I'm Itching For A White Pen

[alexwi]

Hi y'all,

 

I really like the Parker IM in white lacquer, but I have a feeling, given how similar it is to the Sonnet, that it suffers from the same malaise (nib dries unless you use it every 6 hours - ok, every day - leading to _very hard_ starts).

 

Can someone recommend a pen with a similar finish, appearance, weight, and price, that is reliable and a similarly smooth writer, please? (It has to be snap-cap and have an "un-hooded" nib.)

 

Pictures:

 

https://www.penworld.eu/media/catalog/product/cache/2/image/1600x1600/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/9/1931673_1.jpg

 

https://www.penworld.eu/media/catalog/product/cache/2/image/1600x1600/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/9/1931673_2.jpg

 

Thank you!

 

alex

[Honeybadgers]

I got a pelikan jazz elegance in pearl white and it's gorgeous.

 

Only comes with an M nib but it's a damn good pen and fits every one of your criteria. it also has a hinged clip and is very nicely balanced posted or not.

Edited September 19, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[BaronWulfraed]

Levenger?

https://www.levenger.com/writing-8/shop-by-brand-34/true-writer-561/true-writer-ivory-rose-gold-fountain-pen-(f-m-b-14741.aspx

 

(I miss when they offered a wide selection of "non-Levenger" pens -- even if those were mostly commissioned from Stipula [barring the Seas series of Sheaffer Connaisseur]).

 

I do have an "ivory" True Writer -- pale (not rose) gold trim and plated nib. (Whoa... $99 for the rose gold -- I got mine for only $35).

 

But not snap-cap. All True Writers are threaded (Oh dear -- need to clean/disinfect my blue anodized one -- something fuzzy white on the base of the feed)

Edited September 19, 2018 by BaronWulfraed

[oregano]

Check out the Pelikan M605 White or Stormtrooper white M150 I believe?

[Drone]

Get one of these Penbbs 308's for less than $20 (the pen is in the middle - obviously):

 

 

The Penbbs model number is 308-43GF. See my post about it here:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/329677-penbbs-308/page-4?do=findComment&comment=4103359

 

Note: This pen is lighter than a Parker IM or Sonnet, and it does have a screw-on cap and a cap liner to go with it. (I always recommend using a pen with a screw-on cap and cap liner - when you can.)

 

I don't recommend buying the 308 from Goldspot Pens like I did though, my 308 came with a bad converter. It's not Goldspot's fault, it's what they got from Penbbs. BTW Parker converters fit.

 

Buy the 308 on Amazon instead. Delivery is longer but it isn't too bad - around ten days from Shanghai to Florida for me. Plus the 308 I bought on Amazon (link below) came with an extra Chinese #6 nib that had a broader tip than the one on the pen. Here is where I am buying my Penbbs 308's now:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Penbbs-Version-Fountain-Pen-Converter/dp/B07GTGYNVJ

 

The Penbbs 308's will take JOWO #6 nibs. I put a JOWO 1.1mm nib on my last 308. Here's a post and thread about that adventure. It also includes a lot about the white pen too if you follow the page:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/329677-penbbs-308/page-4?do=findComment&comment=4103636

 

One big caveat: This is a WHITE pen, and what's worse is that it is translucent. So expect to see ink in the pen and get ink stains on it. Unless you're careful to the point of obsession, any white pen is going to get ink stains!

 

Enjoy, David

Edited September 20, 2018 by Drone

[alexwi]

Guys, the IM is about $50. And the Pelikan and Levenger have screw-caps, which is a nuisance when I need to just jot down a number or a sentence here and there. Thanks for the recommendations, though!

 

While I'm not a big fan of black nibs, the stormtrooper does look great. Too bad about the cap

 

The Pelikan Jazz looks like a winner so far. Thanks!

 

I also looked at the Pelikan Stola III (God knows what happened to the I and the II), which would've been awesome, except it can't be posted.

 

Finally (so far, at least), the White Tiger Pilot MR/Metropolitan is also interesting, but the presence of the animal print makes it a tad less minimalistic.

 

If anyone can think of any others, please chip-in!

 

Thanks!

 

Alex

[minddance]

Sailor has some white pens in different shades of white and also white-white, if you like the nibs.

 

Pilot 74 has a limited run of white with black finials too.

[goodpens]

Caran DAche 849 seems to meet your criteria. The body shape is different, given the angles on the barrel, but it has a non-hooded nib, snap cap, a clean aesthetic (no animal print!), and is in the right price range ($52 at JetPens). I have not used one, but reviews of it are generally very good.

 

https://www.jetpens.com/Caran-d-Ache-849-Fountain-Pen-White-Fine-Nib/pd/21882?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrNKnwcnJ3QIV3rjACh0kMArXEAQYAiABEgJYfPD_BwE

[Newton Pens]

OMG Lamy! The Studio! The Dialog! Those are 2 of the prettiest white pens in my opinion.

[Fuzzy_Bear]

The one, the only, Pelikan Stormtrooper.

 

Mic drop

[SpecTP]

graf von faber castell classic ivory

[chromantic]

Guys, the IM is about $50. And the Pelikan and Levenger have screw-caps, which is a nuisance when I need to just jot down a number or a sentence here and there. Thanks for the recommendations, though!

 

There's also the junior Stormtrooper Pelikano P450, it has a snap-on cap. They show up on ebay now and then. There's a NOS up right now, starting bid $42 with 4 days left on and no bids so far.

 

eta: As far as drying out goes, I have blue and pink P450s, inked with GvFC Deep Sea Green and 4001 Pink; these pens can sit unused for weeks at a time yet will write instantly with no hesitation. My white one didn't fare so well but it had OS Nitrogen in it so that's not surprising.

Edited September 21, 2018 by chromantic

[Honeybadgers]

I think if the IM is REALLY a perfect pen minus the drying out, you will find the jazz elegance fits your requirements to the absolutely most precise tee.

 

Also, the #5 nib is a standard one, so if the medium isn't your thing, it swaps easily.

[lurcho]

Consider a Jinhao X750 in white. If you swap in a JoWo/Goulet nib, you'll have a first-class pen.

 

My white 750 is my main writer.

[alexwi]

Hi,

 

I ordered a Pelikan Jazz Elegance. On paper, it looks like this is the one. Once I get it, I'll know how it does on THE paper. Fingers crossed.

 

I scoured the "interwebs" for information about it, and all I was able to find was a video in Portuguese, and a blog entry by someone who got it and then proceeded to grind it to an XXF italic - the author's intention was, pretty much, to sacrifice this pen in an experiment, which wasn't particularly helpful.

 

Incidentally, I had ordered a set of Jinhao 699's for my daugther, who's now allowed to use pens in school and wanted hers to be a fountain pen, but without the tremendous pressure of the possibility of losing something more expensive than a BIC (7 pens for $23 is just the sort of thing to allay her fears). I was hesitant to order them because I had ordered three Wing Sungs a while ago, for the heck of it, and all three were worthless, but, alas, the 699's are really great (hard to post and some pencil-like feedback, but very nice and well-balanced, and comfy for both of us). And guess what, there was a white one in the lot. And guess who got yo keep the white one. Hah!

 

Other pens I looked at, that weren't suggested were:

 

- Pilot MR / Metropolitan White Tiger.

- Platignum Vibe.

- Platignum Studio.

- Caran d'Ache 849.

- Sheaffer Pop.

- Gusswerk Mata Hari.

 

I wanted a pen with a classic-looking nib, so that rules out the Safari, of which I already have five or six, as well as the Vibe and the Caran d'Ache. The Pelikan Stola would have been "it," if it weren't for the fact that it's not possible to post it (maybe I'll convince myself down the road that that's unimportant). I also REALLY LIKED the look of black trim on white.

 

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions!!!

 

alex

[Wahl]

White...mmmm...Aurora Ethiopia !

[mitto]

Not a fan of white pens though I have a few from different brands. My latest white pen was Parker Dufold Centenniel Ivorine finish.

Edited September 22, 2018 by mitto

[alexwi]

There's a knockoff white IM on ebay for under $15. I'm tempted to order one and see how it does (evaporation, hard-start, and skip-wise) compared to the two Sonnets I have.

 

alex