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Pilot Parallel vs Rotring Art Pen


GabeRuaro

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Hi everyone,

 

I've just enrolled for a few calligraphy classes, and though dip pens are the supposed tool of choice, I've found that I spend more time dipping pens than writing with them during practice.

 

So I've decided to get a set of calligraphy fountain pens. Where I'm from, that means Rotring Art Pens. Just before I pulled the trigger, though, my teacher told me that Pilot Parallel Pens blew everything else out of the water in that department, and that I should spring for those instead. Unfortunately, that would entail shipping them over from overseas and paying the hefty shipping and customs fees.

 

Which brings me to my dilemma. I saw the work Parallel Pens are capable of today, and now I'm really confused.

 

Which ones should I get? Are the Art Pens close to the performance of the Parallel Pens? Or do the Parallel Pens' performance justify me paying twice the price of the Art Pens?

 

Please help me out. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Gabe

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I can't really comment from the point of view of using them for calligraphy - hopefully someone else can offer some insight there.

 

From a more technical point of view, though, they are very different pens. the Art Pen is a fountain pen with a traditional nib, just available in very broad widths. Still feeds into a slit cut into the metal, then flows along the tip to make the broad lines.

 

Pilot's Parallel Pen has two metal plates, held a short distance apart. The ink flows into the tiny gap between the plates, so it flows directly to the entire width of the nib at the same time - no taking a narrow path then spreading out.

 

You can also feed a Parallel Pen backwards - fill two pens with different ink colours, and hold one nib up. Bring the other one down onto it, nib down, so the nibs touch. As you hold them together, ink will flow from the top pen to the bottom pen - how much ink depends on how long you hold them together. When you then write with the bottom pen, it will start writing in the colour the top one had in it, slowly fading back to its own colour. If the top pen had blue ink in it, and the bottom pen had red, the result would be that you'd start writing in blue, which would shade gradually to purple, then carry on shading to red as you write.

 

All that said, though, plenty of people use the Art Pen, and get perfectly good results with it. Hopefully someone here has done calligraphy with both, and can give you some more useful feedback. All the technical tricks aren't worth much if they don't translate into better results.

Michael Randall :: PigPog - Cult Pens (UK)

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hi,

The Rotring Art Pens are perfectly functional decent italic pens. The Pilot Parallel Pens are AMAZING. They are crisp but smooooth...if you plan on doing a lot of calligraphy, using the pens for a long time, then it's definitely worth the investment, IMO. Even not doing the fancy shading tricks, they just write beautifully and feel good doing it.

 

Kay

Danitrio Fellowship

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I have not used these pens, but the Pilot Parallel pens are available in the U.S. from John Neal Booksellers. Here is a link to their catalog...

here

 

The Parallel Pens look to be a little less expensive than the Rotring Calligraphy Pens.

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You can also buy the Parallel Pen at Paper and Arts:

 

http://www.paperinkarts.com/shop.html

 

They also have a book on parallel pen techniques and a custom cut 1.0 mm parallel pen. I haven't purchased either, but I've bought dinky dips (great product), nibs, and holders from them before. No other connection.

 

I haven't tried the parallel pens, but I do have a Rotring Set. I bought the lettering set by mistake, but they're very nice pens. They're well balanced, lightweight, have very smooth nibs, and even the gigantic BB size lays down a thick, wet line without skipping. I was quite surprised ink flow wasn't a problem as it uses international cartridges and converters which haven't worked well for me on any other pens: Namiki, Bexley, you name it. If only I knew where to buy more Rotring Art Pen nibs at a reasonable price I'd use this set alot more, but for now it's for sale. sad.gif

 

Instead, I bought five Pelikan M200 demos (Amber, Red, Blue, Green, and Clear.) The nibs are very easy to swap between pens (they just twist on and off) so I purchased steel fine, medium, and broad crisp italic nibs from Richard Binder. I've only received the fine and medium so far, but they are wonderfully sharp. John Mottishaw was nice enough to put a Pelikan 1.5mm Steel italic he had lying around on the demo I purchased from him. It's a joy to write with too.

 

Here's a quick doodle with them:

(The 1.1 mm Hunter Green sample is a Cursive Italic from Pendemonium. It’s much smoother to write with but the cross stokes are a bit mushy.)

Edited by DilettanteG
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QUOTE (pigpogm @ Apr 1 2007, 07:56 PM)

As you hold them together, ink will flow from the top pen to the bottom pen - how much ink depends on how long you hold them together.  When you then write with the bottom pen, it will start writing in the colour the top one had in it, slowly fading back to its own colour.  If the top pen had blue ink in it, and the bottom pen had red, the result would be that you'd start writing in blue, which would shade gradually to purple, then carry on shading to red as you write.

 

I know--it's just so pretty. tongue.gif Kind of far off for my talent level, though.

 

QUOTE
hi,
The Rotring Art Pens are perfectly functional decent italic pens. The Pilot Parallel Pens are AMAZING. They are crisp but smooooth...if you plan on doing a lot of calligraphy, using the pens for a long time, then it's definitely worth the investment, IMO. Even not doing the fancy shading tricks, they just write beautifully and feel good doing it.

Kay

 

Is the difference in performance big enough to justify a $40 dollar difference because of shipping and customs to Manila? I think I'll be doing calligraphy for a long time, but not professionally. Are the Parallels really worth it?

 

Gabe

Edited by GabeRuaro
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I think it's a YMMV thing. If your teacher loves them and you are just starting out with no dip-pen experience, you might really enjoy them. It's a big fad in my area at shows and such, where Brenda (Paper and Ink Arts) conducts workshops. My calligraphy teacher and another experienced calligrapher are kind of blah about them. I am, too (finally used up the cartridge in the 1.5 mm one and am now using it as a highlighter with Noodler's Georgia Peach), but I think that is because I am used to dip pens, not because they don't work. Anyway, the pen didn't take with me. Apparently you can get really fine hairlines with them by using the thinner edge; maybe there's a trick to it.

 

I prefer dip pens for calligraphic hands because I can get the sharpest hairlines (for me, that is laugh.gif), and there's more flexibility in nib sizes -- and nibs are very cheap. It's good to start large.

 

The Rotring calligraphy pens are well-known; James Pickering may have some input on them if his old site's up. The PigPog Web site has a little review on the Parallel Pen, I think -- or was it the defunct Ninth Wave site? I've only used Manuscript and Sheaffer fountain pens, plus a lot of Pendemonium cursive italics.

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/8703/letterminizk9.png
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I can't make a comparison because I'm not familiar with Pilot Parallel pens, however I use Rotring Art pens every day in my work and am delighted with them. In my experience, they are completely reliable and, being Rotring, are well constructed. Some years ago, after Osmiroid went out of business, I stated using the Rotrings - at first, for layouts and general unimportant use. After a while, I became aware of using them more and more and eventually they became my instruments of choice for calligraphy. Most of the time, they have even replaced my dip pens. They may be a bit expensive at the start, but they are built to last.

As I said, no comparison, but I hope that this has been of some use.

Good luck!

 

Ken

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Is the difference in performance big enough to justify a $40 dollar difference because of shipping and customs to Manila?

 

$40 is worth different things to different people, I can't say what it's worth to you... it's also psychological: if you get the Rotrings, will you be content, or will you always wonder if you made the right choice? If you get the Pilot Parallels, will you be content, or will you resent having spent the extra $ every meal you eat ramen, or give up whatever you give up for the $40? How long will the repercussions of this transaction last? you are the only one who can guess at that...

Is the difference in performance big enough to justify a $40 dollar difference because of shipping and customs to Manila?

Danitrio Fellowship

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I have used Rotring Art pens for many years and like them very much. The only problem I have with them is that the narrowest nib width -- 1.1mm -- is much too wide for my Practical everyday Italic handwriting (notes, correspondence, memoranda, etc.) and bookhand writing (writing out books by hand) and I therefor have to grind them down to .7/.8mm widths. I would recommend using the services of Richard Binder if you want a superior reground 1.1mm nib.

 

I have not used Pilot Parallel pens.

 

James

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QUOTE (James Pickering @ Apr 3 2007, 10:52 AM)
.......... The only problem I have with them is that the narrowest nib width -- 1.1mm -- is much too wide for my Practical everyday Italic handwriting (notes, correspondence, memoranda, etc.) and bookhand writing (writing out books by hand) and I therefor have to grind them down to .7/.8mm widths ..........
Following are a couple of Practical Italic handwriting exemplars written using reground nibs. The .6, .7 or .8mm widths are really my "guesstimates" -- I simply grind them to the width I find appropriate -- I am sure Richard Binder's reground nibs are far more precise (maybe smoother too):

 

http://jp29.org/File0202.jpg

 

http://jp29.org/File0209.jpg

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Hi, Gabe. If you know anyone who's passing through HK or Sing, easy enough to grab Parallel Pens at most stationers. HK has a good stock of them (and cartridges) at Cosmos Books, and had the complete set in one of the airport bookshops. Kinokuniya at Ngee An City is a great source too. Not just for Pilot pens of all sorts, but even for Tachikawa/Nikko nibs, manga paper, screentones and ink.

 

I've used Rotring calligraphy pens, the Lamy Joy, Schneider, the 90s Osmiroid, and Pilot Parallel pens. I *heart* Pilot Parallel pens for the flow, even with the wider nib widths (which was a problem with my Osmiroid set). Turning them on their side mid-stroke for hairlines, I get smooth strokes with no skipping.

 

Rotring makes great, dependable pens, and mine are all (proudly) beaters. smile.gif The Schneider calli set (2 nibs in one package, I believe 1.1 and 1.5) is available in Office Warehouse (most branches), accepts international carts and costs less than Rotring.

 

smile.gif

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I bought a 2.7 mm Art Pen and two Reform Calligraphy Pens 1.9mm and 2.3 mm. Both types of pens seem to do a good job. The Reforms are really sweet and with a piston filler make it much easier to use the ink of my choice where the Art pen is very long hard to carry around and cartridge filled. I got the Reforms from SpearBob.

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QUOTE (DennisU @ Apr 1 2007, 10:10 PM)
I have not used these pens, but the Pilot Parallel pens are available in the U.S. from John Neal Booksellers. Here is a link to their catalog...
here

The Parallel Pens look to be a little less expensive than the Rotring Calligraphy Pens.

- Jonathan

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Could someone explain what mechanics you do as you write while holding two Pilot Parallel pens together? Either I'm dense or lacking imagination, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how you can write if you've got two pens in one hand. blink.gif sad.gif blink.gif

 

Thanks in advance from the mechanically challenged. laugh.gif

Elizabeth

 

Spring and love arrived on a bird's sweet song. "How does that little box sound like birds and laughter?" I asked the gypsy violinist. He leaned back, pointing to his violin. "Look inside, you'll see the birdies sing to me" soft laughter in his voice. "I hear them, I can almost see them!", I shouted as his bow danced on the strings. "Ah yes" he said, "your heart is a violin." Shony Alex Braun

 

As it began for Shony, it began for me. My heart -- My violin

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First off: lovely writing Mr. Pickering, as always. Though I wish you hadn't put your perfect script next to my junky doodle. Dude, you're making me look bad! wink.gif Where did you get your Rotrings reground? Or did you do it yourself? I like mine, but not enough to spend $35 per nib on them.

 

Secondly: I know this wasn't your question, but avoid the Sheaffer Viewpoints! Unlike the Nononsense they were meant to replace, these new pens aren't worth even their $6 price. I accidently over tighened the nib section and cracked the cheap plastic barrell on all three of mine before finally just giving them away. The nibs were toothy without being sharp. The weird rubberized grip was oddly uncomfortable. They're just evil. Avoid them! Sheaffer did come out with a slightly higher end set which may be better, but I haven't used them.

 

I do have an older set of the Sheaffer Prelude SE Calligraphy in italic fine, medium, and broad. (Much broader than their round tip counterparts.) Those are wonderful and I often use them for just regular scribblings. They're not as sharp as the Binder crisp italics I have, but very nice pens none the less.

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QUOTE (DilettanteG @ Apr 4 2007, 01:50 AM)
First off: lovely writing Mr. Pickering, as always. Though I wish you hadn't put your perfect script next to my junky doodle. Dude, you're making me look bad!  wink.gif  Where did you get your Rotrings reground? ..........

Sorry, DilettanteG, I intended no disrespect or harm. I grind them myself.

 

James

 

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  • 6 months later...
Could someone explain what mechanics you do as you write while holding two Pilot Parallel pens together? Either I'm dense or lacking imagination, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how you can write if you've got two pens in one hand. :blink: :( :blink:

 

Thanks in advance from the mechanically challenged. :lol:

 

In case you did not get an answer yet, what you do is just touch the two nibs together for a few seconds to transfer the ink from pen #2 to pen #1. You do not write with both of them at the same time. If you have blue ink in pen #1 and touch the nib of pen #2 with green ink you then write with pen #1 and pen #1 will start out with sort of green ink and then when the transferred green ink runs out, you get pen #1's blue ink again. It would sort of be like filling pen #1 with a few drops from an eyedropper of a different color ink.

 

Hope this helps.

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  • 1 year later...
Hi everyone,

 

I've just enrolled for a few calligraphy classes, and though dip pens are the supposed tool of choice, I've found that I spend more time dipping pens than writing with them during practice.

 

So I've decided to get a set of calligraphy fountain pens. Where I'm from, that means Rotring Art Pens. Just before I pulled the trigger, though, my teacher told me that Pilot Parallel Pens blew everything else out of the water in that department, and that I should spring for those instead. Unfortunately, that would entail shipping them over from overseas and paying the hefty shipping and customs fees.

 

Which brings me to my dilemma. I saw the work Parallel Pens are capable of today, and now I'm really confused.

 

Which ones should I get? Are the Art Pens close to the performance of the Parallel Pens? Or do the Parallel Pens' performance justify me paying twice the price of the Art Pens?

 

Please help me out. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Gabe

 

 

The Pilot Parallel pens are definitely a fantastic tool for art and calligraphy. Obviously, we might be a little biased since we are a Japanese pens store. But we have had so many artists and crafters e-mail us about how much they love this pen. It has even been featured in recent art books as a superb art tool.

 

It's also much cheaper than the Rotring Art pen. I did a quick search on Google and the Rotring Art pen was $16.77 on Dick Blick but the Pilot Parallel pen is only $11 at JetPens, and that includes extra cartridges.

 

http://www.jetpens.com/index.php/cPath/625_165

 

You can also read the positive reviews people have written here:

http://www.jetpens.com/product_info.php/cP...products_id/893

 

 

JetPens.com - Japanese Pens and Stationery

http://www.jetpens.com/images/jetpens_logo.gif

 

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  • 3 months later...
Hi everyone,

 

I've just enrolled for a few calligraphy classes, and though dip pens are the supposed tool of choice, I've found that I spend more time dipping pens than writing with them during practice.

 

So I've decided to get a set of calligraphy fountain pens. Where I'm from, that means Rotring Art Pens. Just before I pulled the trigger, though, my teacher told me that Pilot Parallel Pens blew everything else out of the water in that department, and that I should spring for those instead. Unfortunately, that would entail shipping them over from overseas and paying the hefty shipping and customs fees.

 

Which brings me to my dilemma. I saw the work Parallel Pens are capable of today, and now I'm really confused.

 

Which ones should I get? Are the Art Pens close to the performance of the Parallel Pens? Or do the Parallel Pens' performance justify me paying twice the price of the Art Pens?

 

Please help me out. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Gabe

 

If it's for practice, I don't think it would really matter because after all practices takes a lot of time to perfect your writing. I actually bought the PILOT PARALLEL PEN from a store and they had a example model available to test out. The lady said that these pens are amazing and really surprised that PILOT made a very nice calligraphy pen so I decided to go for it, the moment I started writing I notices there are no hesitations along with the ink flow, it's smooth and easy to control. The 2 ways you can write between broad and fine couldn't be any easier and sharper, there's a clean distinct between them. It uses cartridges so you don't have to worry about dipping after every few words, also they come with 12 other very nice vibrant colors to your needs as well. If you are planning to get the pens and the inks, I suggest you look online for cheaper deals, if I've been smarter I would've looked online instead of buying one for $16.95...::sigh::....live and learn right??? I would recommend you buying the parallel pens, you won't be dissatisfied! Anyways, hope my reply helped out in anyways possible!~

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