Pros And Cons Of Different Ink Cartridge And Mechanism Types

[cybaea]

I am not recommending cartridges except that the OP cited convenience, not ink choice, as his #1 requirement. In fact, choice of inks was not even on his list.

 

Me? I like inks. But each to his own.

[Paddler]

Personally I'd go for a piston filler in preference (CC second) as you can use bottled ink and that allows you far more freedom than cartridges. Piston gives you much more ink capacity as well.

 

A piston fill does NOT necessarily give you more ink capacity! I can say this because I have actually made measurements.

[mhosea]

A piston fill does NOT necessarily give you more ink capacity! I can say this because I have actually made measurements.

 

I have as well, though unfortunately my brain threw out the specifics at some point since I took the measurement. All I seem to be left with are generalities and the random tidbit that Pilot Con-50 holds a surprising amount of ink considering its stubby appearance. I had thought the pilot cartridges would hold a lot more, but IIRC, that isn't the case.

 

OTOH, I keep enough pens inked and write little enough that I never have a problem with the capacity of any fountain pen, regardless of how it fills. Since I try not to carry the same pen 2 days in a row and generally have at least 8 pens inked up, I run into my loose rotation rules before any pen seems to run out, though sometimes it is a close thing, I guess.

[ethernautrix]

I prefer cartridges. I re-use them by filling them with inks from bottles.

[ethernautrix]

I also prefer the ease of cleaning c/c pens - I use a bulb syringe to flush the nib section. When I clean my piston-filler pens, I use a syringe to shoot water into the barrel, then wick it out. I do not like twisting little knobs - as Elizabeth in NJ (I believe it was) mentioned: twist, twist, twist. No thanks.

 

I like having the option, but... with the cartridges, a little bead of plastic gets popped into the cartridge, and this breaks the tension of the ink so that the flow is consistent.

[Elizabeth in NJ]

I am not recommending cartridges except that the OP cited convenience, not ink choice, as his #1 requirement. In fact, choice of inks was not even on his list.

 

Me? I like inks. But each to his own.

 

My oh my!

 

I do like a man with a big ink collection...I do believe I'm feeling a bit faint right now!

[acj27]

A piston fill does NOT necessarily give you more ink capacity! I can say this because I have actually made measurements.

 

 

I agree it depends on the size of the overall pen but generally...

 

 

 

IIRC... International short cartridge ~ 0.75 ml. International long cartridges ~ 1.5 ml capacity.

 

Figures for some pens from http://www.nibs.com/pen_measures/

Pelikan M400: 1.8mls to Pelikan M1000: 2.2mls

Mont Blanc 149 2.7mls

Those figures tally with my experiences of using cartridges and an MB149 & Pelikan M100. Looking through that list the smallest piston capacity was 1ml so it does depend on the pen but not all pens will take a spare short cartridge either... I think the general rule of thumb stands.

[Randal6393]

The pen begins with the nib. Will put up with a piston filler in my Lamy 2000 or Pelikan M200's because the nibs are so smooth and write so well. There are definite advantages to the C/C pens -- it's easy to change a cartridge, can use any ink with a converter. And converters are not expensive to replace if one goes bad. Just pay your money and take your choice.

 

Enjoy,

[Dillo]

 

 

 

I agree it depends on the size of the overall pen but generally...

 

 

 

IIRC... International short cartridge ~ 0.75 ml. International long cartridges ~ 1.5 ml capacity.

 

Figures for some pens from http://www.nibs.com/pen_measures/

Pelikan M400: 1.8mls to Pelikan M1000: 2.2mls

Mont Blanc 149 2.7mls

Those figures tally with my experiences of using cartridges and an MB149 & Pelikan M100. Looking through that list the smallest piston capacity was 1ml so it does depend on the pen but not all pens will take a spare short cartridge either... I think the general rule of thumb stands.

 

 

I'm pretty sure that not all the values on that list are right. For the M400, 149, and M1000, it depends on your pen. Many of the newer pens have less capacity, and all the newer M400 pens that I have seen held about 1.6-1.4 ml depending on the way the piston-filler was put together. The same is true for the 149. I haven't seen any very new ones that hold over 1.8 ml. You can also look at the converter values and other things on that site. They don't talk about their methods, but I think there might be something wrong with some of the numbers. I measure by filling the pen out of a graduated cylinder or weighing the pen. If you can get a balance or graduated cylinder, you can try it out if you want. There are some pretty good measurements Here. Basically, some cartridges hold a lot of ink.

 

Dillon

[Bo Bo Olson]

I do seem to have an amazing memory for facts that are not true.

 

Fro the last couple of years I've been giving the numbers I read in a very good post...also with cartridge sizes and converter sizes out as true.

 

It's really great to know my pens hold more ink than a cartridge.

That makes it worth while to be wrong.

The Almighty Piston Pen is BACK!!!!!!!!

[amberleadavis]

@BoBo -- me too.

[lapis]

I definitely avoid cartridges and where possible, use of their converters too. Three main reasons:

1 - Most ink companies don't offer all of their inks in cartridges. With 100+ inks, that's not feasible.

2 - Most pens suitable for cartridges and converters just don't hold the fillers as tight as I'd like. They sometimes get loose and leak when writing and/or fall out when washing. Too messy.

3 - Of course you can refill any cartridge with a syringe or pipette but IMO that's also unnecessarily messy and time-consuming.

Note: I do like some inks which unfortunately come only in cartridges like S.T.Dupont's Dark Blue (Bleu Nuit), so I just buy 5 or 10 packs of cartridges (ca. 30 to 60 ml) and transfer all of that juice into a decent bottle. You may also have to do that if you're into e.g. pink inks as there are at least 4 companies which offer these only in cartridges. Good thing I'm not all that hot about pinks.... So, as Bo Bo says, don't stay away from piston fillers.

 

Mike

[arni]

I agree with RLTodd: "it is all achedemic, no one buys fountain pens for rational reasons anymore".

Our passions differ and so will our choices.

I prefer cartridges and refill them with a syringe. That is not an inconvenience, but part of the pleasure of managing my fountain pens.

The possibly greater capacity of other filling methods holds no charm for me, by the time a cartridge empties, I am ready to flush the pen and ink up another one.

[CraigR]

My favorite fill system is the piston. My Pelikan 800, 600 and 400 pens are a delight and use a huge variety of ink choices. However, my favorite fill system for on the go or travel is the cartridge fill. Quick, clean refills on the fly with the ability to store 2 carts of international size in the barrel of most of my cartridge pens.

 

The pen I favor for out of the office business use is my Montblanc 147 Traveler 75th Anniversary Edition. This is a cartridge only pen that holds two international cartridges. Impressive looking, great writing pen.

 

Favorite cartridges are from Private Reserve.

 

/Craig

[NedC]

Another advantage of cartridge/converter fillers is the ability to use all of the ink you paid for in that pricey little bottle of water and dyestuff. Some ink bottles won't allow you to get at more than a third of the ink they contain if using a standard piston or lever type or vacuum self filling mechanism because all or most of the nib needs to be submerged. Using either a syringe or inserting the mouth of the converter into the ink bottle allows you to use much more of the ink. If you set up a little filling station for yourself and practice a few times I find that using a syringe to refill cartridges can be far less messy than other method I've tried.

[amberleadavis]

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/images/_nb_mediaFrames/2129IMG065.jpgIf I could afford it ... I might just buy a bunch of Vacs with the matching bottles. My TWSBI Vac 700 with it's matching bottle is the cleanest, easiest to fill pen I own.

 

That being said, I still own a lot more of the 540s than any other pen and until the bottle came out, I was dedicated to piston mechanisms.