You Have Your Holy Grail & Expensive Pens But You Keep On Using _____

[Fabienne]

OK,OK,OK,OK,OK,OK,OK,OK,OK, O.K. You searched high and low, opened a vein, sold a kidney, suffered guilt about your child not being able to go to private school, and lied to your spouse BUT you got your Holy Grail Pen. You don't bring it out much around the house but you cherish it. Cherish.

 

On another guilty note, you did go off and buy yet another Mb Limited Edition with a lurid jewel on the end cap. One which was named after some luminary (the Chester A. Arthur for instance). You have several of these. You have several Top Of The Line pens which are mercifully modest to look at. You have about 3 super vintage beauties which everyone would want. Wet noodles, check (your handwriting isn't worthy of them BUT that wasn't the basis on which they were sold to you).

 

HOWEVER, when you have the need to sit down and write a long and heartfelt letter to dear old Auntie Agatha, who is a computer illiterata; or you have to hand write a note of sympathy or thanks, you invariably reach for a ________________.

 

Why?

[dwong]

Pilot 78G with Bold nib. It's the only stub/CI I own and it adds just the right amount of pizzazz.

[KBeezie]

Hrm... Usually I use them all, but I guess for the purpose of the topic, probably the one that fits as in being common and relatively inexpensive would be the TWSBI Mini I currently have inked with Noodler's Black Eel to serve as a daily pocket carry for utilitarian purposes (ie: filling out a money order or quick notes and such without concern of waterproofness) and because I'm more likely to have it on me outside of the house, though I was using a Pilot Long Murex in that fashion for a while but took it out of rotation momentarily as I have a VP (0.5 Stub) and Metal Falcon (SEF) inked at the moment.

 

I use my 'grails' (ie: guess they don't feel so much like grail pens anymore because once a upon of time I didn't see myself easily getting them), just don't have them all inked at the same time. Right now of what I considered grail pens in the past, I have two inked, a Pelikan 400NN (green stripe though not the brown tortoise) with a 14K Semi-Flex EF inked with Salix which I primarily use for note-taking or something I use for more than just a quick note, and a recently acquired Wahl-Eversharp Doric with a #3 Adjustable nib that I'm still feeling out.

 

But I guess I'm a little confused for the topic when you say you reach out for a blank when writing up something of significance... I would reach for the 'grail' pen that I have inked. Primarily because I didn't just get them because they're pretty, got them because I use them, and if it had a crappy nib I wouldn't bother keeping it (I'd spend too much time complaining about it, so what's the point?).

 

PS: For the longest time (if you can call it that), I had a Petit1 with Blue-Black handy, probably the only fountain pen I had no hesitation in handing to someone if they needed to jot something down real quick, and worked reliably.

Edited May 25, 2015 by KBeezie

[bardharlock]

Pilot Prera. I have 5 of them set up with different nibs: EF, F, M, MI, BBI. I love the size. They post well, and I prefer to post. They don't hold a ton of ink (CON-50), so if I decide to change the ink I don't sweat it. They are very light pens, so I do not suffer hand fatigue when penning a long missive. They are pretty much the perfect pen for me. If I order from Japan, they are around $32. I will collect every color I can.

 

I still love my Sailor Pro Gear Slim pens. I still want as many as I can get. I still love the Sailor nibs, especially in the extra fine that still remains smooth... I just reach for a Prera more often than not these days.

[Frank C]

I don't always grab the same pen. Sometimes I use one of my "Holy Grail" pens—can there be more than one "Holy Grail"?

 

If the intended recipient is a fountain pen user, I may use several pens and inks.

 

When I'm out, I usually have one of my everyday carry pens, often a Pilot Custom 823.

[bardharlock]

... "can there be more than one "Holy Grail"?

Not to go too far off topic, but in my book, yes. I currently have several.

[tinta]

At eight quality, mid-price (250.00 to 600.00 CAD) pens, I do not particularly feel guilty about too much over spending.

Since my limit is nine pens in total, I still have one more instrument to get. Maybe a pen in the Nakaya territory, which brings the value up to an astronomical 750.00-800.00 CAD?

It will depend on the finish of the pen & grind of the nib.

 

My grail quest has not been for special pens, but for the best performing italic nibs,... either as a permanent part of the pen or as a screw-in replacement part.

 

To write that special letter to cousin Éva or to good friend, I will use a favourite nib, ink & paper combination.

[Keyless Works]

My Aurora Optima gets a lot of use. I have a factory OBB and a 0.7mm cursive italic from Richard Binder. The other two pens I use quite a bit is a first year Pelikan M600 with monotone 18kt BB nib and a Nakaya Naka-Ai Negoro.

 

I don't like shiny flashy pens...I keep thinking I want LE Montblancs because they look glorious but every time I handle one I change my mind.

 

I sparingly use some of my more fragile and rare vintage Italian pens but other than that they all go through rotation if they are working properly.

[delano]

My Custom 3776 gets a lot of use, mainly because I like the way it feels in my hands. A close runner up is the Franklin-Christoph 02 Snow and Ice simply because I just love the pen.

[Charles Rice]

My Senior Duofold has become one of my every day pens - EXCEPT, it does not leave my desk.

[VillersCotterets]

The Holy Grail Pen is a myth. There is no single pen that can satisfy all needs and wants at the same time.

I frequently reach for my modified Airmail 71J.

[Frank C]

Not to go too far off topic, but in my book, yes. I currently have several.

 

After all, topic is about "Your Holy Grail & Expensive Pens . . . ". Since there is only one "Holy Grail", one should have only one "Holy Grail" pen—at a time, anyway. I agree with you, though. Many people have more than one. I keep thinking that a certain pen will be the ultimate pen for me, but when I get it, I use it for awhile and then something else interesting comes along.

[KBeezie]

The Holy Grail Pen is a myth. There is no single pen that can satisfy all needs and wants at the same time.

 

I frequently reach for my modified Airmail 71J.

It's not a myth... it's just a paradox, one that ceases to exist the moment it is obtained.

[Sridhar]

i generally reach for a Sailor...its light and has good balance when posted, the nib is wonderful and it helps me write for long....i could also go one of my vintage sheaffers if it is inked......

[gweimer1]

I don't know that I've defined a grail pen yet, but there are several that I would like, and several that I already have. My best writing pens are my Parker 51 aero and a Waterman Lady Patrician.

 

The pen that comes back the most often, is the mystery pen - which may be an old Pick pen - with the Esterbrook section. It's the blue one.

 

[VillersCotterets]

It's not a myth... it's just a paradox, one that ceases to exist the moment it is obtained.

 

That's not a Holy Grail Pen. That's plain acquisition disorder and/or consumerism.

[mcg1355]

I will very often grab one of my Noodler's ebonite konrads. I have a coupple Pelikans and a Visconti that I would consider the grail pens in my collection, and they do get a good amount of use, but I find myself often gravitating to those konrads... just someting about their finikey nature and the feel of ebonite that charms me.

 

-Nick

[KBeezie]

That's not a Holy Grail Pen. That's plain acquisition disorder and/or consumerism.

Or a holy grail, depends on what someone sees as being "unobtainable" to them. I've seen people speak of their holy grail, and everyone of them is more or less only restricted by financial means, especially when you see people mention something like a Lamy 2k as their grail pen... Outside of some model that's limited to only a few hundred in the hands of people who won't give them up, a holy grail is just a temporary condition subjective to the person who has defined theirs.

 

Someone who calls it just acquisition disorder, probably has enough expendable income or large existing collection to get other's "grail pens"

Edited May 25, 2015 by KBeezie

[haruka337]

Grail pens:

Sailor Sapporo Lamé in yellow

Sailor Pro Gear in white & pink gold

Pelikan M400 in white w/ striated, variegated green tortoise

 

Pens I reach for, for daily use at work:

Pilot Prera

Pilot Decimo

Lamy Safari/Vista

Platinum Balance Shine

 

I would not be devastated if I broke, lost or scratched-up one of my daily writers, so I carry those around in my purse or case. While these work horses are nowhere near as enigmatic as my grail pens, it still garners "OoOoOoh" and "ahhh" from those who see it in use.

[dneal]

HOWEVER, when you have the need to sit down and write a long and heartfelt letter to dear old Auntie Agatha, who is a computer illiterata; or you have to hand write a note of sympathy or thanks, you invariably reach for a ________________.

 

Why?

 

... whichever pen is inked.

 

I use my pens at home and at work, regardless of "grail" status. In fact, as soon as I get one, it gets inked and put in the rotation. I think KBeezie has it right - pens lose grail status after they're acquired.