What Technically Superior Pens?

[Nanor]

My best (most enjoyable) writer is a Waterman 52 so I'm not convinced technology is moving us in the right direction?

[Blade Runner]

The ballpoint of course.

[AZBennett]

Technically superior or technologically advanced or aesthetically innovative or a mix of all three? It's hard for me to say. I would have to go back a bit to truly list what I find fill these bills. In no particular order.

 

W-E Doric Adjustable nib design and technology

Early reservoir pens in general as a form of ink supply when traveling

Sheaffer Snorkel technology

The Eversharp Nib with elongated breather hold

Skyline breather tube technology allowing for reliable air travel with a FP

Skyline clip and clip retainer system has always fascinated me

Eversharp feed technology

Parker Lucky Curve technology

Vacumatic filling systems

Parker 51 nib design and reliability

Lamy 2000 (owes a lot to the previous entry, imo)

Montblanc marketing (I don't care what you say they are geniuses at it)

Pilot innovation as a whole (Capless, 823, nib quality control is FANTASTIC, Falcon)

Waterman Keyhole/Colored nibs as far as aesthetics are concerned

The Bulb Filler and safety pens are both wonderful, imo

 

Maybe I am just not as picky as some or I really look at things differently than most, but when repairing pens I get to "know" a pen on a different level than viewing it as just an inanimate object made to jot notes down. Most of them take on quite a bit of personality, even when it just comes to nib tuning or feed adjusting. Putting some time into a pen brings it to life and there are some truly amazing design features that are hard to ignore. I probably haven't even scratched the surface.

 

Paul

[Cob]

 

What if the user can control how much ink flows without replacing nibs?

You mean like on a 1910 Onoto?!

 

Cob

[Cob]

Technically superior or technologically advanced or aesthetically innovative or a mix of all three? It's hard for me to say. I would have to go back a bit to truly list what I find fill these bills. In no particular order.

 

W-E Doric Adjustable nib design and technology

Early reservoir pens in general as a form of ink supply when traveling

Sheaffer Snorkel technology

The Eversharp Nib with elongated breather hold

Skyline breather tube technology allowing for reliable air travel with a FP

Skyline clip and clip retainer system has always fascinated me

Eversharp feed technology

Parker Lucky Curve technology

Vacumatic filling systems

Parker 51 nib design and reliability

Lamy 2000 (owes a lot to the previous entry, imo)

Montblanc marketing (I don't care what you say they are geniuses at it)

Pilot innovation as a whole (Capless, 823, nib quality control is FANTASTIC, Falcon)

Waterman Keyhole/Colored nibs as far as aesthetics are concerned

The Bulb Filler and safety pens are both wonderful, imo

 

Maybe I am just not as picky as some or I really look at things differently than most, but when repairing pens I get to "know" a pen on a different level than viewing it as just an inanimate object made to jot notes down. Most of them take on quite a bit of personality, even when it just comes to nib tuning or feed adjusting. Putting some time into a pen brings it to life and there are some truly amazing design features that are hard to ignore. I probably haven't even scratched the surface.

 

Paul

A good list, but you forgot the brilliant Onoto plunger vacuum-filling system introduced in 1905.

 

Cob

[Algester]

gel ink! haha

[mirosc]

Among all new pens [...] demonstrate a technical achievement in pen technology?

 

none

with one exception: Pilot Parallel

the rest is just some fancy materials, some little refinement, but basically it's still the same old technology that has been around for decades

 

just my personal opinion and the reason why I don't differentiate between my vintage and modern pens, they are all alike.

[AZBennett]

Cob,

I have no experience with Onoto, much to my dismay, that's why I didn't include it in my list. Truthfully, I have never personally held a Doric either but they are amzing pens so I had to add them. I am sure I was remiss in other areas but I tried to list as many as I could think of.

 

Paul

[Cordovian]

I like Delta's ratcheted piston filling system in my Dolce Vita IT (stands for Italian Technology by the way). Does that make them technologically advanced?

[FOUR X FOUR]

[JimCouch]

It's not a fountain pen but to me the one technically advanced pen is the Fisher Space Pen. It writes in virtually any temperature, in a vacuum, underwater, upside down. The pens will write next to forever and are incredibly reliable.

[ink-syringe]

When I was younger (grade 6), I used to rotate the pen and write with the nib upside down when I wanted to write fine. I tried this with the Lamy and it works too, but it will be nice if pen manufacturers do something to support this style. I.e. you can write medium when you want, and simply turn the pen to write fine, without any scratching etc.

 

That's what the Parker 180 was about.

 

 

http://www.richardspens.com/ref/profiles/180.htm

[ajcoleman]

When I read the original post, the Parker 51 immediately came to mind. The hooded nib and feed, the sliip on cap with the clutch, the easy aeromatic filling system were all technical achievements. I haven't used one, but Parker considered the 61 with its capillary self-filling action to be a more technologically advanced pen over the 51.

[arcadeflow]

When I was younger (grade 6), I used to rotate the pen and write with the nib upside down when I wanted to write fine. I tried this with the Lamy and it works too, but it will be nice if pen manufacturers do something to support this style. I.e. you can write medium when you want, and simply turn the pen to write fine, without any scratching etc.

 

Sailor has some nibs with this kind of functionality, check it out.