Piston Filler Vs. Converter (Is That What They Are Called?)

[Charles Skinner]

I often see a "post" that tries to make the case for piston fillers being superior to the lowly converters. I will admit that the piston fillers do have a certain "Royal Bearing" about them, and I do not overlook look that aspect of the overall joy of writing with one. However, my old MB 146 "died" about two years ago became the old piston just wore out! Sent it for replacement which set me back something over $100.00! I have two other pens with pistons, and I fear the day when they have to be replaced.

 

Now, the converter system, ---- if one "dies," ------ all I have to do is just spend a little money to buy a new one, and I can "repair" the pen myself in, say, twenty minutes, by simply taking the old one out and replacing it with the new converter.

 

What am I missing here? I fully acknowledge and understand that I am certain not any kind of expert on such matters. So, explain to me why the piston system is "head and shoulders" better and ahead of the lowly converter.

 

Thanks. C. S.

 

 

[jar]

Wish I could but I can't so I shan't.

[Chouffleur]

More ink capacity? Other than that ......, well perhaps someone else has an idea.

[jar]

More ink capacity? Other than that ......, well perhaps someone else has an idea.

Even that is usually not true. Two International Standard small cartridges hold more ink than most piston fillers.

[BlueJ]

For those who only use bottled inks and do not refill cartridges with a syringe, A converter usually does hold a lot less ink than a piston chamber, often about 0.6 mL versus 1.2 mL or so.

 

Some may also prefer the idea of filling a pen without "taking it apart" to the extent of removing the main part of the pen body.

 

On the other hand it is hard to argue with the simple and inexpensive replaceability of a converter, should it fail.

[praxim]

I like plunge fillers but they are more inclined to blob ink as it runs out. I like lever fillers but they do not hold a lot at one fill and are prone to lever and sac problems. I like piston fillers but they are more difficult to repair.

 

I like convertors but, they are so boring.

 

 

 

 

 

Disclosure: I use all of the above. It's what comes with the pen.

[ac12]

The diameter of a converter being smaller makes it more likely to develop a case of surface tension holding the ink to the back of the converter.

If the converter does not have a stainless steel ball or spring to break the surface tension, you have to tap the converter to break the surface tension. That is rather a pain to do, after the pen writes itself dry. IF you can open the converter, you can put a stainless steel ball into the converter. But not all converters can be opened. I have not been able to open the Parker nor Sheaffer screw piston converters.

 

Btw the small diameter piston pens, like the Reform 1745, suffers from surface tension holding the in to the back of the piston, just like a converter.

 

For cleaning, I prefer the converter pens. Remove the converter and use a bulb syringe to force water through the section and feed. Much faster than cleaning a piston pen.

Edited October 22, 2016 by ac12

[woleizihan]

I don't view pistons superior to converters. There are things I don't like about pistons, it's hard to clean, lubricate, repair..... And there are things I don't like about converters. First, not everyone is using standard international converters. Second, even in the case when the manufacture is not using standard international converters, sometimes the converter is not included with the pen. Sometimes the online retailers are also not super clear whether the converter will be included with the pen. (Aurora Style) Third, in the case when standard international converter is used, the converter may not be produced by the pen manufacture and the trim color may not match up. It's not a huge problem for most of the pens but for demos...... Even when the converter is produced by the same manufacture, it may not match up. (I don't remember there's any converter matching the rose gold trim of Platinum 3776 Nice). This is not likely to happen on a piston filler.

 

As in the case of MB146 mentioned, I think that's more a problem about MB not about the piston. If MB makes the pen easy to disassemble/include tools to disassemble and makes piston washers widely available, reasonably priced, it will still be harder to repair than a converter, but not by much and will not cost you $100. IMO, the cost of a piston washer is not going to be much more expensive than a converter and it's not unreasonable to expect disassemble tools included considering MB's price tag. I'm not an expert in design or repair but older MBs can be disassembled without a tool.

[Seele]

Piston fillers and C/C are very different in their basic concepts. A converter converts a cartridge filler pen into one that can use bottled ink, but the piston filler has its mechanism more entrenched in the overall design of the pen itself.

 

I think the Montblanc piston assemblies - like a lot of others - are designed to rule out user serviceability, unlike that of TWSBI who supplies tools for the purpose, and many others. Most, if not all Indian-made piston fillers are designed to be user-serviceable too without the need for specialist tools, for being of the clutchless design. Although I do have Montblancs, I still consider user serviceability an attractive trait so that's the direction I am heading.

[zaddick]

Well, no one has mentioned ink windows so I guess I can add that. Piston pens are.more likely to have an ink window while a converter pen is very unlikely to have one.

 

Converters also sometimes rattle.around inside a pen and the sound is annoying to me.

 

So really no "killer" factor to make one "better" than the other, just small preferences. It can even come down to pens you like only being offered in one format. For example, I like the MB 149 and it is a piston so I might think pistons are better because my favorite pens are all piston fillers.

[LokiLaufeyson]

I'm really not sure what the difference is, can someone explain?

[TheRealMikeDr]

I think much of it has to do with the perception of a piston filler being better as they are typically found on high-er end pens. There are some valid points about surface tension and rattling when it comes to converters - however for my money I'm just as happy to purchase a c/c pen as a piston filler pen - mostly because it's much easier to clean them when changing inks.

[Namo]

You are not missing anything. Old piston fillers generally used to have a bigger ink capacity, probably because production was not yet "rationalized". For example, a Pelikan 400nn, although a pen on the small side, holds about 1.9ml, but a contemporary Pelikan m1000 seems the hold about 1.2ml... Today, capacity is no longer such a clear advantage of piston fillers, all the more because they are often nothing more than "captive converters". There is something of a myth here, and you can still read review praising the filling mechanism of a piston filler pen, stating that "being a piston filler it holds tons of ink"...

 

 

This being said, I prefer piston filler (and ED filler esp. japanese) for a practical and a philosophical reason:

- practical: I've experienced a lot of flow trouble with c/c pens in the past and it really annoys me.

- philosophical: I like the fact that, with a "true" piston filler, the body of the pen is more than just the piece of acryloïd I hold for writing, but also serves as the tank of the pen. It is then the heart of the pen.

Edited October 22, 2016 by Namo

[Buzz_130]

Most modern converters (I do have squeeze converters, and I know at least one manufacturer makes a slide converter) are pistons. The screw pushes a plunger down and removes air from the chamber. As the screw pulls the plunger back up, ink is pulled up into the vacuum. The controls for a converter are internal to the pen, and the piston pen has external controls.

 

I don't spend time worrying about filling systems or the amount of ink held inside the body of the pen. Does the filler work? Do I get more than one full day of typical writing from my pen? If yes to both, then I'm focused on how the pen feels in my hand and the feedback of the nib on paper.

 

Buzz

[Bluey]

Well, no one has mentioned ink windows so I guess I can add that. Piston pens are.more likely to have an ink window while a converter pen is very unlikely to have one.

 

Converters also sometimes rattle.around inside a pen and the sound is annoying to me.

 

So really no "killer" factor to make one "better" than the other, just small preferences. It can even come down to pens you like only being offered in one format. For example, I like the MB 149 and it is a piston so I might think pistons are better because my favorite pens are all piston fillers.

Most ink windows are next to useless though (eg Pelikan and Lamy). This rattling that you speak of on the converters is new to me.. To the immediate left of me I have 5 C/Cs - the Platinum 3776, Waterman Carene, Jinhao 159, Pilot Custom 74, Pilot Elabo - and I've just shaken each one of them, and not one of them makes any sound. Which C/Cs are meant to rattle?

 

 

I think they both have their points, but converters have more advantages on balance as they're more flexible and versatile. As already mention by the OP, with piston fillers there is always the danger that when the piston goes it's often RIP pen, where as that's not the case with C/Cs.

Edited October 22, 2016 by Bluey

[ENewton]

I find cartridge-converter pens convenient, because after flushing my pen by drawing water in and out, I can detach the section, flush water through the nib with a syringe, soak the section and converter, and dry them separately.

 

I don't have to worry about ink capacity. I can take notes for several hours a day and still have a single fill of ink last me a week.

[LizEF]

I'm really not sure what the difference is, can someone explain?

 

KatTines, a piston filler has the piston mechanism built into the pen. Take a look at this page which has lots of pictures of the TWSBI Eco - you can clearly see the piston inside (and the tools for disassembly of the pen).

 

Now, take a look at this page of a Conklin Duragraph - the 5th picture shows the converter - which fits where an ink cartridge would fit. The converter is separate from the pen itself and can be replaced with any other compatible converter.

 

(No affiliation with any of these, just using the good photos for demonstration purposes.)

 

(Please forgive me if I misunderstood your question.)

[J_MM]

I have found that if I have a pen with ink flow issues it is always a converter pen. My pens with a piston, vac or eyedropper always flow well.

[Bo Bo Olson]

How old was the 146...first generation plastic gasket.....'40's-55....even if the 146 started in '50 it could have a first generation plastic gasket. I got two on the last legs from then. Got 7-8 still going strong.

Second generation '55 to now seem to be quite strong. Got 35-40 still going strong....'55-65. And a few '80s-97 Pelikans....

 

Any one that sends anything to MB is out of his mind if the warrentee is up. They wanted 75 Euro just to look at a 322 that was missing a ring needed to hold the pen together....cost would be subtracted or added.

I could get that ring from Penboard.de for 35 euro.

Pelikan and Lamy fix for free ....in Germany if you mail....MB charges an arm and a leg.

 

I keep reading MB to even look costs well over $100 perhaps 150......so MB costs are not real, if one knows or is willing to ask here, who to send the pen to for repair of a gasket.

MB is strange it has a pine/plastic sealer for the nib-feed-section....that could be added to a good repair after the piston is removed. Some offer repair with out that.

 

I don't have any problems even with a 1745 that I have had with a converter 'locking' up, and have read many a problem with that.

I expect all my piston pens to work.....both MB and Pelikan old prop plane instructions pamphlet say drip three drops of ink back into the bottle. That gets a bit of air into the piston.

Just in case you do have problems..

Mostly I've just filled to the top and started writing....never having any problems.

 

Yep, I was here when the myth of how much ink a piston held .... died.

Truth won out.....Cartridges hold a lot of ink.....it's too bad they are so very, very, very expensive. I can get a bottle of ink for @ what a pack of Cartridges often cost. Two packs cost more than a bottle and won't even fill it 1/2.

Needle syringe helps....a converter helps.

But I like piston's better.

If you have a Pelikan or Geha or certain Osmia/O-F-C twist out nibbed pens. A rubber ear syringe cleans out the body fast. A rubber ear syringe that has it's spout cut back so it's thick will fit over the nib/feed and clean that out fast too.

If you have an MB .... well they do clean out fast for a piston....faster than a Pelikan, Geha etc if you don't take the nib section out.

 

In I like semi-flex and maxi-semi-flex I'm 'condemned' to '50-65 or in certain brands '72 era piston pens.

 

Some folks say if your cartridge is running out you get a fat run of ink....others say...it just gets weaker...got to waste lots of time opening up the pen to see how much is left.

......well with a Geha piston pen you just push the button on the reserve tank....and you have 1-2 pages more before you are out.

Stripped Pelikans just hold it to the light, others have windows....either way and advantage over stopping, and opening a pen to see how much ink is left.

I suggest carrying a second pen....and not worrying about it at all....cartridge, converter or piston.

[Jerome Tarshis]

For me the integrated piston-filler is head and shoulders above the converter because I don't have the flow issues with integrated fillers that I've had with twist-piston converters.

 

For me if not for everyone, that settles the case. I do use some c/c pens. And I don't have flow troubles with every one of them. But on balance I don't care as much about long-term repair problems, cleaning, ink capacity, and other considerations as I care about not having a column of ink hang up. Tips 'n' tricks can help with that; they haven't helped me nearly enough.