Opinions On White Pens, Would You Buy One?

[Frank C]

A good friend of mine has a white Lamy Safari, and he believed that there are 2 ways to care for a white pen. The first being the thoroughly and frequently clean the grip and inside the cap. The second belief was to intentionally dye it blue with bay state blue. My friend is a bit lazy and his idea about dyeing it didn't works so great, so he now has a blue-ish/white Safari, but he now doesn't have to worry about keeping it clean. But Safari and an Ondoro are in different price ranges, so if I had a white one, I would clean the grip and inside the cap regularly.

 

I would also avoid Bay State Blue—in that pen; I do love the stuff.

[Ghost Plane]

Herbin and Waterman inks rinse clean. I'm talking about the original Herbin inks, not the supersaturated specialties with gold flecks. THOSE did horrible things to a crescent filler of mine, which is another story.

[StrawberryJam]

White pens are awesome. I really really like them, in part because you can use any ink color in them.

 

Here's my most recent acquisition of white - an ST Dupont Liberte in White:

 

But my absolute favorite white pens are from Visconti:

The Visconti Rebecca Moss Flattop (#46):

http://www.gopens.com/images/Catalog69/Vintage-Pens%20c69e.jpg

 

 

And, the Visconti Pearled White Opera that Bryant was running as a special edition:

 

 

[Manalto]

White pens are awesome. I really really like them, in part because you can use any ink color in them.

 

 

 

I've been doing that with my non-white pens. Have I broken any laws?

[StrawberryJam]

 

I've been doing that with my non-white pens. Have I broken any laws?

 

Only the no-white-pen-allowed-before-Memorial-Day rule?

 

I just like to match ink color to pen. So with white pens, I feel like I get a little more freedom in the ink color since everything goes with white.

[Kuscer]

I'm gonna say...maybe. I generally prefer pastels, but I love the FC Ondoro in white. Although I'm still fairly new to all this knowledge, I have seen quite a few pens already. Not a huge fan of the white/gold combos, but the Ondoro looks fabulous! Long story short: depends on the shape.

Good luck!

-G.

[richardandtracy]

White pen?
No

 

Off white pen?

Yes. If it starts off white then if it discolours it doesn't look as bad as it does if it started off as white to begin with.

 

I am seriously tempted by the current ivory Duofold's, though they come slightly down the list from the P&B mini for me. I do have the pearl & black Centennial & International:

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/richardandtracy/ParkerDuofoldsmallv3.jpg

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Manalto]

 

If it starts off white then if it discolours it doesn't look as bad as it does if it started off as white to begin with.

 

 

 

You're making my head spin. Don't you mean "if it starts off off white..."?

[StrawberryJam]

White pen?

No

 

Off white pen?

Yes. If it starts off white then if it discolours it doesn't look as bad as it does if it started off as white to begin with.

 

 

This just reminds me of the toothpaste commercial from years back where the woman was teaching young children about colors and asked them to identify the color of the object she was pointing to. When she pointed at her teeth, the kids were all like "Off white? Mother of pearl?"

 

I FOUND IT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q2hTL2DNfY

[haruka337]

Pilot Iroshizuku is another ink friendly to demonstrator and light colored pens.

 

I have a TWSBI 580 with a clear mid-section that I left filled with Syo-ro for 6 months (it went ignored in my laptop bag--sorry! >-< ), but it did not stain the plastic.

 

This ink cleans off easily too.

[Millefleurs]

I like white (and off-white, and pearlescent) pens. They have a certain elegance to them, I think.

 

While I've sold many pen in my day to make down payments on houses and other worthy causes, I certainly never bought already contemplating a future sale.

That struck me as odd, too. But then, I don't decorate/renovate my home for resale value, either.

 

Know? Oh, probably any color that possesses a little charm.

 

"Hey there, white pen, you're looking lean and fabulous."

Thank you so much for this.

[Barkingpig]

 

I've been doing that with my non-white pens. Have I broken any laws?

If your pens still write without matching ink to their body parts then you are probably still "safe." ........maybe..........(all that Penman ink problem could have been just from "mismatched" selections of ink & pen bodies!)

[Sergio 46]

Most of my FPs are black, but I enjoy my Pilot Prera ivory!

[Manalto]

Seduced by the Duofold Black & Pearl photographs, a few minutes ago, I moseyed over to eBay and saw one ending in only THREE minutes. I put in a bid and won by ONE CENT. I hope it's a nice one - it's certainly beautiful. I hereby submit my application for membership in the White Pen Club.

[AAAndrew]

timing is everything. So, you're THAT guy who waltzes in at the last second and wins by one-cent. Hmmmm.

[Manalto]

More a stumble than a waltz! But yeah, I guess so, this time anyway.

[TradArch]

love my white pens! I typically keep two in rotation - a Lamy Safari at my desk, and a Pilot VP. I own several others that just dont get regular use. I have the FC rollerball in white, and love it. Its a little short for me, so I never picked up the Fountain Pen. But it looks beautiful....and now i want one....

[Feathers]

Just be fastidious in cleaning after refills. Though white is a nice color, some inks have a tendency to cling or stain the material of the section, and by my measure, that includes any material where a simple swipe with a paper towel cannot remove all the ink. As long as you keep this in mind, you should be fine.

 

This is from an almost unfortunate incident with my white tortoise Pelikan M400. Luckily diluted ammonia took care of it.

 

Ahhh, good to know! I have the M600 and while I've been able to get the ink off thus far, usually with some extra wipes of tissue, and sometimes a little spit LOL, I did wonder if staining was possible, or even probable on the section. I will keep that in mind, and not be lax about it when refilling.

[deepak23]

Coincidentally I was also searching for a white pen for a friend. Here are the ones I've found so far in order of increasing cost.

Jinhao 599 (ebay)

Hero 359 (bay)

Pilot Prera (j-subculture)

Lamy Safari (everywhere)

Sailor Profit in Gold Trim (engeika)

Sailor Profit in Pink gold (engeika)

Sailor Regulus (engeika)

Delta (bay)

All within $100

[VivienR]

I have two, both are Parker Sonnet: Pearl and Metal and Pearl. I love them both, okay Metal and Pearl receive a bit more love. And started to thinking about to buy the Montblanc Princesse Grace De Monaco Ivory edition too. I mostly use black ink for my white pens. Seems working really great thanks for the contrast.