What Are Some Good "field" Pens?

[kansaskyle]

I have a second job waiting tables in the evening to support my fountain pen addiction (ok, it is really to help get my kids through college). I am using a Pilot Varsity at work because I have no concerns if I were to drop it, lose it, etc.I am curiuos if folks can recommend some "field" pens - by that I mean pens that are durable, somewhat minimalistic in design, works well on low quality paper, and refillable. Oh, and one that writes well when standing rather than sitting at a desk with a firm writing surface. Am I asking too much of a "field" fountain pen?I know I could refill the Varsity, but I haven't explored that option (yet). I do have a Vanishing Point Decimo on order because I like the one-handed use idea rather than constantly taking a cap on/off.Note: I give out cheap gel pens for customers to use. My Varsity doesn't leave my hand or apron.I wouldn't think of taking a vintage pen or high-end pen into this environment, and I'm guessing others have "field" pens for work and leave their nicer pens for use at a desk/home.

 

EDIT:  Below is the list of pens as of March 11, 2015 along with some comments of mine. 

 

#	Company	Model	Price	Body	Cap	Votes	Comments
01	Asa	Kuyil	$38	Ebonite	Screw on	1	Not sure what ‘stock nib’ means, German M is +$8
02	Baoer	388	> $3	Metal	Snap	2	All come in Medium nibs looks like
03	Cross	Bailey	~ $15	Metal?	Snap	1	Not sure if you can get a converter
04	Hero	332/336/616	$5 - $15	Metal & ?	Snap	1	Parker clones Guess you need to add a converter
05	Jinhao	250/x450/ 599	> $3	Metal & plastic	Snap & Screw on	7	Cheap Chinese pens, I wonder about durability
06	Kaweco	Sport	~ $30	ABS/Terlux plastic	Screw on	2	No clip, need to add converter.  Very light and small
07	Kaweco	AL Sport	~ $75	Aluminum	Screw on	2	No clip, need to add converter Aluminum
08	Knox	Galileo/ Aristotle	~ $15	Metal	Snap	1	Metal body, firm clip.  Both pens look similar.  Galileo doesn’t post!
09	Lamy	Safari	$25-30	ABS plastic	Snap	+3 -1	Need to buy a converter One member said the cap didn’t stay on after continuous use
10	Lamy	Vista	$25-30	ABS plastic	Snap	1	I don’t really care for demonstrator look
11	Lamy	Al-Star	~ $35	Aluminum	Snap	1	I like the metal body, worry about the snap cap
12	Parker	Esprit	~$45	Aluminum	Snap	1	Mini cartridges only, womans smaller pen
13	Parker	IM	$11.99+	Metal	Snap	1	Need to add a converter I think.  Heavier pen compared to some
14	Parker	51	$65+	Metal & plastic	Snap	1	Vintage pen
15	Pilot	Metropolitan	$10 – 15	Brass	Snap	2
16	Platinum	Preppy	~ $5	Plastic	Snap	1	These look ‘cheap’ to me
17	Pilot	Varsity	$2.50	Plastic	Snap	1	Not easily refillable
18	Pilot	Vanishing Point Decimo	$80-$125	Metal	n/a	+1 -1	The low-end would be for the ‘special alloy’ nibs.  Some concerns from a member about durability
19	Sheaffer	100	~$36	Metal	Snap	1	Heavy pen at 5.6 oz and long
20	Sheaffer	School pen	>$10	Metal & plastic	Snap	1	I think these are vintage cartridge only pens

Edited March 12, 2015 by kansaskyle

[TheRealScubaSteve]

Pilot Metropolitan, Knox Galileo*/Artistotle*, Baoer 388, Hero 616, Jinhao X450*/599.

 

*These would need some dry ink as they run wet.

[picautomaton]

Lamy Safari charcoal.

[Aditya D]

Sheaffer 100,though it does look slightly more expensive for its price of $36.

[PDW]

Lamy Safari. The Lamy blue ink writes well on almost any paper, the clip design allows you to clip the pen to thin or thick material, cartridges are less messy to refill than using a bottle (waiter, what's this blue blob in my soup?). Only downside - the ink is not waterproof, so you may need to look at how wet the paperwork gets as it goes around the restaurant.

 

Maybe get a Vista (transparent Safari) so you can easily see the ink level and replace the cartridge before you take the order rather than in the middle.

 

And remember, you're there to sell fountain pen addition to diners!

Edited March 11, 2015 by PDW

[Randal6393]

More Varsities. If you get along with the pen, it only takes a few bucks and you have a convenient, easily-replaced pen. As far as refilling, I never much liked the result. Other forum members get along fine with refilling. Personal taste and choice.

 

Enjoy,

[bsenn]

Sheaffer school pen. Cheap, durable, the cartridges hold a bunch of ink. Easily replaceable if lost.

 

Brian

[Davros]

Most of my fieldwork I'm worried not about theft but damage, so I do use more expensive pens. I have trouble with slip caps eventually cracking or losing their snap.

 

On the cheaper end though, I am really impressed by my Kuyil from Asa Pens, which has a Jowo nib in an indestructible ebonite body. It does take some turns to open, so might not be the best for jotting.

[BobR]

Consider the Jinhao 599, extra-fine point, a Safari look-alike. Mine is light but durable and lays down a nice wet line with no scratchiness. Has a slip cap and comes with converter. I don't know what carts they take. At less than $2 shipped on Ebay, it's a great deal and not a tragedy if it gets lost or broken.

[Inkydinkydog]

Another vote for Lamy Safari. I carry one daily in my jeans front pocket, and it never lets me down.

[kansaskyle]

Thanks for all the recommendations. Lots of pens to research!

Are the Jinhao's something you buy in bulk in case you get a dud? Hard to believe you can get them for $1.49 shipped from China! That is cheaper than I can buy Varsity's at the local grocery store.

[Frank C]

A Platinum Preppy is a good alternative to the Pilot Varsity. You can buy a converter for the Preppy and use bottled ink. I have an "Introduction to Fountain Pens Program" (very informal, despite the pretentious name) for people at work who admire my fountain pens. I give a Preppy and a box of cartridges. If they like using the pen, I give them a converter, a bottle of ink, and a small Clairefontaine notebook with Goulet Pens and Classic Fountain Pens website addresses written inside. After that, they are on their own, but I am always available for consultation.

[benbot517]

The Kaweco Sport. Small, durable, fills with cartridges or the Kaweco squeeze converter. Not too expensive, and writes well from what I hear.. Or, if you are confident you can keep hold of a pen for a long time, an AL Sport. Like the sport, but made from Aluminum. Even more durable. Mine honestly doesn't car what I do to it. I hear the Sport can feel a bit cheap, but the AL Sport is built like a tank.

[J85909266]

I have to advise against the Safari. I bought a nice, charcoal version for this exact purpose, to be my field pen at work.

 

With in a week of use, which was fantastic otherwise, the snap cap became too weak to keep the pen capped in my pocket as I jostled it around throughout the day. I got some nice ink stains in my pants, as a result. It actually so weak that I'm afraid to carry it, at all, and it got shelved.

 

Screw on caps are scary because they can unscrew as you walk around, as well.

 

I recommend Noodler's black, for ink. It doesn't feather on anything. Great go-to black.

 

I think the Vanishing point is a good idea. Just be careful with it. I ended up using my Lamy 2K at work. It's a very stout, reliable pen, and the cap stays on due to the sturdy design with the steel ears. It's been going strong for a couple months. I just take care not to lose it.

[deepak23]

+1 on the 599. Get the metal version. Alternately the Heros 332, 336, or granddaddy 616...

[Djehuty]

I think a Vanishing Point would be a mistake. They're great for when you need to write brief notes at a moment's notice, and want a fountain pen with a ballpoint click-pen's convenience. But they have gold nibs, and gold nibs are not what I'd call sturdy. The nib on mine is also somewhat finicky. I wouldn't write with it on rough paper, or paper that tends to give off fibrous bits. It's also a tiny nib, so I think it would have some problems, in terms of durability, even if it were made of steel.

 

My first suggestion would be cheap pens. Anything in the $5 to $10 range, really, as long as you check reviews first to see whether it's tolerably reliable -- and as long as you keep it in a shirt pocket! I don't think any cheap pen can stand up to being carted around in a trouser pocket.

 

Second suggestion would be a Lamy AL-Sport. Mine's a terrible writer, but I think it's aberrant in that respect. And it is made to be tough.

 

Third and final suggestion would be a Parker "51," if you want something sturdy but don't want to give up the flair of a vintage pen.

[Tanzanite]

The Kaweco Sport. Small, durable, fills with cartridges or the Kaweco squeeze converter. Not too expensive, and writes well from what I hear.. Or, if you are confident you can keep hold of a pen for a long time, an AL Sport. Like the sport, but made from Aluminum. Even more durable. Mine honestly doesn't car what I do to it. I hear the Sport can feel a bit cheap, but the AL Sport is built like a tank.

 

I usually carry one or two Sport or Al Sport. I can really recommend them and particularly the Al Sport.

[PolarMoonman]

Parker Epsrit,

Parker IM

Cross Bailey

Jinhao 250

Pilot Metropolitan.

 

All these are metal pens that are inexpensive and easily replaced.

I take one of these everyday I got to work, they haven't failed me yet....

Edited March 11, 2015 by AuthorofDarkness

[Sasha Royale]

Me, too, for the Jinhao 599. After initial flush, they write reliably until the ink

is gone. I'd wager you can get four for less than $12. One international standard

cartridge should last an entire shift. (Install a fresh one in 45 seconds.) Cheaper

than a Varsity.

 

When capping and uncapping the pen, do not use your teeth. In food service,

it is disgusting. Personally, I would choose a retractable ballpoint pen. A crystal

BiC comes to mind.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Sasha Royale

[Jamesbeat]

My advice is to learn how to tune and smooth your own nibs.

There are plenty of excellent tutorials online, and it really is quite easy to do.

 

This will open up a whole new world of inexpensive pens that write like expensive pens.

 

Jinhao as suggested above make pens that are cheap and write great once you tune them a little.

Another brand to look out for is Baoer (I suspect they are actually made by the same manufacturer as Jinhao).

 

My latest pen is a Baoer 516 which cost $3.50 shipped from China.

It was a little scratchy out of the box, but 15 mins of smoothing on a nail polishing board has made it into a buttery smooth writer.

 

The best part is that even if I lose it or damage it beyond repair, I am out $3.50, 15 minutes work, and about .7ml of ink