Extra Large is the New Medium?

[Sallent]

Pardon me for not noticing this earlier since I mostly use Pelikans and vintage pens but I've noticed that lately a lot of modern pens seem to be getting bigger and heavier. From having handled vintage Watermans, Parkers and Wahls I can tell you that the great majority of pens back then were around the size of a modern Pelikan M400 and of similar weight too. So why are pens today getting so big?

 

The only reason I can think of is that most people in the age of Fountain Pens would actually write all day at work with them, therefore lighter pens might have been better than now?

 

Do you think pens will get bigger and heavier still? Is it just a matter of time before we see the Titanic of Fountain pens?

[CraigR]

I have noticed that I am trending towards the larger pens. I do have a large hand and I am liking the larger pens since I am able to write well without posting the cap. On smaller pens I need to post the cap to balance the pen in my hand. The larger pens I am thinking of are my twin M800s, my Taccia Doric and my newest Taccia Staccato. Of course as they get bigger they may start to include a flashlight and multi-tool function. (Swiss Army Fountain Pen?) /Craig_

[NeoTiger]

I've noticed that quite a few people here on FPN prefer large pens, with reasons such as easier grip or less hand fatigue.

 

I personally prefer mid-sized pens as well, an ideal size being a Sailor 1911 full size. However, I do own several large pens (such as the Edison/Pencraft Herald) and find no problem with them either (but I do think it draws more attention to me when I take my pens out, which I don't like).

 

There's also a minority of people that love tiny pens like the Aurora Optima Mini or Pilot Prera.

 

 

I think the manufacturer's are making larger pens because it is easier to justify the high price

[Shangas]

The ideal pen for me is between 4 and 6 inches long, made of a plastic of some kind. I think pens are larger and/or heavier these days because people associate size and heft with good quality. And since fountain pens are no-longer daily-use instruments by the mainstream population, how the pen actually handles, is irrelevant.

[scribe75]

But Shangas, I do write with my FP all day long and I prefer a larger pen to a smaller one. I can not think of returning to the old classic gold Cross BP. It is simply too slim and causes hand cramps. My gnarled, but not yet arthritic, hand just can not write for long with something that small without some sort of fatigue/pain.

 

On the other hand, I think there is something to the correlation of size and price, at least in the manufacturers' eyes. Note I did not say "value." That depends upon the purchaser. I would also point out that not all large pens are weighty. Some are reasonably light for the size and therefore are not a problem (for me) in all day use. One person's view.

[Vaiar]

Just like big watches: conspicuous consumption.

[Hans-Peter Ording]

Funny ... I was wondering why the majority of affordable fountain pens are of rather small size.

 

Regards

Hans-Peter

[kissing]

I'm not really sure. Many of the pens I own (almost all of which are moderns) are quite small.

But I do know there are lots of big ones out there.

 

But then again, there were also some rather big pens in the vintage days, weren't there?

[punch]

I like some heft to a pen, but I am not a big fan of writing with a banana. I have owned a couple of larger pens, and I have recently traded one off. I just don't like them. I used to think that a Sheaffer No-Nonsense was a huge pen. Truth be told, I still do. I am 6' 3" tall and tip the scales at 350# with rather large hands. My right hand has a bit of arthritis. I can write with a Pelikan M300 quite easily for short periods, and a Dupont Olympio / Pelikan M600 / Lamy Studio all day (and indeed, I do).

 

Vaiar said - Just like big watches: conspicuous consumption.

 

I tend to agree, but you won't get anyone to admit it. Nor do I really care. If people want to start writing with baseball bats, I don't care. As long as I can still get hold of a solidly built smaller pen, I am happy.

[CharlieB]

I like my pens to be large and somewhat heavy. I find these pens do two things for me that small, light pens do not do:

 

First, they allow me to have a more relaxed grip on the pen. When I used to write with a Bic ballpoint, my hands would cramp up from holding on to that narrow pen body. A nice wide section like that on the Montblanc 149 or the Delta Dolcevita Oversize makes my hand loosen up, which improves my writing.

 

Second, a heavier pen slows me down as I write. When I slow down, my handwriting improves. I've also found that long pens slow me down, because the weight of the posted cap counterbalances any jerking of my hand.

 

I realize that large, heavy pens are not for everyone.... but, for me, they're the best!

[R.ticle One]

I don't particularly enjoy heavy pens. To me there is a difference between "heavy" and simply feeling "solid/well built".

 

I like larger pens. (But nothing like brass bodies - I've tried this and didn't enjoy the weight most of the times). I have pretty good sized hands. Not huge (that honor goes to one of my friends with massive hands who can span a shocking number of keys on a piano!), but I have "musician's fingers", and I find that I can't get comfortable on pens that are too slim. This is one reason I've had no luck with anything vintage I've tried, because then, as this thread points out, "standard" seemed to be small by todays, uh, standards.

 

It's very much about the gripping section for me. The biggest pen overall that I own is a Conklin New Nozac, but because there's not a sharp step up to the body from the grip, it's fine. And a Duragraph is large, too, but it's worked well for me for years. The Glider and Ohio (can you tell that Conklin ergonomics work for me?) have about the perfect size, too - about 13 mm diameter at the threads above the grip section, which flares in the middle. In this size range up to the larger Duragraphs and Nozac, I've found I'm most comfortable. Some pens are TOO large for me to be comfy.

 

Maybe I've not given smaller M600 sized pens a chance, but I've thought about them, and then thought, hmm...I should probably save up for an M800 if I were to ever get a Pelikan, because based on what I know works for me, I'd probably be happier with that.

 

A good pen length for me is around 5-5.5" un-posted.

 

I am always surprised when trying to write with a bic-stic or standard ballpoint how unergonomic they really are. Couple the stick-thin design of the pen with the pressure required to write and you've got some uncomfortable word-laying ahead of you if you do it a long time...or at least if you've discovered the joy of writing with a fountain pen!

 

R.ticle One

Edited March 24, 2008 by R.ticle One

[Sallent]

I prefer the M200/M400 size of pen. I have big hands but since the Pelikans have good width to the barrel and when posted the pen grows to almost 6 inches, i find it comfortable to use. The lighter weight combined with Pelikans sensitive nibs that require very little pressure to get a solid and wet line makes it an ideal pen for me.

 

I do have some larger pens, the Waterman 52 comes to mind. As vintage pens go, this one is particularly large. However, the width of the barrel is still comfortable and the pen is also light by modern standards. I find it though that the majority of vintage pens i have come across seem to fall somewhere in size between the Pelikan M200/400 and the M600. I guess thats why I find those sizes and weights comfortable, because I got used to that by writting with some vintage pens.

 

If i do ever get a need for a battleship pen, i guess I can always get some M800s, I think the M1000 would feel like an Aircraft carrier for me, so don't see myself with one despite the beautiful oversized nib and body. There's no point in getting a pen you wont write much with at all.

[greencobra]

I like large pens too but I can see where a person with smaller hands, or just prefers a smaller or lighter pen would be frustrated. The trend does seem to lean towards a larger pen.

[RandyE]

I like some heft to a pen, but I am not a big fan of writing with a banana.

 

Bingo, for me at least. Three of my five fountain pens are slightly larger than the diameter of a modern ballpoint pen, and made of brass (Parker 88 and Inflection, and a Waterman Harmonie). The other two are slightly larger in diameter than that, but not by much, and they don't get as much use it seems.

 

- R

 

[hardyb]

Large or small,

For each there is room.

Let the choices increase,

Let a 1000 flowers bloom.

Edited March 24, 2008 by hardyb

[Robert Hughes]

Just like big watches: conspicuous consumption.

I work in a hotel, across the hall from a watch & jewelry store. The other day I overheard a conversation between a couple of (male) windowshoppers admiring a Bell & Ross wristwatch display: "I'm gonna have to get a bigger wrist!". :ltcapd:

[Shangas]

I don't understand how people can write with Bic Crystals or whatever they're called - I haven't touched one in years. Thin, ugly, skinny pieces of junk which you have to jam into the paper. Bloody uncomfortable to hold over long periods of time and they possess absolutely no individualism or aesthetic beauty.

 

No wonder I love fountain pens...

[Sallent]

This post has nothing to do with bics, am talking about what used to be average sized/weight fountain pens (during the golden age) are getting hard to find as the industry heads for bigger and heavier, every time a new model comes out it just seems to get even bigger and heavier, leaving people who grew up or got used to vintage FPs somewhat underrepresented.

 

Almost everything comming out now is 6 inches or more unposted, weights 2 ounces or more. If it wasn't for Pelikan's (M200 thru M600 ) classical size and weigt, i don't know what i would do. They give people the option, big battleships (M800-M100) or nice old fashioned (the M200-M600).

Edited March 24, 2008 by Dr Ozzie

[Rapt]

I prefer larger (but light weight) pens... They are more comfortable in the hand for me. The very thin are uncomfortable as are the short.

 

That said a Sailor Sapporo Mini while quite small is more comfortable for me than the Pelikan M200 series.

 

Heavy pens are tiring to write with for extended periods of time. I'm sure its true that for many who view specialty pens as fashion statements or ego statements weight is a factor in feeling like they have quality.

 

However weight is just tied to material density and size, not quality. Quality is in the details, the fit and finish, the design...

[tulipa]

Somehow I tend to prefer mid to large size pens that are on the heavy side. Pelikan M200 will be too light for me. I use Rotring Initial (that weighs 45g) regularly. So you can get an idea. Yet, my hand is definitely not big since I wear XS gloves. If there is a direct relation between the size of hand and the size/weight of pen, that does not really apply to me.