Favorite Pens That Are So Unloved, It Drives You Mad.

[AAAndrew]

I know this is meant for fountain pens, but I thought I'd share my feeling for under-appreciated steel dip nibs. Turner & Harrison was second only to Esterbrook in size, but they get little recognition. Part of the reason is that they didn't advertise like Esterbrook did. They didn't need to. They were founded by two pen makers who had started life on the factory line in Birmingham pen factories and so recognized what it took to make a good pen. The company was run by people who had come up through the factory floor to become president with one very short-lived exception, from their founding in 1870 until they dissolved in 1952. As a result of this focus on the actual making of pens by people who knew what it took, the quality is always top-notch. I even have a few boxes of "seconds" from various makers. These were sold as "Assorted steel pens" and even among the seconds, the T&H pens are still top quality with only small, cosmetic imperfections.

 

T&H sold various lines of pens with their Leon Isaacs Glucinum pens being their premier line, along with Russia Moheta and then their Turner & Harrison Standard line, which is what you see most often, the boxes with just Turner & Harrison on the label. All of them were very good quality pens, and still quite reasonable compared to Esterbrooks.

[GhostAsset]

The Shneider Ray. Only available in a medium nib and either black on white or white on black. Its an affordable pen (I paid $25 I think). It doesnt come with a converter, but will accept international cartridges or international converters. On the major plus side: It writes like glass and consistently, its never skipped or blotted even once. Id compare it to a cigar shaped Lamy Al-Star for performance. Plus the German based company is 100% green and supports WIB (Women in business). Its a comfortable pen in the hand and being plastic, doesnt produce any writing fatigue. Now I still love my Pelikans, but the Schneider will produce a more variable line when called for.

[friedrichwild]

I have to agree on the parker vector I have had mine for years and the thing seems bulletproof it's been dropped nib first several times, I've left it inked for months picked it up and its started right away.

 

For me, I'd probably say it's the 45, in my opinion, they are a great pen which is unfortunately overshadowed by the 51 which is a great pen and I wonder if I'd get on better with mine if I had it serviced it.

But there are some things that I feel for an edc pen the 45 is better at .

i could not agree more about the Parker 45 and especially the flighter models! These pens are slick, bulletproof, ergonomic, balanced,easy to clean, great variety of nib options and they write superb. Plus, i think that Parker 45 has the BEST exotic 14k gold nibs (such as italics). Trully great writers.

Edited January 20, 2018 by friedrichwild

[friedrichwild]

I think that Pelikan Souveran M400 is one of them. Some call it WAY TOO small but i think it is not. Yes, when the pen is capped it looks really small. But i think that this is a big advantage because it is very protable. Uncapped the pen is not small in length compared to some other well known pens for which i have not heard so many complains about their lenght! (Sorry for the crappy pictures)

Edited January 20, 2018 by friedrichwild

[flyingfox]

I totally agree re. Levenger pens... Beautiful, reliable, excellent writers, and they sometimes have great sale!

 

Another brand that hardly ever get mentioned is Online. They seem to be big in Germany and Switzerland, but seem to be practically unknown in the U.S. Such a shame... Their school pens are so inexpensive and come in so many different colors and designs that are funny and cute. They have higher-quality line, as well as cool calligraphy pens. I just picked up a total of 4 pens by them at Philly Pen Show, and am renewing my appreciation for them!

[AL01]

I think that Pelikan Souveran M400 is one of them. Some call it WAY TOO small but i think it is not. Yes, when the pen is capped it looks really small. But i think that this is a big advantage because it is very protable. Uncapped the pen is not small in length compared to some other well known pens for which i have not heard so many complains about their lenght! (Sorry for the crappy pictures)

 

 

I agree with you on that. The M400 is a nice size for people who have smaller hands, (like me.)

 

I'd also like to mention the Sheaffer Legacy Heritage.....

 

NOW that's one heck of cartridge pen!

 

The weight, the balance, the feel, the nib...

 

I never knew I could love a C/C pen so much.

 

I would also add the Sheaffer Prelude.

 

It's a great C/C pen with a great nib.

 

i could not agree more about the Parker 45 and especially the flighter models! These pens are slick, bulletproof, ergonomic, balanced,easy to clean, great variety of nib options and they write superb. Plus, i think that Parker 45 has the BEST exotic 14k gold nibs (such as italics). Trully great writers.

 

I agree with these words of wisdom as well.

 

The nibs can be lovely writers.

 

(One time I had a 45 with a wonderfully soft 14K gold Fine nib.)

 

The only issue I have with them, however, is that the plastics will crack or get all warpy.

[minddance]

Sailor Somiko. Or Sailor 0501. I got to know this pen from Sandy1's review. She/he ocassionally uses a broad or fine in the reviews. Now I have 3 broads and 1 medium. Impeccable flow and unique writing experience.

[ibleech]

FPR Ebonite Himalayan for $25 !!!

 

https://fprevolutionusa.com/products/fpr-himalaya

 

The best deal in ebonite that I know of and a very good writer.

[ibleech]

I agree. Really nice writers for a great price.

[Arkanabar]

Arkanabar, what do you like about the Parker cartridges? For me the taper to the slim end creates a space that tends to trap ink by surface tension. And the non-Penman ones tend to be a bit cloudy so it is hard to see the ink level. The fat, untapered Sheaffer USA cartridges did not have those problems as much, and AFAIK are the only design in which the cartridge is held in place securely. That said, I (but not everyone) have had good luck with the Parker Betas from India ($7 and up on eBay where today they are fairly scarce) and I (and I think most others) like the Frontier ($20 and up).

A combination of capacity and internal ribs intended to generate capillary action that draws the ink to the feed. Also, not so narrow in the throat as international short carts. This was from the same company that came up with the Jotter refill, which has numerous small but important touches that put it well ahead of other ballpoint pens.

 

To reiterate the question, what modern Parker c/c pens would people like to recommend? I know what I like, and why -- lightweight, fairly short (to fit into the smaller breast pockets that are, alas, now in vogue), middling section girth (9.5-10.5mm), and fine-medium line width. Exemplars include Pelikan M2xx/M4xx, Pilot Prera, FPR Himalaya, and Platinum Plaisir.

[AL01]

Maybe the Sonnet and Duofold???

 

They won't be too heavy, but they definitely wont be as light as a feather either...

[KLscribbler]

Another brand that hardly ever get mentioned is Online. They seem to be big in Germany and Switzerland, but seem to be practically unknown in the U.S. Such a shame... Their school pens are so inexpensive and come in so many different colors and designs that are funny and cute. They have higher-quality line, as well as cool calligraphy pens. I just picked up a total of 4 pens by them at Philly Pen Show, and am renewing my appreciation for them!

 

Hmm. I suppose it's time I try out some Online pens. They are, for some reason, commonly available in the stationery sections of department stores here in Kuala Lumpur. I've passed by Online display cases so many times but never bothered to check them out, probably because I (wrongly) assumed they were novelty pens for the gift market. A case of "misled by the brand name" perhaps.

[JayKay3000]

A lot of people sneer at Parker Vectors as being "school pens" -- but I love mine. They're inexpensive, they come in fun colors, and they're little workhorses.

 

I got a vector a couple of years ago really excited because, yes a lot of people had them when I was in school. I always had the frontier. So I got one and it wrote dreadfully and I was really disappointed. I recently got in the mail a boar (I think 588) that's the copy of the Vector and the Boar writes almost perfectly. But people also say they've had terrible frontiers so I'm not sure. I can imagine a good one is nice. I also find them a bit small for my big hands, but I expect it's why they are good school pens because kids hands are bit a smaller. A child won't really want to use a big, heavy pen all day in school.

[bob_hayden]

I was using Sheaffer Dollar pens when the Parker Vector came out. I bought a few but in comparison they seemed to have nibs that were more variable in quality, too nail-like for me, and broader than the Sheaffer F nibs I preferred at the time. In addition, the barrels were made of soft plastic that tended to split out under much lighter use than my Sheaffers ever enjoyed. The Reflexes were uglier but I had better luck with those, and very good luck with Frontiers. Recently I have been very pleased with Betas from India. They brag that they use Vector nibs, but in my experience the nibs are actually much better than the old USA Parker nibs. They are also more exposed, which I think makes them less nail-like. For me the very limited range of inks in Parker cartridges is a big drawback to all these pens, and the main reason I do not use them much. Some of them are very wet writers with fairly broad M nibs and those I appreciate for light colored inks that tend to look faint in an XF nib. And I don't think I ever got a Parker that just did not work, or broke right away.