Drive-By Shootings - The Most Over-rated Pen & Why

[montblancdude]

1. Anything that's a "Limited Edition." Sure, they're pretty, but the nibs are nothing special compared to a $200 pen. You pay for all the bling and fancy ornamentation.

2. At the risk of being severely injured in an "accident" as I step out of my front door tomorrow, the Lamy Safari. It's plasticky, it's cheap looking, and my $10 Jinhao writes MUCH better.

 

(dives for cover)

[Nellie]

At the risk of being run out of town: Lamy Safari.

 

I agree, and will add the Pelikano: in the country of their origin many of these pens are unusable out of the box

[Mrsal]

1. Anything that's a "Limited Edition." Sure, they're pretty, but the nibs are nothing special compared to a $200 pen. You pay for all the bling and fancy ornamentation.

2. At the risk of being severely injured in an "accident" as I step out of my front door tomorrow, the Lamy Safari. It's plasticky, it's cheap looking, and my $10 Jinhao writes MUCH better.

 

(dives for cover)

 

 

what about the visconti van gogh LE that i have? i got it for the same price as a regular van gogh.

[grimakis]

#2 would be the 51. I think they're good pens but way overrated. However it's definitely a status symbol here to say that the 51's your fav so there's that to consider. Ha

 

 

Gasp.... The "51" is my absolute favourite pen.... How can you betray me like this Marcos?

 

To people above: The Vacumatic filling system is not really overly complicated. It has pretty much one replaceable part, and it is easy to replace. It is less complex than piston, snorkel, and maybe even touchdown. Pretty much every part on the "51" is easily replaced, even the barrel. It is a great pen built for longevity.

 

The most overrated pen has to be the Pelikan 200... It is just an expensive, steel-nibbed, German piston pen. Buy a Reform or something...

 

 

[youstruckgold]

love the Safari (sorry)

MBs are a touch too expensive but like them too

Parker 51s are OK - but I'm getting closer there

But I DO struggle to understand the love of Sheaffers (let alone the spelling). Some of them look good I'll admit, but I really don't understand the appeal in the end. Stiff nibs, and workmanlike. (ducking for cover)

Edited July 24, 2009 by youstruckgold

[HenryLouis]

Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point. Nib is nice. But trap door is somewhat fragile (mine broke twice) and traps ink -- a pain to clean and can leave unwanted spots. Depending on finish, paint on clicker can wear rather quickly. Gimmicky. *runs for cover*

 

[Edit: Added "gimmicky" because I had space. ]

 

Great, NOW I hear about the problems when I'm about to order one.

 

Also, aren't you supposed to fill the nib section outside of the pen?

[asimplemaestro]

#2 would be the 51. I think they're good pens but way overrated. However it's definitely a status symbol here to say that the 51's your fav so there's that to consider. Ha

 

 

Gasp.... The "51" is my absolute favourite pen.... How can you betray me like this Marcos?

 

Haha I knew you'd catch that! I didn't say I hated it (that was reserved for the Lamys). I just said that it wasn't the holy grail that many here make it out to be. It's a nice, simple, mostly consistent writer. Better?

 

-Marcos

[deauville]

Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point. Nib is nice. But trap door is somewhat fragile (mine broke twice) and traps ink -- a pain to clean and can leave unwanted spots. Depending on finish, paint on clicker can wear rather quickly. Gimmicky. *runs for cover*

 

[Edit: Added "gimmicky" because I had space. ]

 

Great, NOW I hear about the problems when I'm about to order one.

 

Also, aren't you supposed to fill the nib section outside of the pen?

 

Yes, that's correct.

 

 

 

 

[metaphora]

MB - horrible writing performance (bad ink flow), cost too much and do too little

 

Ditto. [phew! It felt good to get that off my chest!]

 

[montblancdude]

what about the visconti van gogh LE that i have? i got it for the same price as a regular van gogh.

 

Leave it to you, Sal, to find an exception to my rule!

 

Fiiinnnneee... the Van Gogh LE that you have is NOT overrated as it didn't cost more than a regular Van Gogh. There, I said it. Happy?

 

I was referring to the bulk of LE pens out there.

 

 

Great, NOW I hear about the problems when I'm about to order one.

 

Also, aren't you supposed to fill the nib section outside of the pen?

 

My cousin has 4 of these, he's had them for a year now and they have performed flawlessly for him so far... no trapdoor breakage, no leaks, no paint wearing off, etc.

 

Just take good care of it and you'll be fine.

[lapis]

MB 146. Overstatement to say the least. Snobby. The lemon I bought didn't even write. The 149 is maybe similar, but uglier.

 

So!

[trent]

At the risk of being run out of town: Lamy Safari.

 

I agree, and will add the Pelikano: in the country of their origin many of these pens are unusable out of the box

 

I've had good luck with these, but even if you get a bad one, at least you have not paid an arm and a leg for it. It hurts to pay high prices for disappointing pens.

[FrankB]

The responses to a thread like this are necessarily very subjective. No pen model is universally popular. My own (highly subjective) response is overpriced LE's like those by Krone, and equally overpriced designer pens like those by Lepine or Loiminchay.

[Blade Runner]

Nothing suceeds like sucess in drawing comments of both admiration and dislike.

 

On a positive note, I love Montblancs, Parker 51 aerometric fillers, and Auroras.

 

 

[Garageboy]

Visconti Van Gogh- blingy, heavy

Lamy Safari- lovely design, feels nice in my hand, cannot find one with a decent nib to date

Waterman Man- ugly, tacky, kitschy

[Doug C]

All Nakaya's, Danitrios, and Edisons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(just kidddddding..)

[gyasko]

This is easy: the Pelikan m800. It's the pen with the cheap plating, a tendency to fall apart, an ever increasing price, too much weight, and nibs that at best, are dull. At worst, the pens simply don't write or don't do it well, something that happens with a surprising frequency that speaks to poor QC at Pelikan. It goes without saying that the nibs have none of the expressiveness of the vintage Pelikans. Stir in a pastiche of fin de siecle supersizing bling heaped on top of a 1950s design and we have one overrated pen.

 

The 51 is an incredibly boring writer -- the fp for bp users -- but at least the pen is well-made and well-designed. It's reputation for solidity is well-deserved.

[Mrsal]

what about the visconti van gogh LE that i have? i got it for the same price as a regular van gogh.

 

Leave it to you, Sal, to find an exception to my rule!

 

Fiiinnnneee... the Van Gogh LE that you have is NOT overrated as it didn't cost more than a regular Van Gogh. There, I said it. Happy?

 

I was referring to the bulk of LE pens out there.

 

 

Great, NOW I hear about the problems when I'm about to order one.

 

Also, aren't you supposed to fill the nib section outside of the pen?

 

My cousin has 4 of these, he's had them for a year now and they have performed flawlessly for him so far... no trapdoor breakage, no leaks, no paint wearing off, etc.

 

Just take good care of it and you'll be fine.

 

 

well, the van gogh is the only exception i could think of... most other LE's are overrated though.

 

and the vanishing point should last you a long time henry, as long as you take care of it line Sid said.

 

(edited for my horrible spelling)

Edited July 24, 2009 by Mrsal

[Mrsal]

Visconti Van Gogh- blingy, heavy

Lamy Safari- lovely design, feels nice in my hand, cannot find one with a decent nib to date

Waterman Man- ugly, tacky, kitschy

 

 

what!!

Edited July 24, 2009 by Mrsal

[asimplemaestro]

Visconti Van Gogh- blingy, heavy

Lamy Safari- lovely design, feels nice in my hand, cannot find one with a decent nib to date

Waterman Man- ugly, tacky, kitschy

 

 

what!!

 

Haha that was my thinking. I only have one Van Gogh but it's been the most amazing fine nib I've bought to date. To each his own though...