Surprising Pens

[sansenri]

I've been surprised how I am not in love with my Sailor Pro Gear. I like it but it's not a real love affaire. Yet.

Sometimes it takes awhile to find true love, even when it's been sitting on your desk the whole time.

On the otherhand. I was surprised how much I loved my Platinum 3776. I wasn't expecting much and it's like driving a convertible on a gorgeous day. With a full tank of gas. I have been so into European pens that I never thought I'd get beyond my favorite brands.

Is there a Pilot I should consider? As broad as nib as possible and a more traditional look would be preferred.

 

It's odd you would say that, my experience is in reverse.

I love my two little Sailor Pro Gears (they are little, but I like that sometimes) despite their seriously black look, and I was wise enough to get B nibs (I'm really not the best user for very fine nibs...), Viceversa I love how my Chartles blue looks, but I find the threads are sharp and the nib so stiff...

If you're looking for a traditional looking Pilot I think many would suggest the Custom 823, a seriously nice pen

[Rancho Gordo]

If you're looking for a traditional looking Pilot I think many would suggest the Custom 823, a seriously nice pen

 

Perfect. The hunt is on!

(And I am perfectly willing to let my Sailor grow on me. Sometimes it's time and different inks and paper that suddenly change things.)

[chromantic]

After a pretty disastrous experience with a folded-nib Pelikan (yes, not Pelikano), I wasn't expecting much from some cheap plastic folded-nib PaperMate pens I bought; I figured it was just the nature of folded nibs. I was pleasantly surprised with them, however, fairly smooth with good flow (except for one), cheap and cheerful. I've even had people comment on the red and black one I have Take-sumi in.

[TheDutchGuy]

I never buy a pen for its looks alone and only very rarely do I buy one that I haven’t tried before. It’s all in the writing for. So there haven’t been many unexpected positive surprises. Having said that, I’ve found that pens are like cars: a quick test drive just isn’t enough, you’ll need to spend serious with it to find out if it is the right one for you. After a prolonged period of usage, the Platinum Preppy became a real head-scratcher... How to they do it? There have been negative surprises too, where a pen just wasn’t right for me.

[sirgilbert357]

Perfect. The hunt is on!

(And I am perfectly willing to let my Sailor grow on me. Sometimes it's time and different inks and paper that suddenly change things.)

+1 on the Pilot 823 suggestion. I got mine in a broad nib because I am attracted to Western mediums and it is perfect. Super smooth nib and excellent ink flow. The capacity is nice too. Paired with a Pineder pen filler, it's the perfect workhorse pen.

 

I thought there was one in the classifieds with a B nib for 200 bucks (might be gone now?).

[A Smug Dill]

... the Aero is a nice looking pen (design is rather neat) , the step down however worries me... Are you ok with the metal section? is the matt finish durable?

The metal section is slightly textured, not polished to a shine, although it isn't exactly grippy either. I'd imagine it's something similar to how the section on a Lamy Studio palladium edition feels to the touch. Given that I don't even have a problem with the glossy metal sections on the Sailor Profit Black Luster and Aurora 88 Sigaro Blu, I'm OK with the metal section on the Diplomat Aero.

 

As for the step-down, it doesn't worry me the way I grip my pen:

 

Incidentally, the photos of how I usually grip my pen to write that I sent Dan Smith to help him work out how best to customise a nib for me were taken when I was actually writing with my Aero.

 

The anodised aluminium finish on my Aero hasn't picked up any noticeable scratches so far.

[sansenri]

thanks

Oh, I see why the step down does not bother you, that's an unusual grip

 

no, I'm old school tripod... and not too close to the nib either, all step downs and threading are always under my fingers...

[sansenri]

I never buy a pen for its looks alone and only very rarely do I buy one that I haven’t tried before. It’s all in the writing for. So there haven’t been many unexpected positive surprises. Having said that, I’ve found that pens are like cars: a quick test drive just isn’t enough, you’ll need to spend serious with it to find out if it is the right one for you. After a prolonged period of usage, the Platinum Preppy became a real head-scratcher... How to they do it? There have been negative surprises too, where a pen just wasn’t right for me.

 

that's a good approach, no doubt

I'm slightly less pragmatic... I happen to fall in love before she is even aware of me...

[sansenri]

After a pretty disastrous experience with a folded-nib Pelikan (yes, not Pelikano), I wasn't expecting much from some cheap plastic folded-nib PaperMate pens I bought; I figured it was just the nature of folded nibs. I was pleasantly surprised with them, however, fairly smooth with good flow (except for one), cheap and cheerful. I've even had people comment on the red and black one I have Take-sumi in.

 

admitting my broad ignorance I had to google what a folded nib is...

wow, there's another world out there!

[inkstainedruth]

My first Esterbrook was a little black SJ with a 1555 Gregg nib that I found a few years ago in the wild in an antiques mall north of Indiana, PA. For a folded nib, it was a surprisingly decent little writer.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[smitbret]

SKB F19: Cheap, ugly pen. I threw it away without even inking it but then pulled it out of the garbage because I figure that every pen deserves a chance. It collected dust for about a year before I finally filled it about half full of Parker Quink and..... the nib feels almost identical to a steel Sailor. I had to do a double take. To this day, every time I pick it up it blows my mind just how much it feels like a Sailor. Too bad it's so ugly.

 

JinHao x750: The workhorse and backbone of my pen collection. Smooth, wet strokes with the stock nib and it's so cheap and easy to swap out other #6 nibs. I now have 16 of them with all kinds of nib types, strokes and sizes (stock, fude, Goulet, Nemosine, Knox, etc.). This just as easily could have been the x450 if it weren't for that stupid grip.

 

Wing Sung 698: The nib is like a Pilot but better. I don't know how else to explain it. Another pen that just shocks me every time I write with it.

 

FPR Himalaya: Photos don't do these pens justice. I can stare at the acrylic work on them over and over and over again, just rotating them in my hand under the light. Add an ebonite feed and the Ultra-Flex nib and they are the only way to consistently get a truly good flex experience for under $50 (and probably $100).

 

ensso Piuma: A little over a year ago, I ordered a replacement Bock nib unit for my Trilogy Pens Zero from ensso and they inadvertently sent me a whole pen, the Piuma. I opened it up and was immediately impressed by the build, design and QC. I emailed them and they said that if I liked it so much then I could just keep it. So, I immediately inked it up and it has been a regular in my rotation since then. It is everything in a minimalist pen that I had hoped the Trilogy Pens Zero would be. Great weight and balance. Everything on the pen screams quality. Everything just fits perfectly. To this day, it is the only pen with a Bock nib that I truly enjoy writing with.

 

Taccia Pinnacle: Impulse buy from Massdrop for $80. Got it with a <F> nib made by Sailor. Taccia QC is top notch so everything is always as it should be with their pens for fit and finish. The size and weight is perfect and I like the grooves across the barrel because it's just....... different. It took about a week to get used to the unique feedback from the nib but it has been #1 in my heart since then. No other nib in my collection is as satisfying as this one. It can sit out for weeks and still starts as soon as it hits the paper. The line width always seems to be just right no matter what paper I am using. Wet enough to make a nice, deep black line but never so wet that smears or feathers much on even the cheapest of paper. It has nearly ruined the Platinum 3776, Parker Sonnet and Pilot Vanishing Point for me. Even the 14k gold nib on my Taccia Spectrum doesn't seem to suit me quite as well as the steel nib on my Pinnacle.

[Misfit]

The Pilot Prera with calligraphy nib really impressed me. Strangely the Jinhao Shark pens because the F nib seems more like a M nib, and makes my writing look better than some higher priced pens with a M nib.

[ParramattaPaul]

Manuscript makes some surprisingly nice writing, inexpensive fountain pens. I bought a number of them last Christmas as stocking stuffers for my grandsons.

 

They also make a nice up-market fountain pen that is available with a variety of nib types.

[4lex]

Parker Sonnet. I still have four, I parted with two because I was not using them (gold trim...just not my thing).

I think theres a bit of reverse snobbery in the FP community. Because Sonnet is so common it gets overlooked. But they are really well made workhorse pens and I find myself using them a lot.

[sansenri]

I do like how it looks, but I've never pulled the trigger on the Sonnet, I heard too many stories about it drying out so quickly...

It's one of the worst defects for me in a pen, because I use the pen quite often in a day but usually for short writing sessions.

[4lex]

I do like how it looks, but I've never pulled the trigger on the Sonnet, I heard too many stories about it drying out so quickly...

It's one of the worst defects for me in a pen, because I use the pen quite often in a day but usually for short writing sessions.

I heard the same stories but of the six I tried only first generation Sonnet Cisele had some skips on smooth paper, and I bought it second hand so it might have been a lemon; others have worked good. I never experienced drying out, but if I have pen inked I don’t let it sit for more than a week without using it so that may be why.

[Napaeaylah]

My favorite pens are vintage pens and I like them pretty much.

[chromantic]

I'm a surprised (and a bit disconcerted) the the Liliput I just bought takes 7 turns to unscrew the cap (a Sport only takes 2 turns). While I can sort of understand it - don't want it unscrewing in your pants pocket - it sort of kills whipping it out to jot a quick note or phone number.

[langere]

For me, the revelation has been Moonman and Penbbs. They have pretty exteriors and infallibly write well.

 

Before, I did not like Chinese pens, since they have such a high failure rate and often are gaudy, not really meant for serious fountain pen folks.

 

Erick

[Sailor Kenshin]

After a pretty disastrous experience with a folded-nib Pelikan (yes, not Pelikano), I wasn't expecting much from some cheap plastic folded-nib PaperMate pens I bought; I figured it was just the nature of folded nibs. I was pleasantly surprised with them, however, fairly smooth with good flow (except for one), cheap and cheerful. I've even had people comment on the red and black one I have Take-sumi in.

Were these the Papermate DJs, by any chance? Odd-looking little things, but pretty good writers.