Worst Brands Of 2016

[forlornborg]

Hello!

 

I am new to the fountain pen world, so far I've purchased the Pilot Metropolitan and the Lamy Safari, and I was curious to know of any brands I should steer clear away from. Pen brands, ink brands, notebook brands... Any place you've had consistent bad experiences with would be helpful.

 

Thanks!

[Calabria]

Oooh I'm not sure we're allowed to post negative comments here.

 

But Moleskine has certainly fallen out of favor with me. Can't really say why.

[ENewton]

You might not get many replies to the question as you've stated it, because disparaging a brand is against the rules of this forum (I believe).

 

I would suggest rewording your question. If you asked, "What pen or ink brands would be best for a new fountain-pen user to avoid?" then a respondent could steer you away from a pen that is likely to need its nib adjusted or an ink that requires more maintenance than most.

 

As for paper, you could ask, "What notebooks tend to be unsuitable for use with fountain pens?"

 

Another important point is that there can be a lot of variation within a brand. Especially when it comes to inks, some brands have extensive offerings including many inks that are easy to use and others that are more challenging.

 

I can't think of any good way to find out what companies have poor customer service. The best approach is probably to ask the opposite question, "What brands have the best customer service?"

[kapanak]

Perhaps if you provide a bit more about what you consider to be ideal in a fountain pen for you, we can steer you clear of some brands.

 

For example, if you don't like pen feedback, I could say avoid Aurora or Delta.

 

If you said you want glassy smooth paper, I would steer you towards Clairefontaine/Rhodia and Tomoe River.

 

If you said you want to avoid fussy pens that could potentially give you a headache, I would steer you clear of TWSBI.

 

There are also a group of inks you can avoid if you want to avoid staining both to all that surrounds you, and also your pen, but that is not brand specific.

 

Etc etc.

[kernando]

Well, I wouldn't buy that thing on TV that's available in drug stores. And pens that say iridium point Germany aren't.

[FOUR X FOUR]

Well, let me see. My Noodlers ink bottles always break when I drop them on concrete. The precious resin of my Mont Blancs never does well against my dogs

If you have concrete or dogs, I'd have to say, steer clear of Noodlers and Mont Blanc.

[Flippy]

Ooh...Well if you don't like unique design, you may want to steer clear of Omas.

 

Well, anyway they're out of business

[fabri00]

Ooh...Well if you don't like unique design, you may want to steer clear of Omas.

 

Well, anyway they're out of business

I think there are more brands with innovative design, and I don't consider omas vary much innovative on that.

 

Take Montegrappa, Visconti, Lamy, Waterman, all of them are much innovating design than Omas.

[Bluey]

I think there are more brands with innovative design, and I don't consider omas vary much innovative on that.

 

Take Montegrappa, Visconti, Lamy, Waterman, all of them are much innovating design than Omas.

Lamy?

Almost all their pens look the same. They mostly have the same nib and same styling.

Edited May 22, 2016 by Bluey

[shawndp]

I think you are off to a good start with Lamy and Pilot - both are very well respected pen companies that turn out smashing products. The twist here is that a lot of people who like one, do not like the other. I am talking Metro vs Safari - they are two very different answers to the same question. This is not to say love for the Safari will preclude you from buying a higher-end Pilot. My advice is to write with both pens, not just a few lines, but punish them over pages of ink and see what appeals to you - the round vs triangle grip and plastic vs metal body. Once you know what you like and don't like you can fine-tune your preference with different inks / nib widths / papers.

 

To answer your question though - 2016 is still young and it is hard to say what terrible pens might be built this year... 2015's award would probably go to the (new) Esterbrook. They sold these really nice boxes which tragically came with terrible pens inside.

 

If you want a quick answer on what to get next - try the Plumix or the Penmanship. The former is a stub that will give your writing some flair and make some of your shading inks come alive and the other is a really fine EF that makes writing wee little numbers a pleasant task. All the best on your inky adventures!

[ian1964]

I really like FPN because it is the go to site for repair advice. But, don't think for one minute you will get a ballanced opinion about brands here on the forum. Just my opinion obviously.

[gregamckinney]

There is no worse brand in 2016 than the "new Esterbrook." No contest. We could easily close the competition.

 

greg

[flipper_gv]

There is no worse brand in 2016 than the "new Esterbrook." No contest. We could easily close the competition.

 

greg

 

I agree. I really dislike Noodler's pens too.

[Erik Dalton]

You can't say this. You can't say that unless you make it a backhanded question. Then you trash the guy. I bet he'll think twice about asking a simple question here in the future....well done guys.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Well, I wouldn't buy that thing on TV that's available in drug stores. And pens that say iridium point Germany aren't.

See, I would totally buy those. Just for the nostalgia.

[fabri00]

Lamy?

Almost all their pens look the same. They mostly have the same nib and same styling.

Lamy 2000, studio, dialog, safari, are for me quite different in style.

[kapanak]

Lamy?

Almost all their pens look the same. They mostly have the same nib and same styling.

Pretty sure you're only thinking of the Safari, Vista and Al-Star. None of the others are similar to each other. Lamy has contemporary designs, so you certainly won't find vintage shapes in their lineup (not counting the 2000).

 

The nib exchange system is quite ingenious in my opinion. All the current lineup of Lamy can take the same shape nib except the 2000. However, that doesn't mean all the nibs are the same. In the steel lineup, there are black PVD coated and steel raw nibs in sizes from EF to B and LH. Then there are raw steel 1.1, 1.5, 1.9 cursive italics. Once you change the material to gold, you have three designs, the Z55 (two-tone yellow gold and rhodium with breather hole), Z56 (two-tone yellow gold and rhodium, no breather hole), and Z57 (two-tone yellow gold and black PVD, no breather hole) nibs, which have sizes from EF to B.

 

That's certainly not all the same.

[Bluey]

Pretty sure you're only thinking of the Safari, Vista and Al-Star. None of the others are similar to each other. Lamy has contemporary designs, so you certainly won't find vintage shapes in their lineup (not counting the 2000).

 

The nib exchange system is quite ingenious in my opinion. All the current lineup of Lamy can take the same shape nib except the 2000. However, that doesn't mean all the nibs are the same. In the steel lineup, there are black PVD coated and steel raw nibs in sizes from EF to B and LH. Then there are raw steel 1.1, 1.5, 1.9 cursive italics. Once you change the material to gold, you have three designs, the Z55 (two-tone yellow gold and rhodium with breather hole), Z56 (two-tone yellow gold and rhodium, no breather hole), and Z57 (two-tone yellow gold and black PVD, no breather hole) nibs, which have sizes from EF to B.

 

That's certainly not all the same.

No I'm thinking of the entire modern day range.

You mentioned there yourself that they are of contemporary design. The Lamy 2000 has it's own nib whereas all the rest use the same nib, and that alone adds to the feeling of sameness. The Safari stand out as being different as it's being aimed at children with it's garish hyper-modern looks and multi colours. All the rest look to me like they have the same black and silver design.

 

Agreed about the nib exchange system being very useful.

Edited May 22, 2016 by Bluey

[Sandy1]

 

Hi,

 

Perhaps the best overly general reply I can give to such a broad question is that if a product does not have an entry in the appropriate Review Forum, then it would be an iffy choice.

 

That's not to say that there aren't some wonderful products in the market that do not have entries.

 

Indeed, some of the products I reviewed had no previous entry, and turned-out to very good picks, with the notable exception of Lamy Green ink.

 

As always, FPN is a most convivial site, so should you have specific questions about a product, it is highly likely that you will receive a helpful reply, even though Members' experience and opinions can vary.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited May 23, 2016 by Sandy1

[IrishEyes]

The poor guy has only posted this one question, and no more in the past few days--his post count is exactly 1. I hope s/he wasn't scared away....

 

I love my Lamy Al Stars. Not the world's biggest fans of Pilots--almost all of them seem very fussy to me, and often hard starters. Still, I have 3 vintage 45s (I think), that are very nice once they start writing.

 

A lot of papers tend to bleed. The best way I've found to test them before purchase is to bring a fountain pen with me to the store, and place one or 2 inconspicuous small dots on a blank back page of any notebook or whatever that I'm considering purchasing. If the dot(s) feather or bleed through the paper, then the paper isn't really fountain-pen friendly.

 

As for inks, I haven't found many that I dislike, excluding my choice/preference of ink colors. The color is a very subjective choice, while the properties of the actual ink may be less so. I DO love inks that shade or sheen, and will deliberately hunt them down while mostly ignoring the other ink offerings out there.