Give me the best example of these fillers.

[Gatorade]

Looking for pens that would best represent different fillers. I am asking not for the best pen but the one that represents the mechanism the best. Example: I think the Esterbrook is the quintessential lever filler.

 

Cartridge

Converter

Piston

Lever

Touchdown

Snorkel

Vacumatic

Aeromatic

Vacuum Plunger

Button

Eyedropper

 

Some of these may be propriatary to a manufacturer but were used on different models. Which model was the better one?

 

Thinking about getting some of these and want the best example.

Edited March 11, 2006 by Gatorade

[OldGriz]

These are my opinions..

 

Piston = Pelikan

Lever = Esterbrook

Touchdown = Sheaffer

Snorkel = Sheaffer

Vacumatic = Parker

Aeromatic = Parker

Vacuum Plunger = Sheaffer

[philm]

Button = Vintage Parker Duofold

[Leslie J.]

In my limited experience:

 

Piston, Pelikan

Converter, Platinum

Cartridge, Namiki

Lever, Esterbrook

[twdpens]

Cartridge - Parker

Piston - Pelikan

Lever - Conway Stewart

Vacuum Plunger - Onoto

Button - Parker

Eyedropper - Mabie Todd

 

As the other systems are proprietary maybe they shouldn't be included?

 

Martin

[Gatorade]

Cartridge - Parker

Piston - Pelikan

Lever - Conway Stewart

Vacuum Plunger - Onoto

Button - Parker

Eyedropper - Mabie Todd

 

As the other systems are proprietary maybe they shouldn't be included?

 

Martin

If it is propriatary and used on multiple pens then which model would be the better one? I think snorkle is only Scheaffer but there are multiple models it is on. If so then which would be the best example.

[wimg]

Hey Gatorade,

 

You forgot the Big Piston Converter . Only one brand: Stipula of course. Best example: an Etruria .

 

Warm regards, Wim

[TheNobleSavage]

OHHHH GOOD LORD WIMG!!!!

[TheNobleSavage]

Cartridge- Pilot/Namiki, Platinum, Sailor

Converter- Where do I start???

Piston- Pelikan & Montblanc

Lever- Waterman

Touchdown- Sheaffer PFM, Legacy I&II, Imperial Triumph

Snorkel- Sheaffer

Vacumatic- Parker

Aeromatic- Parker & Hero

Vacuum Plunger- Sheaffer Vac Fill

Button- Parker, Filcao

Eyedropper- DaniTrio

Crescent- Conklin, Stipula

 

TNS

[sleek_lover]

Looking for pens that would best represent different fillers. I am asking not for the best pen but the one that represents the mechanism the best. Example: I think the Esterbrook is the quintessential lever filler.

 

Cartridge

Converter

Piston

Lever

Touchdown

Snorkel

Vacumatic

Aeromatic

Vacuum Plunger

Button

Eyedropper

 

Some of these may be propriatary to a manufacturer but were used on different models. Which model was the better one?

 

Thinking about getting some of these and want the best example.

Okey Doke

 

Cartridge -------- Waterman C/F First Commerciallly Successful Cart filler

Converter ------- Sheaffer Intrigue--neatest modern rendition

Piston ------------ Toss-up between Pelikan (elegant) and Reform (value)

Lever ------------- Esterbrook

Touchdown ------- Sheaffer

Snorkel ----------- Sheaffer

Vacumatic -------- Toss-up between Parker Vac and Parker 52 Vac

Aeromatic -------- Hero 3xx series--sorta Parker knock off but a really good one

Vacuum Plunger - Sheaffer

Button ------------- Parker Challenger (not the Royal, just the plain one)

Eyedropper --------Never had one..so

 

There is another category I would add

 

Desk Set ---------- Esterbrook DIP-LESS preferably a model 427

 

 

Bill

[Michael Wright]

Lever: Sheaffer Flat-top

Piston: Pelikan

Button: Parker Duofold

Cartridge: Parker 45

Plunger: Sheaffer Vac-fil

Aerometric: Parker "51"

Capillary: Parker 61

Eyedropper: Waterman (12, if more precision wanted)

 

Obviously I'm giving a big weighting to first user (Sheaffer for LF, "51" for Aerometric, Pelikan for piston, though maybe I'm wrong there -- wasn't there a Croatian PF before the Pelikan), but not entirely. I think the Sheaffer plunger-fillers are more frequently seen than the ONOTOs, and they're certainly talked about more. The Parker 45 was by no means the first cartridge pen, but I think it was the first one that offered a converter, which we now think of as being part of the whole deal, and it is a massively long running pen.

 

Maybe the category "Touchdown" should be widened to "Pneumatic", and then we could have Chilton and Crocker and whoever made the blow-filler to include in the consideration. If you think of Pneumatic as the inclusive class, then the Snorkel is pretty clearly the best known and most frequently encountered example of the class.

 

I hope someone is collating the answers

 

Best

 

Michael

[sleek_lover]

<<SNIP The Parker 45 was by no means the first cartridge pen, but I think it was the first one that offered a converter, which we now think of as being part of the whole deal, and it is a massively long running pen.>>

MICHAEL, MICHAEL...what AM I going to do with you....come over the International date line and down the Equator and womp you up'aside da haid?

 

The Waterman C/F also had a converter available...and the issue is best CARTRIDGE PEN---not BEST CARTRIDGE PEN THAT OFFERED A CONVERTER AS WELL.

 

In the latter case, the Sheaf Intrigue would beat the pants off your Parker 45 in looks, function and all-around sexiness and yah, I got samples of each pen and love'em both.

 

And for God sake's, Michael, don't do this to me...you have had the luxury of a night's sleep and are drinking coffee mid-Saturday morning...while here it is 1:40 AM and I haven't gone to sleep yet and I have FIVE teckels to deal with...and TWO MORE ON THE WAY....

 

Bill...who suspicions the troops think we might be related, but we should tell them we aren't ... As I remember, you are from the Irish tree and I are the Scottish tree...

[Michael Wright]

Umm, I thought we were talking about "most representative", not the best

 

Thus from OP:

 

"Looking for pens that would best represent different fillers. I am asking not for the best pen but the one that represents the mechanism the best. Example: I think the Esterbrook is the quintessential lever filler."

 

I certainly wouldn't say the Parker 45 was the *best* cartridge pen. I didn't know the CF came from the get-go with a converter.

 

Best

 

Michael

[sleek_lover]

<<SNIP>> I didn't know the CF came from the get-go with a converter.<<SNIP>>

Yeppers...Sure did...at least to my knowledge.

 

And my interpretation of the topic...Give the BEST EXAMPLE...the way the collar of the section extends to firmly hold the cart in place...and the length of the nipple...Great design that others should follow today...

 

OPO...But the amount of my gray hair trumps yours....

 

I gotta get some coffee...I am WASTED...from lack of decent sleep...

 

 

Bill....

[Allan]

How about a few really different ones like Coin Filler and Sleeve Filler. I would love to know more about uncommon filler mechs.

 

Allan

[tryphon]

OK, here's my take:

 

Cartridge: Aurora DuoCart, LUS Atomica (see www.lusatomica.com)

Converter: Parker45 and LUS Atomica Magica

Piston: Pelikan 100 and Aurora 88 (vintage)

Lever: Waterman 52

Touchdown: Chilton, Sheaffer, PenCo53

Snorkel: Yes!

Vacumatic: Parker (of course) and Weber Saratoga

AeromETRic: P-51 and clones

Vacuum Plunger: OMAS, Visconti, Sheaffer

Button: Duofold

Eyedropper: Moore, Waterman

[Gatorade]

Great responses so far, and yes I am going to tally and post a breakdown in a few days to give people a chance to get their responses in.

 

Correct assumption that I was not looking for the first of a particular filler but the best example. Think of it this way if you were writing a book on pen repair but could post a picture of only one of each filler mechanism which would it be?

 

I thought for a while about not including cartridges and converters but I thought they would also get the most unique answers. Remember some pens use both cars and converters and some use only one or the other, so there is a difference.

 

I thought about some of the rare filling mechanisms but thought there were too many as it was.

 

I have never owned or operated a snorkel so if it too specific and needs to be edited to a "pneumatic" category please let me know. I have only had hands on experience with lever fillers (Esterbrook), cartridges(Rotring, Sheaffer, TopPoint) and converters (Rotring). That was why I put the topic up. So I could research these different fillers. So if I have put something too narrow up please LMK and I will modify.

[randyholhut]

In comparing the categories, it would seem like all the pens one might list would either be Sheaffers or Parkers, with the exception of Pelikan for the piston filler category.

 

Sheaffer invented the lever filler, nicked the pneumatic fill idea from Chilton to create the Vac-Fil and the Touchdown, created the most complicated filling method ever with the Snorkel and had the first commercially successful cartridge fill pen.

 

Parker gave us the button fill (the best end-around the lever-filler patent), the Vacumatic (not as good as the Vac-Fil but a lot easier to fix), the aerometric filler (still, in my opinion, the best, least complicated and longest-lasting filling system) and the capillary fill (a good idea that never really got its due).

 

In other words, these two companies were responsible for most of the technical and design innovations in fountain pens over the last century. Everyone else seemed to play catch-up to Sheaffer and Parker. That's why they were the last of the big pen companies to survive into the ballpoint era of pens.

[sleek_lover]

Yah know, there is a category that may deserve to be on the list...

 

MOST UNIQUE FILLING SYSTEM

 

For that one I would nominate the Pelikan LEVEL system. While some might argue it is only an update of an eyedropper, I would argue there are suffient difference (valving, utter coolness, total cleanliness hence dietiness) to be in a class by itsownself...

 

Bill...hurting from a woodshed trip...

[sleek_lover]

In comparing the categories, it would seem like all the pens one might list would either be Sheaffers or Parkers, with the exception of Pelikan for the piston filler category.<<SNIP>>.

 

 

Dude...

Sorta forgot about Waterman...

 

 

Waterman (the US feller) had something to do with the lever

 

AND

 

I know for a fact the C/F (Waterman-France) was the first commercially successful cart filler (MB er no...some upscale, highly advertised mountain related named company) basically stole the idea and did, as someone noted, an end run around the patent, made a VASTLY inferior product and foisted it off to an unsuspecting public as something better...

 

Bill...watchiing his Ps and Cs

Edited February 27, 2006 by paircon01