What's the most expensive pen that's WORTH IT?

[BerneseMtDogEatsArco]

So. So so so. Um.

 

I'm kinda in a rut here.

 

I've had a few pens pass across my desk, and for some reason, haven't really "bonded" strongly with any of them. I have some that I favor (149's), but I don't really feel like I've found a pen that I can't see myself trading in the future. I've owned and/or had the opportunity to try out some very nice pens, and some great vintage pens, and the question hit me: "when does a high price coincide with what you get"? I tried searching variants of this and couldn't really find any answers, and am wondering if you could maybe shout out some pens that you've run across.

 

I'm looking for higher end pens, because I have a bit of a fund set up for the more affordable pens and they drift in and out of my collection, which is enjoyable, but I'd like to try some of the "mostest bestest". The tough thing for me is that any of the nice pens I've had have been gorgeous jewelry (which is great), but I'm looking for a pen that delivers $1-2k of WRITING PLEASURE, and not necessarily "eye candy", "social status", or "limited edition availability", though it's OK if those come along with it. I am just looking for something I can write blind with and really really enjoy. I know that a well-tuned gold nib and good ink transfer is all that's really required (along with good paper!), but some part of me still wishes for the ultimate writer's pen. While I currently have an open query posted regarding stiff nibs, I'd prefer to keep all of the options open for this topic.

 

Mostly related: Are there perhaps custom pen builders with whom I could design a pen?

 

Pens I've had the pleasure of owning (in case I've missed a crucial area to explore):

MB 144 B

MB 146 F, M

MB 149 XF, F, M, B

MB Dumas B

MB Boheme M

Stipula Etruria M, Stub 0.9

Lamy 2000 XF, M

Delta DVOS M

Aurora Optima M

Danitrio Mikado F

Sheaffer Valiant M

Pilot VP M, M

Tibaldi Impero, M

Bexley Poseidon Stub

Waterman Phileas M, M

Rotring Initial F

Visconti Ripple (never used)

Pelikan M600 XF

Pelikan M800 M

Pelikan M215 M

Omas new Paragon M

 

At this moment, the only pens in my stable are two 149's, a Lamy 2000, a Delta DVOS, and an Aurora Optima.

 

Very best,

Michael

 

[Tsujigiri]

Try the Pelikan m1000, Sailor Professional Gear or 1911, and maybe, since your post count is 823, the Pilot 823. I don't think there is such a thing as a $2000 pen that writes better than a $1000 pen, so you can probably get what you want for a lot less. The m1000 is my favorite all-around pen; at least try it in a store before dismissing it as basically an m800 with a little added length. The Sailor medium-fine nib is my favorite nib, so it's definitely worth a try if you're interested in writing comfort.

[agchristie]

what about an edison pen? i have heard you can design a pen with him and they are supposed to be excellent and not as expensive as one would think.

[dizzypen]

Well, there's your problem... you haven't tried enough vintage Sheaffers! Might I suggest getting an oversized balance off ebay for $100 or less and then sending it off to Richard Binder for the works. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a better writing pen.

 

My other suggestion is Edison Pens. Brian's pens look amazing and are quite customizable. For something fully customized and of superior quality you're probably looking at $500 maybe even less.

 

But, honestly, once you get past $200 you aren't really improving the nib you are just improving the looks of the outer casing. If you think about it, nibs are fairly simple designs and the materials used to make them are widely available and not that expensive. You'll be hard pressed to find $1k worth of nib alone.

[Sallent]

With Pelikans the M200 (which can be found for as low as $64) is as expensive as you need to go. From the humble M200 to the really expensive M1000, they all write well. Pelikan offers great writing at any price point. No need to spend a fortune.....but you will anyway because that's the way addictions work.

 

 

With any other brand of pen....generally $200 USD or so is the price point if you want an excellent writer. My most expensive pen is $850 USD and I can tell you that all my pens from about $200 USD write as good as a $800 USD pen, you are just paying extra for the materials of the pen's body or the brand name. And to make things worse, all of my humble Pelikan M200s write better than most of my $500 + USD pens.

 

I think it has more to do with the quality of the brand itself more than the price tag. Pens such as Aurora, Pelikan and CS usually tend to be great writers.....can't say the same anymore about Parker or Waterman, unless we are talking about vintage beauties such as the Waterman 52 and Parker Vacumatic which can be had cheaper than most modern pens and are far better built than any modern Parker or Waterman...and write far better than any modern one too.

Edited July 20, 2009 by Dr Ozzie

[jar]

I'd suggest a vintage 146/149 from one of the better sources.

 

Another great one to try is an oversized Balance lever fill with the ink view section and a stub nib.

 

A Parker Duofold Maxima would also be on my list.

 

A Sheaffer PFM V with a stub nib.

 

An old style Paragon.

 

A Waterman Opera.

[Bill_D]

For my 40th birthday, I bought a Nakaya writer's model from John Mottishaw at around $460. I own and have tried other pens in this price range, and the Nakaya is by far my favorite, both in terms of looks and performance. I haven't bought another pen since I got the Nakaya nine months ago which may not seem like a long time, but given my past habits, is like Angelina Jolie going 120 years without adopting or having another kid.

[HenryLouis]

Custom Nakaya, or those edisons are nice as well.

Edited July 20, 2009 by HenryLouis

[LapsangS]

All pens that cost more than $50 are just for show IMHO. (Nothing wrong with "bling bling" if that's what you want.)

[HenryLouis]

All pens that cost more than $50 are just for show IMHO. (Nothing wrong with "bling bling" if that's what you want.)

 

What about the 2000, it's over $50 but there is nothing blingy about it.

[FredRydr]

Based on your size preference (e.g., 149), from my collection, I'd say you should buy a Stipula Etruria Grande old style with celluloid section and solid 9k gold accoutrement. It is a piston filler, writes smoothly, very handsome in amber celluloid (even sexy in my book), and reliable. It is about the same length as a 146 and the girth of a 149. They are in demand which keeps the price steady, but not insane. In other words, you shouldn't lose money. The later pens are silver accoutrement instead of gold (one just sold in the marketplace). A rarer version is the Stipula 991 with it's convertible piston filler.

 

And no, I am not selling mine!

 

Fred

[LapsangS]

All pens that cost more than $50 are just for show IMHO. (Nothing wrong with "bling bling" if that's what you want.)

 

What about the 2000, it's over $50 but there is nothing blingy about it.

 

Yeah, there are some pens like Lamy 2000 that are modest-looking, relatively pricey and write well. But they are exceptions to the rule. Actually, I have been thinking about buying a Lamy 2000 in the near future. :roflmho:

[yachtsilverswan]

I would disagree with LapsangS over the threshhold for "form over function," and would say that most pens priced over $500 (not $50) offer very little additional functionality and very little additional writing comfort.

 

Above the $500 threshold, most of the additional cost is for precious materials (gold, sterling, platinum) and exquisite hand craftsmanship (guilloche, maki-e). A premium is also charged for a pen with a clever design honoring a historical figure or event (like the Visconti Divina Proporzione or the MB Writers' Series). And lastly, a premium is charged for pens from legacy companies that successfully cultivate an aura of lasting quality and good design.

 

My votes for pens that maximize superior function over simple unadorned form are the big flagship German piston pens:

 

Pelikan M-1000 - the M-1000 nib is much larger and much more springy than the M-800

 

Montblanc 149 - simple black curves with minimal ornamentation, but the very definition of a legacy pen - I've used mine for 30 years.

 

I would recommend purchasing one of these and then having the nib custom tuned and reground by a Nibmeister to a wet, ultra-smooth Cursive Italic, or (if you like XF or XXF nibs) the newly rediscovered Waverley grind to smooth the inherent scratchiness of very fine nibs. That would maximize writability with a minimal premium on ornamentation, precious metals, or artisanal adornments.

 

That said, you have already tried the Montblanc 149 in a variety of nib widths (did you have any of these Nibmeister tuned and reground?).

 

If you want to go beyond the threshold where function is maximized and form is unadorned, then you have a range of pens where exceptional function is necessary but not sufficient. In the $1,000 - $2,000 range you are targeting, a number of excellent pens with superior function are also available with tasteful adornments, crafted of precious metals, or embellished with skilled handwork. The previously suggested MB Jules Verne is a good example. The MB Czar Nikolai 146 in platinum or the MB Ramses 146 are also good candidates. Well below $1K, the Visconti Divina Proporzione is a stunning pen with an intricate and fascinating backstory - a math and science student's dream. Also well below $1K (heck, well below $500) is one of my favorites, the Porsche Design P3110 by Graf von Faber Castell. The woven gold and stainless steel bands used to craft the barrel are taken from the brake hose of a Porsche 911 Turbo - very much a guy pen. Close to $1K, the previously mentioned Waterman Edson Black Diamond has a great art deco look from a (previously) legendary house, and the frosted platinum cap is more conservative and less garish than the yellow gold trim used with the other Edson colors. All of these pens write flawlessly, or can be easily tuned to do so. But beyond flawless function, each of these pens brings an interesting backstory and design. Each of these pens brings a smile even before the nib touches the page.

 

My current favorite pen (best writing, best aesthetics, best backstory) is my David Oscarson Valhalla in the gray Thor trim. The broad Binderized Cursive Italic nib is liquid smooth - the smoothest and wettest I have ever used. Nibmeister Binder has recently modified his technique for crafting Cursive Italics, and the new process makes a big difference in smoothness. The pen is stunning without being flashy. Because the Thor is crafted in shades of gray, it can pass as a daily writer without seeming too dressy for a grocery list or a phone number. But the solid block of weighty sterling silver, the multilevel guilloche bas relief engraving, the layers of cold enameling make the pen functional art. Expensive beyond your $1-2K target, but worth every penny in joy of use.

 

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr131/yachtsilverswan/DavidOscarsonThor.jpg

Photo by David Oscarson

Edited July 20, 2009 by yachtsilverswan

[bardharlock]

Get a Parker "51" and see what the fuss is about. If you like how it writes (pretty likely given they are hugely popular for this reason) and still want to spend an obscene amount of money on one with a value that is actually likely to escalate with time, then pick up a DJ Vac in Mustard Yellow with an Empire cap or a red-thread or something akin to that.

 

To be honest, a high price hardly ever coincides with what you get as far as writing experience goes after a certain dollar amount which is one-tenth to one-twentieth of what you asked to pay for for writing pleasure alone. Even if you buy a pen without that sort of maximum writing pleasure, sending a nib off to a nibmeister and getting flow, flex, width and smoothness adjusted costs $50 - $150. We're talking any pen here. After that plus the cost of any pen, from the cheapest to the most expensive, you are literally only paying for a name, jewelry, artificial LE status, real collectibility or rarity, or material/color, etc.

 

Seriously, do yourself a favor, quit looking for a pen that will write like you think a $1000 - $2000 pen ought to write and then try out some much less expensive and or vintage pens and see what you have been missing.

[Garageboy]

Aurora Optima, nuff said

[bardharlock]

Aurora Optima, nuff said

 

Which the OP has already tried.

[krandallkraus]

Having worked with Brian Gray while he was designing his new prototype, now dubbed The Huron, and having had it in my possession now for two weeks with two upgraded nibs (one stub) I can say that for around $250 you will be as happy as you can be for what these days is not terribly expensive for a new, custom designed, hand made fountain pen. Being in on it from the start, choosing the materials, the nib, the grind, to clip or not to clip, etc., well it doesn't get any better than that. Oh, and did I mention that working with Brian is like working with your guardian angel?

 

Check out the pens at edisonpen.com and see what I mean.

 

You can see mine here. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...p;#entry1131646

[amh210]

Many of the suggestions above are worthy. I'm plugging my favorite writer, the Waterman Edson. It is also a beautiful pen but it is the writing and travel experience that has made it my favorite.

 

I also enjoy my Pelikan 1000, but I find it is just too large for comfortable writing for more than a few minutes. It is my ideal "signature" pen. My Pelikan 600 provides a similar writing experience at a more comfortable size. I don't have an 800, if I did, I'd probably like it even more.

 

One quality pen very much worth the cost is my Vanishing Point. The convenience of the click to open (and I don't mind the clip placement) makes it my most common pocket carry pen and the first to reach for to take a note from a telephone conversation at my desk. One-handed operation has significant utility value.

 

The Parker "51" is also ideal in many respects, and I use a plane-jane vacuumatic version to keep filled with Noodler's Tahitian Pearl, an indelible ink, for addressing envelopes. It is an all-around good writer but it is most superb in that it writes immediately even if I haven't used it for a week or two. It's air travel worthiness is also an attractive feature.

 

Andy

[asimplemaestro]

I think it's safe to say that $50 is far undershooting but among top tier pens I would say that the highest that I would spend without feeling that I'm overpaying would be the Montblanc Verne. Other than that I am paying too much...still paying mind you...but probably too much. ;-)

 

-Marcos

[TheWalrus]

I think it's safe to say that $50 is far undershooting but among top tier pens I would say that the highest that I would spend without feeling that I'm overpaying would be the Montblanc Verne. Other than that I am paying too much...still paying mind you...but probably too much. ;-)

 

-Marcos

 

 

I'm about the same. The $1000 or so dollars that the Verne costs is about as much as I'd spend on a pen.

 

Again, of course, value and worth are such inherently personal concepts that talking about them in general terms that can be applied objectively and rationally is pointless.