The Rampant Inaccuracy Of Fountain Pen Reviews

[OTDoc]

The nib alignment issue being a 'normal' problem is something Richard Binder comments on at his site. Some of it has to do with mass manufacturing process. Most companies don't make their nibs in house any more but get them from companies that make only nibs, make nibs fast, and make a lot of them. A lot of these nibs are good but a fountain pen nib is a finicky creature and takes a personal touch in its manufacture and set up. The article is at Richard's Pens under the topic of "Are Modern Pens as Good as Old Ones." The article also has some interesting stuff about feeds and the pros and cons of the old ebonite feeds.

[ethernautrix]

Yeah... I'm aware of subjectivity, so what I'm interested in most is the writing samples (keeping in mind that I tend to hold the pen at an unusually high angle).

 

I'm also interested in filling mechanism (unless c/c, which is my preference) and how many turns it takes to uncap.

 

Also, if more than a few people are experiencing similar problems and why that might be.

[ENewton]

I almost always look at reviews before purchasing a pen, mainly to find out whether that type of pen is prone to any kind of defect. If a review is glowing, I try to take into account what other types of pens the reviewer is likely to have tried--for example, whether the pen seems delightful because it is a step up for that particular reviewer. If a review is critical, I consider whether the quality that the reviewer dislikes is important to me. For example, given that I typically hold a pen at a relatively low angle, I am unlikely to find a pen "too heavy."

 

I am also interested in any unusual maintenance requirements.

[tonybelding]

I saw an opportunity to get a Sheaffer Legacy at a decent price (it's a pen I've long considered interesting-but-overpriced), so I thought I'd look up a review here on FPN. . . And the first review I found, dated from 2008, rated it thusly:

 

First Impressions 5/5, Appearance 5/5, Design/Size/Weight 5/5, Nib 5/5, Filling System 5/5, Cost and Value 5/5, Conclusion 5/5

 

Yes. Apparently the Sheaffer Legacy is the perfect ultimate fountain pen which has made all others obsolete. It's strange that Sheaffer hasn't put all other pen makers out of business in the years since that review was posted!

 

I wonder if we wouldn't benefit from more comparative or "versus" reviews. . . Or at least, maybe reviewers should try to work more direct comparisons with other pens into their reviews, and show how the subject pen compares with others we may be familiar with. That's something like what I have planned for the Karas Kustoms Ink whenever I get around to it (soon I hope). I'll be putting it side-by-side with (most likely) a Lamy 2000 and Sheaffer Targa and saying here's how the clip compares, here's how the size and weight compares, etc.

[Manalto]

 

I wonder if we wouldn't benefit from more comparative or "versus" reviews. . . Or at least, maybe reviewers should try to work more direct comparisons with other pens into their reviews...

 

Isn't that a slippery slope, though, sure to elicit a response (or reaction) of indignation, "Well, he/she compared it to a pen (or pens) I don't have. What good is that?"

Edited April 6, 2017 by Manalto

[praxim]

If two or more pens are named then the probability a reader has at least one of them increases significantly. When that happens, the review gains value enormously because one has a reference. I agree with tonybelding's approach. I plan to do it myself; real soon now.

[Mahidevran]

 

Another big issue I have seen across the board is the rather absurd case of a pen being raved about and being given perfect scores meanwhile there is the ' minor detail' that the reviewer had to take micromesh to the nib and/or realign the tines to make it write well. I'm sorry but a pen's single purpose is to write. If a pen is unable to write well out of the box then it is a bad pen. Period. There is this ridiculous notion that it should be standard practice to have to adjust a pen out of the box. But just because it is commonly needed doesn't make it any more excusable. It just means we have enabled companies to consistently give us bad products. I remember recently I reviewed a pelikan for the second time to try to be more honest about it and docked a number of points for it arriving with misaligned tines. Right on cue the fanboys and girls came out of the woodwork to complain and blame me or the vendor for the problem, a problem I should mention I have experienced on several pelikan nibs.

 

What is the point of reviewing pens if they are not honest or accurate?

 

I'm looking forward to hear your thoughts on this.

 

I agree with you on the 'minor detail' thing. I mean I don't mean adjusting or tinkering with the pen to *improve* it's performance but I am so not okay with having to tinker with it to actually make it work. Pretty sure that's not my job nor do I have enough knowledge or expertise to be doing so. I mean I don't mind flushing out the pen but if I have to smooth the nib, adjust the feed etc. , That would be a bit annoying on my part.

 

So yeah, pertaining to the topic at hand, I do feel that some reviewers should at least inform us users if the pen would require extra "tinkering" for it to start working . I mean some of us enjoy doing it but some just want to have a pen that works straight from the box.

[Waltz For Zizi]

. I still don't like the Pilot Metropolitan though.

 

+2

Finally someone who doesn't like the metropolitan. I even bought two, just in case the first one was a fluke, but the second wan wrote exactly the same, dry and scratchy.

[Mech-for-i]

. I still don't like the Pilot Metropolitan though.

 

+2

Finally someone who doesn't like the metropolitan. I even bought two, just in case the first one was a fluke, but the second wan wrote exactly the same, dry and scratchy.

 

+3 , neither do I, it just do not work for me , they write OK, but their build and shape / profile just do not connect with me. I had better luck with their Kakuno which basically use the same nib / feed / pen parts

[virgilio]

I suspect that the main reason that people come to such radically different conclusions about the same fp, is that they are using different paper and different ink. Either can make a world of difference in the same pen's behavior.

[Bookman]

I suspect that the main reason that people come to such radically different conclusions about the same fp, is that they are using different paper and different ink. Either can make a world of difference in the same pen's behavior.

 

YMMV, but I have four Pilot Metropolitans with F nibs, two Sheaffer Skripsert Ms, and two Pilot Tiger 600 Fs. All four Metros' ink flows differed from the others straight out of the box. I've roughly equalized the ink flow in them, and yet two write noticeably more finely than the other two. The two Skripsert nibs are different despite being supposedly the same. One has a somewhat cubed tip, like the business end of a wooden match. The result is a bit of line variation that the other one doesn't give me. Same with the Tiger 600s. One has a cube-like tip with the resulting line variation.

 

One would think that machine-made nibs would produce more uniformity than this. I had a handful of #6 JoWo nibs when I ordered another last week. All the ones I had at the time wrote one size bigger, so to speak. Neither of my EFs wrote like EFs, but like Fs, the F wrote like an M. The 1.1 seemed like a 1.5. But the EF I just got really writes as an EF and not F. That kind of caught me flat-footed, but I've adjusted.

[virgilio]

Well, yes, it seems that no two pens are exactly the same, even of the same brand. I recall that when I first got into fps in a major way, each of my old Sheaffer school pens had its own personality. Maybe one in 6 or 7 would be nice and smooth, with ideal ink flow, etc, while the others were more or less dogs.

 

Still, change your paper and the difference is often dramatic with the same pen. Even ink has a very noticeable effect sometimes.

[Mulrich]

Pens are like children, they're born with unique personalities even if from the same factory. Some gentle training and adjustments can help them become productive but try to go too fast and you may cause permanent damage.

[Bookman]

It would be helpful if a reviewer reopened his or her thread in 6-12 months and gave a full reevaluation. I know Dr. Brown revisits some of his reviewed pens informally. I don't know whether FPNers do it here and, if so, whether it's some of them, few, many, or next to none. In any case, I would like to see a 6-12-month follow-up, a systematic reevaluation paralleling the original review. In fact I recommend it. I've reviewed a couple of pens in the last few months, and I plan to follow my own recommendation.

[LanceSaintPaul]

It would be helpful if a reviewer reopened his or her thread in 6-12 months and gave a full reevaluation. I know Dr. Brown revisits some of his reviewed pens informally. I don't know whether FPNers do it here and, if so, whether it's some of them, few, many, or next to none. In any case, I would like to see a 6-12-month follow-up, a systematic reevaluation paralleling the original review. In fact I recommend it. I've reviewed a couple of pens in the last few months, and I plan to follow my own recommendation.

 

Very good, this. Essential, in fact.

[wangjianwei]

When i watch reviews on Youtube, or check the reviews section on FPN, to be frank I don't have an intention to buy my next pen.

I do that mainly for entertainment purpose, I get to see the popular, shiny and expensive pen without buying it.

 

You can see in real-life at the shops I know, but there's always that pressure to buy. Which because I have no intention of buying I feel bad to ask the shopkeeper to indulge me. So watching reviews become the way to enjoy these pens without money.

 

And really, all those smoothness rating is not so important I think.

99.9% fountain pens are likely to be smooth. Flow can be adjusted, the tipping can be smoothen, so any pen is smooth.

[virgilio]

One of the great things about fps is that once you learn to tweak the nib, you can make the same fp write in half a dozen totally different ways, altho of course you may ruin the pen along the way if you're not careful.

 

I would respectfully disagree that most fps are smooth. To my taste almost all but the very best are too scratchy. But since I can't afford to lay hundreds of piastres on a fp, I had to learn to work on cheaper fps to get what I really wanted, namely a fine point that is ultra smooth and very wet, together of course with a barrel that is comfortable to write with. It is not just a hobby for me; I write 3 to 4 hours with a fp, day in, day out, so it is amost an obsession to have lots of very good pens.

[overwriter]

I personally agree with Betweenthelines’ opinion and others here that a review right out of the box is not that valuable. I too particularly like the retrospective and reflective reviews that speak of a pen’s performance over time.

[rochester21]

Well Whoop-de-do ! You know i am surprised that despite the lengthy post, nobody came forth to admit writing a overly enthusiastic or simply inaccurate review. I guess i`il have to do it.

 

Yes, i`ve wrote a few positive reviews which i somewhat regret. There are a few reasons why people write overly-positive reviews:

1. Not everyone can wait 24 months after getting a pen in order to write a review. And because some flaws only become obvious after some time of using one particular fountain pen, the reviewer simply doesn`t become aware of the mentioned flaws until after he writes/shoots the review.

 

2.When you are new to the world of fountain pens, one tends to be impressed by every quality fp he or she comes across, simply because there is no term of comparison. Conversely, someone who has owned and tried dozens of different models tends to be less and less impressed by a new one.

 

3. People are subjective. Few people will admit that their most expensive/customized/rare pen is not that great, because if they did it would mean that they are a bit silly. Whereas it is easy to hate a cheaper model simply because it`s not worth a lot, it`s not "precious" in any way.

 

There is also the big discussion on nibs. If you take 100 people, at least 50% of them will have a different view as to what is the best nib. Based on this premise, you could easily give 100 people the same exact fountain pen and chances are you will get 100 different views on what that particular pen is like.

 

In a sense, that`s the point of having reviews, nobody says they are precise, but if you read a few of them you will get an average opinion about a certain fountain pen. This is why all reviews are essentially good to have.

 

Post scriptum: A lot of pens, new and used, need some adjustment before they are perfect or near perfect. Whether that`s being done at the factory or at home, it doesn`t mean i can`t give a pen a positive review. Despite what some claim, fountain pen manufacturing isn`t an exact science, more like art.

 

There are tiny variations during the manufacturing processes that affect most fountain pens, especially the cheaper ones, but not only. It`s a question of luck whether you get a good "copy" of a pen at the moment of purchase.

Edited October 28, 2017 by rochester21

[praxim]

In accord with suggestions here, I have gone back to a review I did at the end of 2016, to make comments with further experience of that pen and its sibling (same other than the external colours and patterns). Did I get the original review, made after a short period of ownership, wrong? If I did, the error is systematic. Rather, I see the later experience as confirmatory data. Here it is.