Ugly But Good Writer

[Waltz For Zizi]

A few months ago I acquired a few fountain pens, and among them was a Lamy Scala blue glacier 50 aniversary, and although I didn't fancy the pen, the price was good enough, that I thought I could sell it myself, and get double the money on what I'd pay on it.

I got the pen and I tried it, and to my surprise the nib was outstanding.

Subjectively for me the pen is hideous (the cap at least), is heavy, and has a slippery section which is pretty uncomfortable, but apart from that, the nib is a dream, and since my other 2 lamy pens have also great nibs, I cannot swap them on the Scala, I'm 99.9% sure I'll not sell this one.

My question is, do you have a pen you find physically displeasing, but keep because of a great nib?

[hmj]

Many may disagree, but I think my Vanishing Point is a somewhat ugly pen. The look of the clip on the writing end of the pen has always seemed very goofy to me. And the narrow nib that protrudes from the pen's internals looks weird.

 

But I love my VP because it's super functional for everyday writing, and it writes wonderfully smooth even with a fine nib.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

To be frank but not frosty, I do not intentionally acquire pens that have no visual appeal, yet I have a pen that appears to be used to fend-off a cackle of hyenas (Parker Newhaven Duofold c/w No. 50 nib.)

 

To your question, "...do you have a pen you find physically displeasing, but keep because of a great nib?" I will answer "Most certainly."

 

In the field my go-to is a rotring 600, which is an ergonomic nightmare, but is highly reliable and robust. I can rotate the steel nib to generate various line widths without adding all that much pressure, and deal with 3-part NCR. As these thing sometimes go, I acquired an r600 with a gold alloy nib, but found it too soft for rugged work - S1 got it wrong yet again.

 

To be clear, I acquired a Pelikan M400 White Tortoise simply because it became an object of desire. Any 'better' than my Grn-Bk M400? No.

 

And let's not poke noses into my shoe shelves...

 

Bye,

S1

Edited October 25, 2017 by Sandy1

[Waltz For Zizi]

Hi,

 

To be frank but not frosty, I do not intentionally acquire pens that have no visual appeal, yet I have a pen that appears to be used to fend-off a cackle of hyenas (Parker Newhaven Duofold c/w No. 50 nib.)

 

To your question, "...do you have a pen you find physically displeasing, but keep because of a great nib?" I will answer "Most certainly."

 

In the field my go-to is a rotring 600, which is an ergonomic nightmare, but is highly reliable and robust. I can rotate the nib to generate various line widths without adding all that much pressure, and deal with 3-part NCR. As these thing sometimes go, I acquired an r600 with a gold nib, but found it too soft for rugged work - S1 got it wrong yet again.

 

To be clear, I acquired a Pelikan M400 White Tortoise simply because it became an object of desire. Any 'better' than my Grn-Bk M400? No.

 

And let's not poke noses into my shoe closets...

 

Bye,

S1

Oh! The white tortoise is on my list too. In fact is on the top of it along with the Ribbed Ivory Intuition from GvFC. I think it might be the only pen I'd buy a double. Im so tempted to buy one of them now, since I sold some rollerballs I wasn't using and have some "pen money", but I kind of need to wait and see what the M605 white transparent looks like in reality, since it's a special edition, and I'm a white pen fan.

[Jerome Tarshis]

I keep all the pens I acquire, so "keep" isn't the measure. "Think well of" is perhaps more to the point. My Lamy 81 has a remarkably pleasant nib. The pen itself strikes me as a cheap production by a company whose designs often enough displease me. But that nib is voluptuous.

 

Granted, I don't fill the pen often, because I have pens that write at least equally well and are more pleasing in other ways. Still, the Lamy 81 and the rest of the Lamy Profil series do (IMO) offer a combination of unimpressive objecthood and lovely writing.

[PS104]

Two points:

1. Beauty (and ugliness) is in the eye of the beholder

2. If it's really ugly no one (in their right mind anyway) is going to steal it from you

But as the song sez, "if you want to be happy the rest of your life marry yourself an ugly wife"

[mitto]

I have no pen that I may classy as ugly but having good nib. I buy only those pens that I like.

[Waltz For Zizi]

Two points:

1. Beauty (and ugliness) is in the eye of the beholder

2. If it's really ugly no one (in their right mind anyway) is going to steal it from you

But as the song sez, "if you want to be happy the rest of your life marry yourself an ugly wife"

I said that my pen is subjective ugly. U mught find it beautiful. Do you?

[mwpannell]

I said that my pen is subjective ugly. U mught find it beautiful. Do you?

Apart from the price, I like 'em.

[LanceSaintPaul]

For me an ugly design - subjectively, objectively, general consensus, or a lone outlier - would not be something I'd pay attention to. If I don't like its looks I'd look elsewhere.

 

Where this question would be relevant to me (& I may be warping the question a bit) is if a pen were a good to great writer, but its condition were poor, beat up would I consider it? I would say yes to that. Particularly in terms of something to be carried about - an EDC instrument. That I would gladly choose. Its looks a repellent to further injury or envy or coveting. Care free. (Of course I could become quite attached to it....)

Edited October 26, 2017 by LanceSaintPaul

[senzen]

My question is, do you have a pen you find physically displeasing, but keep because of a great nib?

 

When I didn't think much about pens in general, I thought they were all black with gold trim... I eventually developed a healthy dislike for gold, but my black and gold Waterman Le Man 100 and Pelikan m600 are very nice and even my Parker Sonnets and Waterman Lauréat recovered, albeit with steel / gold plating gone nibs. As much as I like specific designs, like with the FC Ambition in pearwood and the Lamy Studio I'm still waiting for, I do appreciate smooth nibs. That Scala doesn't seem that ugly.

[pajaro]

Esterbrook J with 9312 italic nib. Writes well, with line variation, but the green pen is homely.

[kestrel]

One. A jade Sheaffer's flat top that was a gift from a family member. What was once green is now a hideous, mottled brown. The clip has gone missing. One of it's previous users must have been a rottweiler judging by the tooth marks on the posting end. The plating on the lever has gone to join the clip. But I resacced it and use it because it has a soft, almost semi-flex medium nib that is a dream to write with.

[marcelo]

All my 7 pens, from 7 different brands, are beautiful... AND good writers! :-)

[chromantic]

While I wouldn't necessarily call it ugly, it is sort of funky-looking; a decent writer nonetheless.

Steadtler F1 piston-filler, F nib

 

[doggonecarl]

Rotring Core

 

 

Edited October 27, 2017 by doggonecarl

[Runnin_Ute]

If the pen doesn't appeal to me at some level aesthetically, I won't even consider it. I don't have any pens that I would call ugly, (someone else might though) For example, not everyone likes the look of say the Parker 45 or the 51. I only have one 51 (a Special) but about five or six 45's.

[OCArt]

Pelikan Pelikano Jr. A fantastic writer that is roughly the size of a M800 but homely or cute depending on your point of view. I use one for my familiy's travel journal and it starts right up after months of unuse.

http://www.sequoiaventures.com/iPenStore/Pelikan/Pelikano/Pelikano%20Junior%20Colors400r.jpg

[max dog]

Ugly is in the eye of the beholder.

I think the Lamy 2000 is ugly but it writes beautfully. So mine is a keeper.

[displacermoose]

One. A jade Sheaffer's flat top that was a gift from a family member. What was once green is now a hideous, mottled brown. The clip has gone missing. One of it's previous users must have been a rottweiler judging by the tooth marks on the posting end. The plating on the lever has gone to join the clip. But I resacced it and use it because it has a soft, almost semi-flex medium nib that is a dream to write with.

I have two eBay specials very similar to this. Formerly jade radite from the late 20s. The small one is missing the clip so I improvised a roll stopper with jewelry wire. The full sized one is slightly warped and missing the lever so I installed a blind lever from a doner Wearever and now use it as a coin filler. Neither of these pens are great lookers, but they write spectacularly.