Filling Systems: Best Or All Equal ?

[framebaer]

To rapidly clean inks, I think the syringe converters Parker did are great. Can't understand why they have eliminated production of them.

[Albert26]

None of them; a piston filling system is the best, with a window to see the level of ink. Only the eyedropper system holds more ink, but it is very messy and prone to leakage, by what I have heard. Clumsy as I am, I would not dare to eyedrop a pen (embarrassed smile). I can imagine the table, the walls, the curtains full of ink spots

 

And with the c/c pens I own, I always use the converter. The charm of the fountain pen it's that is something very durable that can last for generations, unlike regular biros. Using cartridges and throwing them away once they are empty quite undermines this charm in my opinion. It's like throwing away a ballpen when it has dried out. Although I grant that if one must travel, cartridges are very convenient. It's the only occasion when I would use them.

Edited April 16, 2017 by Albert26

[inkfade]

I refill carts and converters with syringes, so I prefer c/c pens. I've owned a couple of piston pens, they took way too long to clean, and I disliked having to wipe the ink off after refilling. Too messy. I also own a couple of aeromatics and they are an absolute pain in the butt to clean. So I try to stick to c/c. Much more convenient, I think, especially if you own a bulb syringe.

Edited April 16, 2017 by inkfade

[Driften]

I don't care for ink systems where I can't see how much ink is in the pen. So most of my pens are piston or C/C. I don't use the sac based pens I have.

[pajaro]

Yes, and I suppose the two main reasons are :

- You don't control what people put in their pens (all those proprietary cartridges formats are laughable), converters are quite recent

- It's not "rich" enough nor patentable. Nobody would buy a Montblanc eye-dropper at 600-1000€.

 

I believe that, if you dressed that Montblanc eyedropper in enough pretentiousness and some tenuous artistry, you could find people who would buy it. A lot of their pens today are collectibles which might be designed to write well, but collecting them is the point, not the filling system. Montblanc has spun some pretty good stories around many of their recent pens, and has made the pens kinda sorta relate to the subjects of homage.

[ravatar]

Piston should be the best. easy to operate and clean. Good designed piston filling pen should be able to fill the pen only by immerse the breath hole in the ink, so you don't have to clean the whole nib and grip section after filling. And the inside of the barrel should be well polished, which would makes cleaning much easier. Just my 2 cents...

Edited April 17, 2017 by ravatar

[Runnin_Ute]

I own piston, cartridge/converter, lever and aerometric. Once upon a time I had a preppy converted to a ED. Hated it. I like all the others. But about 70% of my pens are either piston and c/c fillers.

 

I use a piston or c/c (or both) every day. Right now I have all but a lever filled.

[Arkanabar]

Each meets different perceived needs. And every choice involves trade-offs.

Eyedrdoppers are made because they don't require as much in the way of machine tools. They're simple and inexpensive to make, there are no parts to break or wear out, and (if it matters to the user) they can hold stupid huge amounts of ink, compared to all others. But because of Charles' Law, they are prone to burping out drops of ink as they warm up.

Sac pens of all types isolate the ink chamber from the air your hand warms up, and so they are far less prone to burping. IMO, a lever is probably the most convenient way around to squeeze a sac so that it will draw ink. I have a button filler, and I sometimes fret I'll lose the blind cap. I think a lever is more convenient than a hatchet or crescent, because you only have to move the lever. And you don't have to remove part or all of the barrel, as with sleeve, bulb, and aerometric fillers. That said, I find that taking the barrel off an aerometric pen isn't much of a bother, and I've never worried it might fall down the drain.

Cartridge pens were developed so people wouldn't have to fool around with ink bottles in order to fill their pens. Converters were developed so that people who had cartridge pens could fill them from bottles, which is a LOT cheaper than paying for cartridges. Additionally, c/c pens are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and repair, compared to all the 95% or more of the other filling systems documented by Richard Binder.

All that said, the pens I use most are piston fillers and c/c. Like some others around here, I use a syringe to refill cartridges, but that's only when using a converter doesn't work for me, for whatever reason.

I also have a Snorkel and a TipDip touchdown filler. I never use them. If I was a one pen, one ink kind of guy, I suppose I'd appreciate either of them better.

[Driphtwood]

I think Conid has answered this question...

[pajaro]

I think Conid has answered this question...

 

Really cheaply too.

 

Most of the pens made today are C/C. Maybe not the best system, but its wide use probably means it is the cheapest to make. I believe that's why so many use it in pens they make, not because it is best.

 

My Parker 51 aeros from 1948 to 1970 are still working superbly on the original sacs.

 

Piston fillers from the 90s still working too.

 

C/C fillers still working with replacement cartridges or converters. Another advantage of these is user serviceability.

 

Touchdown fillers working with n sac replacements, but easy to restore.

 

Snorkels either working as received or dead with their ink on. I don't think these are worth the cost and effort of restoration, but, even spent, they are interesting gadgets. Bygone era items.

[RRE]

Hi. I would say whatever makes you enjoy your pen experience best. I like pens you can cartridge, converter or eye dropper. A piston filler with an ink window or a transparent color is nice too. Regards, Ron

[Tinjapan]

Just my 2 yen.

 

C/C system seems to have won the popularity match as I believe they are sold in the highest numbers, read that some where-can't remember where but looking through catalogues, that seems to be the case.

 

Though I personally prefer filling from a bottle, I carry carts for my capless pens and one other Pilot that with its fine nib, I can use in any situation.

 

I pefer the cresent filling system. It is easier for me to use than a lever filler and holds more ink than lever fillers. I have EDs, but all have had problems with blobbing on epic scales. Though I do like piston filled pens too.

[pajaro]

Just my 2 yen.

 

C/C system seems to have won the popularity match as I believe they are sold in the highest numbers, read that some where-can't remember where but looking through catalogues, that seems to be the case.

 

Though I personally prefer filling from a bottle, I carry carts for my capless pens and one other Pilot that with its fine nib, I can use in any situation.

 

I pefer the cresent filling system. It is easier for me to use than a lever filler and holds more ink than lever fillers. I have EDs, but all have had problems with blobbing on epic scales. Though I do like piston filled pens too.

 

C/C fillers are very common today, and they are cheaper to make than other types.

 

If you like the look and the feel of a pen, then accept its filing system.

[Albert26]

With a big capacity piston filler and a f/ef nib you don't really need to worry about running out of ink. Sometimes I find myself wishing that the pen would run dry sooner. I like filling a pen and trying another ink.

The best thing to do is to get a leather case for 2 pens and carry 2, just in case.

[benbot517]

Most of the time it doesn't matter. A modern eyedropper with a good modern feed, I find, doesn't have problems with burping, so I'm happy to use something like an Ice-Finish Franklin Christoph Eye-droppered. It holds a lot of ink, and looks great doing it.

 

A piston filler is also nice. I didn't used to like them as much because I couldn't take them apart, but I can now with all the ones I own so I'm more comfortable with them.

 

A c/c, for the most part works just fine, however as I've gotten into broader and broader nibs their capacity shortcomings start to show. The Pilot Custom 74 I have, for example, is fitted with Pilot's broadest nib: The Cosu. It can and will urn through it's Con-70 converter in a day of heavy writing. If that nib was mated to a piston filler it might last a little bit longer, which would be nice. As it is though, I've filled it's converter countless times, which gets old after a while.