Top Ten List......

June 27, 2015

I decided to list my top ten Fountain pens out of my personal collection. These pens I use on a daily basis.

Going from left to right (in the photo).

#1 goes to my Onoto "The Centenary" fountain pen, Solid Halmerked Sterling Silver with 23ct Gold plated Clip and Bands. Onoto #7 Solid 18ct Two Tone Gold Nib - Medium. 90 Gram Weight. 62/500.

This pens is the ultimate fountain pen, at least for me. It has the perfect weight and balance. A classic looking pen reminiscent of the 1937 De La Rue Magna fountain pen.

#2 goes to my Onoto Magna Classic "Royal Ruby" fountain pen, a beautiful jewel like ruby resin with Sterling Silver fittings makes this pen pleasing to the eyes and the silky smooth #7 Fine nib is made from solid 18ct gold with a two tone finish. Number 49 out of 50. Weight is 32 grams.

#3 goes to my Onoto "Aviator" fountain pen. The heftiest pen I own, coming in at 95 grams of solid Halmarked Sterling Silver, 003/200. This pen was designed to look like the Supermarine S6B. The Clip is Gold plated with the cap button is 23ct Vermeil and shaped to look like an aeroplane's prop. I can not say enough about these Onoto Nibs and this one is a #7 Broad solid 18ct Gold with two tone finish.

#4 goes to Avery of London "Purple Pen" Fountain Pen. It is a basic purple resin pen with Solid Halmarked Sterling Silver Fittings and has a chased barrel. Very similar to the Magna Classic pen. This pen would have been further up my list but is it a light weight pen, only 25 grams, when I prefer a pen to have more heft. The nib is the #7 Onoto solid 18ct gold with two tone finish and is a very smooth writing pen, Medium nib size.

#5 goes to Montblanc Bohème Pirouette Lilas Fountain Pen. I absolutely adore this pen, it is easily my most beautiful pen. Rose Gold cap with circle guilloche pattern and Anthracite Lacquered Barrel. I has the Medium retractable solid 18ct Two tone gold nib. Even tho it is marketed as a "feminine" pen, i do not think it looks feminine, I wish more pens where a little more "feminine". The pen can be very hard to clean and flush out, which is a drawback but I found a converter that fits in it to make it easy to lush. Also being a Cartridge only pen is another drawback. But as long as you keep it inked and keep using it, it is a wonderful pen to use. Not sure of the exact weight of the pen, but for sutch a small pen it has a nice feel to it.

#6 goes to Montblanc Writers Series "Jules Verne" fountain pen, 01030/18500. This pen is a recent purchase but it is fast becoming on of my favorite pens. Very nice Blue resin with a wave like pattern and Silver fittings. The Medium 18ct Nib head a perfect wet writer right out of the box. I am not sure of the weight of the pen but it has some heft making it a joy for me to write with. This is my first Montblanc Piston filler pen so i am not sure how easy it will be to clean and ink with another color.

#7 goes to Conway Stewart Churchill "Excalibur" fountain pen, 012/100cc. Just an awesome Black Resin with ribbons of red flowing thru, Halmarked Sterling Silver fittings. 18ct Solid gold Extra Fine nib that is just perfect, not scratchy like other extra fine nibs. Weight is about 30 grams and is a large pen in general.

#8 goes to my Onoto Excel in Black Acrylic fountain pen. It is a small diameter pen with Sterling Silver Fittings. It is light weight coming in at 22 grams. The Nib is a #3 Broad Solid 18ct Gold two tone nib that is buttery smooth to use. I enjoy using this pen even tho it is plain in design and small, the nib just makes me want to use it. limited Edition 42/50.

#9 goes to Conway Stewart "Britannia" fountain pen, Solid Halmarked Sterling Silver with a gorgeous engraved design on the barrel and cap, 010/100. This pen comes with a Medium Italic 18ct Solid Gold Nib.

This pen is of a hefty design coming in at 89 grams.

#10 goes to Krone Fusion "Molten" fountain pen. This is one of the most amazing pens I have, the barrel is made of some kind of red resin with gold foil floating randomly through out the pen making for a realy cool look. The Medium Solid 18ct Gold two tone nib is a good writer but for some reason it can be picky about what type of paper you are using. Not sure if it is actually a nib or ink issue, but regardless it is a wonderful pen.

So these were my top ten fountain pens, what are your favorite pens from your collect and why?

Edited June 27, 2015 by Zaphod_Beeblebrox

June 27, 2015

Lovely pens! That's a beautiful top 10!

My top 10 are

1) Montblanc 146 M - the perfect balanced pen for writing

2) Pilot 823 BB - this one I enjoy signing with

3) Sailor 1911L demo - in F nib - this is how F should be; a smooth slender crisp line.

4) Waterman Phileas M nib - this was my old favourite - I've had this pen longer than any other in my collection and was a very different Shawn when I bought it. Now semi-permanently out of rotation

5) Pelikan M205 - didn't like it when I bought it as an M but at Scriptus last year I was suggested an Arabic Italic and the rest was magic

6) Pilot VP Carbonesque Blue M - always ready for action - this one is for days when anything can happen.

7) Parker 51 - won at an auction in Bruce's Sunday Ebay listings... I used a lot of Hero pens in school, so it was time to pay respect to the one that they all came from

8) Hero 329 F - makes me write like I am in school again - $1 was the bargain of a lifetime.

9) Platinum 3776 Chartres Blue SM - the Japanese pen that got me hooked on Japanese pens...

10) Waterman Carene - the design, the nib, was a gift from my gf and December will be 10 years we are together.

June 27, 2015

Shawndp,

Thanks for the Complements.

You too have a nice collection, Sailor pens, the Japanese do make wonderful Fine and Extra Fine nibs.

Keep on writing!

June 27, 2015

my top 10:

1. Montblanc 149 (pre- full brass piston assembaly)

2. Montblanc 146 (striped window and later)

3. Parker 51

everything else sucks.

thank you.

ps that should be an obvious joke.

Edited June 27, 2015 by redisburning

June 29, 2015

Vintage all the way for me. A bit more than ten. Not necessarily 1 to 10 order. All are semi-flex to 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex. Some are obliques.

MB 234 1/2 Deluxe KOB ('52-54 only) #1

Geha 790 (4) & 725 (#3 looks and balance) I find the Geha nibs to be a tad better than the Pelikan.

Pelikan '50's 400's; 400, 400n tortoise , 400nn (was #2..could still be, a tad better balance than the 400s) and 500. 140's too.

Osmia and Osmia-Faber Castell (6-7) From medium-small, standard, medium-large...one with a thicker girth than standard. The only pen where you can tell what flex the nib has. A Diamond on the nib is semi-flex, Supra = 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex.

Do like the nibs and balance of my Pelikan 100n superflex: easy full flex and my Waterman 52 wet noodle.

That's an easy top 20.

July 1, 2015

Lately, I have found myself using one pen exclusively, with the rest of them flushed and stowed away. That pen is my Parker 51. In my opinion, the 51 is the perfect pen because it unwaveringly accomplishes the task at hand without any of the "quirks" such as the leaking, skipping, blotting and filling system failures that I have experienced with virtually every other pen that I own.