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What Did You Try And How Did You Feel About It? (2017)


pollandakuma

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This is a place to gush about or express disappointment about a new pen or ink you tried, that might or might not have lived up to your expectations, or even surpassed it! I put 2017 because I wanted it to be only pens you tried this year, so that we will have fresh impressions :D Feel free to discuss (opinions) too! (Post pictures if you can too!)

 

For example, yesterday I went to a Penfriends outlet (which is closing for good) near the Temple station, and tried GvFC wood pen, Viscounti Divina Springs, and Sailor Profit 1911. I loved the GvFC because of the hefty weight (unposted) and thick section. The gold B nib was stubbish and smooth. The Sailor, which had a really fine nib, was quite scratchy. Divina was pretty, but I wasn't blown away, since it felt light.

Edited by pollandakuma

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I bought a Pilot Vanishing Point on the 16th of this month, But i had to returned on the 20th, given that it arrived scratched up like it was used. Whether that is the fault of Amazon or the Fault of Pilot shipping their $100 plus pens in a display box instead of a hard shell case, like it should have been in the first place. I will never understand the moto behind of putting a expensive item, inside of a cheap cardboard display box. I've seen much cheaper pens come in better pen cases.

 

But other then that, it wrote fine, and if you can find the sweet spot, it was smooth like butter, well smooth as butter on HP Premium Laserjet #32 paper. The best part about the pen other then its retractable nib, is that, it can keep up with someone that writes fast, well as fast as someone that can write legible.

 

I might buy it again, if i do, it will be somewhere other then Amazon. I'm just disappointed with Pilot not shipping their $100+ pens in a hard shall case.

List of fountain pens i currently owned: Pilot Metropolitan, TWSBI VAC 700

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I bought a delightful Pilot Metropolitan with a 1.0 stub nib! Mine writes very well - plenty smooth and not too sensitive to rotation like my 78G tends to be. It's a fun little pen for $15 and I plan on keeping it inked for a while.

 

http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/p799/sandygriff/Pilot%20Metro%20Stub_zpsiyjouuzs.jpg

 

I also tried a Jinhao x750 along with a Goulet fine #6 nib. I really like the looks of that pen and it writes okay with the Goulet nib - but it may be a bit wet for my tastes. I may put an ef nib on it at some point.

 

The Jinhao X750 is the pen on the top of this photo:

 

http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/p799/sandygriff/POD_zpskii02pkr.jpg

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First, I tried few Omas, big one Paragon Arco Celulloid (to big), second orange Ogiva (lovely!), and I suppose smaller black old style Milord (only Omas Etra on the pen).

And I fall in love, especially with third Omas nib and shape. I must have it :)

I'm in hunting also for Ogiva or old style Paragon (smaller).

 

8ff3ba334e96.jpg

 

And finally, my Bexley Gaston's Angels with stub arrived. 5 weeks of expectations. For now in the testing phase. I will say more later... ;) But it is a pretty good pen.

 

f20205a8edad.jpg

Edited by Nikaa
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It's just a few weeks in to the new year, and I won't be trying out anything pen related for a few months (I swear!) - so I'm sorting through my old pens instead.

"If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live."

– Lin Yu-T'ang

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Well, so far, I've only bought one pen this year, and it just came in the mail this week (and I've been swamped for the past few days so I haven't had a chance to test it). It's a black Esterbrook J with a 9556 nib. The seller said the sac might need to be replaced -- but the lever appeared to move freely, so I'm hopeful.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Oh, forgot that I also picked up a red Lamy Safari with an F nib, but that's for a friend; she had liked my Dark Lilac so well that she wanted one as well, only she got one with a medium nib instead. Her second choice color was red (in case the Dark Lilac was sold out). So for a Christmas gift my husband and I are giving her the red one.

Edited by inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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I bought an Esterbrook J for a friend who wants to enable her son, but it had a busted-up nib. I put another Esterbrook nib in it but I didn't like that one either cause I'm spoiled. So I bought an Osmiroid nib alleged to be "soft", and I'll see how it goes.

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post-126538-0-84914700-1485141849_thumb.jpg

 

I thought I was not going to buy any new pens for 2017...and then the Mrs. wanted to go to an antique mall while we were out and about. I wound up getting these two pens- a Parker 51 Aerometric (dark blue) and a Sheaffer Balance oversized in black/pearl. The Parker worked perfectly, as expected. The big surprise to me was that my Parker 51 special with octanium nib is actually smoother than the gold tip on the new Parker 51. They are both very nice writers though and they will live on my desk at work. Not bad for $70 total

 

The Sheaffer needs a sac.....can't wait to get to it!

Edited by dadbar
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I tried a few (new to me) Pilot pens today and enjoyed them all. In order of preference from third to first:

 

Justice - felt good and it's an interesting concept being able to adjust the flex! I particularly liked the grooved barrel.

 

Falcon - this was really nice. I'll have to look into the whole flex thing more, it's not something that figures into my thinking when I write but perhaps it should.

 

Then I tried an 823 and fell in love. That pen is in my future. :wub:

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I'm done with fountain pens this year. With the exception of a custom made pen, but that has such a long lead time that it won't really count.

 

On the other hand, I am in the market for a second oblique holder. A request has been forwarded to my favourite maker and I can only hope that it can be realised.

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Total surprise: an Indian eyedropper that came to me as a gift: brand name Owner, model Officer. It's a short, light plastic pen with that uh ... distinctive ... plastic odor, a large section and barrel diameter, and an Indian steel nib. On the first try after flushing it was a non-writer. So I took it apart, scrubbed the nib and feed, reassembled it and did just a touch of smoothing on microgrid, and presto! Now I have a smooth, generous but not wet pen that is a delight to write with. It is still fussy about starting first-thing in the morning, but a dip in clean water seems to solve that. No leaking or burping issues with proper handling. It will never be an expensive or flashy pen, but it is one of those few that just feels really good when you are writing with it.

ron

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Like Ruth, I have only acquired one so far this year. A burgundy Parker 45 with a 14k Accountant (A) nib, which arrived today. The ebay listing didn't say what nib it had so this is a nice surprise. Writes well too.

Edited by Runnin_Ute

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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I got a Maurice Lacroix from late 1980s or early 1990s. I was curious knowing their reputation as a watchmakers. The pen definitely has a high and feel to it (I wonder who actually produced this pens for them - anyone knows?) with the bordeaux laquer and gold details - the nib (fine) is gold coloured but without any markings except their signature M). It is a heavier pen, solidly build and with good attention to details. It writes immediately and without skipping, but it is somewhat scratchy (although it provides a pleasant "soundtrack" while writing). The reverse writing is surprisingly wet. Not sure whether I'll be keeping it (not too keen on overall design) but it is definitely an interesting pen.

 

fpn_1485605584__mauricelacroix.jpg

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Update: the Osmiroid nib drags like a lead weight. It astounds me that a company that put so much thought into making its nibs interchangeable neglected to make any good ones.

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attachicon.gifParker Sheaffer 1.jpg

 

I thought I was not going to buy any new pens for 2017...and then the Mrs. wanted to go to an antique mall while we were out and about. I wound up getting these two pens- a Parker 51 Aerometric (dark blue) and a Sheaffer Balance oversized in black/pearl. The Parker worked perfectly, as expected. The big surprise to me was that my Parker 51 special with octanium nib is actually smoother than the gold tip on the new Parker 51. They are both very nice writers though and they will live on my desk at work. Not bad for $70 total

 

The Sheaffer needs a sac.....can't wait to get to it!

 

70 is a criminal price for a Pearl Oversize balance!!! Amazing find, I'm very jealous.

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I bought a Platinum Maki-e Autumn Leaves pen, and at first it seemed to write very nicely. I got a M point. Then, it started going dry on me. I have a very wet ink in it (Robert Oster Direct Sun) and it still skips the first letter on every other word. I'll try an Iroshizuku ink in it first to see if that can make it write wetter. If that doesn't work, I'll contact the seller to see if they want to adjust it for me or issue me a refund. I'd be happy either way. It is a beautiful pen, though.

 

I also bought a Ruby-Red Pelikan M320 which I wrote a review on in the review section. It is a gorgeous, adorable little mini fountain pen; I had the B nib reground to a stub, and it writes like a dream! I haven't been happier with a pen in a long time. For such a teeny-tiny, mini fountain pen, it is a powerhouse of a pen.

 

And one more pen (I've been busy!): I bought a Platinum 3776 Century Nice, the one with the rose gold trim; I also had this one reground to a stub. It is an awesome writer! I loaded it up with Diamine Aqua Lagoon, and it writes smoothly and beautifully. The nib has a nice little spring to it. Overall, I'm very happy with my 2017 pen purchases!

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Update: the Osmiroid nib drags like a lead weight. It astounds me that a company that put so much thought into making its nibs interchangeable neglected to make any good ones.

 

Osmiroid or Esterbrook? You mentioned a soft nib in your first post, which if you mean a touch of flex will not really be found in Renew Points, the 9128 and 9048 being the two easiest ones to find that may show a little, but with greater pressure than gold flexible nibs. If you are looking for smooth nibs, the 2668/9668 are the easiest go-to nibs for that, though you should be able to find smooth 9450's, 9550's, 9556's as well.

 

As far as the topic, 2017 has been predominately ink purchases for me with KWZ Raspberry, El Dorado, IG Red #3, and Pilot Iro Chiku-Rin. Loved the KWZ inks, the Chiku-Rin was nothing special as far as performance as it feathered on more paper than many of my other inks. I am still going through many other KWZ inks, IG Turqouise is becoming a favorite, as well as Aztec Gold. Raspberry is a fun change with so many brown and green inks that I use. Future plans include my first custom pen, though I may just find I am satisfied with the pens that I have, though I would really like to have a bulb filler!

FP Ink Orphanage-Is an ink not working with your pens, not the color you're looking for, is never to see the light of day again?!! If this is you, and the ink is in fine condition otherwise, don't dump it down the sink, or throw it into the trash, send it to me (payment can be negotiated), and I will provide it a nice safe home with love, and a decent meal of paper! Please PM me!<span style='color: #000080'>For Sale:</span> TBA

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  • 3 weeks later...

I tried a green rippled hard rubber Fountain Pen Revolution Himalaya with the 1.0mm stub nib, sold only on their US site thus far. This is an Indian syringe-filler/ eyedropper that's a little smaller than the ebonite Indian pens you can get from ASA, Ranga, and Gama. I bought it because I wanted to try an ebonite pen. I've heard that the surface texture and tactile sensation are just a little different from other kinds of plastic.

And so they are. It's almost like the difference between regular and slip-resistant soles. I like ebonite, and I can safely say that if I buy any sort of custom pen, ebonite will be the material of choice.

I like the size and weight of the pen, quite similar to a Noodler's Konrad, though the section gets a little narrower. But I choke up on my pens pretty far; for example, I hold my Dad's Parker "51" by the clutch ring, and my M200 by the cap threads. I like the syringe filler, which is quick, safe, has reasonable capacity, and doesn't have the tiny hole through the length of the stem found in the Ahab, that offends my ODC-ness by collecting ink that can only be removed by flushing with a medical syringe.

Of course, a $32 Indian-made pen is going to have issues. I wasn't really bothered by the variable finish, which is mirror smooth for the middle of the barrel, shows lathe grooves (which I cannot feel) on the cap and end of the barrel, and looks almost bead-blasted on the section. There's a little bit of slop in the clip ring, allowing it to slide ever so slightly off-center when you screw the derby down onto the cap (not that I mind). The nib was in need of alignment, of course. Kevin of FPR was kind enough to swap in a chrome-trim nib, rather than the two-tone default. I really appreciated this, as I think it looks better with the other CP hardware on the pen (clip and cap band). FPR's #5.5 1.0mm stub nib shows almost no line variation on the basic, spongy salvage paper I generally use, which was my biggest disappointment.

The clip ball was my second biggest disappointment. The clip is tight and strong, but the ball is finished poorly. There are five points that should come together. The same design is used on the clip of my Konrad, where they come together without gaps. But on the Himalaya, it snagged on the stitching of my pocket. Kevin sent me a replacement, but it's just as bad. If I could get the derby off of my Konrad, I'd swap them out.

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I fell in love with the look of the Pelikan Epoch, tried one, and ran screaming into the night.

 

I am only grateful I did not try its $600 big brother.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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I bought four Lamy Safaris. Two dark lilac, one red and one yellow, all efs. One Pelikan M200 anthricite. All good.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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