Fountain Pen Regrets And Repurchases

[Mastiff]

It's been over 10 years since I got into fountain pens and I occasionally think about all those beautiful pens that I sold off in my fountain pen journey.

 

Some of the pens I regret selling include:

-Montblanc pens including 146 diamond

-My entire Pelikan family of around 15 pens, particularly m900 and m7000

-Namiki capless pens including Raden stripes

-Any pens with Binder/Mottishaw stubs

 

Funnily enough I don't regret selling any of Nakayas, Viscontis and Omases..

 

I have resisted the temptation to repurchase any of the pens that I sold, with the exception of the MB diamond. I just had to have it again! But I managed to tame my further desire by acquiring more factory stubs, broads, and italics from brands that I now focus on. I am relatively settled now, but when I see some of the pens that I used to have they evoke some emotions in me.

 

So what pens do you regret selling and ended up buying again?

[Charles Rice]

I have never sold a pen, but have given a few away. My only regret is a Parker 75 which I gave to my brother after he begged and begged. But heck, a few years later he gave me a Parker 45 and a bottle of Penman ink.

[langere]

I've only lost pens. I had a Visconti Ragtime that I lost and have never been able to find. I thought I lost it in my office, but even when I moved, it did not appear.

 

Then I thought I lost my Lamy 2000, a Kaweco Liliput and a Bexley 2014 Owners Club, so I bought them again - but each one showed up again, so now I have two of each!

 

Erick

[langere]

I have regretted buying new Conklins, but that is another story....

 

Erick

[The Blue Knight]

Had only 2 so far Parker Sonnet because I lost the first one. AS well as a Diplomat Balance C (below). The writing around the middle started rubbing off my first one. I ended up buying a second a little over a year later. I'm glad I did as soon after it was discontinued.

 

Then there's the gold nibbed Excellence A which I sold recently. Kind of wish I thought it through as I can imagine getting a Midnight blue one at some point or another. Really should have kept the gold nib.

[mitto]

I have never ever sold any of my pens nor willfully let any to part ways with me. And I started using fountain pens in third grade in 1962. Even pens I used in school, college and university are still with me. All of them.

 

So no regrets and no repurchases.

[sidthecat]

I've sold off some of my treasures, because I have too dam many treasures. I've also given some away, because I'm an enabler.

 

And I've had some heartbreaking losses, due to the ugly tendency of ringtops to untwist themselves and disappear. I keep the caps in a little drawer of my jewelry box - a pen sepulchre.

Edited April 17, 2018 by sidthecat

[TheDutchGuy]

No re-purchases. I do sell off pens that I don't use anymore. If I use them, I keep them. The ones I sell are not bad pens, I just love others more.

[Runnin_Ute]

I have lost a few, which resulted in repurchases. I had a pen wrap with a Parker 51 Special (set), Parker 45 Flighter 14k M nib, a Made in Spain burgundy Parker 45 and four Pelikan's. A 120 Merz & Krell with a lovely EF nib, a M150, and two M205's (black and red - one with an F the other a M). Never found. There may have been a couple of others as well. Never sold a pen.

[ftnpenfan]

I have sold or given away most of the Chinese pens I acquired when I started into the addiction hobby. No regrets. I'm much more selective now about any purchases I make.

[pajaro]

I regret buying any Parker Sonnets. There is the drying out issue, but you can keep the pen writing with constant use--not getting side-tracked to other pens. How can you sell these things in good conscience?

[Sailor Kenshin]

I've sold some decent pens that just weren't for me: too thin, too heavy, metal sections. Like a translucent green Reform, a Rötring Freeway, a Levenger Samba.

 

I repurchased a Pikachu-yellow Lamy Safari with black trim, because my original wrote scratchy, and back then I didn't know how to fix it. And a Waterman Kultur, to remind myself not to buy one again.

 

The number of pens I've given away is too great to mention.

[pajaro]

I've sold some decent pens that just weren't for me: too thin, too heavy, metal sections. Like a translucent green Reform, a Rötring Freeway, a Levenger Samba.

 

I repurchased a Pikachu-yellow Lamy Safari with black trim, because my original wrote scratchy, and back then I didn't know how to fix it. And a Waterman Kultur, to remind myself not to buy one again.

 

The number of pens I've given away is too great to mention.

 

I made up a special Waterman Kultur for display only, putting on the gold pieces from a Phileas and an 18K EF nib from a L'etalon. Same reason. Don't buy this again.

[Barkingpig]

I gave away my first Kaweco Sport to a neighbor who had never seen the funny little pen before; he had been telling me about his MB's & the ones he had gifted to friends because he thought they were so wonderful. A couple of years later I realised I actually missed that 1st Kaweco Sport & despite having other Sports in other colors, the green one was just one I missed. Easy solution to that & altho I haven't inked it, I enjoy seeing it in the pen case with it's "siblings."

 

I have given away pens of far greater replacement value (Pilot 823, Montegrappa, Sailor, Danitrio, Brass Kaweco Sport, Parker 51) but that small plastic pen is the only one I have wanted to replace. The others can be considered "tuition."

[Maurizio]

I regret selling my Aurora Talentum though it was just sitting in my drawer.

 

I REALLY regret recently losing my Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black with its medium nib. First pen I’ve lost in more than 15 years. I will be repurchasing another. I have a Cherry Wood VP which is also quite nice but with a fine nib and I need the medium VP nib for wetter, rapid writing, and the Matte Black because that’s a pen I can carry around and use in front of a jury without them knowing or seeing I’m using a fancy pen with a gold nib. It’s a nice stealth pen. I must have dropped it in court during a recent trial aftermath and I’m still kicking myself with regret about losing it.

[praxim]

Nothing I have sold has been repurchased, because for each such sale (very few) there is a duplicate or brand+style+function equivalent. I do sell a small number to try to keep the list to one where I can use any pen in a not-wholly-unreasonable time frame. I have also purchased a small number of pens specifically for repair and resale. Already, a couple of those have been been moved to "keep". A couple will be duplicates once working, so sold.

 

edit:typo

Edited April 17, 2018 by praxim

[flipper_gv]

I miss my CH92. Really is a spectacular nib, every angles, perfectly consistent. I gave it to my gf, so it's still inside the house anyway.

[oregano]

Oh yes, especially the first ones that I sold. I still haven't managed to find an adequate replacement for the first two:

 

-Montblanc 146 with an EF nib (fantastic)

-Delta Dolce Vita Slim

-Pelikan Green o' Green (which I replaced this year and is one of my favorite pens)

-Aurora Optima blue (which I replaced last year, also one of my best nibs)

-Ferrari da Varese Yesterday (I had reasons for selling it but wish I had kept it), unlikely to find it again

 

The others I don't regret selling. Most were vintage pens.

[minddance]

No regrets so far, maybe I haven't bought/seen enough. The only pens I returned/exchanged are Pilot 912sm and 92 broad. Exchanged was 912sm with scratchy inner tines, and I got an extremely good one in return, a silky brush with no lack of nuances and control. Great comfortable grip too, great on absorbent paper but not for Rhodia because I write lightly without pressure.

 

The Pilot 92 broad was from another vendor and I could only refund. It was blatantly scratchy and dry for a broad nib. And since it was refunded, there's no regret. I might, however, get a 74 in broad just for fun. I am quite sure there are differences between the older 92 and the newer 74.

[WJM]

I regretted buying Pelikan 120. This had nothing to do with the pen however. I love Pelikans and would gladly add 120 to the flock, and the one I bought was in really great condition. The thing is it was a rather impulsive buy, after which I quickly thought that I would rather spend the money for something else. Especially that I somewhat overpaid for the 120.

 

I sold it very soon after (with a few dollars loss) and bought Pelikan 100N instead. Ironically, later I had to buy 120's parts to repair the 100N.