How Expensive Are Your Everyday Pens?

[Freddy]

Just wondering how expensive of a pen people are comfortable carrying around both in terms of price and durability.

They can be very and I'm very comfortable carrin'.....No problemo.....

Fred

Just in Time.Dean Martin..From Bell's Are Ringing.....

The Party's Over.......Leslie Odom Jr

[LuckyKate]

I'm a teacher so I mostly use Kawecos and a Lamy Al-star in class. I grade with a 3776 which is about the most expensive I carry around. I do have one set of pens for home that don't leave the house and a set for work that's less expensive, not so much that I'm afraid of losing pens but it's more convenient that way and I like using my less expensive pens as much as the more expensive ones. Also I don't have time to admire my pens when I'm in the classroom and my Nakaya would definitely be out of place (it's a little shy).

[Mew]

I use all my pens, ranging from $60 (Pilot Elite 95s) to $4000.

[mana]

Value I paid or current market price? If we go by value I paid then... free/3€ to 150€ (or thereabouts). Going by current market prices? Anything from 50€ to 350€ or something to that effect.

The current pens I usually carry with me (my EDC pens that I do not see myself changing anytime soon) cost something like up to a 250€ a piece (depending on where you look):

- Pelikan 400 Tortoise (14K BB),
- Pelikan 100N (14K , green binde &
- Pelikan 100N (14K EEF), 'Export' stamped black binde.

 

All are nice user grade pens with some minor wear or tear (slight brassing, microfractures that do not impede functionality, semi-opaque/tarnished ink window etc.) that set them apart from the minty/NOS ones (my safe queens). I do occasionally carry other fountain pens too (mostly Parker 51 Aerometrics) alongside of few Fixpencils, a huge assortment of Sharpies etc.

The nibs on those are the ones I would actually lament losing (currently do not have duplicates of them).

 

Some would say that it is kind of foolish to haul those around but they are made to be used after all. Would I carry them across the world or take them with me on a night out? Maybe one of them, or none. It all depends...

But yeah, I do have pens that are more rare and expensive and those are most definitely housebound simple due to the virtue that they would be very hard to impossible to replace if lost/stolen/destroyed. I do not want to risk losing those as they are not made anymore and I consider them to be more like historical artifacts instead of tools to be used.

[Mech-for-i]

Well price wise, it bother me not, even the most expensive can be my daily usage pen, but .... it got to function and I am not talking just about writing. Some top end pen are just not very user friendly for day to day grinding. I prefer a pen that write well, and can stand the abuse of daily usage and that typically mean all the exotic material like 925 Sterling, Celluloid, Gold Fill, or the like pretty much off the list. That also goes with some of the valued finishing like Maki-E ( but its OK if its just raw lacquered ).

 

So far I've found that metal barrel / cap usually weather the day to day environment best ( guess its no surprise ) , brush steel do it best, but good lacquered and enameled ones are close behind. Actually before my Montblanc 114 die on me ( after more than 2 decades of daily grind ) its perfectly my EDC. small, light, can be put into a small pen pouch ( which together with the in series BP and mechanical pencil made a trio ). Got a no nonsense lacquered metal finishing.

 

Since the demise of my 114, I've start carrying a more full size pen pouch around in my day pack and it carried a total of 4 to 5 pens and I am rotating my pens along usage. I have yet not come to conclusion of any particular pens that I would entrust as my old 114 but quite a few had been eliminated, some due to reason tha's not entirely the pens fault but simply that it work out not for the usage / need.

[MuddyWaters]

Definitely depends on the type of work. I'd suspect that office workers here tolerate bringing more valuable pens than manual laborers for example.

 

Since I lose stuff easily, I am quite content with wibg Sung's that cost less than 10 dollars yet write better than many of the pens I have.

[welch]

Roughly $75 - $100 because I nearly always use a Parker 51, the best fountain pen ever made. A 51 aerometric might run as high as $150, except for "collectible" colors, but I use the 51 because it is good. Not because it costs less than a current glitz pen.

[gregamckinney]

With a couple exceptions (vintage Patricians, etc.) I carry any pen I own, so the range is all over the place.

Today they vary from ~$80 to ~$1k.

 

greg

[GeneralSynopsis]

The pen in my trouser pocket for the last year has been a blue FC School+ pen which cost £2.99 from the Range (this is marked <M> but writes somewhere between a fine and x-fine). At this price I have a stock of these, mainly the black mock-carbon-fibre finish.

 

Before that my pocket pen was a Pilot Kakuno <F> which I carried for at least two years. I think I got this cheap from a Japanese dealer on Amazon (~£10?)

 

Today my main pens for use at work are a Vector Flighter (suspected fake) reground to a CI (~£5) and a Wing Sung 3003 <EF> (~£1.50?).

Edited June 12, 2018 by GeneralSynopsis

[Marcwithac]

Most range from $125 to $500 (all values approximate), but I do sometimes break out the crown jewels and write four digit value pens, like a Montblanc L139 or a vintage Waterman Patrician.

[jchch1950]

Depends on the shirt of the day. Wearing a shirt with pocket almost anyone that can fit, with polo shirts something that can be carried in the pants like a Kaweco.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I used to carry all kinds of pens with me, but lately, I really like the Lamy Nexx (with plastic cap) and Lamy ABC pens. The thing about many Lamy pens is that they (except the 2000, Lady, Persona, and some others) use the same feeds and nibs more or less. The body of a Lamy pen is kind of a case for that, so I might just as well get a cheaper Lamy pen. I have three Lamy Nexx, green, blue, and pink and two ABC, blue and red. These pens kind of go under the radar and people don't notice them and ask you what you are doing, and if they get lost, I can always get a new one. (I say this, but I actually went home early one day to make sure I hadn't lost my blue Lamy Nexx). It's less stress to deal with. I almost lost my ABC once, but it has my name on it, so someone ran out to find me and return it. I also like the feel of the Lamy steel nibs, so that's another reason why I use those pens. It's less stress to deal with a cheaper pen, and to me as long as it writes well and is reliable and comfortable to use, I'll be happy.

 

At home, I use whatever I have with me, a safety pen or some other nice Aurora or Pilot pen or one of my Lamy ABC or Nexx pens.

 

Personally, I'm more comfortable with thinner pens, but I've gotten used to using some thicker pens too.

 

Dillon

[Innosint]

my 823 and Conid Miniliastica is a stable

 

I used to have my nakaya with me at all times, but recently office just had an influx of interns that tend to borrow stuff without permission.

 

Felt it's better to stay on the safe side and leave my Nakakya for home use.

 

so now Pilot Vp took its plaace in my daily rotation.

Edited June 13, 2018 by Innosint

[JotterAddict62]

It depends, what I paid for the pen when I came across the pen at a flea-market or at an estate auction or what I can resell the pens for ?

 

The P51 blue aero with a med nib that I have been using was a $2 find back in Aug.2016 [ wonderful pen ]

 

All of my vintage Parker Fp's range in prices of $2 - $50 [ a very few from $75 -$100 ]

 

I had a Chilton from about 1929 for about 9 months when I picked it up for $15 and sold the pen for $250 [ it was a wonderful pen ].

 

I am not into modern pen [ post 1980 ] but if I find one I will take a chance.

 

Always learning.

 

 

Ken

[DaveyWonder]

My three horsemen that I keep at work are:

 

- Parker 51 fine (MontBlanc Royal Blue ink) $150

- Lamy 2000 medium (Lamy Black ink) $125

- Pelikan M800 Demonstrator with broad oblique cursive italic (Iroshuzuku Tsuki-yo ink) $550

 

Each has a specific purpose: Parker for the cheap copy paper and notepads my company keeps in stock. The Lamy for writing in my Rhodia notebooks, and the Pelikan for writing notecards to business contacts and colleagues for special occasions.

 

Oh, I also keep a Lamy Safari Petrol with medium nib ($30) in my desk cup for colleagues who are intrigued by my pens and want to try one. Virtually impossible to destroy it and still very pleasing to use.

 

My other pens hang out in my home office. Theyre too shy (and expensive) for daily use in my work environment (outpatient health clinic).

Edited June 13, 2018 by DaveyWonder

[Arkanabar]

The pen I take to work with me every day is a Hero 616. I often clip it to the outside of my scrub pocket for quick access, popping it loose from the cap and leaving the cap clipped to the pocket, and then recapping (often one-handed). Work has been very hard on my pens. It came in a pack of ten, purchased for about 35USD.

The pen that is most often tucked into my journal is a 1.5mm Pilot Parallel. My intention is to force myself to write with a wider hand. My writing is often so cramped and narrow that even with a fine nib, many of the loops of my letters are closed. Nobody should have to pay more than 10USD for a Pilot Parallel.

At home, the pen I most often grab is the Pelikan M205 F in aqua demonstrator that my wife bought me for Christmas 2017. I also take it with me out on the town. It is a joy to write with, but nursing is far too hazardous an environment to take it to work. She paid over 200USD for it. Good things do come in small packages.

[Kelly G]

As many have said, it varies. Today from $50 (TWSBI 580 Diamond) to $850 (Y-o-L Viceroy Grand Barley) with a $150 (Pilot VP Black Carbonesque) in the middle. In my normal work day activities, I don't worry about losing a pen; I've not lost one in over 25 years of fp use (I do fully recognize there is a first time for everything). I don't carry my best pens when I'm working at activity that could obviously damage a pen; who wants to mow their prize Vacumatic, right? I typically don't carry my best pens when traveling by air, but that is more of a convenience thing. I figure if I have a pen, I should feel fine about using it under my normal circumstance, and so I do.

[chad.trent]

The one pen I carry every day is my Delta Journal. I have a Delta Dolce Vita Oro that is too big for my tastes, so I took the gold nib off of it and put it on my Journal. It quickly became my favorite pen. So I guess this pen cost me about $400.

[ac12]

Nothing more than $25.

If it is lost or stolen, minimal financial impact.

Soon out of college, I had a gold Cross pen stolen off my desk. That was the end of bringing expensive pens to work.

 

My good stuff is at home where I can use it in safely.

[thx1138]

I carry any of the pens I own, but circumstances/location do sometimes make me opt for a cheaper pen like Online or Lamy.

My favourites are the Carenes, Parker 180/75/Classic/Premier.