Help Me Decide On A Pen!

[sharonspens]

Apparently the OP is located somewhere in the States. While there may not be a pen show or pen shop in driving distance, perhaps there are other pen people in your state, maybe even with a pen gathering on tap. Or, perhaps a single person who might be willing to meet-and-greet?

[raggs]

Glad I could help! I love my 580, and its what sold me on the eco. Two of them actually. Ive got a pair of matching xf nibs and I recently added the 1.1mm italic. The one thing that makes the 580 worth it over the eco is how much easier it is to use with ink samples. If thats not a major concern Id say just get a second eco.

Oh yes I despise filling the eco with ink samples - I invariably end up with it all over my hands. Although if that's the only major difference, I'm not sure it's worth it (although being able to interchange nibs might be nice?).

 

Hi Raggs can I at 88 years old suggest a Pilot Elite which is one of the smallest F Pens you will get they have a great Nib are very light and write fabulously on average I would say that you should get one for around $130,00 I collect them but don't want to part with them they are SO good ,Trust Me, Oneill

 

I've not even heard of this pen, thank you! I'll be sure and look it up. Thanks!

Apparently the OP is located somewhere in the States. While there may not be a pen show or pen shop in driving distance, perhaps there are other pen people in your state, maybe even with a pen gathering on tap. Or, perhaps a single person who might be willing to meet-and-greet?

Hmm, yes, I'll poke around the site a bit and see if I can find anyone. I know there's nothing near me on the calendar. We are going somewhere in the fall where there is a pen shop, but they appear to have mostly vintage pens - and expensive ones at that! LOL (I can always drool over them though! )

[sansenri]

Regarding the Edison Collier, I can actually help you out with your question about weight.

 

I have mine inked and in my office bag, so I just took it out and weighed it on an electronic kitchen scale

Capped 28 g

Uncapped 16g

it is really a light pen and being sufficiently big you will not need to post.

this is my blue steel (I also have the ancient marble, I like the shape too much...)

[sansenri]

one more comment, regarding the TWSBI. I had looked into some of them but after trying them I refrained from purchase.

The reason is probably very subjective but for me the few models I tried have very sharp and protruding threads which are a pain on my fingers (I hold pens rather high up). So despite I like the look of them, I just cannot hold them for very long and have decided not to buy any. The Collier in comparison is far more comfortable.

Edited June 8, 2018 by sansenri

[akrohn2010]

Thank you very much, you've been extremely helpful! I've already learned my lesson about the Chinese pens - they're much worse than the Metropolitan, though I liked the section better. Two recommendations for the Collier - I will have to look into that one for sure now. I somehow thought it would be a very heavy pen; it's very nice to hear that it is not, as I do like it. And yes, the section looks quite comfortable.

 

I think I like the eco because it is light and the section is larger; both reasons make it much more comfortable for me. I'll check on Goulet pens and see relative sizes there - I thought the eco was a small pen until I was enightened in this thread!

 

Sadly I have a latex allergy, so I do believe that rules out ebonite for me. Otherwise I think I would have jumped in on that group order - those pens are absolutely gorgeous.

 

 

Edit: my autocorrect thinks Goulet is goblet!

 

Acrylic pens like those made by Edison or Franklin-Christoph (another great US company with good designs) are often very light - I was amazed picking up the F-C pens during the Triangle Pen Show at how light they all were. Some prefer heft because it "feels" expensive or solid, but that makes really any acrylic pen with a wide section a good candidate for you!

 

I saw the Pearlettes at a few booths at the show as well - like you pointed out it's a bit larger of a pen than you'd expect, but the Collier is definitely the biggest, though still VERY light. Many reviews I read about it commented on how comfortable it is for long writing. I wanted one badly until I decided to spend the money on a custom Menlo from Edison (won't get here until July)!

[raggs]

Regarding the Edison Collier, I can actually help you out with your question about weight.

 

I have mine inked and in my office bag, so I just took it out and weighed it on an electronic kitchen scale

Capped 28 g

Uncapped 16g

it is really a light pen and being sufficiently big you will not need to post.

this is my blue steel (I also have the ancient marble, I like the shape too much...)

Thank you so much for that! And that picture is making me drool - the blue steel is the one I'd get (I adore blue). That's an excellent weight for me then!

 

one more comment, regarding the TWSBI. I had looked into some of them but after trying them I refrained from purchase.

The reason is probably very subjective but for me the few models I tried have very sharp and protruding threads which are a pain on my fingers (I hold pens rather high up). So despite I like the look of them, I just cannot hold them for very long and have decided not to buy any. The Collier in comparison is far more comfortable.

 

I hate you can't use the TWSBI, I adore mine. But then I hold mine lower down, not near the threads at all. I just tried that and it does hurt! I think you all have about talked me into a Collier.....

Acrylic pens like those made by Edison or Franklin-Christoph (another great US company with good designs) are often very light - I was amazed picking up the F-C pens during the Triangle Pen Show at how light they all were. Some prefer heft because it "feels" expensive or solid, but that makes really any acrylic pen with a wide section a good candidate for you!

 

I saw the Pearlettes at a few booths at the show as well - like you pointed out it's a bit larger of a pen than you'd expect, but the Collier is definitely the biggest, though still VERY light. Many reviews I read about it commented on how comfortable it is for long writing. I wanted one badly until I decided to spend the money on a custom Menlo from Edison (won't get here until July)!

 

Yes, I hadn't thought of it that way, but it does widen my selection, doesn't it? That's great! Ooh, I looked at their custom offerings and they have some gorgeous pens; I hope it's absolutely perfect for you!

[sansenri]

I am glad if my description of the Collier has been useful, you will find that although it's quite a large pen it's very comfortable to hold.

The hourglass shape of the section does that, so even if the barrel is quite large, you never have the feeling of holding something too big. A few other pens around have this shape, which I find ideal, but not so many, one is the Ranga 8B I was telling you about, but it's in ebonite, which you said you may not tolerate, the other I can think of is the italian Stipula Etruria, quite an expensive pen in its many celluloid versions, but some cheaper resin versions are available also. Given your location in US the Edison is probably a better choice.

The Franklin Christoph are also nice pens, one of them is another favorite of mine, the model 20 Marietta.

The reason is different however and has to do with the same reason I dislike the TWSBI, it has NO threads on the barrel!

[AL01]

Would you be into vintage pens?

 

They are smaller than modern pens, and don't weigh a ton.

 

I don't want to pollute the thread, so I will only throw some suggestions if you are interested.

[Runnin_Ute]

I think you have been given some terrific suggestions.

 

I don't have the arthritis issue you have. But for a man don't have particularly large hands. Some of my favorite pens are my Pelikan 140 (vintage), my three M200's (Cognac, Brown Marbled, Blue Marbled) and my Platinum 3776 Century Borgogne. A couple of recent acquisitions that might work for you in the vintage world: Parker 51 - in standard or Demi lengths.

 

Another was a Guider Capsule. (clipless) Mine is the medium sized model. It is HUGE. 158 mm capped and 150 mm uncapped. (by comparison a Pelikan M1000 according to usual sources is 147 mm long capped). Weight of my Guider is 32 grams capped and 25 grams uncapped. The section above the threads is over 15 mm. Down near the nib it is in the 9-10 range. It is more comfortable than I expected. He can make them out of acrylic or ebonite for you. I bought mine with a Schmidt B nib and c/c system rather than eyedropper. He has a smaller model as well - but I am not sure of the dimensions of that.