"reasonably" Priced Raden / Abalone Fountain Pens

[RavenTheJust]

Hello there,

 

I recently thought "Hey, Abalone, sea shell, or mother of pearl would make a pretty nice highlight on a pen". So I made the big mistake of googling it and I was not disappointet.

Now it is important to say that it can look as well cheap as it can look classy - Wear one expensive watch and show style, wear five of them at the same time and you look like an idiot!

So what I am NOT aiming for is a big bulky pen covered in nacre. Something like this:

True, abalone still looks great, but I am aiming for a little more understatement.

 

Much closer to what I would be looking for would be the Pelikan M1000 Raden Moonlight or Starlight.

7

(Picture Pelikan)

A great looking pen!

 

But there are also other options..

 

Pilot Namiki Yukari Moonlight Raden

(Picture from penchalet.com)

 

This one is even better, deep black and these abalone highlights make a stunning eyecatcher. Yet I could imagine using it during a meeting since it's not too much in any way.

 

However, closest to what I would call perfection is this Nakaya Raden Suigyo

http://www.nakaya.org/products/IMAGES/BODY/12005(1).jpg

 

A very clean shape. Nothing distracts from the perfect laquer and then these stunning highlights. That would be the ultimate pen I would aim for.

 

But then there is also reality and reason.

I would get in all sorts of trouble if I would buy such a beauty.

I made a lot of very questionable financial decisions in my life but that would be too much. True, it would probably rise in value and it might last a lifetime. But very unfortunately if I would want to max out the value I couldn't use it. And if it would get stolen, I would completely freak out. Not going to happen!

 

My argument for expensive pens was always the comparison to a mobile phone: It might cost several hundred, it's delicate, can break and it might get stolen.

A phone can do a lot more than a pen, but then again, in two to three years, a smartphone is either broken, out of fashoin or too slow/not supported anymore. A good pen can last you a lifetime and you pass it to your children.

 

But I digress.. Regardless of all the pro's and con's all the nice looking pens above cost a lot more than $1000 and that's by far too much. If that wasn't enough, they are also limited editions and impossible to get.

 

The only one that is somewhat in my reach was the Pilot Namiki vanishing point Raden. I didn't find the official link, so that's one from jetpens.

It comes in three different looks of which I like the middle one of the three the best. It's a very decent looking pen. But I am not a very big fan of the vanishing point. Actually mostly because of the silver button at the end that is for extending the nib (I assume). If the pen would end with this rounded silver cap, it would look much nicer in my opinion.

 

Now that's more the price range I would be aiming at. Gold nib: Check! Solid body (not too light): Check! That would be okay, but I am not really thrilled by this option.

 

Are there any others that you might be aware of?

Please share them!

 

 

 

 

 

[benbot517]

You could go for an old Sheaffer balance in ebonized pearl. It seems like it's one of the more expensive finishes to get nowadays, but it's probably quite a bit cheaper than modern pens.

[Inkling13]

Reasonable is reasonable, if you understand how mich work goes into making something so understated and perfected in its form. They are beautiful all except the kit pen shown initially.

[RavenTheJust]

Thanks to benbot for the suggestion.
The Sheaffer is a good looking pen but the "patchyness" of the nacre doesn't really do the trick for me.

 

There are, however, other vintage pens that match the style that I am looking for quite closely.

 

The Parker Striped Duofold.

But buying vintage pens is not really what I am after - the problem is that I lack the knowledge to judge if a vintage buy is worth it's price. Second I want to use that pen and not display it and I have even less experience with something like this.

 

@Inkling13

I completely agree that they are made by true artisans. Masterpieces each of them.

But this is not the reason why these cost that mutch - the reason that they are so expensive is that people are willing to pay that price for them.

Why are those usually "limited editions"? It's not because the material is so rare or they can only be made by a single artisan.

 

Think about it - if you can sell X'000 pieces for $1'800, why limit an edition to 500? That doesn't make any sense!

Well, because you need to do that to convice a customer to pay for that gigantic markup you have on the item! If there would be a continuous supply of these models it would be enough to drop the prices by several hundret dollars. And that has nothing to do with the cost to make them.

Other examples? Put a number on them: Add a few hundred dollars. Sell No. 1 - 50, 100, 101, 111, etc. to some special customers. I bet they are willing to pay something extra for this as well!

 

If Pilot Namiki can sell the vanishing point Raden for $400, I bet it makes finacial sense for them. They don't do that because they like us so much.

 

I simply wonder why there are not half a dozen models from compeditors out there in this price range.

 

I mean - if I would be looking for a black pen with gold trims, there would be dozens of models to choose from in a certain price range!

 

My guess would be that the companies simply want to keep that design special so they can keep charging a lot for it.

 

In historic measures: That Parker Striped Duofold btw. costed $8.75 back in 1940.

Compare that to today's prices and you end up somewhere between $150 (strict purchasing power) to ~$640 (if you compare incomes). Neither of that values is fully correct, because the first only considers the consumers price index (CPI) and the second the gross domestic product per capita (GDP).

 

Now we all know that the GDP is also not representative: In Switzerlan, the GDP per capita is ~79K, but the average salary is just ~64K. There are a lot of companies here and they skew the GDP per capita.

 

Therefore we are much safer to assume that a modern Striped Duofold would sell around the price of that Pilot Namiki vanishing point raden. And we know that the Pilot is already considered an expensive pen rather than a steal.

[Inkling13]

True. Those are valid points. However, the moment you talk of fountain pens, its already landed in the above average non-essential category, aka the luxury market. Once you get there, its all based on what a company thinks is fair. Also, if everyone had raden pens, and it was just as common as say disposable pens, would it still be as special?

[RavenTheJust]

(...)Also, if everyone had raden pens, and it was just as common as say disposable pens, would it still be as special?

 

That's what the industry is definitely thinking, yes.

To me, that doesn't make a difference. I like them regardless if other people have them or not. Having common options would definitely be a good thing, becuase it leaves choice!

Like black pens with gold trims, for instance.

I can buy one for $20 that looks almost like the one for $900. Are there differences? Of course! But there is something in for everybody with every budget.

Is this a bad thing in your opinion?

[Inkling13]

To pretend you have money to blow? I suppose, but the appearance is only surface deep. Certainly if i wroked hard for something, I dont want to have that image diluted by posers.

Edited February 5, 2018 by Inkling13

[RavenTheJust]

You must be jesting. So if you buy a Monblanc Meisterstück, you feel threatened by the guy with the "fraction of a price" Sailor 1911L, because it looks so much like the Montblanc?

Why? The people who you should care about instantly know the difference between a Meisterstück and a 1911L. Everybody else doesn't know about Montblanc, or Sailor, or pens in general.

 

I don't want to sound patronizing but you should not care too much about what others think. Think about what makes you happy.

If you want that rainbow pen go reach for it. Haters gonna hate..

[jar]

The Parker Striped Duofold is not made from Mother of Pearl and it most certainly is a pen that can and should be used daily, even today.

 

http://www.fototime.com/A01E7708239AF8A/medium800.jpg

 

One of my favorite pens that uses raden is a small size 1911. It is 1 of 10 (actually there was at least one #00 of 10 that I am aware of in addition to the ten that were offered for sale) but the reason is that is how many pens the buyer specified from the artist.

 

The number of items made is not determined solely by the expected number that can be sold.

 

 

 

The Parker Striped Duofold.

But buying vintage pens is not really what I am after - the problem is that I lack the knowledge to judge if a vintage buy is worth it's price. Second I want to use that pen and not display it and I have even less experience with something like this.

 

 

The way you determine if a vintage buy is worth its price is to ask yourself "Is there another pen at that price point that I want more than the vintage example?"

 

http://www.fototime.com/8E62816AD3F600D/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/808DCAA35590831/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/56B3FB837217A7F/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/A776751E10023EF/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/BAE8FC8D1B20483/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/D70A74D22442A41/medium800.jpg

But you also need to note that the raden used, as with the Pilot VP is really small pieces. Small pieces of raden are relatively inexpensive and the costs go up very rapidly when larger or longer pieces are needed. The raden pieces the size used in the Sheaffer are far harder to find than the smaller pieces used in either the Pilot VP or the Sailor Siamese Fighting Fish 1911. When you need really large sections the unit cost gets just plain crazy.

 

http://www.fototime.com/C0F3328C3304E0C/medium800.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/17B06FDEAC423A7/medium800.jpg

 

 

[Inkling13]

You must be jesting. So if you buy a Monblanc Meisterstück, you feel threatened by the guy with the "fraction of a price" Sailor 1911L, because it looks so much like the Montblanc?

Why? The people who you should care about instantly know the difference between a Meisterstück and a 1911L. Everybody else doesn't know about Montblanc, or Sailor, or pens in general.

 

I don't want to sound patronizing but you should not care too much about what others think. Think about what makes you happy.

If you want that rainbow pen go reach for it. Haters gonna hate..

Hahahhah! A 1911 is no MB, and couldnt pass for one. If you want one, pony up the cash for one, or keep walking. The argument goes that if you want a Bentley, but cant afford one, they should make lower priced models. They wont. We buy what we want, what we can afford, simple enough. Or one can always max their credit cards and sell a few organs to keep up with the Jones. Raiden is pretty no doubt though, and out of my league by any means.

[Freddy]

For your consideration....Taccia: MOP Collection {inexpensive}...using abalone shell/mother of pearl

c/c filler..18k German nibs {F-M-B}.....Five models..Harmony.Fantasy..Geometry..Pearl Mosaic..

Stained Glass.....https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/302475-what-pens-are-you-using-today-2016/?p=3619996

 

Fred

[langere]

Ah, yes, Taccia has some nice mother of pearl models. Very attractive.

 

Also, have you considered the Retro 51 in Abalone? Probably the least expensive Raden pen there is.

 

Erick

[langere]

Laban also has some mother of pearl pens on the market.

 

Erick

[ASCIIaardvark]

There's always the Jinhao 650 for $15 -- but for my aesthetic, that's definitely on the "big bulky pen tastelessly covered in nacre" end of the spectrum

 

I'm tempted to buy some of this and see if I can make my own.

[RavenTheJust]

The Parker Striped Duofold is not made from Mother of Pearl and it most certainly is a pen that can and should be used daily, even today.

 

The way you determine if a vintage buy is worth its price is to ask yourself "Is there another pen at that price point that I want more than the vintage example?"

Now I see it correctly! It came up during my search for MOP pens and it's sometimes a bit hard to judge from pictures. But it's not nacre but celluloid, if I'm not mistaken.

 

See, the problem is that I can't judge a vintage offer on the internet (or physically), so I don't want to get ripped off.

 

One of my favorite pens that uses raden is a small size 1911. It is 1 of 10 (actually there was at least one #00 of 10 that I am aware of in addition to the ten that were offered for sale) but the reason is that is how many pens the buyer specified from the artist.

 

The number of items made is not determined solely by the expected number that can be sold.

 

But you also need to note that the raden used, as with the Pilot VP is really small pieces. Small pieces of raden are relatively inexpensive and the costs go up very rapidly when larger or longer pieces are needed. The raden pieces the size used in the Sheaffer are far harder to find than the smaller pieces used in either the Pilot VP or the Sailor Siamese Fighting Fish 1911. When you need really large sections the unit cost gets just plain crazy.

A very beautiful pen, in deed!

Yet I don't think the abalone itself is very expenisve. Check these , for instance: Expensive, yes, but only for fishing lures.

 

 

Hahahhah! A 1911 is no MB, and couldnt pass for one. If you want one, pony up the cash for one, or keep walking. The argument goes that if you want a Bentley, but cant afford one, they should make lower priced models. They wont. We buy what we want, what we can afford, simple enough. Or one can always max their credit cards and sell a few organs to keep up with the Jones. Raiden is pretty no doubt though, and out of my league by any means.

I frankly bought the Sailor Black Luster, since the regular ones look too much like the Montblanc I already own.

Also check here here & here..

 

And you're missing the argument: I'm not asking why Pelikan is not selling their Raden pens for a quarter of their current price. I am wondering why there are not more companies that try to price them more compeditive.

Pilot proved with their vanishing point that it is possible.

 

For your consideration....Taccia: MOP Collection {inexpensive}...using abalone shell/mother of pearl

c/c filler..18k German nibs {F-M-B}.....Five models..Harmony.Fantasy..Geometry..Pearl Mosaic..

Stained Glass.....https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/302475-what-pens-are-you-using-today-2016/?p=3619996

 

Fred

Thanks for the input! Might it be that they are hard to come by?

 

Ah, yes, Taccia has some nice mother of pearl models. Very attractive.

 

Also, have you considered the Retro 51 in Abalone? Probably the least expensive Raden pen there is.

 

Erick

 

Laban also has some mother of pearl pens on the market.

 

Erick

The Retro is a good looking pen, but hard to find as well - also for the Labans.. Is there any store that sells them?

 

There's always the Jinhao 650 for $15 -- but for my aesthetic, that's definitely on the "big bulky pen tastelessly covered in nacre" end of the spectrum

 

I'm tempted to buy some of this and see if I can make my own.

I guess the most difficult thing is the application of the sheet and finish the laquer perfectly around it.

 

Many thanks for all the replies!

[frankb3]

 

And you're missing the argument: I'm not asking why Pelikan is not selling their Raden pens for a quarter of their current price. I am wondering why there are not more companies that try to price them more compeditive.

 

--------------------------------------------

Abalone shell is nasty to work with. The dust is very hazardous if you breath it, so that would factor into the cost.

 

I like the Xezo alabone shell pens myself (but I don't have one).

[RavenTheJust]

 

Abalone shell is nasty to work with. The dust is very hazardous if you breath it, so that would factor into the cost.

 

I like the Xezo alabone shell pens myself (but I don't have one).

 

 

That's definitely factoring into it. It's brittle, chips easily and as soon as this happens the pen is ruined.

Also, all of the ones that I mentioned as good examples have a top notch finish, Urushi, commonly which in itself is nasty to work with and very difficult to hanlde.

However, all of this doesn't justify a pricepoint north of $1'000 since there are companies that make a full abalone pen for $100. So it should be possible to make something in between at a $300 - $600 pricepoint. Yet this range is largely unoccupied, apart from the vanishing point raden.

 

Regardless, Xezo offers a range of nice pens. Thanks for directing me there..