Any Recommendations For A "essay" Fountain Pen ?

[Rayners]

Hello, i'm searching a pen under the 70€ for writing essays. I'm searching a pen with an european M nib (or a stub equivalent). I want it to take a lot of ink, so i want a pen that can be converted to a Eyedropper or a piston filler. I prefer a light pen, or at least like the TWSBI Eco, that can be used for some hours. I prefer a European seller.

Thank you !

[ac12]

Warning, an eyedropper is not all that you may think it is.

Yes some will hold a lot of ink.

BUT...some eye droppers have issues with dripping ink onto the paper.

As your hand heats up the pen, the air in the pen will expand, and could force the ink out of the pen, to drip onto your paper, making a MESS.

The less ink in the pen, as you use the pen, the more air in the pen. The more air in the pen, the more it will expand when heated. So this dripping will likely happen as you get below half fill on the pen.

 

IOW, a piston filler might be the best option for you.

 

However, even a cartridge pen will give you hours of writing. You would have to be writing ALL DAY (probably over 25 pages) to run a cartridge dry.

Edited July 30, 2016 by ac12

[OCArt]

I'd suggest a used Pelikan from the models 120, 200 or 215. Shouldn't be too hard to come by.

[linearM]

Just a comment about eye dropper fillers. I use them all the time for letter writing. I find if I hold the barrel in my hand, nib up, to warm it before I start writing I don't have the problems with ink dripping onto the paper. My hand prewarms the air inside and when I start writing if anything the barrel cools down since not as much of my hand is in contact with the barrel. As ac12 says you may have a problems if you allow the eyedropper to almost run out of ink, thought my experience is that they just stop writing.

[Rayners]

Warning, an eyedropper is not all that you may think it is.

Yes some will hold a lot of ink.

BUT...some eye droppers have issues with dripping ink onto the paper.

As your hand heats up the pen, the air in the pen will expand, and could force the ink out of the pen, to drip onto your paper, making a MESS.

The less ink in the pen, as you use the pen, the more air in the pen. The more air in the pen, the more it will expand when heated. So this dripping will likely happen as you get below half fill on the pen.

 

IOW, a piston filler might be the best option for you.

 

However, even a cartridge pen will give you hours of writing. You would have to be writing ALL DAY (probably over 25 pages) to run a cartridge dry.

 

I have a Kaweco Sport that is eyedroppered, and i have no burping problem at all, but i think it depends of the pen...

 

I really like piston fillers as i have a TWSBI Eco, i use it for essays but i want a broader nib than the F nib of my Eco, so i will use my Eco for taking notes and buy a new one for essays.

 

I have a full bottle of R&K Konigsblau so i prefer using bottled ink, and i had bad experiences with filling cartridges (international cartridges break easily).

 

 

I'd suggest a used Pelikan from the models 120, 200 or 215. Shouldn't be too hard to come by.

I don't like to buy used pen on the internet, but if i find one in the Paris region i will try it !

[sandy101]

How about a Waterman Hemisphere, and you can put the longer cartidges into it. It is a nice pen, and wrties well enough, and the Waterman range of ink colours will be suitable for essay writing.

 

You do not get many piston fillers below the 70 euro mark.

[Sajen006]

While a bit bigger and a touch heavier, the TWSBI Vac 700 might be a pen to look into. It's 19 g unposted, which is comparable to of you were to post your Eco, which comes in at 21 g posted. Being a vacuumm filler, it has a gargantuan ink capacity of 2.3mL if you manage a full filling, which will last you a long time. I have not been doing too much research on pricing thus far, but appelboom has the pen listed for 75, so a touch over budget perhaps, but it might be cheaper elsewhere. If that would be too big, heavy or expensive, check out the 580/Diamond 580/580AL or Vac Mini. You could also go with a Kaweco Sport and eyedropper it, but that comes with potential problems that have been mentioned above.

[Ileach]

I'd suggest a used Pelikan from the models 120, 200 or 215. Shouldn't be too hard to come by.

 

+1 from me for the Pelikan 200.

[senzen]

Parker Sonnet, Pelikan m200... I'm thinking of comfort and reliability although this depends on one's hands... The Faber Castell Ambition pearwood (poirier) feels great but I do have to hold it a little higher than I'm used to.

[dcwaites]

If you are going to use a pen for hours just writing, then the feel of the pen will be far more important than its filling system. The pen should 'disappear' into your hand after a few minutes so that you don't even notice that it is there any more. For me, that means a pen that is at least medium long so it hangs past the web of my thumb, it has a section diameter of about 11~12 mm so it doesn't feel too thin or too thick, and should be in the weight range of 17 ~ 25 gm.

 

Of the pens in my collections that fit that criteria I have Parker 51, Kaigelu 316 with richardandtracy's light barrel finial, Sailor 1911 Large, Lamy 2000 and Pilot 742 Custom, and Pilot DPN-200 Desk Pen.

 

You need to decide what size, weight and shape pen suits your hand, then go looking for a filling method that suits your capacity needs. Any pen that takes a largish cartridge (Parker, International Long, Lamy, Pilot, Platinum) should suit you, as will those that have larger convertors (Pilot CON-70 comes to mind) as well as any of the piston-fillers such as Pelikan, TWSBI 580, or Pilot Custom Heritage 92.

 

If you are worried about reliability of vendors, then the Japenese vendor engeika is about as good as it gets.

[Rayners]

While a bit bigger and a touch heavier, the TWSBI Vac 700 might be a pen to look into. It's 19 g unposted, which is comparable to of you were to post your Eco, which comes in at 21 g posted. Being a vacuumm filler, it has a gargantuan ink capacity of 2.3mL if you manage a full filling, which will last you a long time. I have not been doing too much research on pricing thus far, but appelboom has the pen listed for 75, so a touch over budget perhaps, but it might be cheaper elsewhere. If that would be too big, heavy or expensive, check out the 580/Diamond 580/580AL or Vac Mini. You could also go with a Kaweco Sport and eyedropper it, but that comes with potential problems that have been mentioned above.

 

The VAC 700 seems nice, like the Diamond 580 (AL) and the Classic, but i fear they crack as i bring my pen inside a pouch in my school bag, so they can be tossed around ;/

 

 

If you are going to use a pen for hours just writing, then the feel of the pen will be far more important than its filling system. The pen should 'disappear' into your hand after a few minutes so that you don't even notice that it is there any more. For me, that means a pen that is at least medium long so it hangs past the web of my thumb, it has a section diameter of about 11~12 mm so it doesn't feel too thin or too thick, and should be in the weight range of 17 ~ 25 gm.

 

Of the pens in my collections that fit that criteria I have Parker 51, Kaigelu 316 with richardandtracy's light barrel finial, Sailor 1911 Large, Lamy 2000 and Pilot 742 Custom, and Pilot DPN-200 Desk Pen.

 

You need to decide what size, weight and shape pen suits your hand, then go looking for a filling method that suits your capacity needs. Any pen that takes a largish cartridge (Parker, International Long, Lamy, Pilot, Platinum) should suit you, as will those that have larger convertors (Pilot CON-70 comes to mind) as well as any of the piston-fillers such as Pelikan, TWSBI 580, or Pilot Custom Heritage 92.

 

If you are worried about reliability of vendors, then the Japenese vendor engeika is about as good as it gets.

 

Japanese pens seems nice, but a little bit expensive for my budget. so does the Pelikan M200.

 

I don't like using large cartridges, at lease i don't like refilling it as i have a full bottle of ink (R&K Konigsblau).

 

I was thinking about eyedroppering the Pilot Celemo in order to have a nice pen with a gold nib, but can i make the conversion on it ?

 

If not maybe i will take a new TWSBI, i will see...

 

Thanks !

[wallylynn]

A pilot v-pen, while not designed that way, can be refilled to hold a lot of ink.

[flipper_gv]

Warning, an eyedropper is not all that you may think it is.

Yes some will hold a lot of ink.

BUT...some eye droppers have issues with dripping ink onto the paper.

As your hand heats up the pen, the air in the pen will expand, and could force the ink out of the pen, to drip onto your paper, making a MESS.

The less ink in the pen, as you use the pen, the more air in the pen. The more air in the pen, the more it will expand when heated. So this dripping will likely happen as you get below half fill on the pen.

 

IOW, a piston filler might be the best option for you.

 

However, even a cartridge pen will give you hours of writing. You would have to be writing ALL DAY (probably over 25 pages) to run a cartridge dry.

 

That's why most eyedroppers of yore were ebonite, it doesn't conduct heat much. Your hands won't make them drip.

[Rayners]

 

That's why most eyedroppers of yore were ebonite, it doesn't conduct heat much. Your hands won't make them drip.

That's why i was thinking also about getting an Indian eyedropper, like an Asa or a Ranga one, but i'm fearing about their reliablity.

[TSherbs]

Your description of pen needs screams TWSBI, including the price: the 580. But, it is not European.

[Rayners]

Your description of pen needs screams TWSBI, including the price: the 580. But, it is not European.

I said that i was prefering a pen sold in Europe, and TWSBI is sold in Europe, so i could take it. But i'm fearing about getting cracks, eventhough my Eco had not that cracks hopefully.

 

The pen will be tossed around a pen roll in a bag that will be really shaked, so i'm fearing of this :/

[Ileach]

 

Japanese pens seems nice, but a little bit expensive for my budget. so does the Pelikan M200.

 

 

The M200 is currently sold at Amazon.de for 50 Euro with M or B nib. Just want to say...

Edited July 31, 2016 by Ileach

[Ecriveur]

Piston fillers hold a lot more ink than cartridge converters and so are useful in situations where you want to write for extended periods without the opportunity to pause and refill, such as during an exam, or when taking notes in class. But the piston filler comes at a price because cartridge converters are much quicker and easier to clean. That may matter more if you like to change inks a lot, and less if you tend to stay with the same ink.

 

Apart from the filling mechanism, I would say that one of the most important considerations (possibly the more important) is having a pen that feels comfortable in your hand. If the pen is too large, or too small, or uncomfortable when holding it the way you usually hold a pen, or top heavy when posted (assuming you like posting) then writing for sustained periods is going to be painful. Only you know the size of your hands, and the way you hold a pen, and what feels comfortable. So I would recommend that you visit a pen store, or pen show, and trying out a lot of different pens of varying weights, sizes and shapes, and see which ones feel comfortable.

[Sajen006]

The VAC 700 seems nice, like the Diamond 580 (AL) and the Classic, but i fear they crack as i bring my pen inside a pouch in my school bag, so they can be tossed around ;/

As far as I'm aware, and correct me if I'm wrong here, TWSBI has for the most part solved the issues with their pens cracking. From what I can tell from a quick search on the TWSBI forums here on FPN, the issue might not even be as widespread as you may think at first glance.

 

Even if your pen were to develop cracks, I've heard good things about TWSBI:s customer support and any reputable dealer would surely help you resolve any issues that the pen might develop over time.

 

Also worth mentioning is that the open end of the cap in the Vac 700, as well as the 580AL and Diamond 580, is reinforced by a metal ring/band. This is the most likely part of the pen to develop a crack, and the metal reinforcements are, to my understanding, at least partially designed to prevent cracks from developing.

 

I wouldn't personally be scared to buy a TWSBI pen, even as a toss-around pen, with the improvements to durability and the good customer support in mind, if something actually were to happen to the pen after a while.

Edited August 1, 2016 by Sajen006

[Flounder]

As far as I'm aware, and correct me if I'm wrong here, TWSBI has for the most part solved the issues with their pens cracking. From what I can tell from a quick search on the TWSBI forums here on FPN, the issue might not even be as widespread as you may think at first glance.

 

Even if your pen were to develop cracks, I've heard good things about TWSBI:s customer support and any reputable dealer would surely help you resolve any issues that the pen might develop over time.

 

Also worth mentioning is that the open end of the cap in the Vac 700, as well as the 580AL and Diamond 580, is reinforced by a metal ring/band. This is the most likely part of the pen to develop a crack, and the metal reinforcements are, to my understanding, at least partially designed to prevent cracks from developing.

 

I wouldn't personally be scared to buy a TWSBI pen, even as a toss-around pen, with the improvements to durability and the good customer support in mind, if something actually were to happen to the pen after a while.

 

You're wrong here :-P

 

What's the context of the essay writing, OP? If it's 3 hour essay exams, keep in mind the paper you're given can be low GSM and quite absorbent. You may well find yourself vexxed by the M nib as you paint your essay against the clock!

 

ps - worst case TWSBI scenario here. Can you imagine the stress of that in exam conditions?