Budget Piston-Filler

[Sasha Royale]

I have several Reform 1745's. I like 'em.

I am currently enjoying a CLICK neo-tulip. $8 USD.

[Fuzzy_Bear]

I've TWSBI 580 and Eco, Pelikan M100 and M201, Dollar 717i, Oliver Exam, Reform 1745 and Peerless piston fillers. The 580 in F needed a quick touch by someone who knew how to smooth a nib. Otherwise, these all wrote well it off the box.

 

I do recommend another TWSBI and highly recommend the Pelikan.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Fuzzy_Bear

[Arkanabar]

Nobody beats the Indians and the Pakistanis for ultra-cheep pens.

HisNibs.com has the Dollar 717 and 717i, examined for alignment issues, which are corrected before shipping, well within your budget (shipping from CONUS may take a while).

FountainPenRevolution.com has several piston fillers for around $10-$40 USD. I recently chose the Himalaya over the Triveni Jr, but I haven't inked it yet (yah, I know, I'm an apostate), so I can't say how it is. It's a syringe filler that can be used as an eyedropper, while the Triveni can be filled c/c or eyedropper.

I have a Pelikan M200, and it was my first Pen of a Lifetime, and it is my favorite and most-used pen. I bought it from an authorized dealer, so if it gets damaged or fails to work, I just mail it to the US distributor, and a few weeks later (six or so?) they mail it back to me, good as new.

Well - so I bought a Conway Stewart 475 C 1938... It has been fully serviced and is in almost mint condition... I hope this wasn't a mistake!

If your Conway Stewart is fully serviced and almost mint, you've almost certainly got a great pen. I'm really cheap, and I'd likely buy a beater-grade restored pen, rather than near-mint; I buy pens to use, and don't mind the aesthetics of wear as much as a collector/ curator might.

Ink and paper are probably a better bet right now than more pens. That should await the end of the honeymoon period with your Conway Stewart, when you can look at it and say, "I like it, but it'd be better if it was longer/ shorter/ heavier/ lighter /thicker /thinner /broader /finer, made of some other material, and laid down more/less ink." That's when it's time to get your second pen, which will have none of the deficiencies of your current pen(s).

[Lulu05]

Thank you, thank you, thank you all for the input. I really appreciate the benefit of your expertise and I will come back to this page when, as Arkanabar suggests, I get tired of my new pen and need to look at another! I think I'll probably get cheaper and cheaper as my personal pen specs make themselves clear to me and I can begin to narrow down what I need, what I like and what I'm not bothered about. In any case, I'll go to one extreme or another... If I start dropping hundreds of pounds on pens I'll know this forum's had its influence on me... All the pens you guys have are so beautiful!

[Lulu05]

P.S. For work I bought four jinhaos for under a tenner. I don't expect them to be as smooth or beautiful but they have converters for my inks and I don't mind losing them! Thank goodness for amazon prime..!

[Freddy]

For your consideration....

 

Camlin 47 piston fill hooded nib { distant cousin of Parker "51" }

 

and or Sleek piston filler open nib.

 

Both inexpensive and reliable pens.

 

Fred

[Fuzzy_Bear]

Unfortunately I am fairly sure it's been stolen by one of my more troubled students and I don't think I'll ever see it again.

 

Thanks.

That's why I never leave my pens where others can get to them. They stay on me at all times.

[ac12]

 

P.S. For work I bought four jinhaos for under a tenner. I don't expect them to be as smooth or beautiful but they have converters for my inks and I don't mind losing them! Thank goodness for amazon prime..!

 

Good decision.

 

BTW, the Dollar 717 is another surprisingly good knock about pen that I would take into harm's way.

[Jobesmirage]

The Wingsung 698 is a great choice for you

[Lulu05]

That's why I never leave my pens where others can get to them. They stay on me at all times.

 

Tbh, given that I left said student in my office with all the charity/school equipment money in an unlocked tin, I'm reasonably ok with the fact that he grabbed the nearest object of value, rather than looking around him a bit... Maybe it'll inculcate a lifelong love of fountain pens in him...

[Pichak]

+1 for Pelikan M200. Try it and you will love it.

 

The image from top: TWSBI Diamond Mini, Pelikan M200, Pelikan M150, Pelikan M100.

Edited January 27, 2017 by Pichak

[ac12]

That's why I never leave my pens where others can get to them. They stay on me at all times.

 

Famous last words.

My wife's former boss lost 4 or 5 Montblanc pens.

I suspect some/most of them were people asking to "borrow his pen," then not returning the pen.

I told him to uncap the pen, give the unposted pen to the person, and hang on to the cap. The pen will get returned, or the sticky finger guy will get a big ink blot on his shirt.

 

I also told him to have the pen engraved with his name. Then it is CLEAR that the pen is NOT their pen, and who's pen it is.

Edited January 27, 2017 by ac12

[fplover01]

Pelikan M20x is a very reliable piston filling pen that should last a lifetime.

[andy1m]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/324201-caliarts-ego-a-new-chinese-piston-filler/

 

How about this one? I just ordered mine.

[Bo Bo Olson]

The Wingsung could be a good starter piston pen. I might be mistaken but perhaps Hero is also making one.

The Pakistan Dollar Pens are 'well' known. Could be the Chinese pens are higher quality, I don't know. All I have is German piston pens.....out side of two, all semi-vintage...'80-90's or vintage a couple from the '30's...a few War pens and from the '50-65 era.

 

If you hunt on German Ebay, Geha School pen, has a nice 'true' regular flex nib....American Bump Under......for lots and lots less than a Pelikan 120. You can find them from E12 to E19.....I'd not pay more.............but if you don't wish to hunt, you can buy them from the US Ebay for only $89.00.

I have two....one a bit thinner....and they do not swap nibs between the two....they will in their model range.....nor do they swap nibs with a semi-flex Geha 790 (760's nibs fit the standard sized 790.....the medium-small...(long posting like a 140) 760 usually runs more than the 790.....both of them I consider 'Best Buy' long term. The Geha 790 costs from 1/3 to 1/2 of what it costs to buy a Pelikan 140.

 

The Reform 1745 is two for E5.00.....made in China from all indications. The shipped the machinery there ages ago. So the made in Germany, is the cap comes in one box, the body in another. Screwed together in Germany.

[KellyMcJ]

I second the recommendation for the Wing Sung. I love piston fillers, they're probably my favorite filling mechanism, with a plain old cartridge converter being second. The Wing Sung pen is a solid choice. Mine writes buttery smooth both right side up and upside down, effectively giving me two nibs for the price of one (I'm not typically an upside down writer, however, I will do it in a pinch if I have a really poorly designed form).

 

They're solidly built from what seem to be incredibly durable materials, (and by all reports this is true). They're also inexpensive enough to toss in a purse and not worry about.

[ENewton]

 

Good decision.

 

BTW, the Dollar 717 is another surprisingly good knock about pen that I would take into harm's way.

 

I will soon be menacing one of these with a sample of Noodler's Kung Te Cheng.

 

I think the Dollar pens write surprisingly well, but they burp as the ink supply diminishes.