Best Eyedropper Under $10

[nick_salad]

Hi guys!

 

I've finally made up my mind to buy a pen and convert it to an eyedropper.

I don't want to spend a lot of money on it. I want a pen that

1. Does not burp ink (if thats possible)
2. Does not leak.
3. Does not crack easily
4. Is safe to carry around
5. Has a smooth nib.

And also give me tips for carrying around an eyedropper pen.

[calvin_0]

 

Does not burp ink (if thats possible)

 

sorry, but every eyedropper pen will burp... unless you take some steps to counter it like using a thicker ink like the pilot generic ink..

 

but that said, jinhao 991 would fit most of your cateria.. and i been told that jinhao nib is pretty smooth.. but i dont have such luck with it.. however, i only have one jinhao pen.. so maybe i just got bad luck with it... QC arent really their strong point.

 

also if you are willing to spend alittle bit more, i would suggest getting a wing sung 698 instead.. it's a piston filler, it hold less ink then an eyedropper but it also dont burp and it hold more ink than conventional converter fountain pen.

Edited November 12, 2017 by calvin_0

[catbert]

Noodler's Charlie eyedropper is free with several 4.5 oz bottles of ink (e.g. here). It's pretty robust and won't burp if you keep it topped up. I've had one continuously inked for a couple of years.

[calvin_0]

won't burp if you keep it topped up.

 

well that is true for every eyedropper pen...

[Qoan]

 

also if you are willing to spend alittle bit more, i would suggest getting a wing sung 698 instead.. it's a piston filler, it hold less ink then an eyedropper but it also dont burp and it hold more ink than conventional converter fountain pen.

 

I would also recommend the Wing Sung 698. It holds a huge amount of ink, won't burp and is much cleaner to refill. Also the materials are good quality and the cap is perfectly secure (as well as the piston, which can be locked) so I feel perfectly safe carrying it around. I have never stained my hands with that pen. But it costs around €14 (which should be $18 or so).

A cheaper piston filler is the Dollar 717i, although these would burp as well on occasion, if rarely.

 

 

well that is true for every eyedropper pen...

 

The problem with eyedroppers is they will burp if they aren't topped up, so they hold a lot of ink but you cannot use it for that long without the thing getting risky... so at the end of the day you don't gain that much comfort or autonomy, at least not without other inconveniences.

[hari317]

Hi guys!

 

I've finally made up my mind to buy a pen and convert it to an eyedropper.

I don't want to spend a lot of money on it. I want a pen that

• Does not burp ink (if thats possible)
• Does not leak.
• Does not crack easily
• Is safe to carry around
• Has a smooth nib.

And also give me tips for carrying around an eyedropper pen.

Look for a Sheaffer no nonsense FP.

[eharriett]

I have about 3 Sheaffer School pens always inked and I have 7 more I keep for when I need then. All were eyedropper converted. All work perfectly. NONE HAVE EVER BURPED INK!!

 

Just make sure you put enough silicone grease on the threads. These pens are cheap, plentiful, and frankly, write better than some of the more expensive high end pens.

 

Two of them are permenant homes for Noodler's KTC and BSB. I find the KTC is an alternate everyday carry ink and that pen is the perfect vessel for it.

[nick_salad]

I have about 3 Sheaffer School pens always inked and I have 7 more I keep for when I need then. All were eyedropper converted. All work perfectly. NONE HAVE EVER BURPED INK!!

 

Just make sure you put enough silicone grease on the threads. These pens are cheap, plentiful, and frankly, write better than some of the more expensive high end pens.

 

Two of them are permenant homes for Noodler's KTC and BSB. I find the KTC is an alternate everyday carry ink and that pen is the perfect vessel for it.

 

Hi Eharriett,

 

They don't burp even when low on ink ? How much silicone grease do you use ?

 

Thanks for the great suggestion

 

~Nick

[eharriett]

Hi Eharriett,

 

They don't burp even when low on ink ? How much silicone grease do you use ?

 

Thanks for the great suggestion

 

~Nick

None of my Sheaffer's that I've eyedroppered burp.

 

I don't use the grease sparingly. I have extra on it, I just remove the excess after I screw the sections in. I have no complaints about the results.

[calvin_0]

None of my Sheaffer's that I've eyedroppered burp.

 

I don't use the grease sparingly. I have extra on it, I just remove the excess after I screw the sections in. I have no complaints about the results.

 

well ink is also a factor when come to burping.. my Nemosine Singularity dont burp until I switch to a lubricated ink like KWZ Iron Gall Blue Black..

[eharriett]

Two of the Sheaffer Schools consistently have at all times: Noodler's Baystate Blue and Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng (the third, until recently held Revolution Blue). Both KTC and BSB are not exactly famous for being easy to use

 

I originally had KTC in its included Charlie pen. Had burping problems. And starting problems. No problems since I moved it to a School pen.

[AmandaW]

Maybe try researching the Lecai eyedropper. There's a few threads about it and it sounds really good. I can't vouch for it yet because I'm still waiting for mine to arrive...

[frankb3]

I like the Penton F12. It comes with an o-ring and I add grease too. They are in the $3-5 range. The Pilot Plumix with a 1mm stub is nice too, but the back of the barrel needs to be sealed. Clear nail polish works, but it takes a few applications to get it sealed and looking nice. I'm also waiting for my Lecai to arrive.

Edited November 14, 2017 by frankb3

[Dip n Scratch]

What makes an eyedropper pen burp ink?

It sounds like an annoying & messy thing to happen, involving the loss of a good amount of whatever ink is left.

Is this due to the ink composition or air leakage into the barrel of the pen?

[ENewton]

It's not under $10, but curiously, my Kaweco Sport has not burped since I started using it as an eyedropper about a month ago, and I didn't even use silicone grease on the threads. I've been using Birmingham inks and have not made a practice of topping up the fill. I just haven't had any problems.

[SoulSamurai]

What makes an eyedropper pen burp ink?

It sounds like an annoying & messy thing to happen, involving the loss of a good amount of whatever ink is left.

Is this due to the ink composition or air leakage into the barrel of the pen?

 

As I understand it, when you pick up a pen your hand will warm the air inside, which will then expand. In a cartridge pen the extra insulation might slow down the rate at which air is warmed, but regardless: the smaller the capacity of a pen the less air that there can be inside the pen, which means less volume is taken by expanding air, which means less ink is displaced. The smaller amount of ink that can be displaced inside a cartridge pen or typical piston filler is absorbed by the feed and so does not leak.

 

But an eyedropper pen has a large capacity meaning there can be a lot of air inside meaning a lot of extra volume is taken up when it expands meaning a lot of ink can be displaced; potentially too much for the feed to hold, so it can end up leaking out.

 

I guess a Sport has a relatively low ink capacity compared to many full sized eyedroppers, so it's probably less likely to leak.

[woleizihan]

I never get burping from eyedroppers with screwed in nib units, no matter it's Franklin Christoph or Ranga with a Jowo nib or Chinese eyedroppers.

[BradGad]

Platinum Preppy. You can get the supplies (o-rings, gel) from Goulet.

[BradGad]

What makes an eyedropper pen burp ink?

It sounds like an annoying & messy thing to happen, involving the loss of a good amount of whatever ink is left.

Is this due to the ink composition or air leakage into the barrel of the pen?

 

The same thing that makes any pen burp: a (relatively) large volume of air in the reservoir and a change in atmospheric pressure or temperature. The contact of a hand on the pen can raise the temperature.

 

It would be believable that eyedroppers tend to have more air.

 

Any fountain pen will burp if the conditions are right. Vac fillers with a shut-off are somewhat immune.

Edited March 20, 2018 by BradGad

[Arkanabar]

The strongest mitigation against burping comes from

 

• an insulated ink chamber, e.g., c/c (see Charles' Law for an explanation)
• low ink capacity (again, Charles' Law)
• capacious feed

 

Preppies and Sheaffer's NoNonsense and school pens really big feeds with lots of fins.