Pen Journey: Finding My Taste

[Nightly]

I've been into fountain pens since July 2015. They always attracted me since I had a disposable Pilot fountain pen (medium, purple ink) in school over 20 years ago, but buying pens didn't fit into my budget until recently. Since July, I've bought some pens, and sold some, learned a lot, and I think I found what my preferences are.

 

Pilot Metropolitan, Medium: This was actually my first purchase. I Googled what was a good starter pen, and bought a black one on Amazon. And at first, it was great. I bought some ink, a converter. But after trying some other pens, I found that it didn't write thick enough for me, and it was heavy. Sold.

 

Lamy Safaris, Mediums: Then I got one of these. This is my favorite pen. I actually have three, but I'm only writing with the Vista. I love it so much, I think I need to buy several more in case they change or production stops.

 

Kaweco Sport, Medium: This was a terrible experience for me. The pen was too short. The ink didn't flow properly; I couldn't even write one single word without it skipping. I learned I prefer converters over cartridges, and was unable to locate a converter for this pen. Sold.

 

Then I got cheap, which I think is the opposite of what most people do. I was greedy and wanted Moar Pens, Fast!

 

Jinhao 159, Medium: This pen was awful. It was too thick, too heavy, the ink was too light. Sold.

 

Jinhao X750, Medium: Another terrible experience. Too heavy, wrote too light. It wrote exactly like the 159. Sold.

 

Here's where I tried to move back into my previous price range.

 

Noodler's Nib Creaper Flex: I grabbed this thanks to a Goulet email. It was a crappy writer until I learned with Noodler's pens, you're supposed to wash them out before using them. Once I did that, it wrote great. And I liked the piston filler. But it was too thin to feel comfortable in my hand. Sold.

 

Noodler's Charlie: This is the pen that comes in the box when you buy certain Noodler's inks. I think the idea is you buy the ink and get a free pen, but I actually bought the pen and got the ink. Other than being an eyedropper instead of a piston filler, this was exactly like the Nib Creaper Flex. Sold.

 

Tried to take a step up.

 

TWSBI Diamond 580, Medium: This pen wrote great! It was the next best thing to my Lamy Safaris. But I had two problems with it. The body was too thick for me, and I couldn't stand the fact it didn't post. Sold and Replaced!

 

TWSBI Mini, Medium: This TWSBI is much better suited to me. I love this pen! It posts, and it's not too thick a body for me, and it writes fabulously.

 

I thought I knew what my target was so I bought another pen.

 

Nimosine Singularity, Medium: This pen came with an unexpected bunch of cartridges. I thought I was buying the pen and 5 blacks, but it came with over a dozen colors. Unfortunately, it's an awful writer. I'm probably going to sell this pen, and my remaining cartridges.

 

The purse pen:

 

Platinum Preppy: I can't complain about this pen. I grabbed a black one. It's pretty good and if someone swipes it or I leave it somewhere, I don't care. I almost threw one of my colored Safaris in my purse, but I'd be disappointed if I lost it. The Preppy is a great carry pen.

 

Over all these pens, I've learned I prefer

• Piston fillers, converters, or eyedroppers
• Plastic bodies, demonstrators are best
• The pen body should be neither too think, nor too thin
• Medium Nib
• Ink should flow smooth and wet

In summary, I have and plan on keeping, and love: Lamy Safari Medium and TWSBI Mini Medium.

 

It's been a good experience overall, but I don't know what pen I want to get next.

Edited May 20, 2016 by Nightly

[shawndp]

I think I started out with pretty much the same set as you when I got back into FP's... I'm a big Safari fan but most of mine stay un-inked in favour of the Vista and a couple of Al-Stars. They are my work pens - can take a beating and write consistently. The fact that you can change nibs on the fly with them is a very nice bonus - the M is a good daily writer, the B is super inky and the 1.1 adds a bit of flair to any writing.

 

A couple of suggestions - if you liked the Pilot but wanted a wider line, the 78g can be had with a interesting B nib - a stub, but not nearly as wide as the 1.1 in a Safari, and smooth enough to write a page without fatigue. I used to have one till it moved to another province with a friend who liked it even more than I did. Not the easiest pen to find, but light and inky and Pilot has great build quality.

 

The other suggestion is to get a Pelikan M200 / 205. If you like light-weight plastic, piston-filled, wet writers that is pretty much the pen for you. I have to add that I stopped using my TWSBI's after I really got to know the Pelikan. It wasn't love at first sight - the pen checked all the boxes on paper but I was less than impressed when I saw it. It took me over a month of experimenting with different ink and paper to get into the zone with it. I have since bought two more nib units for it and have plans to eventually get another pen.

 

All the best with your inky journey!

[Uncle Red]

Well, do you want to stay in your current price range or do you want a more (but not outrageously) expensive pen?

 

You seem to like Lamy so how about a Studio?

Since you like thinner, lighter pens how about an Edison Premiere from the Goulets?

If you want to go vintage you could get a nice pen with a semiflex nib for $80 - $150 depending on condition, model and size.

[ac12]

NOT the Lamy Studio. the OP did not like the heavy Chinese pens, the Studio is a HEAVY pen.

 

Try and find a pen club/posse, near you there you can try a bunch of pens, if you ask nicely.

It is a good way to try many different pens.

 

I understand that Dromgoole's in Houston, is a nice pen shop. See if you can make a visit there, and try the different pens.

 

I would stay away from eye droppers. They can be messy to deal with.

 

You might also get a bunch of cheap pens to learn and practice adjusting nibs. Because that is what you may have to do when you get a new pen. When I get a pen, if it does not flow ink as I want it to, I don't complain about it, I adjust the nib to get the ink flow that I want.

 

Also be aware that there are 4 variables to the writing experience

- the pen; size, weight, nib, ink flow

- the ink; lubrication, wetness/ink flow

- the paper; smoothness, hardness, absorbency.

- you the writer; how you hold the pen, how you write with the pen, downward pressure on the pen.

Change any one variable and you can turn a nice writing pen into a bad writing pen. Or a bad writing pen into a good writing pen.

Edited May 20, 2016 by ac12

[Nightly]

I think I started out with pretty much the same set as you when I got back into FP's... I'm a big Safari fan but most of mine stay un-inked in favour of the Vista and a couple of Al-Stars. They are my work pens - can take a beating and write consistently. The fact that you can change nibs on the fly with them is a very nice bonus - the M is a good daily writer, the B is super inky and the 1.1 adds a bit of flair to any writing.

 

A couple of suggestions - if you liked the Pilot but wanted a wider line, the 78g can be had with a interesting B nib - a stub, but not nearly as wide as the 1.1 in a Safari, and smooth enough to write a page without fatigue. I used to have one till it moved to another province with a friend who liked it even more than I did. Not the easiest pen to find, but light and inky and Pilot has great build quality.

 

The other suggestion is to get a Pelikan M200 / 205. If you like light-weight plastic, piston-filled, wet writers that is pretty much the pen for you. I have to add that I stopped using my TWSBI's after I really got to know the Pelikan. It wasn't love at first sight - the pen checked all the boxes on paper but I was less than impressed when I saw it. It took me over a month of experimenting with different ink and paper to get into the zone with it. I have since bought two more nib units for it and have plans to eventually get another pen.

 

All the best with your inky journey!

 

Thank you for the recommendations. I see the Pilot 78g ranges from $12 - 22 so I will just buy one of them, in Broad with a converter. I feel a little stupid; when I sold my Metropolitan I sold the converter with it, thinking I'd never use the pen when I had pens I preferred more, but that was a mistake and I should have hung on to the converter. Lesson learned.

 

The Pelikan 200 and 205 look very suited to me but at $100+ I'll need to watch some videos first. I hadn't noticed this pen before and on eBay I see a lovely 205 amethyst demonstrator with amethyst ink so of course I'm lusting after it now.

[Nightly]

Well, do you want to stay in your current price range or do you want a more (but not outrageously) expensive pen?

 

You seem to like Lamy so how about a Studio?

Since you like thinner, lighter pens how about an Edison Premiere from the Goulets?

If you want to go vintage you could get a nice pen with a semiflex nib for $80 - $150 depending on condition, model and size.

 

Right now I'm wanting to stay under $150 since I can't try the pens before purchasing. I don't mind buying something knowing it's not returnable and taking a small hit selling if it's not to my taste, but the more expensive the pen the harder it is for me to do that with my budget.

 

Like with my TWSBI purchases. Had I been able to use the 580 in a store, I'd have known immediately it wasn't suited to me being so large in my hand and how much I disliked the way it doesn't post. This would have put me onto the Mini, and I would have bought that and went home.

 

Instead I lost about $12 by buying and then selling as used since there is no store near me. I can see this becoming more problematic the more expensive the pen is.

 

As far as going with a Studio, I did watch a video and AC 12 is correct, I think it's going to be too heavy for me. I'm currently considering the AL Star since it's aluminum, which should be lighter, and would give a chance to check my preferences on aluminum bodies. I like Graphite and Purple, and they aren't expensive.

 

Vintage - I DO want to go vintage, I just don't know WHERE to go. I go to eBay and read the auctions but I've never bid because there's just too much I don't know.

[Cryptos]

If you want to go vintage don't go to eBay! At least not yet. If you are in the US (Texas flag, yes?) then you should look for local pen posse group or the nearest pen show. I cannot stress enough not to go into eBay without being properly prepared. Learn from my mistake.

[Nightly]

NOT the Lamy Studio. the OP did not like the heavy Chinese pens, the Studio is a HEAVY pen.

 

Try and find a pen club/posse, near you there you can try a bunch of pens, if you ask nicely.

It is a good way to try many different pens.

 

I understand that Dromgoole's in Houston, is a nice pen shop. See if you can make a visit there, and try the different pens.

 

I would stay away from eye droppers. They can be messy to deal with.

 

You might also get a bunch of cheap pens to learn and practice adjusting nibs. Because that is what you may have to do when you get a new pen. When I get a pen, if it does not flow ink as I want it to, I don't complain about it, I adjust the nib to get the ink flow that I want.

 

Also be aware that there are 4 variables to the writing experience

- the pen; size, weight, nib, ink flow

- the ink; lubrication, wetness/ink flow

- the paper; smoothness, hardness, absorbency.

- you the writer; how you hold the pen, how you write with the pen, downward pressure on the pen.

Change any one variable and you can turn a nice writing pen into a bad writing pen. Or a bad writing pen into a good writing pen.

 

I did look for a pen club, near the Ft Worth area. I found some old threads but nothing new, leading me to believe the club no longer exists or isn't accepting new members at the moment. The nearest store is quite a drive from me, and also in Dallas which I'm not familiar with. Thank you for the Dromgoole's recommendation - my husband and I do plan to go to Houston this year so I can make sure and stop there.

 

You've also made me aware of another mistake I made. I never should have sold the Jinhao pens, I should have deconstructed them to learn more, especially since they were cheap and I didn't care for them. It looks like I can get 8 Jinhao 599s for about $10 so I'm ordering and will practice with those; as a bonus they are plastic.

 

You've changed my mind about selling my Nimosine Singularity. Instead, I've ordered a converter for it and when it comes, and I can use an ink I'm familiar with, I'm going to try and learn to adjust the nib to give me the flow I want. This will probably enhance my overall fountain pen experience. My other problem with this pen is that it gets hairline cracks or fractures, but that would be nothing if I liked the way it wrote.

[Nightly]

If you want to go vintage don't go to eBay! At least not yet. If you are in the US (Texas flag, yes?) then you should look for local pen posse group or the nearest pen show. I cannot stress enough not to go into eBay without being properly prepared. Learn from my mistake.

 

Don't worry - I'm smart enough to know that I'm not smart enough about pens yet. All the pens I've got so far are brand new and from a reputable dealer.

[Flippy]

Hi! Those sound like great starter pens (especially the Safari.) My own story was back in July 2014. I bought my first fine writing instrument, a Parker IM ball point. I didn't actually collect fountain pens until early 2015. By then, I had a lot of broken ballpoints from abuse....

 

Some how in my head I find out that plastic BIC's and Parker/Waterman/Pelikans aren't in the same level. Phew. That was some hard brainpower...

[Runnin_Ute]

 

Don't worry - I'm smart enough to know that I'm not smart enough about pens yet. All the pens I've got so far are brand new and from a reputable dealer.

What I believe EoC is saying is there are reputable sellers of vintage pens that will make sure they write properly. Teri at Peyton Street Pens is one. (no affiliation, in fact have only browsed. But lots of others have had good experiences with buying from her)

[owend]

You seem to like lighter weight: if you want new, can I suggest the Platinum PTL-5000, around £45 in the UK so about $66. Excellent value pen for the money, 14K gold nib, converter included, mine is a smooth, consistent and slightly wet writer which deals with any ink I give it; light-weight, well-made, and Platinum is a very reputable make.

 

Remember Japanese sizes are smaller, my Medium is between F and M in Lamy sizing. It looks a bit small, but it posts well and I like it even though I normally like larger pens.

 

Then if you like the size, it's the same size capped and about 4mm shorter than a Parker 45 which is vintage, fairly bombproof, and available on ebay from £11/$16 as I look now! Parker 45s are very easily found, in a vast range of nibs (one dealer lists 15 widths, in steel, gold-plated or all-gold!) and almost unlimited varieties, and many dealers will have them from about £25/$37 and you get a pen that's been checked and serviced. They have a strong following on FPN, so browse.

 

You seem to suggest $100 as a sensible limit; you could get a PTL-5000, an ebay Parker 45 and a couple of small (30ml) bottles of ink for around that!

 

Happy hunting!

 

Owen

[ac12]

You can also look at vintage pens. And that is a whole different rabbit hole to fall into. I would say that a good portion of my pens are vintage, or at least not current production.

[Nightly]

[ac12]

N

It is called, the voice of experience, or the school of hark knocks.

 

You will also find the same with paper. Some paper is HORRIBLE to write on with a FP, ANY FP. Others are bad with Fine nib pens, but OK with Medium or wider nib pens. And cost is not a factor in determining if the paper is FP friendly.

 

The thing about visiting a store is that nothing can replace hands on experience.

Example1 - I bought a Lamy 2000 over the internet because of the great comments on the pen. When it arrived, as soon as I held it, I knew it would be a problem. The pen felt too FAT and rather heavy. For 3 months, I 'tried' to like the pen, but finally gave up on it. Now it sits in my collection, never to be inked again.

Example2 - I saw the Lamy Studio and thought "neat pen." But this time I found one in a store. As soon as I held it, the warning messages in my head flashed....TOO HEAVY. So I did not have to go through the buying and disappointment that I did with the L-2000.

 

gud luk

Edited May 24, 2016 by ac12

[Runnin_Ute]

I discovered relatively early on I didn't much care for heavy pens. Pen #4 - and it's a pen I really do love. A True Writer Silver Anniversary. It has a brass barrel and weighs 30 grams. (~1 oz) And I figured out it was a terrific pen, although after I got a couple of other lighter pens, I figured out that 30 grams is my upper limit. I was gifted a Jinhao 159 by a penpal. I figured out very quickly it was way to heavy. (>50 grams) To big and heavy and fat for my tastes.

 

That Silver Anniversary that I said liked so much? I still do, it just doesn't get as much use as it used to. I found I prefer light pens - Parker 45, Pelikan M200.. Pens under about 22 grams or so. The heaviest pens that I have that get a lot of use are a TWSBI 580 and an Eco. Pens under 30 grams.

 

An Esterbrook SJ for me is to short. I have to post it, but I won't buy another. It completes a set of three. A SJ, a J and an LJ.....

 

But I don't regret buying that SJ. Nor do I regret the Silver Anniversary. Maybe the Parker IM - because mine has been grumpy or worse.