Six Years Of Hard Use Later - A Combined Review Of A Great Many Fountain Pens (Including Sailor, Pelikan, Aurora, Lamy, Pilot, And More)

[rorschah]

So about six years ago, I fell for fountain pens hand and spent way too much time lurking around this board, and ordering pens. Then I decided this forum was bad for my pocketbook and left. Besides, I had like 10 fountain pens by that point, which seemed like plenty.

 

But I came back to this forum (partially to research a celebratory gift on the occasion of my girlfriend's doctorate) - and I thought it might be a good time to pass on a few thoughts on some of these pens after six years of constant use.

 

The first thing: I have discovered that there is a *very great difference* between my initial sensual delight in a pen's nib, and which pens end up being really pleasant to use, in all sorts of daily situations, in the long run. Many of the pens I was most impressed with at first ended up being annoying to use in the rest of life. And some pens which I wasn't at first impressed with became, eventually, perfectly melded extensions of my hand and my soul.

 

It might be good to note: I'm a pretty hard user of these pens. I'm an academic, and I handwrite all my first drafts, so I'm often writing for 6 or 7 hours, day after day, sometimes 20 or 30 pages in a sitting. I also write an all kinds of stuff, not just my own nice notebook. Student papers. Other people's drafts. Handouts. Backs of menus. I also draw.

 

So I've discovered that the following qualities are things I need in my pens:

 

1. I like feedback, but not too much. There is a certain sensual pleasure to pens which makes the writing experience deeper, but if the sensation is too great, then it interferes with my ability to actually get absorbed in the thinking and the writing. (This is for writing. For drawing, especially for sketching people/landscapes, when you're looking away from the paper, lots of feedback is vita for me.)

 

2. Paper adaptability. Some pens are extraordinary on nice paper, but, like I said, I'm an academic. I need to mark-up student papers. I comment on my colleague's drafts. I write on handouts. I scribble on the back of flyers when arguing with people in bars. Half the time I'm writing on cheap legal pads I grab from the departmental utility closet.

 

3. Weird practical stuff: like I eventually discovered that one of the most important things about a pen is that it NOT ROLL OFF THE TABLE, and that I can just put it down without thinking about it and have it be OK. And clip strength is really important if you end up running after trains a lot. And… etc. etc. etc.

 

4. If you, like I do, do a lot of writing on trains, on busses, standing up, and in other situations, you need a pen that posts easily. (For some reason, trying to slip a pen cap into a pocket never really worked for me.)

 

So, in the spirit of perhaps providing some assistance to people who have similar needs as I do, and in the spirit of Giving Back to the Community, my Long Run Review of my pens:

 

 

 

Pelikan M605, fine: This is the pen I have the greatest attachment too, that I use the least. On good paper, when I'm paying attention, it's silky and pleasurable and wonderful. But it's all the practical stuff that gets in the way. The nib is fussy. On some paper it turns scratchy. On other paper it spills way too much ink. Posted, the cap is a bit wobbly and it threatens to fall off. Unposted, whenever I put it down, it's so round and frictionless that it'll roll off a table in a moment. This Pelikan is the girl I have a massive crush on, but we can just NEVER MAKE IT WORK when we try to live together.

 

 

Lamy 2000, fine: This is the opposite of the Pelikan. I don't love the way the pen feels - it's not the warm resin stuff. I don't love the way the nib writes - it always feels a little soulless and cold and a little bit scratchy. But it's such a utilitarian pen. It handles every kind of paper, and writes in almost the same dependable way. (This is really important for grading, because a lot of students turn in their work on really terrible paper.) It posts solidly. It's a *workhorse*. I ended up using it constantly.

 

Or, at least it was. I used and abused it so much, that the cap started getting loose, and the pen would slip out once in a while. One day I was running after the train in the snow and I think the pen, hold in the front pocket under the flap of my messenger bag, wiggled itself loose and must have bounced out. A warrior's death.

 

 

Lamy Safari, M: Another workhorse, and a little more insensitive than the Lamy 2000, which makes it less of an art-pleasure object, but actually easier to use on cheap paper, which makes it an excellent grading pen. Everything about it - the clip, the lightness, the indestructibility - makes it solid. It doesn't roll off desks. Long after I acquired supposedly far better pens, this thing sees constant and regular use. Not good to write with for really long, long periods of time, though.

 

 

Danitrio, the basic fat one that costs $60, medium: an excellent pen, an excellent nib for the price, and smooth. Too smooth almost. It feels a little soulless, this nib. It works on everything, but I don't use this pen so much.

 

 

Sailor 1911L, medium: God, this is a fantastic pen. It feels good, it handles a lot of paper well, it's expressive, it's soulful, it's dependable. This is one of the *primo pens*, and one of the ones I always bring along with me when I need to write straight for hours. When I pay attention to it, it's pleasurable. When I'm thinking about my writing, it vanishes. It glides effortlessly. The balance is perfect. I've written for 9 hours straight with this thing in frenzied days of work. Glorious. There are other pens I've used that have more sensually complex nibs, or more expressive ones, but not ones that I can write with for hours without cramping up. If I could have only one pen, it might be this one.

 

 

Sailor 1911L, fine: A beautiful and much more finicky pen than the medium nib. On good paper, it's incredible experience. On bad paper, it's not only scratchy, but it doesn't put down ink evenly. It's toothliness makes it a little tiring to write with, if you're writing for hours. So it can't be an everyday pen, for me. But it's the best drawing pen I have. Precise, expressive, delicate. I draw so much better with this thing than anything else I have. And it's perfect for marginal notes. And for writing tiny in a tiny nice notebook. And...

 

 

Aurora Talentum, fine: This is the other candidate for my absolute favorite pen. It's so pleasantly toothy. It's got such soul. The contact with the paper is conscious. It's very conscious, and alive. But yet, somehow, I can actually write for hours with this thing, if the paper's of at least decent quality. It reminds me of driving a BMW - a tight, high-road-contact, highly controlled ride. Also, for those reasons, an excellent sketching pen. Also: for all its tooth, it actually can handle a lot of paper. It's toothy, but not as finicky as one might have expected.

 

 

Omas something I forget, a cartridge pen, medium: The nib on this pen is so smooth and glide-y that it actually cramps up my hand a little - it almost feels like I have to spend effort keeping it from skating over things. Glassy, maybe. Too smooth a ride, for me. Some things are just too classy.

 

 

Pilot Vanishing Point, medium: I got this almost as a joke - like, "Look! The Japanese made a clicky-fountain pen! How awesome!" But it turns out that this is the pen I actually use the most. So much of my life involves interrupted writing - listening to lectures and taking notes, jotting notes on student papers, jotting down a fast idea. And it's not just the clickiness - it's that nib. And, though the nib isn't the most expressively sensual, it is extremely silkily pleasant and *almost as pleasant on almost any kind of paper*. It glides over even awful paper. And, given how often I'm constantly scribbling on somebody else' paper, this matters far more often than I would have thought. And, to my shock, despite the weight and the weird placement of the clip, I can actually write with this thing for hours. It's the balance.

 

This somehow turns out to be just the most relentlessly usable, and constantly sunny and pleasant, pen I have. It's what I use, like, 60% of the time. The Pilot Vanishing Point is the friend that I didn't have a crush, and we were just friends, and then we started hanging out all the time, and then I realized we were married.

 

 

Well, that's that. If it's useful to you, good. If somebody has any suggestions for any other pens I might enjoy, feel free to throw 'em my way. My current problem is that my only piston filler is not that usable for me, and all the pens I really use are converter fillers, and I can run through 2 or 3 converters full in a single all-writing day, so these days I have to roll with multiple pens just to keep in ink.

Edited November 6, 2013 by rorschah

[Joe in Seattle]

Good thoughts, thanks for sharing. I agree with a lot of what you say. It is nice to hear some "real world" pen stories.

[rorschah]

Oh - I'm also looking for something finer than the Pilot VP Medium, and the Sailor Medium, that can still handle pleasantly many paper types. Any suggestions? I was looking at maybe a Sailor MF something, or maybe a Fine in, like, the Pilot Custom 74, or Pilot Heritage 91 or 92...

[LucasD]

Nice reviews, thanks for writing them. What inks do you use for all that writing? I imagine your opinion on inks for everyday writing might be as interesting as the long experience with these fountain pens.

[rorschah]

Inks: let's see. Waterman and Pelikan I find smooth but very boring, color-wise.

 

I have a ton of Noodler's and Private Reserve. I actually *really* like the flow of a few of the Private Reserves, and the depth of color - Naples Blue, some of the darker blues, the Tanzanite. The PR flow that other people find gushy, I find eases the way on rougher paper. Aurora inks also have super nice flow too.

 

There's all this research that students respond really well to green, rather than red, ink for grading - it differentiates it from their writing color, while not seeming hostile or critical. I use Noodler's Gruen Cactus, which handles all sorts of paper, and really stands out quite brightly. (Waterman's green is bright, but doesn't have the same solidity. Gruen Cactus looks more authoritative somehow.) Sometimes when I'm in a darker mood, I use Noodler's darker Green Marine.

 

Most of the Noodler's bulletproofs I find screw up the flow too much, especially on poorer paper, so I use them less in most pens. However, one of the nice things about the Lamy 2000 was that it dumped ink in this particular way that it actually had no problem with the bulletproofs. I tended to use them in the Lamy 2000.

 

Oh: it's maybe an oddball side thing, but there's a technique I learned of ink/brush work, where you sketch with a pen, then use a wet brush to drag out the ink and get watercolor shading effects. Noodler's bulletproof colors are usually a water-soluble color on a black base, and they do really neat things when you take a brush to them afterwards. Noodler's red-brown is my favorite for this technique - when you take a brush to it, you get this nice near-sepia effect...

 

I don't need bulletproof as much as other people, since, for most of my work, what I handwrite one day I tend to type up a few days later, so long-term invulnerability is less important to me than to other people.

[amberleadavis]

Good to know what you have kept using.

[zebra baker]

Lovely, thoughtful review. It's easy to gush about new pens, but to evaluate those you've used for years, to take the time recognize their qualities is something most of us don't do often enough. Thank you.

[WirsPlm]

Oh - I'm also looking for something finer than the Pilot VP Medium, and the Sailor Medium, that can still handle pleasantly many paper types. Any suggestions? I was looking at maybe a Sailor MF something, or maybe a Fine in, like, the Pilot Custom 74, or Pilot Heritage 91 or 92...

If you like the VP but want a finer nib, just get the VP in fine. Pay for it new from Binder or get one from eBay and send it to be smoothed if you really want to make super-sure it will be a smooth experience.

 

@OP, Thank you for the lovely reviews! It's very nice to get the perspective of someone who's used the pens for a long time, and not just the first impressions.

Edited November 7, 2013 by WirsPlm

[carlosviet]

This is very useful and a good read. I seek practical qualities in a pen and your experiences are very valuable.

[bizhe]

I have settled on a Pilot 74 for similar reasons, as I do a lot of writing and revising on paper. But I still find some recycled papers just pull way too much ink out of the pen; so my question - do you have any pen/ink combos that handle this type of paper?

 

[edit]

Awesome post btw, I wish conversations were like this more often.

Edited November 7, 2013 by bizhe

[oronet commander]

One of the most interesting readings in a lot of time, thanks a lot!

[kazoolaw]

It's always good to hear a user comment on the pens actually in use.

 

The description of the Pelikan 605 is unlike others I've read, and my own experience. Every Pel I've owned has been smooth, and the ink flow consistent, to the point of terminal boredom. As these are tools, have you thought of sending it in for a tune-up?

 

Other pens? Look for a used MB 146, or Omas 557(smooth or faceted, to your taste). Too expensive new, but used and tuned both pens are piston fillers, and write on and on.

 

The Pilot 823 I had was smooth, was a plunger filler, and was attractive in a we-really-copied-this-design-from-the-white-mountain-pens kind of way. It is probably the right size, as none of the pens you've described are OS. Another pen as a working tool.

 

You've heard it before: Parker 51. Slip cap almost as easy to put into action as your VP. You can go plain cap, or fancy gold or sterling. I always have two inked and ready to go. This is the fountain pen no one notices you using: whether that's a good thing is up to you.

 

Check in with us more often, and let us know whether you add to your toolbox,

 

gary

Edited November 7, 2013 by gary

[Sblakers]

Nice review and fun read!

[recluse]

Thanks for the review.

 

Looks like, indeed, I need to pay closer attention to Sailor 1911L.

[koofle]

Thank you for sharing. I really enjoyed reading your retrospective on pens that you've bought, and your thoughts and feelings on them after years of use. May you have many more years with them!

[rorschah]

Thanks very much for the kind words, everyone.

 

I have settled on a Pilot 74 for similar reasons, as I do a lot of writing and revising on paper. But I still find some recycled papers just pull way too much ink out of the pen; so my question - do you have any pen/ink combos that handle this type of paper?

 

This is a question I have to deal with a lot, because students write in their exams on what my university calls "green books" - like blue books, but recycled paper. They're cheap, thin, nasty paper, and most fountain pens either get scratchy and gross, or lay out so much ink that it bleeds through, which is *bad* for grading when they're writing two-sided.

 

For this, I use my Lamy Safari M loaded with a Noodler's non-bulletproof - for grading, I use Greun Cactus, although Waterman's inks also work well here. I really think that the lower-end pens are really built with cheap paper in mind - they're for students and first-timers - and something about that nib really reacts well with thin paper. I think of the nib as *insensitive*, which is a plus in this case - it kind of reacts the same to all sorts of paper. Where other nice pens it feels like the paper is *pulling out* the ink, with the Lamy's, it feels like the pen is *laying down* the ink, in the same way on any kind of paper. In this respect, the Lamy Safari is better than the Lamy 2000 - it always felt like the Lamy 2000 was more in contact with the paper, and certain paper would pull out way more ink, but the Safari seems to be more recalcitrant.

 

When I care less about bleed-through, I tend to use the Pilot Vanishing Point M with a nice flowy ink, like Private Reserve or Sailor's or something. Again, I think Pilot made their clicky-pen with utility in mind, and it lays down a similar amount of ink for many different papers. It *feels* alright. However, there's a touch of bleed-through on thin recycled paper - so it's unusable for grading two-sided exams.

 

The Pilot VP works excellently on cheap legal pad paper, which is what my department eats and breathes.

 

EDIT: Also, thinking about it, I just pulled out the Danitrio M and it actually works impressively well on cheap recycled legal pad paper - I've never actually tried grading with it, but now I might.

 

EDIT2: Oh, I know why I don't grade with the Danitrio. It's too huge to write with posted, and unposted every time I set it down it tries to roll off the desk, and I constantly am picking it up and setting it down while grading.

Edited November 7, 2013 by rorschah

[rorschah]

If you like the VP but want a finer nib, just get the VP in fine. Pay for it new from Binder or get one from eBay and send it to be smoothed if you really want to make super-sure it will be a smooth experience.

 

@OP, Thank you for the lovely reviews! It's very nice to get the perspective of someone who's used the pens for a long time, and not just the first impressions.

 

Yeah - a food critic friend of mine said that there was a vast difference between what wine or beer was impressive on the first sip, and which one actually stayed lovely and not cloying, and lived comfortably with the food on your plate. Same thing with pens. There's such a huge difference between the pens that impress me when I'm consciously thinking, "How much do I like this pen?", and then pen that I enjoy over the long haul.

 

The reason I don't get another VP is my addiction to variety. Although I'm thinking about branching out to one of the Pilot Customs in Fine.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Lovely, thoughtful review. It's easy to gush about new pens, but to evaluate those you've used for years, to take the time recognize their qualities is something most of us don't do often enough. Thank you.

Dittos! I really enjoyed reading this, and thinking of my Safaris and Sailors while doing so.

[hari317]

Very interesting, thanks for coming back and sharing the long term use thoughts.

[ShortRound131]

I am actually starting my collection, so this was a good read for me, thank you