Do You "binge" Purchase?

[dascoyne]

My binges tend to go by brand. This time it was Dupont, Sailor and Platinum.

I can recall an Aurora and Lamy binge a while back.

 

I even had a Bossert & Erhard binge when their pens were being sold on closeout. I think I made off with about ten B&E pens. Their enamel colors are just so hypnotic!

[sessyargc]

I do binge, sometimes. I remember my first ever binge, it was a bit hard on the wallet but really rewarding. I bought 4 Mabie Todds in a span of a month. Good condition Mabies are not cheap here in Japan. That was my first foray into the world of flex.

 

The last binge was for two obliques, an OB and an OBB. One MB, one Pelikan, both vintage 50's.

I was dying for the nib exchange on one of my pens to finish so I went out and "tried out" the OB and OBB. Bad thing I liked them very much. I hope my new pen (brand new that went to nib exchange) doesn't disappoint!

 

 

I'm trying to lie low this holiday season :-) Just keeping a list and checking it twice ... and keeping my wallet out of reach.

 

 

 

 

[voop]

In the last year and a half...

11 Bexleys

4 Edisons

8 Pelikans

6 Stipula Passaportos

8 Esterbrooks

2 Sheaffer Preludes

4 Twsbis

6 Lamy Safari/AL-Star/Vista

8 or 10 Noodlers (flex and non)

and a few others.

 

Does that qualify as a binge?

 

No, but quite likely as a pathology - he said with thinly veiled jealousy...

[sadiemagic]

I had been feeling guilty for buying the following in 2011....

 

2 Bexley Coronas, both in summer storm (stub nib and a Binder- ground CI)

1 TWSBI ROC

1 Stipula Passaporto, Baltimore Harbor Blue LE

1 Omas Paragon 80th Anniversary in Blue Senape

1 Omas Paragon Blue HT, with Mottishaw-ground CI nib)

 

Now I don't feel quite so guilty! Actually, I am starting to feel I can close out the year with another new pen as a combined birthday/Christmas present to myself, LOL!

 

(Like I needed a lot of encouragement!)

[kkshadow]

OK, dascoyne and others, I think we could all use a support group. In the past six months I've managed to knock down a fair number of pens. June 1 - November 30:

 

• Bexley BX802, sent to pb2 for an M stub nib
• Kaweco Sport with 6mm custom nib by Nathan Tardiff
• Waterman Thorobred, Ideal No. 2 Manifold nib
• Mabie Todd & Co. Swan 3260, 14k wet noodle nib
• Wahl-Eversharp Equipoise
• Conway Stewart 12
• Parker Vac Major, sweet flexy two tone nib
• C.E. Levi Pens "Nox", vintage Swan flexible No. 2 nib
• Wahl Oxford, flexible 14k No. 7 nib
• Pelikan 100N, flexible 14C BB nib
• Stilnova (1940s Italian celluloid), flexible F nib
• Visconti Portofino FPH L.E., factory stub nib
• a couple of restored Eversharp Skylines. Okay, more like four, all with flexy nibs
• Ferrari da Varese Yesterday, 18k B nib superbly stubbed by pb2
• Parker 61, stiff EF nib
• Eversharp Symphony No. 714, flexible stub nib
• Waterman 54, super-flex F nib
• Danitrio Densho Raw Ebonite, flexible stub nib
• Lamy Safari with 1.1mm CI nib, gifted away
• Pontiac, super-flex steel Stilnova nib
• Jefferson, Salz, Banker, Kreko, Imperial, Nupoint, Strand and a few other 3rd tier pens
• OMAS Ogiva Guilloche, factory B nib
• YOL Viceroy Grand Lined, smooooth Masuyama stub B nib
• Stipula Modello T, Ti-Flex nib
• Kaweco Sport with BB nib
• Goldfink-Liebling, semi-flex steel OM nib
• DrGoretex custom tortoise shell acrylic pen
• OMAS Society sterling silver L.E., B stub by Greg Minuskin
• Bexley Americana in Yellowstone acrylic
• Noodler's Ahab (still in box)
• OMAS Revelations L.E. with factory stub nib
• Stipula Passaporto FPN L.E. with 1.1mm stub nib (not arrived yet)

I guess those are more pens than a fellow really needs, but I've been selling some, really I have, though I used all the proceeds from pen sales to buy ... ink and paper and other pens :embarrassed_smile: . Haven't mentioned pens sent off for grinding and re-tips - suffice it to say I am on a first name basis with several nibmeisters. And I don't want to mention what went on the six months previous to June, because, you know, people read these posts!

 

 

 

 

My name is David, and I have a problem.

 

I bow to your binge :notworthy1:, Oh wait, that makes me an enabler Couple of dental implants are what it took to stop me. No money, no pens.

Well, OK I bought a Safari last week. But that was small business Saturday - I had to support our small businesses, didn't I?

[saketb]

I really don't know whether I binge for my purchases. But yes, I've been spending quite often since I joined FPN and started with fountain pens.

 

I joined FPN in August 2011 and since then I have been on the look for fountains which fascinate me.

 

• Kaweco AC Sport Red Limited Edition M (Still in box)
  
• Lamy Safari *3 (Blue F, Red EF & Aquamarine M)
  
• Lamy Joy *3 (1.1, 1.5 & 1.9)
  
• Noodlers Flex
  
• Pilot Vanishing Point Royal Red 18kt M (Yet to receive)
  
• Rotring Esprit Telescopic F
  
• Rotring Newton 600 M (Still in box)
  
• Rotring Art Pen EF
  
• Sheaffer 300 Glossy Black M
  
• Sheaffer 300 Marbled Blue M
  
• Sheaffer Imperial 330 M
  
• Sheaffer Prelude Brushed Chrome M
  
• Sailor Professional Gear Black 21kt B (My Favourite)
  
• TWSBI Diamond 540 M
  

[Chevalier]

Oh, inks quailfy as a binge too? I might have forgotten some, but this is a short overview of my last 6 months:

 

Almost full set of Diamine FP inks + Diamine Registrat's 100ml

18 Bottles Noodler's (a couple were 2nd hand with 1-4 fills missing)

6 Irohizuku

6 Waterman

4 Lamy

3 Skrip

3 Platignum

3 Herbin

2 Aurora

2 Pelikan 4001

2 Private Reserve

1 Caran d'Ache

Unknown number of cartridges

 

Ok, many of them are only restocks and I need them for work anyway, but I am really bad at leaving colors out. I am sure I don't need to have every color in stock, but they are soooooo different . I am still missing some PR, Iroshizuku and Platignum inks atm, the next order is already in the drawer. *waves to the nice people from the Goulet Pen Company*

[orfew]

In the last 6 months

 

Lamy Safari F nib in Bright yellow

MB 31ef flexible nib

MB 24 obb flex nib

MB 142 celluloid flex stub nib

MB 146 (1970s) semi flex M nib

MB starwalker resin RB

MB MS RB

MB 332 celluloid wartime alloy M nib

MB 144 M nib

MB 149 NOS f/m nib c. 1990

[Postscript]

Since getting my first Conway Stewart I can't resist them. Have bought two limited Belivers recently and the new Excalibur is on its way. I have--so far--resisted the Kipling.

 

And then there are the Edisons and Bexeleys that have arrived or are on their way.

 

Oh dear!

 

Post Script

[Sazerac]

What a comforting thread to read. You good folks make me feel much better. My binge has been a series of Stipula Etrurias, which are on the expensive side (at least for me), but there's only been three of them in as many months.

 

I think I'm through for a while. I hope, anyway.

[Anthony P]

I got some non-51s off of ebay recently and I can safely say that it's put me off buying pens at all. Misaligned tines, dodgy old sacs, poorly set feeds, even with some supposedly good descriptions and photos. I know you can send complaints and negative feedback and whatnot, but I really don't care for it that much. I might just try and fix them myself. Of course, I can always still collect 51 Aeros, because you know that unless someone has bent the nib to a 90 degree angle, they're going to work.

 

My binge purchasing lies squarely with inks. If I see inks I like, I'll buy them, even if they turn out dodgy. For example, I saw some Diamine China Blue and thought that was a nice ink - it was, but it was almost exactly the same colour as Pilot Blue.

Edited December 3, 2011 by Anthony P

[jslallar]

Over the past 6months I have bought:

5 x Cross townsends, tango, custom, sterling silver, 10K gold and medalist

1 x Cross CII tango

3 x Parker 51s regular teal and black and a special

1 x Parker 21

1 x Parker Duofold International blue marble B

1 x Parker Rialto

1 x Parker Sonnet forest green old style

8 x MB 146s

2 x MB 149s

1 x MB 144 B

1 x MB Noblesse Oblige M

1 x Sailor 1911M music

2 x Pelikan 381 classics B

1 x Pelikan M400 BB

1 x Pelikan M200 BB

1 x Dani Trio Cumlaude B

1 x Waterman Hemisphere green

3 x Inoxcrom Wall Street, 2 GT and a CT

1 x Inoxcrom Oxford

2 x Diplomats

1 x Waterford Eclipse

Edited December 7, 2011 by jslallar

[mirko]

I blame it all on FPN. Not only does it create a craving for pens I never before knew existed, it also leads the way to where to buy them.

On top of that, my recent binge (what a word!) started in the closing hours of the FPN LE, just after I had decided I was happy with my collection.

Since then:

1. Stipula T-Flex FPN LE

2. Visconti Homo Sapiens

3. Pilot Capless Black Splash

4. Sailor 1911 Naginata Togi Broad

5. Sailor Sapporo Music

6. Aurora 88 vintage

7. Omas 360 Magnum

Not as wild as some of those above, but still..... :embarrassed_smile:

 

And I enjoy all of them!! :roflmho:

Edited December 6, 2011 by mirko

[dascoyne]

I thought this binge was over but you can add another Dupont Amber Chairman (I know I already have one but the price was right) and a Sailor LE Raden pen with Music nib.

[humsin]

Feel guilty for getting a Homo Sapiens and a Sentryman in a day...well guess that's the magic of Christmas!

[PaulT00]

Regarding pens, my biggest binge is one of two:

 

either

(i) an MB149, a superflex Waterman 94 and a '51' all bought in one week (all via the FPN for-sale forum);

or

(ii) buying an FPN Passaporto, an FPN Modello-T and an FPN Celluloid Etruria all in one go.

 

 

But I occasionally have a binge on other things as well. Middle of 2011 I binged on sunglasses - bought 4 pairs of vintage Oakleys (Romeo black iridium, a mint pair of X-Metal XX 24K, one E-wire 2.1 in black iridium - bought for spares for my old pair - and one E-wire 2.1 in ruby iridium) in the space of about a month and a half. eBay has a lot to answer for!

[Keye Skware]

1. Pelikan M800 Demonstrator
   
2. Montblanc 146
   
3. Safari Alstar Ruby Red
   
4. Safari Pink (for my daughter)
   

 

I'm entering the guilt-phase which will keep me from buying anything for 6 months.

 

Okay, I lied. I just bought a Sailor Realo Pro-Gear with a stub nib, Pelikan M1000, and the dark purple Lamy Al-Star. But this is REALLY it for a while. Seriously.

[John Cullen]

WOW, some serious buying going on here.

 

I will tell you when I wished I had binged.

 

A few years ago there was a store that sold online that went out of business. I can not remember its name, but it sold high end watches and pens. Ashford??

 

Anyway, when it dropped pens it marked everything down radically. I got an incredible deal on a special edition Sheaffer Balance--lever fill, the jungle green pattern.

 

I remember at the time thinking some of the people online were nuts buying 6 or 8 pens. Now I understand what they were doing and why.

[nxn96]

I've been a regular fountain pen user for years, but really got into vintage pens in the past 5-7 years. Owing to having used Parkers for so long, my initial "foray" into vintage was a Parker "51". That started a long slide into the depths of "Parkaholicism" from which I have only recently begun to climb back.

 

That first "51" Aerometric grew to a collection that at present numbers roughly 30, net of what has been sold or traded in that time. In addition to the two that are pretty much my daily user rotation, I somehow found myself "needing" an example of the basic Aerometric barrel palette (including a Signet and Flighter), about 6 desksets with different base designs, a handful of Vac "51"s, plus a few Demis. Although I haven't used a pencil on a regular basis for many years, I found myself "needing" the matching pencil to accompany my "51" pen such that about 15 pens also have the pencil. Go figure.

 

Of course, once you discover the "51", interests move backwards and forwards such that I "needed" some examples of Duofolds, Vacumatics, VS, VP, 21, 45, 61, 75, etc.

 

Oh yeah, there was also the interest in Parker ballpoints, particularly the cap-actuated models. Gotta have them too.

 

Feeling in a Parker rut, I decided I "needed" some Sheaffers and a couple of Esterbrooks too. Doesn't everyone?

 

We won't go into my "Flighter" period....

 

It's getting better now. Over the past year, I "divested" about 4 to every 1 acquired.

[Pen Nut]

Wow !!! I am a 'baby' binger compared to some on here. I sort of qualify my purchase by telling myself that it is being bought purely to sell on as soon as it arrives. Think you can fill in the rest :embarrassed_smile:

 

p.s. This does NOT make us bad people !