Vintage Vacumatics: Too Small For Big Hands?

[senzen]

So I'm pretty happy with my (mostly cheap) pens but from time to time I come across a few pens that I find really beautiful, like Parker Vacumatics. I have never seen one in person and it's highly unlikely I ever will, but have seen some restored ones on ebay. After almost pulling the trigger I realized these seem like smaller pens, particularly the section might be too small. I searched online but didn't find anything conclusive.

 

So for those who have them: would a Vacumatic (say a Major) be too small for bigger hands? To give you and idea Parker Sonnets aren't very big but I find them comfortable, anything smaller like a Vector is painfully uncomfortable.

[TheRealMikeDr]

I don't have a Vector or Sonnet - however in the grand scheme of things I find the Vacumatic to be fairly small. The section in particular is small.

 

I've got two Vacs - I think they're majors. They're just over 5" in length capped. Uncapped it's length is about the same as a Pelikan 400, the section on the Vac looks to be a bit smaller than that on the Pelikan. The overall girth of the Vac is less than the Pelikan.

[mitto]

There are the Vacumatic 1) Oversize (lockdown filler), 2) Senior Maxima (speadline filler) and 3) Maximas (third gereration plastic filler) beside Senior, Maxima and smaller Senior Maxima in the first and second generations.

 

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/298923-vacumatic-oversize-vs-maxima/

Edited June 12, 2017 by mitto

[senzen]

I don't have a Vector or Sonnet - however in the grand scheme of things I find the Vacumatic to be fairly small. The section in particular is small.

 

I've got two Vacs - I think they're majors. They're just over 5" in length capped. Uncapped it's length is about the same as a Pelikan 400, the section on the Vac looks to be a bit smaller than that on the Pelikan. The overall girth of the Vac is less than the Pelikan.

 

Thank you, is the section much thinner? I have a Pelikan m400 which I find comfortable.

[senzen]

There are the Vacumatic Maximas.

 

Thanks, they seem to be a lot more expensive, part of the appeal of the standards and majors is one can find them for $100 or less. While my most expensive was $250 some time ago, I found that my comfort zone is sub $150... Even if I do splurge on ink and paper.

[pajaro]

I have a Vacumatic Junior or whatever they call the smaller one from 1945. It seems to me to be the same size as any of my Pelikan M200s or M400s. I think you may be all right with a run of the mill Vacumatic.

Edited June 12, 2017 by pajaro

[mitto]

They are all beautiful. I even have the smallest subdeb.

 

The Junior and Major are pretty good sizes.

Edited June 12, 2017 by mitto

[Beechwood]

Agree with Pajaro, I bought a Parker Vac Deb at a show in April and I am happy to use it daily, my fingers are neatly on the section, threads are not in the way and the tip of the pen is to mid knuckle, no problems.

 

Not as if I have small hands either, my span is 10 inches/ 250mm

[TheRealMikeDr]

 

Thank you, is the section much thinner? I have a Pelikan m400 which I find comfortable.

 

By the looks of it maybe 20% smaller?

 

http://i.imgur.com/1hs017J.jpg

[Bo Bo Olson]

The 'forefinger up' method of holding a fountain pen removes the 'too small section....the too narrow, pen. With the 'forefinger up' no pen is too thin, too thick. Gives an automatic light hand, no more middle finger first joint pain at the nail junction...in the pen is no longer held there. Fatigue is none, in one don't press hard like the tripod allows and has to be trained out of. pressing a nib too hard is also done away with.

 

Posting takes care of any other too small; in they are then longer than the unposted Large pens many use.

[ParkerDuofold]

The 'forefinger up' method of holding a fountain pen removes the 'too small section....the too narrow, pen. With the 'forefinger up' no pen is too thin, too thick. Gives an automatic light hand, no more middle finger first joint pain at the nail junction...in the pen is no longer held there. Fatigue is none, in one don't press hard like the tripod allows and has to be trained out of. pressing a nib too hard is also done away with.

 

Posting takes care of any other too small; in they are then longer than the unposted Large pens many use.

Hi BoBo,

 

Is there a diagram available, showing that "forefinger up," position? Because I have larger hands and that has been one of my biggest problems with vintage pens in the past.

 

While I do not like to post my pens; I think most vintage pens were designed to be; hence their more diminutive dimensions.

 

- Anthony

[Bo Bo Olson]

Anthony, once I had pictures....I'll try making them again. There are three or four good posters that use that way of grasping a fountain pen. I use the word grasp, in grip....reminds me of Vice-Grip pliers the way I use to Death Grip a pen....had the deadly Kung Fu Pinch too.

 

I've written many explanations but....never get around to replacing the lost pictures.

Will try soon....I've got someone's MB 144 pen I need to photograph to show what is wrong with it before getting estimates.

It has been just sitting in my cup...........growing a gray beard.

[ParkerDuofold]

Anthony, once I had pictures....I'll try making them again. There are three or four good posters that use that way of grasping a fountain pen. I use the word grasp, in grip....reminds me of Vice-Grip pliers the way I use to Death Grip a pen....had the deadly Kung Fu Pinch too.

 

I've written many explanations but....never get around to replacing the lost pictures.

Will try soon....I've got someone's MB 144 pen I need to photograph to show what is wrong with it before getting estimates.

It has been just sitting in my cup...........growing a gray beard.

 

Hi BoBo,

 

I know the feeling... I have a lot of "gray beards" growing on my pen table, too.

 

But, please don't put yourself out on my account... I just thought you might have the pics on hand.

 

I'll do an FPN/Google search for "forefinger grip" and hopefully one of your detailed descriptions will come up. If not, I'll just have a tantrum. Either way, I'm okay.

 

- Anthony

Edited June 12, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

[senzen]

I have a Vacumatic Junior or whatever they call the smaller one from 1945. It seems to me to be the same size as any of my Pelikan M200s or M400s. I think you may be all right with a run of the mill Vacumatic.

 

Thank you!

[senzen]

Agree with Pajaro, I bought a Parker Vac Deb at a show in April and I am happy to use it daily, my fingers are neatly on the section, threads are not in the way and the tip of the pen is to mid knuckle, no problems.

 

Not as if I have small hands either, my span is 10 inches/ 250mm

 

Thank you very useful... My hand span is about 22 cm, so I should be all right (and my hands might not be that huge!).

[senzen]

 

By the looks of it maybe 20% smaller?

 

http://i.imgur.com/1hs017J.jpg

 

Thank you! Super useful, doesn't look very thin.

[senzen]

The 'forefinger up' method of holding a fountain pen removes the 'too small section....the too narrow, pen. With the 'forefinger up' no pen is too thin, too thick. Gives an automatic light hand, no more middle finger first joint pain at the nail junction...in the pen is no longer held there. Fatigue is none, in one don't press hard like the tripod allows and has to be trained out of. pressing a nib too hard is also done away with.

 

Posting takes care of any other too small; in they are then longer than the unposted Large pens many use.

 

Thanks! Didn't know about that method. I had to retrain myself as I grabbed pens in a very weird, painful way; not sure I can survive the trauma of a second retraining, I eventually managed to have a somewhat legible handwriting - on a good day, with no pressure.

[Moonshae]

Vacumatics prices seem to be pretty stable. Why not just buy one and see how it feels? You can always resell it for what you paid if you don't like it, though you might be out the cost of shipping.

 

I have pretty big hands and I hate posting pens. It feels a little small but not uncomfortably so...I've done a fair amount of writing with mine.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Pseudo, takes some three minutes to learn....some three days to switch back and forth before I stopped using the tripod except for the Safari and American P-75...the French P-75 don't have the triangle grip.

I have to photograph something tomorrow anyway, so will do it....course I've been putting off the photographing of a pen for some 2 weeks or so now.

But as long as you have a light grip, you are good to go. Many take months to teach themselves to have a light grip.

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi BoBo, et al,

 

Is this the grip?

 

https://eksith.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/holding-a-pen-correctly/

 

- Anthony