logo is underrated. It's made of stainless steel and the grip is cylindrical. Since the Logo's not aluminum, it doesn't scratch as easily as the Al-Stars. Potential downsides include the (chewable?) plastic endcaps and a metal section that doesn't suit sweaty hands.

[amuanti1993]

I'm surprised that no one suggested the Faber castell loom and basic, their nibs are smoother than the gold nibs on my sonnet and hero 1000.

[dan in montreal]

I'm surprised that no one suggested the Faber castell loom and basic, their nibs are smoother than the gold nibs on my sonnet and hero 1000.

A few people have, and the OP has stated these models are too expensive. I agree, they are solidly built and have very nice and smooth nibs.

 

The Sheaffer 100 doesn't get much love in general, but I've found mine to be well built and the nib is very smooth. Comes with a converter and accomodates Sheaffer carts. The prices for this model vary wildly. I can get it locally for about 30.00 Canadian, but a quick look on eBay reveals they can go for a lot more. It also has a shiny chrome section which might not be your thing. At any rate, I think you can track one down for less than the cost of the FC models.

 

The Hero 616s are good and are surprisingly robust.

 

I would also suggest the Sailor Clear Candy - if the looks don't bother you too much.

I'm not sure what they taste like though, I've never bitten mine. I'm pretty sure they are not actually candy.

[FOUR X FOUR]

Most folks around here like the LAMY Safari / Vista, and Kaweco AL Sport. If you're gonna chew your pens, you certainly don't want to move up to a 20 dollar pen. You'll destroy it as well. You should stick with the Preppies. However, this will break you of you biting habit

[Sailor Kenshin]

Yeah...but also any of the Heavy Metal Jinhao/Bulow/xfountain pens. Bite one, and it's your teeth that'll break.

[enzio]

 

I'm afraid I'd never heard of that Sailor pen before (maybe it isn't sold in the UK?).

I've just looked it up, and found a couple of reviews on here that do discuss it.

I've also found out that Sailor's cartridges hold between 1.0 and 1.2ml of ink, which should be enough for you.

 

You ought to read several reviews for each of the pens that you are interested in.

Some people may say that they dislike a pen precisely because it has features that you want - e.g. I find pens like the Jotter, Vector, and that Sailor to be too narrow for me, whereas you've already said that you prefer narrow pens.

If you read a few reviews you should get a good idea of how well the pen is made, as well as any problems (or really good experiences) other people have had with it.

 

It's also worth knowing that Japanese pens usually have nibs that are narrower/finer than Europen/American nibs that are sold as the same width.

i.e. a Japanese 'Fine' nib will be narrower than a European/American 'fine' nib.

If your Platinum nib is marked 'fine', and it's only just 'fine' enough for you, you may find that European 'fine' nibs are too wide for you. In which case you ought to buy another pen made by Platinum, or Pilot, or Sailor.

 

I do advise you to find out how easy it is to buy cartridges before you decide which pen to buy.

E.g. if Sailor cartridges are hard to find or very expensive where you live, it might be a better idea to buy a different pen.

The same is true for Parker cartridges, and for any other brand of pen too - if the cartridges that the pen needs are hard to get, or if they cost a lot of money, it might be better to buy a different pen.

Unless you can find an online shop that will sell you a lot of cartridges in one purchase for a low price.

 

I admit that I'm surprised that you have said the Jotter is a bit expensive for you.

In the UK, The Online Pen Company will sell you a Jotter with a 'Fine' nib for £12.95 - which is roughly US$19.95, or 17.50€

Jotters can be bought for much less money on ebay, or Amazon.co.uk, but those pens will nearly all have 'Medium' nibs.

 

Of course, I do not know how much any UK retailer would charge you for shipping to Hungary.

Have you tried entering your delivery address into e.g. the OPC website?

You can do that before you send them your bank details, and the website should calculate the total price (including shipping costs) for you.

 

Good luck in your quest

Thanks for the help! Jotter costs about $40 with shipping, and I have a $22 per month pocket money, so it is quite expensive for me. But I really like that pen, so I might ask it for my birthday. And I'll be watching eBay for a good deal on a Parker 45.

[JimCouch]

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

+1 on the Waterman Hemisphere, a great durable pen.