Best Quality Regardless Of Price?

[CountryDoc]

What is the highest quality pen you've ever seen? Not necessarily the most expensive, most blingy, or with the most fancy decorations. Whether the barrel is resin, metal, or some other material, what pen featured the highest quality workmanship, & materials? Something that was more consistent the work of craftsman, rather than an assembly line? Please limit your choices to commercially available models, not one-of-a-kind custom/art pens.

[professionaldilettante]

I just got a Cross Solo sport. Don't laugh, I got it as a present. I wouldn't have bought one if I seen it in the store, being as Cross isn't that fantastic (imo) of a pen company. However, this is a 14K nib, manufactured by Pilot, and writes super smooth for the cost of the pen. At the moment, it's outplaced my Pilot Fermo, Viscont, and Pelikan as my daily writer.

[jar]

The very highest quality pens I've ever found have to be ST Dupont pens, and by a long, long distance. ST Dupont seems to simply pay supreme attention to even the most mundane details, including those things the average person will never see. The underside of a ST Dupont clip, the interior of the barrel, the threads on the section all seem to be made to the same standard of presentation as the exterior of the pen. When you go to cap a ST Dupont pen it seems to self center and the last quarter inch of travel feels as though there were ball bearings while the sound of the cap closing is like that of a heavy vault door.

[asaha]

The best functional quality of fountain pen I have ever tried is my MB 149.

 

The best quality fountain pen I have ever seen may be some really expensive pens I have seen in the pen shop, but I have not even tried. The quality I can see is limited to the aesthetics quality. :roflmho:

[Vshin]

What is the highest quality pen you've ever seen? Not necessarily the most expensive, most blingy, or with the most fancy decorations. Whether the barrel is resin, metal, or some other material, what pen featured the highest quality workmanship, & materials? Something that was more consistent the work of craftsman, rather than an assembly line? Please limit your choices to commercially available models, not one-of-a-kind custom/art pens.

 

Probably any of the urushi pens from Nakaya.

[Yuki Onitsura]

Interesting question. Of the pens I've owned or have had the privilege of using, I'd have to go with Jar and say anything made by ST Dupont.

 

Yuki

[bluejay]

I think the st. duponts are thought of as best quality because they don't have anything that is complicated in their build. So hardly nothing can go wrong compared to companies that push the envelope.

I would say Cross as well, mainly because its simple cc pen. Very smooth nib. Never seen a cross pen that didn't write out of the box.

[hari317]

What is the highest quality pen you've ever seen? Not necessarily the most expensive, most blingy, or with the most fancy decorations. Whether the barrel is resin, metal, or some other material, what pen featured the highest quality workmanship, & materials? Something that was more consistent the work of craftsman, rather than an assembly line? Please limit your choices to commercially available models, not one-of-a-kind custom/art pens.

Perhaps my Waterman's 52 1/2V. I was so amazed the first time I held that pen in my hand. Each part is superbly machined from mottled ebonite. The heat stamping on the barrel and feed is so well done. The cap screws on smoothly and precisely, the clip is riveted in such a superb way, the nib has awesome construction quality. I wonder if it is possible to attain such quality in a mass produced pen today.

[tanalasta]

David Oscarson?

 

I agree with Jar that the older ST Dupont pens have had fantastic quality. I'm not so sure about the newer ones I've seen though...

[mongrelnomad]

Nakaya. The level of perfection for something hand made is astonishing.

 

I'll let you know once I get my Hakase, but I have high hopes for a theft of the crown.

[flashylightsmeow]

What about Pelikan? Their pens are considered truly robust and brilliant, suitable for everyday writing.

Edited February 28, 2012 by flashylightsmeow

[jar]

What about Pelikan? Their pens are considered a truly robust and brilliant, suitable for everyday writing.

 

High, welcome home. Pull up a stump and set a spell.

[Calbei]

What about Pelikan? Their pens are considered a truly robust and brilliant, suitable for everyday writing.

Good pens, but not the best quality. There can be issues with nibs, cap bands (i.e. rotated), barrels (i.e. striations/tortoise not matching or appearing cracked).

[flashylightsmeow]

What about Pelikan? Their pens are considered a truly robust and brilliant, suitable for everyday writing.

Good pens, but not the best quality. There can be issues with nibs, cap bands (i.e. rotated), barrels (i.e. striations/tortoise not matching or appearing cracked).

 

Ahh I see, I was hoping to pick up one of the tortoise ones this month!

[nicholasyeo]

I'll got with Nakaya on this one... The Urushi can be so simple and understated,

but it's glow is just amazingly captivating...

[Kaptenmork]

I would say, my old parker vacumatic, of unknown date. Its the perfect pen.

 

To my horror I found a shop that still have unsold vacumatics, but they cost almost 500 dollar :meow:

 

I have to sell a kidney or something... I want his pen badly... :ph34r:

[The Good Captain]

What about Pelikan? Their pens are considered a truly robust and brilliant, suitable for everyday writing.

Good pens, but not the best quality. There can be issues with nibs, cap bands (i.e. rotated), barrels (i.e. striations/tortoise not matching or appearing cracked).

Well, my 420 isn't bad at all. And a recent Onoto Magna Classic in simple black resin and silver.

[Calbei]

What about Pelikan? Their pens are considered a truly robust and brilliant, suitable for everyday writing.

Good pens, but not the best quality. There can be issues with nibs, cap bands (i.e. rotated), barrels (i.e. striations/tortoise not matching or appearing cracked).

Well, my 420 isn't bad at all. And a recent Onoto Magna Classic in simple black resin and silver.

Oh no I don't mean they're bad pens... Pels are very nice! I just meant that like many manufacturers they're not without flaws/defects. I'd certainly regard Onoto of offering very good quality.

[JLT]

Sheaffer Balance lever fillers. There are plenty of 80 year old specimens about, offering ample testimonial to their quality.

[Avetikus]

Another thing to understand here is that 99% of the Pelikans are awesome enough for 99% of the population. When the OP says "highest quality" he's talking about getting that last 1% good enough for the less-than-1% that this board represents. It's not a case of "Brand X isn't good enough." it's "Brand Z is freakIng FLAWLESS!"

 

 

Edit: pesky AutoCorrect.

Edited February 28, 2012 by Avetikus