Everyday Carry

[Oranges and Apples]

What does it constitute?

 

Must it be cheap? Easy to maintain? Cartridge/converter filler?

 

What points do you consider before making a pen an everyday carry pen?

 

For me, when it is a off day from work, these are the requirements:

• Must have a fine point
• Must have a rigid point
• Must have a cartridge/converter set up because I carry cartridges
• I prefer carrying a black pen but this is not a must

For the work days:

• Must be a Pilot Vanishing Point of or the similar in an extra fine point
• Must be black (I also have the blue with gold trim)

Edited February 25, 2015 by Oranges and Apples

[Cordovian]

My Visconti Michelangelo is in my rotation as an everyday carry. It writes smooth and feels good im my jand.

Edited February 24, 2015 by Cordovian

[ac12]

The pens has to do work, so:

• Must be reliable
• Must not be a fussy pen; very similar to being reliable. Note that fussy does not mean works with only one ink, as that is part of the process of matching up a working pen and ink combination.
• Must be a good writer. This covers a lot; smooth writing, adequate ink flow, etc.
• Must feel good in the hand to write a LOT
• Have adequate ink capacity, but this is mitigated by having 2 pens, where you reload/top up both pens at night. I carried 2 Parker 45s in college (primary and back up pens), so capacity was never an issue.
• Must have an easy to use and reliable feed mechanism.
• Must not be prone to "burping" inks, as eye droppers are known to sometimes do.

And here is my list:

• Baoer 388, 7 for $24 (shipped)
• Baoer 801, 6 for $18 (shipped)
• Parker IM $20-25 (only in M, but can sent back to Parker to exchange to a different nib size)
• Pilot 78G $12-20 (F,M,B and BB, note that the B and BB are stubs, not ball tips)
• Pilot Metro $15-18 (only F and M)
• Rosseta Explorer $10-15 (only in M)

[Hector67]

Depend on what you do for a living. If your routine is from home to office and home again, You can use pretty much whatever you want. If you have to go out to the field or hit the streets in sales or service, then a less expensive workhorse.

[sandy101]

A pen case solves most worries when it comes to carrying your dearest - and most likely to spontaneously unscrew themselves in your pocket.

 

I prefer cartridges in my EDCs - I've found that some pens with convertors leak a bit resulting in ink all over the place. Cartridges seem to be more resilient to the odd shoogle.

[Davros]

I think this is going to depend very much on you, and what attributes you feel personally are important.

 

For me, everyday carry begins with sturdy: I need to feel safe putting it in my pocket and doing rigorous job-type activities. It needs to carry a significant amount of ink for its nib size. It needs to write immediately, without coercion, and it needs to be a pleasure to write with. These days, it needs to be clipped so I can attach it to my lanyard and go dashing around. It needs to play nice with a wide variety of inks. It needs to withstand some normal abuse, and then some job-related abuse. It needs to hold up to being dropped, shoved in pockets, bounced around. Preferably it is a color that is visible from a distance, so I can find it in the woods or on black/neutral tabletops. The cap must not come unscrewed without permission. I must like it, but it cannot be the centerpiece of my writing/sketching experience: I don't want to be focusing on the pen more than what I'm doing. I must love it, but be so enamored that I can't risk it. (Not normally a problem for me.)

 

Bonus points for writing when cold, starting up after being left in a drawer for several weeks, nonoffensive smells, and replaceability - that means no vintage pens for me.

[Buzz_130]

My criteria are very similar to ac12.

 

First, the pen must be reliable. When I need to take notes in a meeting or working a staff package, I don't want to mess around with the pen.

Second, the pen must be comfortable. The Golden Age of fountain pens produced a generation of workhorse pens that are the right weight, girth, length, and material. The pen must usable for all day writing.

Third, I have to be able to get through an entire day without worrying about how much ink left in the pen. I don't ever compare capacity of an ink reservoir because I don't find that number useful. Instead, I know how many days of average writing I get from a brand/type of fountain pen and plan accordingly.

Fourth, it must be a pen I want to take with me. My Nakaya isn't a pen I want to put in my pocket and take around to meetings. I want a pen that travels with me well.

Next, I want a pen with known durability. I'm very good with my pens and generally very careful, but I want a pen that stands up well to everyday office usage.

Finally, I don't want a flexible or special nib. I need a good F or M pen that lays down a neat line with nearly any ink on any paper.

 

I always have a Parker "51" with me as this classic meets all of my criteria.

 

Buzz

[Downcelot]

everyday carry = pens I want to use most... For the rest of the other criteria, well, I just pretend I'm a bit ...ignorant. That's just me.

Edited February 25, 2015 by Downcelot

[FountainPages]

At current, I have five pens. Each gets carried on some day or other. And I don't see a need to have more than five to seven. At one point I had more than fifteen and realized I could not use them all, I also realized what I liked in a pen and what I wanted in a pen. I have those now, that suit my needs, my heart and hand. All my pens are inked,all are used almost everyday, and all very loved.

[Oldtimer]

Which and Why

TWSBI mini - italic nib: small , holds lots of ink

Pilot VP : clickity-clackity : how can that be wrong?

Parker 45: Never fails, elegant, easy to fill

Rosetta Explorer: light, great German nib, inexpensive ($10-15)

 

 

Boy: Now I know I have to sell a few pens. Or start going to the give away section

[jar]

Well, all of the pens I own are reliable so that is a given.

Extra fine or fine or medium or broad or double or triple broad nib, kugel or italic, standard or oblique, cartridge, piston. twist, plunger, button or lever fill, fat or skinny, long or short, light or heavy, young or old, shiny or bland, bright colors or subdued; all are eligible and appreciated.

 

Inks should be blue or black or blue black or red or green or purple or brown or grey or turquoise.

 

Beyond that it must be what strikes my fancy at the moment I make the selection.

[NinthSphere]

Must be Parker 51s.

 

In short:

- fine or medium, no flex or stubs

- no starting issues

- longer dry out period

- decent sized ink reserve

[AZBennett]

I currently have six pens in my EDC pouch that goes with me everywhere, though out of those only three see regular trips to the work floor.

 

1. Pilot VP - Fine

2. Platinum 3776 Balance Maestro - Fine

3. Karas Kustoms INK - Fine

4. Pilot Custom 91 - FM

5. Pilot Falcon - SM

6. Sheaffer Snorkel Admiral - F5

 

The bold pens see the most work, and the Ink is italicized because I carry it pretty much everywhere. I clip it in my jean pockets when I go out and about on errands and whatnot, it's so tough I don't worry about the environment I take it into. I have unloaded a truck full of freight with it in my pocket and knocked it about and it works every time I uncap it.

 

Though I sometimes hesitate to carry my vintage pens the Snorkel stays in my pouch because it lays down the best line and just feels right in my hand. I have a Waterman's Commando that would also make the list but lately has had a problem with the ink caking between the nib and feed and no matter what ink I use I can't seem to get it to work.

 

My next pen to add will be an adequate ballpoint that will be pleasurable enough to use for those times when a FP just won't work. I have yet to find one, but I haven't searched too hard.

[FredRydr]

 

The pens has to do work, so:

• Must be reliable
• Must not be a fussy pen; very similar to being reliable. Note that fussy does not mean works with only one ink, as that is part of the process of matching up a working pen and ink combination.
• Must be a good writer. This covers a lot; smooth writing, adequate ink flow, etc.
• Must feel good in the hand to write a LOT
• Have adequate ink capacity, but this is mitigated by having 2 pens, where you reload/top up both pens at night. I carried 2 Parker 45s in college (primary and back up pens), so capacity was never an issue.
• Must have an easy to use and reliable feed mechanism.
• Must not be prone to "burping" inks, as eye droppers are known to sometimes do.

 

That's my list, too, with emphasis added. I like more than one nib type to be at hand, so I carry three pens.

 

Fred

[ailevin]

I am retired, but even when I worked, I never required a pen to be terribly rugged or inexpensive, just reliable and enjoyable. I decided early on that I wanted pens I would use, not un-inked trophy pens. I mean no disrespect for those who collect, but I bought pens so that I could use them, in particular enjoy playing with them during boring meetings under the guise of note taking.

 

I've found that just as I haven't lost my wallet in a very long time, I don't have a tendency to lose pens that are difficult or expensive to replace. The only other special requirement was when I was flying quite regularly for business and I found some pens less air travel friendly than others.

 

These days as a retiree I have more pens inked since I have more time to switch them around at home and also in my pocket. However, in terms of EDC, I most often keep a Pilot Decimo (F or .6mm cursive italic) in my pocket when I am just running around, because the Decimo is very convenient for quick notes, works well for long writing sessions too. I also have a Parker 61 accountant nib pen that is always in my A5 notebook that I carry quite a bit when I'm away from the house, so to the extent it is my EDC writing kit, the 61 is part of it. If I think I am going to sit down for some more extended writing or note taking, I might replace the Decimo something else (Pelikan 600, Pilot 74, or maybe a new Pilot 823, etc.)

[Wahl]

 

Must be Parker 51s.

 

In short:

- fine or medium, no flex or stubs

- no starting issues

- longer dry out period

- decent sized ink reserve

 

+1, but broad nib

Edited February 26, 2015 by Wahl