Stalled Innovation In Fountain Pen Design

[vicpen123]

In the 1940s Sheaffer pens introduced the touchdown filler and the Triumph conical nib. They followed in the 1950s with the inlaid nib and supplanted the touchdown filler with the snorkel, culminating in the greatly admired PFM.

 

Two original and unique nibs styles and two well perfoming filling systems not copied by other manufacturers.

 

Around the same era, Parker introduced the hooded nib and the Aerometric filling systems in the legendary "51". Other manufacturers copied both (although without the same success).

 

Since that period, it seems that fountain pen design has stalled and, with only few exceptions (piston fillers), has adopted the open nib and cartridge/converter filling systems as the standard.

 

Why has innovation in design stalled? Did we reach peak design with the Parker and Sheaffer pens of the period? Or are there more ideas to be developed?

 

Is it only that the market for fountain pens has shrunk and economics dictates design? I do not believe so.

 

Given the high prices asked for many modern pens whose primary appeal is in the aesthetics of the cap and barrel, rather than in the quality and innovation of the the nib and filling systems, leads me to believe that cost is not the only, or even the most important, consideration.

 

Any ideas?

 

 

[Chris C]

I understand your point. I guess we have to view this in the context that 98% of people will never own a pen costing more than $30. We're moving increasingly to touchscreens and keyboards. When I hand-write letters to people with my FPs, they are quite surprised. It's pretty unusual today. C/C pens have the edge in convenience, neatness, and ease of manufacture. It will be interesting to see what happens to fine pens in the coming decade as hand-writing becomes rarer and the older generation that grew up with FPs isn't buying them.

[Doug C]

Take a look at Conid for innovation.

[praxim]

Did we reach peak design with the Parker and Sheaffer pens of the period?

 

No, but that is beside the point. Improvements happen, usually out of sight rather than being major components. Compare it with other complex technologies. For that matter, have you seen much innovation in ballpoints since the Bic?

[Bo Bo Olson]

Fountain pens are nitch...only. There is no bottom line bonus for spending bonus money on engineers, re-tooling and most expensive advertizing; to a small, small minority.....in 95% or more still use ball points or roller balls of one type or another.

 

The companies make more with selling expensive cartridges.....why should they change a winning strategy.

The piston companies do well, each making a cartridge eater.

China's coming with the piston........soon good by big boys. The profit margin is thin....the land the factory is on is worth much. Gut and go.

The Conid costs a lot...is new...holds a ton of ink too.

It is expensive. It has not cracked the Status market.....that was always the big thing about fountain pens, the top of the line were status items with silver or gold high status pens for them that flaunted the Bling.

Cadillac and Lincoln dropped big time when due to a weak dollar BMW and Mercedes costed more...Status is showing you can spend more. (The only European car that was rated as middle class in interior was the Saab....not even the big BMW&Mercedes.....

A while....quite a while back, I parked a rented Lincoln Town Car, next to a 7er BMW...and it failed a full yard in size vs the Lincoln. But cost more.)

That is one of the reasons fountain pens are so big today....to flash bling where it counts....in the better more nimble write all day standard and medium-large pens just are not Big enough to be seen down the conference table.

For Conid to go, they need to major league Bling.....and lots of very expensive advertisement so the Ball Point jerks on the conference table know....the Conid is first class Bling. Even with out a snowflake.

[milkb0at]

I think most innovation is in ballpoint pens: gel inks, hybrid inks, erasable inks, multi-pens, different click mechanisms. Mechanical pencils too: Kuru-Toga / Delguard, twist erasers, auto-retract pipes etc etc. Most cost pittance compared to fountain pens.

 

It would be interesting to see what the next innovation in fountain pens could be. Conid, as mentioned, are doing stuff. Venvstas are making carbon fibre pens (for unclear benefits). There are people making 3D printed pens which are curious at the moment but could turn into something important.

 

As always with the "next great thing" it will probably come out of left field and will be totally unpredictable. And may never happen, since the fountain pen market is still niche and largely old fashioned. Keep an eye on Reddit and Kickstarter to see where the trends are going for new stuff.

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi all,

 

Well, there's Platinum's "Slip and Seal" cap which prevents dry-out for 1-2 years.

 

 

- Anthony

[ballboy]

Perhaps the Pilot Vanishing Point/Capless is the last remaining legacy pen of notable innovation?

[Wooden_Nickel]

You seem to equate innovation in design with the quality of the pen, but I don't think they're the same thing or that they necessarily go hand in hand.

 

Innovations mean unforeseen consequences: look at the chain of problems that followed Parker's introduction of fast-drying 51 Ink, which attacked pen innards, including those of the Parker 51 pen, and then its subsequent replacement by the equally problematic SuperChrome ink.

 

In any case, fountain pens attract some buyers (I include myself here) precisely because they're examples of old-fashioned (or, to be uncharitable, obsolete) technology. I associate them with the elegance of a more gracious era.

Edited November 8, 2017 by Wooden_Nickel

[Runnin_Ute]

Why has innovation in design stalled? Did we reach peak design with the Parker and Sheaffer pens of the period? Or are there more ideas to be developed?

 

Hard to say, but while adoption of the cartridge/converter filling system beginning around 1960 with the Parker 45, the tooling and materials are dirt cheap on a per unit basis. The problem? A lot fewer units are sold in 2017 than in 1960. Which over time has caused retail pricing to go up in order to make the same bottom line profit. In economic terms it is called the product life cycle.

 

What are the main stages of the product life cycle?

The main stages of the product life cycle are:

1. Introduction – researching, developing and then launching the product
2. Growth – when sales are increasing at their fastest rate
3. Maturity – sales are near their highest, but the rate of growth is slowing down, e.g. new competitors in market or saturation
4. Decline – final stage of the cycle, when sales begin to fall

https://www.tutor2u.net/business/reference/product-life-cycle

 

The link explains it and some things to extend each stage. Fountain pen companies want to stay in the Maturity stage for as long as possible. Parker made the 45 for approximately 45 years beginning in 1960.

[vicpen123]

As far as I can tell from a youtube video, the Conid is a variation on the piston filler that relies on a plunger.

 

None of Platinum Slip and Seal caps, Pilot Vanishing points nor improvements in ball point and gel pens represent innovation in nibs or filling systems in fountain pen design.

 

innovation was not, and is not, a function of quality or the result of unforeseen consequences - it is a function and a result of new approaches to the concept of fountain pen nibs and filling systems.

 

My concern is for innovation in the core purpose of the fountain pen, namely the filling, storage and application of wet ink to a writing surface, not cap and barrel construction or "bling".

 

So far, there has been no examples of sort of innovation that characterised the pens mentioned at the beginning of the thread from the 40s and 50s.

[ParkerDuofold]

As far as I can tell from a youtube video, the Conid is a variation on the piston filler that relies on a plunger.

 

None of Platinum Slip and Seal caps, Pilot Vanishing points nor improvements in ball point and gel pens represent innovation in nibs or filling systems in fountain pen design.

 

innovation was not, and is not, a function of quality or the result of unforeseen consequences - it is a function and a result of new approaches to the concept of fountain pen nibs and filling systems.

 

My concern is for innovation in the core purpose of the fountain pen, namely the filling, storage and application of wet ink to a writing surface, not cap and barrel construction or "bling".

 

So far, there has been no examples of sort of innovation that characterised the pens mentioned at the beginning of the thread from the 40s and 50s.

Hi Vic, et al,

 

Well, I wouldn't mind seeing an electric fountain pen with a battery driven pump that feeds the ink at a steady pace... eliminating all ink starvation issues... flow issues... the perils of dry inks, etc.

 

It could be speed adjustable, depending on whether you were using wet or dry inks. Make it touch/pressure sensitive, so the pump only functions when you're actually writing.

 

And no... I'm not kidding... I'm just nuts.

 

Be well all and enjoy life.

 

 

- Anthony

 

EDITED to correct text.

Edited November 9, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

[Maurizio]

I’m glad someone beat me to mentioning the Pilot Vanishing Point as an innovation. The Platinum slip and seal cap would seem to qualify too.

 

If you’re comparing the number and pace of innovations in fountain pens during the 30’s - to mid fifties and now, you’re comparing apples and oranges. Back then, before ballpoints, fountain pens were used by almost every person who had to do any sort of writing and they were ubiquitous form the schoolroom to the boardroom. There were several fountain pen companies actively competing for a percentage of the market. In that climate it’s no surprise that innovations came more quickly.

 

Now, fountain pens are a niche/hobbyist/connoisseur market, much smaller than it was during the 30’s - 50’s. It shouldn’t be surprising that the pace of innovation has slowed. I think what’s interesting is how vigorous this smaller market remains and that there are still innovations at all.

[praxim]

Vicpen, regardless of your bias toward particular pens of the 40s and 50s, there was ample innovation beforehand and has been since, although it may not be at a sufficiently gross level for you. Why must there be a new filling system (which there has been anyway) for there to be innovation? Basically, a filling system can suck, blow or pour, and most of those are being done pretty well now. Nibs operate the way nibs operate, with feeds being one hidden area of innovation or at least engineering improvement in the last fifty years.

 

PD's idea is not so far fetched using current miniature technologies, provided there were incentive to develop such a product for a market which Runnin-Ute fairly observes is in decline. Consider the motion sensor in your phone; in a pen it could shut off ink supply when you tip up the pen or even if you drop it, meaning no ink spills during carriage on aircraft plus PD's unpatented auto-flow to manage different atmospheric pressures in use. We have the technology already, yet my needs do not include any of those features. Is there a market? Would you define the innovation away as not meeting your criteria?

[MarkTrain]

Hi Vic, et al,

 

Well, I wouldn't mind seeing an electric fountain pen with a battery driven pump that feeds the ink at a steady pace... eliminating all ink starvation issues... flow issues... the perils of dry inks, etc.

 

It could be speed adjustable, depending on whether you were using wet or dry inks. Make it touch/pressure sensitive, so the pump only functions when you're actually writing.

 

And no... I'm not kidding... I'm just nuts.

 

Be well all and enjoy life.

 

 

- Anthony

 

EDITED to correct text.

Well there is the mechanical fountain pen with a motor driven retracting nib.

Only 91,600 Euro.

[ParkerDuofold]

Well there is the mechanical fountain pen with a motor driven retracting nib.

Only 91,600 Euro.

Hi Mark, et al,

 

It is a pity that so much time, acumen and money went into something that is really nothing more than a novelty; rather than putting it towards a much more practical application... such as my ink pump fountain pen idea.

 

 

- Anthony

 

EDITED to correct typos.

Edited November 9, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

[ParkerDuofold]

...PD's idea is not so far fetched using current miniature technologies, provided there were incentive to develop such a product for a market which Runnin-Ute fairly observes is in decline. Consider the motion sensor in your phone; in a pen it could shut off ink supply when you tip up the pen or even if you drop it, meaning no ink spills during carriage on aircraft plus PD's unpatented auto-flow to manage different atmospheric pressures in use. We have the technology already, yet my needs do not include any of those features. Is there a market? Would you define the innovation away as not meeting your criteria?

 

Thank you, Praxim, for this support... I wish I had the time and/or engineering skills required... I'd tinker with the idea, just for the kicks.

 

 

- Anthony

 

ETA: I might still anyways; irregardless of the fact that I don't know what I'm doing.

Edited November 9, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

[aeba]

OT:

Hi Mark, et al,

It is a pity that so much time, acumen and money went into something that is really nothing more than a novelty; rather than putting it towards a much more practical application... such as my ink pump fountain pen idea.


- Anthony

EDITED to correct typos.

Be a real pro, and McGyver an infusion pump into the feed. You wouldn't run out of ink capacity either. Not really that transportable, but eh, that's small price to pay, right?

[minddance]

As a result of feed innovation, they have become drier and drier.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

With great respect to those who manufacture pens, especially the small stand-alone Co.s . I reckon that FP advancement has not stalled, but is seeking a new paradigm.

 

Just what that paradigm may be is uncertain, and is not always evident in the marketplace, tho the experience in the hands of the writers will tell the tale.

 

I like to think that advancement with be in the arena of nibs+feeds - upstream ink handling (C/C + piston fillers) seems to be OK.

 

how to deliver the best of the past with the best of the new? (I love my celluloid Parker Vac and the Lamy Pink Safari)

 

Not all dies have six sides. And I have the impression that we enjoy more innovation in the array of inks than pens.

 

????

 

Bye,

S1

Edited November 9, 2017 by Sandy1