What Is Next? Future Pen Purchases :)

[kapanak]

Hello there,

 

Today, I seek your counsel and advice with regards to where I should head with the Fountain Pen hobby.

 

First off, a little about me:

 

I am a graduate student. I do Teaching Assistant sessions and tutorials for undergraduates, as well as attend my own seminars, lectures, and work in a physics lab. I am a private tutor in the afternoons and also work in an academy on the weekends helping students from high school, university and adults with English, Mathematics and any Sciences. During the day, I write a LOT, so comfort with using a pen has always been very important. Any other questions about my lifestyle that can help with pen selection, please ask below.

 

My other hobbies include photography (digital) and an obsession with vintage cameras and film, especially the ever-fast disappearing stock of slide films. I collect vintage and replica combat-ready swords and daggers. I am also an audiophile, but stick to the digital realm for that and only with audiophile grade headphones and a modest speaker setup.

 

Now with regards to pens. I am a user, I do not collect. I do buy though, so I am also an acquirer. At some point I delved into pen turning and making pens, but that has long passed. I like calligraphy, both English as well as Persian and Arabic calligraphy, and recently attended some workshops for Japanese calligraphy.

 

My current stock of pens, all acquired in the last 11 years, are as follows in terms of pricing:

 

Vintage Pens:

• Parker 21 (Medium/Bold)
• 3 x Parker 45 14K nib (2x Fine, 1x Medium)
• 2 x Parker 51 Aerometric (1x EF, 1x Medium/Bold)

Modern Pens:

• Jinhao 159 w/ Jowo B nib
• Unknown Brand "Diploma Ellesse" (Medium)
• 2 x Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop (Fine)
• Lamy Safari Charcoal (EF self grind to a fine stub)
• Cross Aventura (Medium)
• Sheaffer 100 (Fine)
• Lamy Safari Dark Lilac w/ 14K Z57 nib (Bold)
• Parker Sonnet Sterling Cisele 18K nib (Fine)

Now, most of you would probably say that is enough, just use and enjoy. Yes, I am doing that, hahaha. However, I do need a reward system for myself as a self-motivation tool. My wife has no problems with my purchases as long as it doesn't build debt or isn't insanely unreasonable. She is also into fountain pens, so this benefits us both.

 

Most of these pens are inked throughout a month, and most go empty pretty quickly due to wide usage. My current favourite inks are as follows:

 

• Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki and Yu-Yake
• J.Herbin Poussiere De Line
• Waterman Florida Blue
• Aurora Black

 

They serve the "normal" writing and also "grading" criteria that I use my pens most for, as well as signatures

 

So, I ask you, dear sharers of this hobby and obsession, dear afflicted with the curse of fountain pens, what pens would you buy if you were in my shoes. What is the next step up? What should I reward myself next with. Keep in mind, I will be using the pen, not putting it on display in a glass shelf or storing it in a box to be seen only once a year.

 

I thank you in advance, and welcome any questions that I can answer to help you give me better advice

 

Thank you!!

[majolo]

Given your interest in calligraphy, I see a relative shortage of non-round nibs. I assume at some point you've tried the stock Safari italic nibs? If not, they swap in and out very easily, so that would be a simple affordable way to expand your possibilities, in a range of sizes from 1.1mm to 1.9mm I think?

 

The simplicity and affordability might undermine the reward aspect too much, so I might also suggest looking at a piston filler since you go through ink very fast. TWSBI Eco or Noodler's Konrad (probably with a nib swap in the latter unless you want to try their flex nib)? I enjoy both those pens very much (and the Eco has also a stub nib option).

[senzen]

You've got the pens, you've got the ink, to complete the triad you only need... Paper. You can get Clairefontaine in Canada, as well as Rhodia, try to get your hands on some Tomoe River. It's an expensive habit, you might need to kick out other habits like smoking and drinking. Another option is HP 32lbs paper, but nothing is quite like Clairefontaine and Tomoe River. You might also have to take up buddhism as drying times require patience. Or an air blower.

 

 

[kapanak]

Given your interest in calligraphy, I see a relative shortage of non-round nibs. I assume at some point you've tried the stock Safari italic nibs? If not, they swap in and out very easily, so that would be a simple affordable way to expand your possibilities, in a range of sizes from 1.1mm to 1.9mm I think?

 

The simplicity and affordability might undermine the reward aspect too much, so I might also suggest looking at a piston filler since you go through ink very fast. TWSBI Eco or Noodler's Konrad (probably with a nib swap in the latter unless you want to try their flex nib)? I enjoy both those pens very much (and the Eco has also a stub nib option).

 

Great point on stub nibs. I have ever only tried the 1.1 Lamy stub on a Lamy Al-Star Neon Lime that my wife has, and the cheap Sheaffer and Manuscript calligraphy fountain pen sets, as most of my calligraphy was done with dip pens and reed pens. I shall look into higher quality stubs for sure now.

 

You've got the pens, you've got the ink, to complete the triad you only need... Paper. You can get Clairefontaine in Canada, as well as Rhodia, try to get your hands on some Tomoe River. It's an expensive habit, you might need to kick out other habits like smoking and drinking. Another option is HP 32lbs paper, but nothing is quite like Clairefontaine and Tomoe River. You might also have to take up buddhism as drying times require patience. Or an air blower.

 

 

 

Indeed that is a great point. However, if you took a look at my room at home, you'd see about a hundred or so Clairefontaine and Rhodia notebooks and pads. I use them for just about everything. So does my wife. Luckily, our university bookstore has a very healthy selection of both Clairefontaine and Rhodia products of all sizes, and having the graduate student discount helps with the expensive prices I must try Tomoe River soon, especially for their loose leaf paper.

Edited May 21, 2016 by kapanak

[OCArt]

You have made some very wise choices in pens and inks Kapanak. I do think you should add a Pelikan and I'd suggest the 120. They can be picked up very inexpensively if you are patient-- certainly under $50 and possibly under $30. The Pelikan 120 its a very good writer.

[ac12]

Lamy Safari has 3 italic nibs: 1.1, 1.5, 1.9 (although IMHO, they are CI nibs as the corners are not "sharp")

 

Vintage pens (I advise you to buy restored, or budget in for a restoration, as the rubber ink sac/diaphram is likely to be broken from age):

- Esterbrook J series; J, LJ, or SJ depending on what size pen you prefer. A restored Esterbrook would be about $40.

- Parker Vacumatic. Restored $100-150.

- Pelikan 120 or 140. These are piston pens, so no rubber sac/diaphram to worry about.

- Sheaffer Snorkel or Touchdown

 

New pena:

- Pelikan M200 (on sale should be just under $100)

- Pilot ? (there is a Pilot in the sub $100 range, I just don't remember the name)

- Platinum 3776 (seen on Amazon for under $90)

- TWSBI: Eco, 580, 700, Classic (I have 2 Ecos and a 530)

 

Opinion:

Do NOT get any of the Noodler's pens, unless you are prepared to throw it away. Some people are lucky and it works fine out of the box. I bought 2 of them (nib creeper and Konrad) and I could not get them to stop drooling ink. After much tinkering and frustration, I gave up and stuck them in the back of my shelf.

 

One note of caution, think about your working environment outside the house. The issue here is risk of: loss, damage and theft. After having had a gold pen stolen from my desk, I stopped bringing my own pens to work, I used what was in the supply cabinet. And given roller balls and gel pens, it was acceptable. The emotional and financial impact of having that pen stolen was too much. So I advise caution when selecting which pen you take out of the house. The most expensive pen in my "office pen" pool is the $30 TWSBI Eco, and most of the pens are under $20.

Edited May 22, 2016 by ac12

[kapanak]

You have made some very wise choices in pens and inks Kapanak. I do think you should add a Pelikan and I'd suggest the 120. They can be picked up very inexpensively if you are patient-- certainly under $50 and possibly under $30. The Pelikan 120 its a very good writer.

 

Thank you This place and other sites were great help in making wise purchase decisions (except TWSBI ) I shall write down Pelikan of some sort as my next moderate purchase.

 

Lamy Safari has 3 italic nibs: 1.1, 1.5, 1.9 (although IMHO, they are CI nibs as the corners are not "sharp")

 

Vintage pens (I advise you to buy restored, or budget in for a restoration, as the rubber ink sac/diaphram is likely to be broken from age):

- Esterbrook J series; J, LJ, or SJ depending on what size pen you prefer. A restored Esterbrook would be about $40.

- Parker Vacumatic. Restored $100-150.

- Pelikan 120 or 140. These are piston pens, so no rubber sac/diaphram to worry about.

- Sheaffer Snorkel or Touchdown

 

New pena:

- Pelikan M200 (on sale should be just under $100)

- Pilot ? (there is a Pilot in the sub $100 range, I just don't remember the name)

- Platinum 3776 (seen on Amazon for under $90)

- TWSBI: Eco, 580, 700, Classic (I have 2 Ecos and a 530)

 

Opinion:

Do NOT get any of the Noodler's pens, unless you are prepared to throw it away. Some people are lucky and it works fine out of the box. I bought 2 of them (nib creeper and Konrad) and I could not get them to stop drooling ink. After much tinkering and frustration, I gave up and stuck them in the back of my shelf.

 

One note of caution, think about your working environment outside the house. The issue here is risk of: loss, damage and theft. After having had a gold pen stolen from my desk, I stopped bringing my own pens to work, I used what was in the supply cabinet. And given roller balls and gel pens, it was acceptable. The emotional and financial impact of having that pen stolen was too much. So I advise caution when selecting which pen you take out of the house. The most expensive pen in my "office pen" pool is the $30 TWSBI Eco, and most of the pens are under $20.

 

I wish those prices for the vintage pens mentioned were so easy to acquire. There is definitely an element of patience to go along with vintage pen purchases. I've always wanted to purchase a Vacumatic (also found the spelling weird haha), so that is certainly an option. The Pelikan and Sheaffer are also on my shortlist in case I ever come across a particularly lovely example that's fairly reasonably priced and restored.

 

With regards to Pilot and Platinum, I am certainly looking at their models more seriously now, and will consider that part of the definite upcoming purchase alongside Pelikan. The existence of the Japanese sellers on Amazon and elsewhere certainly helps the prospects of owning Platinum and Pilot pens at a more reasonable price in their middle range of pens.

 

With regards to TWSBI, I can only think of the ECO as a viable option, as all my other TWSBI I have ever owned have cracked on me (3 pens) at some point, or had some serious issues that required to be sent back to manufacturer. I have the fixed or replaced warranty returns sitting in a box until I can sell them.

 

 

I really appreciate all the great advice that I could have never thought of myself. It has given me some better perspective on where to take my pen purchases.

 

By all means, please keep them coming

[ggrosjean]

I have been reading all the posts and kept thinking TWSBI, however, it seems you've have some bad luck. I have at least 6 all with 1.1 Stubs except a 580 with a Broad Stub and I've never had an issue.

 

The 580AL with the Broad is attached to my notebook and has had more abuse then any pen deserves, I think TWSBI deserves another look...

[Chouffleur]

Hello there,

 

Today, I seek your counsel and advice with regards to where I should head with the Fountain Pen hobby.

 

[snip]

 

Vintage Pens:

• Parker 21 (Medium/Bold)
• 3 x Parker 45 14K nib (2x Fine, 1x Medium)
• 2 x Parker 51 Aerometric (1x EF, 1x Medium/Bold)

[snip]

 

I thank you in advance, and welcome any questions that I can answer to help you give me better advice

 

Thank you!!

I can't speak to the modern pens but in the vintage area, Parker 61 and Parker 75. Based on your icon you'd probably like the look of the 75. Others with more experience will be able to give you good estimates on approximate cost.

 

Also "I thank you in advance, and welcome any questions that I can answer to help you give me better advice :D"

 

Great question! May I recycle it without harming your copyright? ;-)

[ac12]

check your PM

[IrishEyes]

Yard-O-Led sterling silver pens write like a dream (no good for calligraphy, though), and, imho, are a great "reward"! I have two--got both of them used. The Viceroy Grand Victorian was probably more than you'd like to spend in the "reasonable" category--zwack paid $700 for mine--but the Standard model (I have the same Victorian pattern in the standard size) and pocket model pens are far less expensive. Also, other patterns that don't require such intricate work on the part of the craftsmen making them are quite a bit less expensive, too, especially if you can find one in mint condition, used. I think my standard cost $400, but it was more expensive by at LEAST $100 than some of the other models are, used OR new, and from what I've heard, they all write smoothly and beautifully. So if you like the styling of the Yard-O-Leds, imho, you can't beat one of those for the perfect reward for yourself :-).

 

BTW, I also love my Lamy Al Stars. I have 3, and twice that many nibs, since they come in so many options, including 2 stub italic nibs. Not expensive, but I love writing with them. VERY comfortable, and I am especially fond of their extra fine nibs.

[kapanak]

Yard-O-Led sterling silver pens write like a dream (no good for calligraphy, though), and, imho, are a great "reward"! I have two--got both of them used. The Viceroy Grand Victorian was probably more than you'd like to spend in the "reasonable" category--zwack paid $700 for mine--but the Standard model (I have the same Victorian pattern in the standard size) and pocket model pens are far less expensive. Also, other patterns that don't require such intricate work on the part of the craftsmen making them are quite a bit less expensive, too, especially if you can find one in mint condition, used. I think my standard cost $400, but it was more expensive by at LEAST $100 than some of the other models are, used OR new, and from what I've heard, they all write smoothly and beautifully. So if you like the styling of the Yard-O-Leds, imho, you can't beat one of those for the perfect reward for yourself :-).

 

BTW, I also love my Lamy Al Stars. I have 3, and twice that many nibs, since they come in so many options, including 2 stub italic nibs. Not expensive, but I love writing with them. VERY comfortable, and I am especially fond of their extra fine nibs.

 

I was not even aware the brand Yard-O-Led, and now I have one more to add to my list of dream pens. While I do like the Al-Stars, my wife has one, and I used to have one too, before it was crushed by ... well that is a tragic story I rather not share. I shall look into those again, perhaps with the three stub nibs.

 

Overall takeaway from the advice so far: Look into more stub options. Look into more filling options. Buy a Pelikan pen. Give TWSBI another chance (even though my 580 and Mini both cracked, and I sold the 580 AL and VAC 700). Look at middle range to higher end Pilot and Platinum options. And another thing I realized while browsing, buy a Lamy 2000.

 

Anybody else?

 

Also, feel free to share your own future pen purchases you have planned.

[Hippocratic]

I am still new in this world of pens but I thought I'd throw in my two pennies.

• ​I recently bought a pilot capless and I really love it, a lovely springy nib.
• I highly recommend Pelikans, I have an m400 and it's lovely to write with.

I'm a PostGrad student and Pelikan, Pilot, TWSBI and LAMY serve my note-taking needs well.

 

A LAMY 2000 is next on my list, followed shortly by a Platinum #3776.

[Maurizio]

A Pilot Custom 74. Can be had for around $80.00 on Amazon.

 

A Platinum 3776 also a sub-$100.00 pen on Amazon.

 

For a little more money, a Pilot Custom 912 or a Pilot Custom 823

[Ecriveur]

Given your interest in calligraphy, have you considered the Kaweco calligraphy set? It's a Kaweco Sport fountain pen with four different nibs, from a 1.1 to a super-broad 2.3. SBRE Brown has a good review of it on YouTube.

[Out0Mind]

If you like playing with pens, you can also try a TWSBI Vac 700 or Diamond 580 and learn to disassemble, reassemble, how to service your pens, and nib perform a nib swap. I've found fooling around with those two pens was a huge education in learning to service and care for modern pens, in addition to cleaning them properly.

 

Being able to easily perform a nibswap may be fun for you as well, letting you try different nibs (OBB, Italic, etc...) so you can try more calligraphy in addition to writing normally with one writing device.

 

Just my two cents!

[kapanak]

I believe the point of my post was misunderstood. I was looking for a next level, step-up pen, a reward of some sort at different milestones of life, and some very good advice was given. However, while I appreciate the suggestions, I do not see TWSBI (of which I've owned four pens, two cracking) or Kaweco pens as particularly inspiring or motivating.

 

Between the time I posted the original inquiry, I purchased a mint condition Parker 51 for an extremely good price, so now the Parker 51 count is three pens, basically collection level. Scary.

 

My current next purchase pens include the Lamy 2000 with F or EF nib, Pilot Custom Heritage 912 with a PO and FA nib (possibly two pens), and a Pelikan of some sort by the end of 2016.

[Arkanabar]

The Lamy 2000 ought to be an awesome pen for me, as it hits so many checkboxes -- German, piston-filled, tough and durable, not too heavy.

 

The cap retention system is a spring with a couple of points that project from the section to engage the cap. Those points are rather sharp. Some people are not bothered by them. Others are. I decided it would be prudent to hold one in writing position to see where I was on this, and I'm among those who are bothered. I suggest you pick one up before buying.

[jameswatts]

The Platinum Century 3776 is a GREAT pen, although some might disparage the propriety cartridges. A Lamy 2000 is a classic and deserving of that designation. As for Pelikan, I would recommend the M215 -- the lack of an ink window is a drawback but I prefer the heft of the metal body. I have an M205 in taupe that I enjoy using but for long term writing the M215 suits me better.

 

No one has mentioned this but another GREAT pen is the Italix Parson's Essential. Great balance and flow.

[Arkanabar]

I like the Platinum cartridges, as they can be refilled with a 3ml disposable bulb pipette -- no blunted syringe needed.

 

Have you figured out what your preferences are with regards to things like weight, length, barrel and section diameter, nib size, material, filling system, etc. etc. etc.? Which of your current pens do you like best and why? Answers to these questions help us make suggestions more likely to come close to what you like, because we will have a better idea which objective characteristics of pens have subjective appeal for you.

 

For example: your Safaris ought to be really lightweight and long, with a narrow faceted section; the Jinhao 159 is pretty thick, and weighs in around 50g, which is heavy, more so than the Parson's Essential.