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College Student Looking For New Pen


nick_salad

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Hi Guys!

 

I want to buy a new pen for my college. I want it to be robust, have a good ink capacity and write well(by that I mean it should be smooth). So far I've chosen noodlers konrad(Ebonite or Acrylic) and the Twsbi eco. But If there's a better pen that suits my needs, please recommend it to me.

My budget is around $70.

 

~Nick

 

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The TWSBI Eco is a good choice. I loved mine so much that over time I've collected one in each colour so I can have a choice of inks and nibs. If I lost one, I would definitely replace. In my climate where it's hot and dry many pens tend to evaporate their ink, the TWSBI Eco is one of the few that don't.

Will work for pens... :unsure:

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Hi Nick,

 

:W2FPN:

 

Going by your parameters... instead of getting an Eco... I would shoot your full budget and get a Diamond 580-AL.

 

The materials and build quality will be better and you'll have the added benefit of interchangeable nibs... plus they disassemble completely for easier cleaning. :thumbup:

 

I would also consider a second-hand Lamy 2000.

 

Btw, what are you studying?

 

Be well and enjoy life. :)

 

 

- Anthony

 

EDITED to correct formatting and add text.

Edited by ParkerDuofold
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You could also get a cheaper but reliable pen, like a Lamy Safari, a bottle of ink in yur favorite colour, and splurge on a couple of decent notebooks or loose lease packs, like Rhodia and HP 32lbs 500 packet... Otherwise look for an extra fine nib pen to write on regular paper... But it won't be the same experience.

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

 

B. Russell

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I agree with ParkerDuofold about the TWSBI 580, however, if you could scrounge up a couple of more dollars, there is also the TWSBI Vac700R (a little larger ink capacity). I have 2 Konrad pens, both have been amazing writers, I don't remember either needing me to do anything more than the pen cleaner flush I do for any new pen. While my experience tells me the Konrad has better quality control than the Ahab, I'm not certain all Konrads are perfect out of the box.

 

Pseudo88 also made a good point, you could get a less expensive pen, a bottle of ink and some high quality paper.

 

French

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French is right about the Noodler's pens: if you don't get lucky and acquire one of the better ones, it'll be a constant source of aggravation and frustration. Even the "reliable" Konrads can be a pig to coax into writing again after you've put them down overnight, or even for an hour or two, which is not something you want to have to be messing about with at college. You're not just better off with the eco, you're better off with almost anything else.

 

If you're willing to go second hand, a Parker 51 would do the job and might be available for that sort of money, but to be honest, I'd have thought you'd be better off with a cartridge pen than something with an internal reservoir: cartridges are a lot less likely to spill or leak than an ink bottle and I wouldn't fancy having to refill a piston filler in the middle of a lecture myself.

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Seeing all the replies here, I would likely use all my $70 and get a Vac 700R from Goulet. I'll also be getting Monteverde Monza(It's a great deal. Pen + ink for half the price), which I'll keep use as a pocket pen.

Thanks Guys!

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Hi Nick,

 

:W2FPN:

 

Going by your parameters... instead of getting an Eco... I would shoot your full budget and get a Diamond 580-AL.

 

The materials and build quality will be better and you'll have the added benefit of interchangeable nibs... plus they disassemble completely for easier cleaning. :thumbup:

 

I would also consider a second-hand Lamy 2000.

 

Btw, what are you studying?

 

Be well and enjoy life. :)

 

 

- Anthony

 

EDITED to correct formatting and add text.

Hi Anthony!

 

I forgot to tell you about the subject I'm gonna study. It's business. I wanna become an investor so I'm not only gonna attend college classes but also many seminars. I take a lot of notes, so I needed good ink capacity. I think I'm gonna choose Monteverde Horizon Blue.

 

Thanks Anthony!

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Even the "reliable" Konrads can be a pig to coax into writing again after you've put them down overnight, or even for an hour or two, which is not something you want to have to be messing about with at college.

 

I know that's a problem with Noodler's resin pens, but I don't think it's as big an issue with their acrylic pens - my acrylic Neponset and my father's acrylic Konrad don't have drying issues (even though where I live is so hot and dry that a great deal of my other pens do).

 

Nick_salad, I wouldn't recommend the Konrad as your first (or only) pen, but don't be too put off picking one up somewhere down the line when you want to try a flex nib. Just go for the Acrylic version. Or possibly the Ebonite, but I have no experience with Noodler's ebonite pens so I can't comment. Or pick up something from Fountain Pen Revolution, who also have affordable flex nib pens - a much wider variety in fact.

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Hi Anthony!

 

I forgot to tell you about the subject I'm gonna study. It's business. I wanna become an investor so I'm not only gonna attend college classes but also many seminars. I take a lot of notes, so I needed good ink capacity. I think I'm gonna choose Monteverde Horizon Blue.

 

Thanks Anthony!

Hi Nick,

 

You're more than welcome... I hope my two cents have helped in some small way.

 

That's great! I'm always thrilled to see another business major... business is what puts food on many a family's table and keeps this country afloat. :thumbup:

 

While we chose different paths... I'm not in investments... I'm in industrial transportation and warehousing... our net goal is the same... putting money in other people's pockets... and keeping a little for ourselves. ;) I also think it's a great idea to load-up on the seminars... I wish I had done more of that when I went to college... although they are more prevalent now than they were then.

 

Sometimes I wonder where I got my best business education... obtaining my MBA... or selling cars for my crazy uncle during the breaks. :unsure: ;)

 

Best wishes for your studies and your pen choice. :)

 

 

- Anthony

 

ETA: I like that new line of Monteverde inks... they got some nice colors with solid performance.

Edited by ParkerDuofold
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I know that's a problem with Noodler's resin pens, but I don't think it's as big an issue with their acrylic pens - my acrylic Neponset and my father's acrylic Konrad don't have drying issues (even though where I live is so hot and dry that a great deal of my other pens do).

 

Nick_salad, I wouldn't recommend the Konrad as your first (or only) pen, but don't be too put off picking one up somewhere down the line when you want to try a flex nib. Just go for the Acrylic version. Or possibly the Ebonite, but I have no experience with Noodler's ebonite pens so I can't comment. Or pick up something from Fountain Pen Revolution, who also have affordable flex nib pens - a much wider variety in fact.

 

To be honest, my experiences with the aromatic resin stuff and ebonite Noodler's pens put me off so much I haven't even looked at the acrylic ones. Even if it worked beautifully (which from this manufacturer I find about as likely as Katy Perry making a black metal album) it'd still have a flex nib that you have to be Steve Austin to make the tines spread a bit.

:P

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...Even if it worked beautifully (which from this manufacturer I find about as likely as Katy Perry making a black metal album) it'd still have a flex nib that you have to be Steve Austin to make the tines spread a bit.

:P

:lticaptd:

 

+1.

 

- A.C.

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Pilot pens are really reliable, but I won't speak for their smoothness; I've only used a Prera with a CM (stub) nib. In addition to the Metropolitan that everyone always recommends (about 10g heavier than the rest of their pens, narrow (8.4mm diameter) section), you can get a Prera on Amazon for around $30 (short, about 9.4mm section diameter), a Kakuno in a bunch of places for under $15 (10mm diameter hexagonal section, no clip on cap, very lightweight), a Plumix (1mm CM nib only, under $10, again no clip), or possibly a 78g (same section as the Metro, but a slim resin body with a screw cap; the broad nib is a stub). Pilot cartridges are easily refilled, and with care, can even be resealed, and they have fairly large capacity. At the top of your budget is a Pilot Custom 74 (and also the Platinum Century 3776).

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I know that's a problem with Noodler's resin pens, but I don't think it's as big an issue with their acrylic pens - my acrylic Neponset and my father's acrylic Konrad don't have drying issues (even though where I live is so hot and dry that a great deal of my other pens do).

 

Nick_salad, I wouldn't recommend the Konrad as your first (or only) pen, but don't be too put off picking one up somewhere down the line when you want to try a flex nib. Just go for the Acrylic version. Or possibly the Ebonite, but I have no experience with Noodler's ebonite pens so I can't comment. Or pick up something from Fountain Pen Revolution, who also have affordable flex nib pens - a much wider variety in fact.

 

I have an ebonite Konrad but not one of the acrylic ones. There is some of the drying out issue in it like the resin ones (depending on the ink) but ebonite picks up the warmth in your hand and has a nice feel to it.

Ironically, I've never noticed the (apparently) discernible odor of *either* the resin bodied pens (I have several of the piston Creapers as well as several of the resin Konrads) or the ebonite one. But I've also had pretty good luck with them all working right out of the box after flushing with soapy water and then rinsing well, except for one that seems to have some sort of defect inside the cap that makes it impossible to post. :angry:

I have a TWSBI 580-AL as well, and while I mostly love it I will note too things that you might want to consider:

1) It is a lot heavier than some of the other pens people have suggested; I have "girly" hands and when posted it is the absolute limit of what is comfortable to write with, weight-wise (although I now can use it as a benchmark: "Hmmm, the specs on pen X say it weighs this much when posted, so that's going to be okay for me....").

2) After using it for a couple months, I decided to refill with distilled water because I was too lazy at the time to flush the pen out. And discovered that towards the end of the fill that the piston does NOT go all the way to the back of the feed when you screw it down as far as the piston knob will go: and discovered that having done this and continuing to write with the diluted ink, I got an air bubble between the bottom of the piston and the top of the feed in the chamber; finally got it out of the way by showing the pen to someone else who had one and in the jostling of the pen between both of us looking at the pen we got it to shift or pop or something, and I was able to get the pen to finish out (then it got flushed and put away again... for awhile while I play with other pens in the stash).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for typos

Edited by inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Hi Guys!

 

I want to buy a new pen for my college. I want it to be robust, have a good ink capacity and write well(by that I mean it should be smooth). So far I've chosen noodlers konrad(Ebonite or Acrylic) and the Twsbi eco. But If there's a better pen that suits my needs, please recommend it to me.

My budget is around $70.

 

~Nick

 

 

If you want a new pen, get a TWSBI Eco or a Lamy Aion.

 

If you like vintage pens, you can't go wrong with Esterbrook.

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First off, you need at least TWO pens (or other writing instruments).

When pen #1 stops writing, for whatever reason, switch to pen #2. Do NOT try to change ink or troubleshoot the pen during class, as you will not be paying attention to the prof or discussions. Deal with the misbehaving pen after class, when you have idle time.

 

I also would not bother to carry a vial of ink, to refill the pen. To me, carrying a vial of ink, is an accident waiting to happen. Do your refilling at home, or in the dorm, where you are in a more controlled environment.

 

College can be a high risk environment for a pen. You move between classes, library, lunch, library, classes, etc. So lots of chances to loose your pen. So I would not get an expensive pen to carry with you.

So what is expensive? If it hurts financially to replace the pen, or you can't afford to replace it, then it is expensive.

 

With a piston or other refillable pen, refill the pen each day, after you finish your homework. This way you start the day with a FULL pen.

 

Here are my list of pens that I suggest:

new/in current production:

  • Lamy Safari/Vista/Al Star
  • Parker IM, Reflex, Vector (I think the Vector is still in production)
  • Pilot Metroploitan
  • TWSBI Eco
  • Some of the Chinese pens are excellent choices

not in current production:

  • Parker 45 (a pair of 45s were my college pens)
  • Sheaffer school/cartridge pen

I would not deal with a sac pen in college. Maybe at home to do your homework, but not to carry to school.

 

As for the Noodler's. I am one of those with a bad experience, actually TWO bad experiences. I have a Konrad and Nib Creeper, and both would DRIP ink, as I wrote. Hours of fussing with the nib/feed could not stop the dripping.

Edited by ac12

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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The biggest consideration for me would be how mindful you are of not misplacing a pen or preventing its theft. I've never been good about that, so I didn't carry anything around with me that I would be upset about losing during college. Aside from that, I would go with the TWSBI Eco for the same reasons that Anthony mentioned: interchangeable nib units and easy disassembly for maintenance.

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The LAMY Vista is a transparent pen that allows viewing of current ink supply. Ink cartridges are relatively lower in capacity, but

the number of additional cartridges carried is unlimited. Installing a full cartridge requires 30 seconds. Cartridge pens are easy to maintain, and are my choice for student use. The LAMY Vista is certainly robust. A non-transparent, aluminum version is the LAMY

Al-star.

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

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For your purposes, I would suggest say a Parker 45 and a TWSBI Eco or 580, use the 45 as a backup. Or even two or three 45's, with one with a color for markup. (red, orange etc)

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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I second the recommendation for getting two pens.

 

For the first one, I recommend either Platinum Cool (also called Platinum Nian or Balance) or Lamy Vista—a demonstrator would let you see at a glance how much ink you have left, and both Platinum and Lamy converters have decent capacity.

 

As a backup pen, either a Pilot Prera or Pilot Metropolitan/MR.

 

I'm also currently drooling over some vintage pens over at Peyton Street Pens, and they have some new old stock Sheaffer 440s which would be a good primary pen too (with a demonstrator as a backup).

 

One of your pens _should_ be a demonstrator. It's incredibly fun to see the inner workins of fountain pens.

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