Tuckaway Practicality - Section Size & Can I Put It In My Pants Pocket

[Mister5]

I'm thinking about getting a Tuckaway out of sheer practicality. I'd like a pen I can put in my pants pocket, and it looks like the Tucky was designed to do handle this. I don't mind using and abusing pens, which explains the almost-ruination of a Vacumatic last week.

 

I'm also a fan of the Triumph nib which I think the tuckaway had in later models.

 

I was wondering if anyone knew how big the section was on the Tuckaways? I have a Sentinel Snorkel (I think they were calling this the "thin model") and while I love the nib, I don't like the thickness, I wish it were larger. It doesn't have to have a massive section, just bigger. Same for the Imperial IV and Imperial II Deluxe - just a little too thin (though I rather like the Imperial II Deluxe as a writer.)

 

Also how well does it hold up to just putting it in your pocket and walking around all day? Will I end up opening it up after walking to work, only to find my hands covered in ink?

Edited November 17, 2015 by Mister5

[Ron Z]

The section of a Tuckaway is the same as the regular Triumph nib pens, or the fat Touchdown pen - they all have the same thread for the nib unit. The early Tuckies with the short black section are slightly thinner in diameter.

 

Pretty much any fountain pen will get ink in the cap, or has a good chance of getting ink in the cap, and therefore your fingers, if carried nib down. Useful to carry them in a short leather pen case so that they stay nib up in your pocket.

[Happy Harry]

Trouser pocket was one of the advertised uses as was the ability to be carried in any position, still the suggestion of a pouch seems a very good one.

[ink-syringe]

I don't know if it has to do with the amazing design of the feeds on those pens but my touchdown pens all do really well as every day carry pens. They fare much better than my Snorkels, many of which do dribble ink into the cap with some jostling. I throw my touchdown pens in the my pockets or in my backpack & all do really well including some really juicy stubs that are very wet writers, even after getting that special extra bumpy experience Korean bus drivers excel at. My love and appreciation for the design of those touchdown pens grows with each passing day. Much as I enjoy the Snorkels the touchdown pens are my favorites. The convenience, reliability, serviceability of the filling system is really tough to beat. They don't have the massive ink capacity of the vac fillers and they don't have the cool value of the snorkels but I think it was the best the sign overall. I especially like the earlier slightly chubby models.

[Mister5]

I don't know if it has to do with the amazing design of the feeds on those pens but my touchdown pens all do really well as every day carry pens. They fare much better than my Snorkels, many of which do dribble ink into the cap with some jostling. I throw my touchdown pens in the my pockets or in my backpack & all do really well including some really juicy stubs that are very wet writers, even after getting that special extra bumpy experience Korean bus drivers excel at. My love and appreciation for the design of those touchdown pens grows with each passing day. Much as I enjoy the Snorkels the touchdown pens are my favorites. The convenience, reliability, serviceability of the filling system is really tough to beat. They don't have the massive ink capacity of the vac fillers and they don't have the cool value of the snorkels but I think it was the best the sign overall. I especially like the earlier slightly chubby models.

 

I agree with you ink-syringe on the touchdown system. Although I think the Snorkel gets top marks for an interesting filling system, it seems more complicated and expensive to maintain than the touchdown system. I don't find filling via touchdown at all - its not particularly onerous so I'm not sure how the marketing sell for the snorkel worked back in the day... maybe its just me?

 

I've had a little bit of problems with the Sentinel Snorkel but both my Imperial touchdowns work like a charm. I've used the Imperial II Deluxe as a pen I throw in my pants pocket without worrying about it.

 

If I could get a PFM but just using the Touchdown system instead of the snorkel that would be great.

[3rdlakerobert]

The Touchdown filling system can be found in four different nib/feed combinations: open gold nib, open steel nib with Tip-Dip filling (one of these in fact has a gold nib--the 23), Triumph nib, and inlaid nib. When discussing the tendency to retain ink when carrying a pen in a pocket, it might be useful to say which nib you are talking about.

 

BTW, Touchdown Tuckaways are available with either Triumph or open nib so knowing which is better as a pocket pen is certainly germane to your inquiry.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Robert111

[tmenyc]

Trouser pocket was one of the advertised uses as was the ability to be carried in any position, still the suggestion of a pouch seems a very good one.

Trouser pockets THEN were different ... men wore looser pants, cleaned them less often, which meant they were usually baggier, pockets were larger, and no one carrying a fountain pen wore jeans. You could actually carry a pen in your trousers pocket and have it stay how you put it. Also, men wore button down shirts, with pockets, and vests -- the Tuckaway fit the vest pocket and any shirt pocket. Women used their handbags, which they always carried so they had makeup, cigarettes, and lighter, although my 88 year old mother-in-law, one of the first female landscape architects, thinks she carried her Tucky in her suit jacket pocket so she had it available, noting that her mother used to tell her that it she had to carry a pen, it belonged in her bag.

 

Tim

Edited November 19, 2015 by tmenyc

[Happy Harry]

Trouser pockets THEN were different ... men wore looser pants, cleaned them less often, which meant they were usually baggier, pockets were larger, and no one carrying a fountain pen wore jeans. You could actually carry a pen in your trousers pocket and have it stay how you put it. Also, men wore button down shirts, with pockets, and vests -- the Tuckaway fit the vest pocket and any shirt pocket. Women used their handbags, which they always carried so they had makeup, cigarettes, and lighter, although my 88 year old mother-in-law, one of the first female landscape architects, thinks she carried her Tucky in her suit jacket pocket so she had it available, noting that her mother used to tell her that it she had to carry a pen, it belonged in her bag.

 

Tim

 

What I said is factually correct and addressed the question in the OP. Did you miss the "was one of" bit ?