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Most Low Maintenance, Reliable, Tough Fountain Pen?


3nding

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pretty much any metal build fountain pen with simple push in feed/nib would do. Though, some eyedropper with very robust barrel could be a candidate too.

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The Parker 51 is in a class by itself for proven durability. The other pen that is in that class is the Pelikan piston filler, Mxxx or Mxxxx. M 1XX through M1XXX.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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It certainly wouldn't be TWSBI. One of them broke on me for no apparent reason.

 

Resistance to accidents? This rules out plastic pens.

 

My choice? Kaweco AC Sport. Short international carts are the easiest to get in my steadily more authoritarian country and solid aluminum pen seems to be the toughest optinon available.

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Assuming carts would be no issue to get, I'd go with a Parker 45 Flighter or any other C/C metal body pen. The Karas Kustom pens mentioned earlier have always looked tough and well built to me too.

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My Montblanc 149.

The only reason why I would not agree is that one of these and a 146 leaked at the blind cap after 19+ years. Of course, MB fixed the problem, but for a nice fee.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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I choose the Jinhao 159. It is a tough piece of metal. I wouldn't have much about which to write, but a tough peice of metal has value.

 

. . . . . and then, the comet struck.

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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Bic.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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Pens that use sacs do die. I have had to replace the sacs on several vintage pens I bought over the years. Sooner or later they just go bad. I am not sure a modern pen that uses one will last any better. I think I would trust a piston filler more. O-Rings on modern pistons can always be replaced. On C/C pens the converters are so cheep it is easy to have extras's as replacement parts. In the long run I don't think it matters much. Most fountain pens can last a lifetime if treated well.

 

Most people on this forum don't normally have just one fountain pen. How long one lasts or the about of abuse one can take does not matter much when you have several others with you or many more in your collection.

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Well, I guess they had better assemble the firing squad now.

"Today will be gone in less than 24 hours. When it is gone, it is gone. Be wise, but enjoy! - anonymous today

 

 

 

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Most reliable pen I have: Pelikan M400. Sailor Pro Gear hasn't failed, but is a recent acquisition.

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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Definetly my Namisu Brass Nova with titanium nib, if it fails and my life is in danger,I at least have something in my hand that can do some real physical damage :)

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Definetly my Namisu Brass Nova with titanium nib, if it fails and my life is in danger,I at least have something in my hand that can do some real physical damage :)

 

That's hilarious! :lticaptd:

 

Anyway, to answer the original question, I agree with Pajaro about the Parker 51. In my opinion, it is the quintessential workhorse pen, and I've never had to service mine after years of use.

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The only reason why I would not agree is that one of these and a 146 leaked at the blind cap after 19+ years. Of course, MB fixed the problem, but for a nice fee.

Thats too bad to hear about your pen.

But to be fair I wonder how many multitudes of montblancs did not leak after 19+ years that paas silently in the night unmentioned.

Edited by max dog
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My Montblanc 149.

Are you sure that's "low maintenance", "reliable", and "tough"?

I think your (metal, if that's the one you have) falcon is much much better on the scale. The reliability of the MB 149 is a moot point, but being an MB plastic pen many would say that it's complete opposite of a tough low maintenance pen. For example, I don't think a new nib is cheap, and plastic ain't very durable. I also believe that MB make people ship off their pens with a considerable wait for their return.

Edited by Bluey
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Are you sure that's "low maintenance", "reliable", and "tough"?

I think your (metal, if that's the one you have) falcon is much much better on the scale. The reliability of the MB 149 is a moot point, but being an MB plastic pen many would say that it's complete opposite of a tough low maintenance pen. For example, I don't think a new nib is cheap, and plastic ain't very durable. I also believe that MB make people ship off their pens with a considerable wait for their return.

You'd be quite surprised how durable Montblanc's "precious resin" actually is. I had the resin cap on my pen drop 3.5 feet from a table top to the concrete patio floor where it bounced a half dozen times and it survived unscathed. Not a scratch. I couldn't confidently say a metal cap would have fared as well. The resin cap and barrel on my 1990's 146 retains a pretty nice sheen despite it's age. The whole claim that Montblanc pens easily crack is a myth from my experience.

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You'd be quite surprised how durable Montblanc's "precious resin" actually is. I had the resin cap on my pen drop 3.5 feet from a table top to the concrete patio floor where it bounced a half dozen times and it survived unscathed. Not a scratch. I couldn't confidently say a metal cap would have fared as well. The resin cap and barrel on my 1990's 146 retains a pretty nice sheen despite it's age. The whole claim that Montblanc pens easily crack is a myth from my experience.

That may have been quite pain-free because the pen is so light when it was dropped, but plastic is not really that durable so being sat on or trodden may not be pain-free for it.

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I agree with all those who have cited any metal-bodied fountain pen.

 

Here some specific models you can buy now and set aside for the fountain pen apocalypse:

 

Pilot Metropolitan

Platinum Plasir

Kaweco AL Sport

Jinhao 159 - like mini brass club so it can do double duty: fountain pen and self-defense weapon

 

Many other mfg's make metal-bodied pens, and any of these will likely survive the apocalypse also, though the ones listed above are probably lower in price than many others on the market.

 

Notable mention should be given also to the Lamy 2000 which has been mentioned above; it's fiberglass and will also, presumably, survive the extinction of fountain pens.

Edited by Maurizio

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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Jinhao 159 - like mini brass club so it can do double duty: fountain pen and self-defense weapon

 

More precisely, that's actually a weapon that can be used as a pen when desperate final measures are called for, such as being forced into signing divorce documents etc.

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