Snob Appeal/anti-Snob Appeal Pens

[Scrawler]

A Parker Cent. Duofold in black is not a pen for snobs, but costs £300 ($450) and there are certainly some very bright, 'showy' pens for less.

<snip>

 

I think the gentleman in the Rolls Royce would strongly disagree.

 

Would you happen to have any Grey Poupon or perhaps a Parker Duofold on you????? :roflmho:

Interesting that the writer appears to be completely ambidextrous.

[rwilsonedn]

OK, that Duofold spot is splendid on so many levels.

ron

[ANM]

Only a pen snob can truly understand when someone else is flashing a snobbish pen.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I care not a whit if other people 'judge' me up or down for the pens I use.

 

If I like it and it writes well for me, that's all that matters.

[Brian K]

I work in a small grocery store in a small town where very few people use fountain pens at all. My go to pen is a MB 149 I purchased nearly 25 years ago when they only cost $279 (?)which I bought when I worked at a better paying job than I have now. I didn't buy it because of the snob appeal - where I worked at the time no one gave any notice to what kind of pen you used - I bought it because of its reputation for dependability. The decision proved to have been a wise one. I have used it as a daily writer and have not been afraid to take it everywhere. I have not treated it like a piece of jewelry or some fancy accessory. It's a writing tool and it's eminently suited for the task. My 149 is not as shiny as it once was and that's OK because it just shows it's been lovingly used for nearly a quarter century.

 

The funny thing is that I get more comments if a customer sees me using a disposable like a Pilot Varsity than if they see me pull out the 149!

 

The upshot of all this? Snob appeal, or whatever you want to call it, is in the eye of the beholder.

[Brian K]

I care not a whit if other people 'judge' me up or down for the pens I use.

 

If I like it and it writes well for me, that's all that matters.

 

 

+1

[pb2au]

While I think most would put Dunhill into the snob category, I think they are great writers.

[Pendragon]

One of the sillier threads I've seen in awhile.

This thread or the thousand others just like it? I agree completely with you that is silly, and that is putting it charitably. This nonsense has been going on about as long as FPN has been in existence. This one is five years old, and by no means the first. Back then it was usually bashing the Mont Blanc as a "snob pen", as opposed to the near-perfect Pelikan, which was a "writer's pen". Wouldn't snob or writer be qualities of the pen owner rather than the pen? Are all "snob pen" brand owners snobs, or are these pens also purchased by those who like their writing characteristics?

 

As has been said, almost all non-pen fanatics won't even notice any pen you may use, and the people that do know pens probably aren't too likely to be impressed by any pen they don't like for other reasons than just cost or flashiness.

 

The only brand any non-pen fan will know is Montblanc, just as pretty much the only brand anyone that isn't into watches will think is anything out of the ordinary is Rolex.

That is assuming most (all?) fountain pen owners are dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts. It may well be the case that the majority simply see their fountain pens as a writing tool, albeit one which is fine and relatively costly.

 

Although Mont Blanc pens may be very recognizable by their logo, most Americans are also aware of the Sheaffer, Parker and Cross brands. It stands to reason that residents of other countries are similarly aware of their predominant pen brands. I am not into watches at all, but am aware of at least some of the fine watch brands. It is likely the same principle applies to fine pens.

 

Big whoop! Who cares? :blink:

A lot of people, apparently. It might be that they are railing against conceited attitudes more than any particular pen. When certain pen manufacturers target a very status symbol conscious demographic, their product image suffers in the minds of populists and egalitarians. The luxury goods manufacturers don't care one whit, provided that their profit margins are high.

[XiaoMG]

I don't think anyone really considers me much of a snob for carrying fountain pens. Perhaps a bit of a geek, but that's understandable anyway. I suppose if I had a dedicated tube or leather pouch for a single pen, or held and used my pens gingerly like I was trying to hold a butterfly without hurting it, people might get a different kind of vibe.

[Phormula]

if you think pens have snob value and care what others think then you might have a problem not the pen

 

Nowadays I guess one can prove himself more snob in carrying the latest technological device than in using a good FP.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I buy old used pens, out side of a couple bought new, and one a life time ago.

 

I'm a used pen snob... :blink:

 

I get used top of the line, for medium low prices.....medium low prices only in the community.

 

Any one else I tell I bought it for €30-50 think I'm nuts.When I force a pen in their hand, they see the light...but not enough to waste so much money for marking up paper.

 

I'm a 'some what flexible nib snob'...and where is that snob smilie????!!!!! I Want It Now.....oh, sorry, but been taught that from TV and magazines.

 

To hijack the thread...what magazines advertise fountain pens; as a child even on TV the Snorkel was King.

Could be I need to order the magazine, I heard some one named Jones moved in on the block.

 

All he got is nails!!!!!!!! :bonk:

 

He can't keep up with us Smiths Smyths.

[toomanypelikans]

The only place (outside a pen store) that I have ever had someone notice me carrying a FP was my local Apple store one of the staff had a Lamy Studio Black.

 

I find that I am inwardly snobby - the other day I had 4 of my fountain pens at work that had a combined purchase price of close to USD $2000 - no one in my office would have known (or cared) that had such a cost. The only way someone knows that one of my pens are expensive is if I only let them look but not handle.

 

I suppose it is similar in a way to a story that I remember a few years ago you could buy a bracelet made by a Swedish(?) designer that was basically made of high quality rubber but inside one section of it was a gold nugget - the gold was not visible from the outside so unless you were in the know you would't give it a second look.

[Pen Nut]

if you think pens have snob value and care what others think then you might have a problem not the pen

 

Nowadays I guess one can prove himself more snob in carrying the latest technological device than in using a good FP.

 

 

Good point! There is a definite rank structure in the phone/tablet market and does that then count towards 'snob' status?

[jde]

"This is why we can't have nice things."

 

+10

 

 

Insert "my 2 cents" icon here.

[nxn96]

I find that a P51 with lustraloy cap passes beneath notice of non-FPers, and draws a nod from FP-users. Especially a black or teal 51 aero. Just not enough glitz to draw a second glance in typical business meetings. In fact, I wrote my name at OWS using a midnight blue 51 and nobody blinked. (The big test?)

As a fellow "51" user, much my experience as well, and that suits me fine. I'm the recording secretary for my local parish finance board, and use a Burgundy "51" with a Lustraloy cap/gold clip to take my meeting notes. At a recent meeting, the person sitting next to me looked over and said: "hey, it's a fountain pen. All this time I thought it was some sort of ballpoint".

 

I've got a small handful of cheap international cartridge pens that came to me as parts of larger lots of pens. Nothing wrong with them, but nothing I need. I keep them around to hand out to friends who express an interest in trying a fountain pen. Last time I did so, the person didn't want to take it. "Too fancy. Why don't you give me one of those plain Parkers you're always using?". Even after assuring my friend that the Parker was worth many times the cost of what I was offering, it was only with reluctance that they accepted the "fancy" pen.

[Tereghan]

Sometimes not even people who "know" pens really know. Recently a friend of mine who I've been admittedly a bit jealous recently because she's been able to get several nice pens I've had my eye on and used to collect old Sheaffers was inordinately impressed by my red Pilot 78G saying it was gorgeous and thought it was worth much more than it was.

 

My pen ignorant coworkers always think I'm a bit of a strange snob when I pull out one of my "fancy pens," (all the ones I take to work were under $20) but a few of the more careful ones have had a chance to try out some of my cheapies. One of them prefers my Lamy Safari to the TWSBI with the really smooth nib because "the blue one makes more sense to my fingers." He was referring to the oft-complained-of and somewhat sharp finger guides on the Lamy. Made my day.

[somnath1077]

At least here in the Netherlands, Pelikan has absoletely no snob appeal, being known for their low-cost printer inks.

The fact that Pelikan makes luxury, very expensive fountain oens is a surprise to most.

 

 

 

 

I agree. Many people in Germany (at least many of my colleagues) don't (didn't) know that Pelikan produces higher-end pens. People mostly associate Pelikan with school pens. Moreover, the Pelikan M200/215 is well within the Eur80 mark and I wouldn't call these models higher end. All in all, I don't think Pelikan has a lot of snob-appeal.

[ZaphodBB]

"This is why we can't have nice things."

+1

[JeanManuel]

At least here in the Netherlands, Pelikan has absoletely no snob appeal, being known for their low-cost printer inks.

The fact that Pelikan makes luxury, very expensive fountain oens is a surprise to most.

 

I agree with you.

 

High quality and snob appeal are completely different things. Completely. I do not even begin to understand how some members here can confuse them.

 

Snob = s.nob. = "Sine Nobilis" = without nobility = "new rich" at the time when the abreviation was crafted.

New rich subculture is based on identifying brands of prestige, and seeking prestige (legitimization) by not only possessing, but also displaying such items of prestige.

 

If the new rich cannot identify a brand, then the brand does not have a snob appeal.

 

 

A subsequent and easy way to detect snob appeal: the new rich will be ready to pay extra for the prestige. The % of the price dedicated to the manufacture is a good indicator of what is or isn't a snob-appeal pen. If the price of the pen comes mostly from the careful and expert manufacture and from the initial cost of high quality materials, then it is unlikely to be a snob item.

 

Some houses have understood that, and propose different items for different customers. Pristine items of high quality for refined people. And absolutely outrageous and overpriced garbage for those who are looking for "anything with the brand's name on it". I mean why waste energy for those. Those, are the snobs.

[JeanManuel]

"This is why we can't have nice things."

+1

-1