Extra Large is the New Medium?

[AndyHayes]

My largest pens are the Danitrio Mikado, Delta DVOS, Pelikan 800 and Danitrio Densho. These are all modern pens. They are the most comfortable to write with, with exception of the Mikado, which is stretching my grip a little.

 

I have got some older pens, a couple of Snorkels, a Parker 51, a Pelikan P1 etc. and all of these pens are slimmer and less comfortable to write with.

 

I weigh 175 pounds and have medium hands, but long slim fingers. I enjoy something weighty and thick between my fingers when I am writing, but size is more important than weight when it comes to my pens. Thin pens just give me cramp between the knuckle joints.

 

I had to use a ballpoint at work a lot today. It was thin and a nightmare to write with. I hate the things. My writing is dreadful normally. With a ball point it is atrocious!

[mturk]

I have found that as I get older, a larger pen is more comfortable to write with - a heavier pen is not, however. Back about 1979, I found myself in a large metropolitan airport and zipped into the duty-free shop to buy a fountain pen. The clerk tried her best to sell me a MB 149, but I looked at it and said, "That's a joke pen - nobody would write with something that large!" I ended up puchasing a Waterman Gouette in stainless steel. For the last five years, my daily writer has been a Montblanc 149. The other larger but light pens in normal rotation are Bexley Americana and Pelikan M800 (first model). The only medium-sized pen I ever use these days is either a vintage Pelikan 400NN or a Parker 51.

[georges zaslavsky]

I own mainly large pens aside some few exceptions who are not so thick pens most of my pens are oversize (same size than my 146s and my pelikan 800) and of the size of the m1000, new Paragon and 149.

[langere]

I'm not sure that companies are making larger pens. I'm thinking of Parker, Waterman, the Japaneses companies (Sailor, Pilot, Platinum). All have large pens in their selection, but they do not dominate. The standard Omas pens are quite small. Visconti has both M and standard sizes. Scheaffer always was a bit larger, but that went along with a perfect balance. Pelikan has been mentioned various times already.

 

The new companies such as Bexley and Danitrio go for the larger sizes mostly and that might shape some people's perceptions. Perhaps Montblanc too.

 

To strike a middle ground, I think today the options in small and large are greater than before. LE pens tend to be larger, but they are more vanity projects anyway (sorry if I offend someone...)

 

So - on balance I think that the proposition that pens are larger is not necessarily true.

 

My random thoughts, for what it's worth...

 

Erick

[Bill Smith]

Call it the supersizing trend, in the world of watches, 38mm is considered small now with the average somewhere around 42-44mm in diameter. I think the sizing up with pens is partially due to the "bling" culture in some circles, people are bigger with larger hands and there is an element of showing off.

 

I write a lot with Parker 51's, Pelikan 400s, M600s and M800s. I Love my big pelikans but if I want comfort for a lot of writing I would pick the M400 or 600 over the 800.

[Fountainbass]

I just got a Duofold from the early '20s. This thing appears to be slightly bigger than an M1000!

[rollerboy]

I think it's mostly fashion and that's why it afflicts the more expensive pens the most. Hopefully it won't completely squeeze quality M400 size pens out of the market.

 

I've a theory that a fat broom handle style pen may encourage behaviour that is more ergonomic - which is different than saying the pen itself is ergonomic. For example it might encourage more balance between finger, wrist, and arm muscles because you *cannot* finger write with a broom handle. On the other hand you don't *have to* squeeze a normal M400 sized pen hard and you don't *have to* overemphasize finger motions.

 

 

[PAKMAN]

I have gravitated to longer pens and wider girth myself. I don't post pens so I want one that is long enough with out posting to comfortably use. With the onset of carpal tunnel the wider girth puts less strain and I can write longer. However I generally stay away from the giants, M1000, 149 etc. My 600 Pelikans are a good size but for long haul writing the 800 seems to work the best. In vintage pens I like to write with Sr. Streamlined Duofolds, Waterman #5 or #7, Conlkin Endura Sr. and Sr size Wahl Gold Seals. None of them are quite as long as an Pelikan 800 but several are comparable in section girth. I recently picked up a Visconti Kaledio Voyager and it surprised me being even longer than my M800 but it is so light and easy to maneuver. I also picked a Taccia Staccato and didn't realize how huge it was until I got it home and compared to the 800. I haven't inked it yet so I don't know how I will like writing with it.

 

But to answer the original question, it seems that every thing these days asks the question "You want me to supersize that?" Except at coffee shops where a 'tall' is a 'small'.

Edited March 25, 2008 by pakmanpony

[Martius]

I think it's mostly a racket. Notice the "flagship" pens are 2-3 times more expensive than the slightly smaller models (think M600 compared to M1000, or the 1911 compared to the KOP - easily 3 times more expensive). It can't take that much more materials and work to make a pen that is less than an inch longer, yet they make 300% more profit on it. I suppose it's always been like this (Sheaffer 500 range compared to the Sheaffer 1000 range in the 1940's), and even more so today because it's necessary to get every penny of profit you can out of a fountain pen in the current state of the pen trade.

[wejohns]

I've always like big pens. For me the ideal size of pen is a Conway Stewart Churchill or the Pelikan M1000. Alas, I own neither...but I fondle them at shows and dealers at every opportunity. The largest pen I currently own is a Duofold Big Red Sr. and it is quite comfortable.

 

For me the larger diameter is far easier to hold for extended writing periods. It's simply a matter of comfort. I have some small pens, particularly an early 50s (?) vac-fil Sheaffer Stenographer's pen that is tiny but has the most wonderful EF nib I've ever used. This pen is most always inked, but I just can't use it for long periods of time.

 

Cheers,

 

Bill J

[Opus104]

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

 

At 10 cents a pop, I might consider wirtitng with a nice stub banana with a bit of flex.

 

Actually, 5 to 5.5 inches seems perfect to me. With a bit of girth, like my Modern Aurora 88 Large or Sailor Professional Gear. I am also quite comfy with the M400/200 size or the Sailor Sapporo.

[Escribiente]

When I'm working on a long writing project (novel, short story or academic paper), I tend to write from six to twelve letter-size pages. For these projects I prefer medium size, well balanced pens, such as a Nakaya Writer, a Pilot 845, a Tibaldi Iride, which provide a consistent wet fine line and don't cramp my hand.

 

Given my needs, I don't like small light pens, but I don't like large heavy pens. It seems, nonetheless, that huge pens are part of the current cultural trend in which--save few exceptions--the sheer size of things is meant to be a statement (huge cars, huge bottles of wine, huge packs of whatever, and, of course, huge fountain pens). Of course, I'm not saying that for some people a larger pen would be more comfortable; but, historically, pens haven't been huge to be useful. It seems that, as it has happened in the past 20 years, pen manufacturers are trying to mimic in their designs what they see as a cultural trend, regardless of the usefulness of their pens.

 

I hope that this trend will end soon, and we'll see more pens in which every aspect of the design contributes both to the pen's beauty and is usefulness. Designs such as the Parker 51, or the Tibaldi Iride, just to name two.

[Shangas]

I just got a Duofold from the early '20s. This thing appears to be slightly bigger than an M1000!

 

They ain't called 'Big Reds' for nothing!!

[Metric]

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

 

Regards

Hans-Peter

(pengallery prices)

Montblanc 149 - Montblanc 146 = $119

 

So the answer to your question is obviously that it costs $119 dollars more to make a large pen than a medium sized one.

[playpen]

One of the company reps at a recent FPH show explained to us that companies are manufacturing larger pens because they feel that Americans equate larger and heavier items with higher value. They are attempting to cater to this market niche and increase their sales accordingly.

[vermillionpart4]

Pens are getting bigger because the dominant males of society associate their pens with the phallus and have a deep-rooted need to have a bigger one than the surrounding men. This is part of the mating display to attract the most fertile females.

 

Or just that fountain pens are becoming so much of a novelty that it pays for pen companies to make them stand out besides the nib.

[piembi]

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.

 

I am using my pens for daily writing. I have small hands so between 5 and 6 inches is my favourite size. I like some width provided by a Pelikan 400 but the pen should be light weight. For this reason my everyday pencase is filled with vintage pens like Pelikan 400, Parker 51 and Lamy 27.

 

I have two Lamy 2 Ks (good pens, no doubt) but prefer the smaller 27. Recently I purchased the Studio because I liked the pen. It does not get much use. Too big and way too heavy to feel comfortable for me.

 

 

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.

 

:ltcapd:

Me too!