21St Century Fountain Pen Leading Contributers?

[icevic]

Who are the leading contributers of the 21st century fountain pen industry?

 

We have a comprehensive history of the leading characters of the 20th and 19th centuries, but since the 21st century industry is so different, who will be the leading characters of the 21st century? Who would you nominate so far?

 

I would nominate the following:

 

Nathan Tardiff, Noodlers

For challenging the industry at every turn, fighting against those who want to turn fountain pens into expensive collectors toys, and bringing us a 21st century selection of inks and pens that combine the old and new.

 

Richard Binder, richardspens.com

Binder, of course, not only for his tireless work in repair and tuning of nibs, but also for training a new generation of nib tuners and pen repairers, and for documenting so much of his knowledge and providing it for free on the internet.

 

Jim "Speedy" Wang, TWSBI

TWSBI may be our best hope for a 21st century resurgence of fountain pens, using modern manufacturing techniques and modern designs that appeal to everyone and are remarkably affordable.

 

 

 

I don't know who designs Montblanc's limited editions but I could nominate him/her as well for elevating the art of the fountain pen, although you could argue they are jewelery and sculpture as much as pens. The same could be said for the brilliant people who lead Sailor Pen company, with their astounding selection of perfectly crafted nibs - anyone know who takes the credit there?

 

Who do you think the greatest contributers to the fountain pen industry are today?

[Chuasam]

Lamy...for bringing HIGH Quality...non stinky pens at reasonable prices

for bringing amazing modernist designs to simple stationery and for embodying the Bauhaus spirit.

[Unky]

I would add Howard from Bexley Pen Company and Brian from Edison Pen Company for making high quality and artistically beautiful pens.

[basterma]

Francis (Fountainbel)

[ParkerBeta]

Dante del Vecchio (Visconti) for his ceaseless efforts at innovating in this 120-year-old technology!

[WirsPlm]

No one's mentioned Pilot yet? They're a massive part of the industry (one of the major international brands) and have some of the most popular pens in certain categories (their lost cost offerings are much better than other brands), with at least one pen that's unique for its price point (Vanishing Point, there are 2 retractable competitors but both are massively more expensive I believe). We'd also have to include the history of Chinese companies, which have gone from producers of bad knockoffs to somewhat competitive with the big brands (particularly including the Chinese tendency to reintroduce old features like hooded nibs and TWSBIs Vacumatic pen).

 

No idea why Bexley is suggested, they don't do anything innovative in either technology or distribution (beautiful pens, but nothing new).

[Parker51]

I disagree with your comment regarding Bexley. They do several innovative things, such as producing pens in small editions, not at limited edition prices, using CNC rather than injection molding to allow for the use of a variety of materials other manufactures do not use, producing both cartridge/ converter & piston filling mechanism pens, for the same models, and ensuring that every pen, out of the box writes well, as every single nib is hand set and adjusted by Howard himself.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Parker51

[WirsPlm]

I disagree with your comment regarding Bexley. They do several innovative things, such as producing pens in small editions, not at limited edition prices, using CNC rather than injection molding to allow for the use of a variety of materials other manufactures do not use, producing both cartridge/ converter & piston filling mechanism pens, for the same models, and ensuring that every pen, out of the box writes well, as every single nib is hand set and adjusted by Howard himself.

 

Most of those aren't new or innovative. Small editions and multiple filling system aren't innovations (many manufacturers do or have done these), just less common in modern production FPs, many pen makers test all their nibs and historically that was typical, their materials may be innovative but that depends on whether the materials were used historically but not so much now (like celluloid or rubber) or whether they are genuinely new materials.

Edited March 3, 2014 by WirsPlm

[Azura]

Who build FPN?

[JDW427]

While he's not a maker or designer of fountain pens, I think Brian Goulet should be included on any list of top contributers to the hobby. His infromative videos on pens and inks are beneficial to experienced collectors/users, but especially to novice collectors. The guidance on buying and maintaining pens has helped to introduce many to more advanced levels of involvement in the hobby (myself included). His contributions are also essentially "21st Century" in character - helping to bring the 120+ years hobby of fountain pens, and the age old writing hobby, into the digital age.

[JDW427]

No one's mentioned Pilot yet? They're a massive part of the industry (one of the major international brands) and have some of the most popular pens in certain categories (their lost cost offerings are much better than other brands), with at least one pen that's unique for its price point (Vanishing Point, there are 2 retractable competitors but both are massively more expensive I believe). We'd also have to include the history of Chinese companies, which have gone from producers of bad knockoffs to somewhat competitive with the big brands (particularly including the Chinese tendency to reintroduce old features like hooded nibs and TWSBIs Vacumatic pen). No idea why Bexley is suggested, they don't do anything innovative in either technology or distribution (beautiful pens, but nothing new).

I think it's a little ridiculous to praise the Chinese pen makers for reintroduction of old features while criticizing Bexley for being non-innovative in the same breath. Bexley takes old filling mechanisms and styles and makes them their own, putting a new twist on it, whereas a lot of the Chinese pen makers don't bother making any changes, except for perhaps reducing the quality (hardly anything worth praise).

 

Also, I think it may be inappropriate, and an insult, to equate TWSBI and Chinese pen makers, and not just because it is a Taiwanese company, as opposed to Mainland Chinese. TWSBI consistently produces quality pens at prices that are extremely reasonable and has arguably the best customer service in the industry. Good luck getting in contact with someone at Hero or Jinhao, etc, to get a pen repaired or replaced (When my TWSBI vac 700 cap broke, through my own fault, TWSBI's U.S. office was insanely quick to get me a replacement, no questions asked, and at no cost to me). TWSBI has also introduced innovations to the field. The Vac 700, while a reworking of old vac fillers, like those of Sheaffer and Wahl, is complemented by the brilliant bottle, the Vac 20, which enables vacuum fillers to hold far more ink. Not all innovations have to be complete, watershed, changes; most of the greatest innovations come incrementally.

 

Also, while I am unfamiliar with the history of the founding of TWSBI, I can (quite safely) assume that it wasn't the result of nationalization (i.e. theft) of private property, as was the case with Hero, which assumed control of Parker's factories in China after the Chinese government confiscated foreign held property. This history is especially problematic when you consider that Hero persists in unashamedly making knockoffs of Parker 51's, of a much lower quality (including the relatively high quality Hero 100), as well as disrespecting the intellectual property of other makers (as Mainland Chinese companies in all industries are wont to do), including Lamy, by producing copies of the Lamy Safari.

Edited March 7, 2014 by JDW427

[WirsPlm]

I think it's a little ridiculous to praise the Chinese pen makers for reintroduction of old features while criticizing Bexley for being non-innovative in the same breath. Bexley takes old filling mechanisms and styles and makes them their own, putting a new twist on it, whereas a lot of the Chinese pen makers don't bother making any changes, except for perhaps reducing the quality (hardly anything worth praise).

 

Also, I think it may be inappropriate, and an insult, to equate TWSBI and Chinese pen makers, and not just because it is a Taiwanese company, as opposed to Mainland Chinese. TWSBI consistently produces quality pens at prices that are extremely reasonable and has arguably the best customer service in the industry. Good luck getting in contact with someone at Hero or Jinhao, etc, to get a pen repaired or replaced (When my TWSBI vac 700 cap broke, through my own fault, TWSBI's U.S. office was insanely quick to get me a replacement, no questions asked, and at no cost to me). TWSBI has also introduced innovations to the field. The Vac 700, while a reworking of old vac fillers, like those of Sheaffer and Wahl, is complemented by the brilliant bottle, the Vac 20, which enables vacuum fillers to hold far more ink. Not all innovations have to be complete, watershed, changes; most of the greatest innovations come incrementally.

 

Also, while I am unfamiliar with the history of the founding of TWSBI, I can (quite safely) assume that it wasn't the result of nationalization (i.e. theft) of private property, as was the case with Hero, which assumed control of Parker's factories in China after the Chinese government confiscated foreign held property. This history is especially problematic when you consider that Hero persists in unashamedly making knockoffs of Parker 51's, of a much lower quality (including the relatively high quality Hero 100), as well as disrespecting the intellectual property of other makers (as Mainland Chinese companies in all industries are wont to do), including Lamy, by producing copies of the Lamy Safari.

I wasn't trying to say that the Chinese companies were technologically innovative (certainly not in features, perhaps in display or body decoration, I don't know of any vintage pens like the Jinhao Dragon pens for example), but they have contributed significantly to the use of fountain pens in the 21st century, there are many people who would not be using fountain pens if the only options were expensive US/EU pens, which is a significant contribution on the distribution side.

 

Bexley has not contributed (as far as I know) in either technology or business techniques, and while the Chinese companies may not have contributed much technologically (they have come up with some newish ideas, I think the Hero 360 nib design is unique at least) they have had a significant impact on the modern fountain pen market (as well as having many very cool and non-Western barrel designs like the Jinhao Dragon pens, I haven't found an equivalent in vintage pens). No history of the fountain pen in the 21st century would be complete without a discussion of Chinese pen makers, which says that they're all together leading contributors. Bexley could easily be lumped in along with the many other small pen makers in a generic discussion about small pen makers in the US/EU, there's nothing that particularly needs special discussion (making lovely pens does not qualify as making a significant contribution, I'm afraid).

 

The wrongs committed by the Chinese government aren't really in scope for a history of fountain pens, or for this topic on FPN, and you also clearly have no idea how intellectual property works (hint: patents expire, because the whole point is to spread the innovations to improve the lives of everyone, not to carefully limit useful things to only those who can pay for them, what Hero, TWSBI, Jinhao and other cheap pen makers do was intended as part of the patent system). Regardless of what you personally feel or think about fountain pen makers in China they are significant contributors to the modern fountain pen market, particularly in the non-rich and non-Western segments of the world (which is most of it last I checked), so we can't leave them out.

 

To your claims about TWSBI, I have to point out that they are doing precisely what Hero and the other Chinese manufacturers do, which is take pen features that have lost patent protection and aren't really made elsewhere and sell them at a lower price point. Also I've heard significant complaints about the quality of TWSBI pens, on par with the number of complaints about Noodler's and several Chinese brand pens, so I wouldn't say that that puts them apart from other Chinese manufacturers, the point about customer service is a good one but again that isn't really a new thing or a major contribution, it's basically just a different business model (an older business model actually). Political tensions aside (this is FPN, remember), I don't see anything wrong with including TWSBI along with the other Chinese pen makers since they're doing basically the same thing (providing pen features that were invented elsewhere and have lost patent protection for a lower price point).

Edited March 8, 2014 by WirsPlm

[JDW427]

I agree with you, mostly (except for the contention that I "clearly have no idea how intellectual property works." While the knockoffs of the Parker 51 are certainly in line with the expiration of patents, the Safari knockoffs aren't (assuming that Lamy's patent hasn't expired). And sure, the political tensions and the wrongs of the Chinese government don't minimize the contributions of the Chinese manufacturers in increasing the accessibility of inexpensive, relatively good quality fountain pens. And while it's possibly outside the scope of the topic, I have a hard time separating the history of a company, especially concerning its origins, from their current status (but I'm a bit of a vindictive person when it comes to historical transgressions- one of my many flaws).

[erpe]

I would nominate KaWeCo for mixing manufacturing tradition, classic design, usability and reasonable prices. On the community front S.B.R.E. Brown and Brian Goulet for the informative video's.

[georgeb]

"Who are the leading contributers of the 21st century fountain pen industry?"

 

I am not sure what "leading" refers to, leading in quality, sales, name recognition, etc.

 

Based on my experience with my Bexley Corona I would nominate Bexley.

[georges zaslavsky]

Mottishaw, Gary Lehrer, Mauricio Aguilar, Tom Westrich, Joel Hamilton, Ron Zorn, David I s a a c s on, The Goulets, Bryant Greer, Andre Mora