How Would You Rank Japanese Proprietary Converters Vs Standard International?

[lisq199]

Lets only talk about converters that are in production, namely Pilot CON-40 and 70, Platinum converter (either color) and Sailor converter.

 

For me it is:

1. Pilot CON-70

2. Standard international

3. Platinum

4. Pilot CON-40

5. Sailor

[ENewton]

I do not have a CON-70 and suspect there could be some variation in quality among standard international converters of different brands, but in more than 20 years of fountain-pen use, I have not had complaints about converters of any brand other than Platinum.

 

Every other converter has lasted for years--some for decades--with no special maintenance, whereas I have come to expect my Platinum converters to fail and require replacement within less than a year. I have otherwise been very satisfied with my Platinum pens, and the converters are not expensive. It's just a little awkward to give someone a Platinum pen as a gift and have to explain in advance that the converter will need to be replaced now and then.

[jar]

Platinum

Sailor

Parker

Schmidt International Standard

Sheaffer

Most everything else

Pilot Con-70

 

[Mew]

 

• Platinum
• Sailor
• Parker
• Schmidt International Standard
• Sheaffer
• Most everything else
• Pilot Con-70

I'm guessing you are in the group who doesn't know how to fill a con-70?

[jar]

I'm guessing you are in the group who doesn't know how to fill a con-70?

You guess wrong.

[ENewton]

 

1. Platinum
2. Sailor
3. Parker
4. Schmidt International Standard
5. Sheaffer
6. Most everything else
7. Pilot Con-70

 

 

Knowing that you have many more Platinum pens than I will ever own, I am wide-eyed that you rank the Platinum converters highest. Can you advise me as to what I might be doing wrong to cause my Platinum converters to fail when none of the others do? I don't have Parker or Shaeffer converters, but I have Waterman converters that date from the 1990s and never thought of converters as potentially problematic until I got my first Platinum pen. I don't mind replacing a converter now and then; it just seems odd to have had to replace two converters within the space of less than a year.

[biancitwo]

My international converters work fine. They just hold too little ink. My Platinum converter works fine. The nib is so fine that the lack of capacity makes little difference. The Sailor converter works fine, but holds too little ink. The Pilot converter con-70 is awful. Pump and pump and get little ink. Try to clean it, you must repeat numerous times to complete the task. Replace the con-70 with a cartridge, and the ink doesn’t keep up with the writing. If only I could have a Pelikan piston filler in every pen. It works flawlessly, and holds a ton of ink.

[Mew]

You guess wrong.

Since it's you, it doesn't matter.

[Mew]

My international converters work fine. They just hold too little ink. My Platinum converter works fine. The nib is so fine that the lack of capacity makes little difference. The Sailor converter works fine, but holds too little ink. The Pilot converter con-70 is awful. Pump and pump and get little ink. Try to clean it, you must repeat numerous times to complete the task. Replace the con-70 with a cartridge, and the ink doesnt keep up with the writing. If only I could have a Pelikan piston filler in every pen. It works flawlessly, and holds a ton of ink.

I haven't used a lot of sailor or international convertors, so don't have an opinion on them. But platinum convertors are awful. It's their convertors which served as one of the reason for me to get rid of my Nakaya's.

Con-70 is indeed difficult to clean, but I use a 10ml syringe and it cleans up the insides very effectively in minimal time.

Pelikan Pistons are good, now only if they could get some consistency where some of their fine nibs don't write broader than their Broad nibs, or extra fines write exactly like their fine (which is what I got).

[steve50]

I don't mind replacing a converter now and then; it just seems odd to have had to replace two converters within the space of less than a year.

What exactly happened to the converter?

[max dog]

The Japanese converters are all a few levels below western converters including International converters in terms of capacity and ink delivery reliability. Dont think the Con 70 will last long. My older Con 70 feels its age after a few years as the push button mechanism is feeling sluggish compared to a newer less used Con 70. They make great nibs but converters have much to be desired.

[steve50]

The Japanese converters are all a few levels below western converters including International converters in terms of capacity and ink delivery reliability. Dont think the Con 70 will last long. My older Con 70 feels its age after a few years as the push button mechanism is feeling sluggish compared to a newer less used Con 70. They make great nibs but converters have much to be desired.

Have you tried disassembling Con 70? I wasn't able to do it until recently when the seal broke on its own, sort of, after I ran it through hot water. There was some viscous stuff trapped in there, so I cleaned them out.

[jar]

 

Knowing that you have many more Platinum pens than I will ever own, I am wide-eyed that you rank the Platinum converters highest. Can you advise me as to what I might be doing wrong to cause my Platinum converters to fail when none of the others do? I don't have Parker or Shaeffer converters, but I have Waterman converters that date from the 1990s and never thought of converters as potentially problematic until I got my first Platinum pen. I don't mind replacing a converter now and then; it just seems odd to have had to replace two converters within the space of less than a year.

I can't really help you there but of the dozens of Platinum converters I've used, none have failed. In addition, the Platinum format also works in older Aurora cartridge based pens like the DuoCart and 888 series.

 

I generally prefer cartridges over converters anyway.

[ENewton]

I can't really help you there but of the dozens of Platinum converters I've used, none have failed. In addition, the Platinum format also works in older Aurora cartridge based pens like the DuoCart and 888 series.

 

I generally prefer cartridges over converters anyway.

 

Thank you. Perhaps the converters currently installed in my Platinum pens will last longer than the previous ones.

[Mech-for-i]

My take .. they are no better, no worse with the exception of the con-70 which is all its own. The con-70 is the Citroen DS among converters, you either love it or you hate it, when its working its amazing, but often than not the technology is fuzzy and quirky to the point that it infuriate. Working it is a joy, getting it to work is a PITA

[mongrelnomad]

 

Thank you. Perhaps the converters currently installed in my Platinum pens will last longer than the previous ones.

 

The life-expectancy of my Platinum converters, too, lags well behind any other brand. I don't hold it against them - they're dirt-cheap to replace - but the memory of that one Nakaya maki-e converter bought still smarts...

[msum]

How do Platinum converters die?

[Driften]

The con-50's I hated. I do have a con-40 that is working great after it got flushed with water with a drop of dish soap. It sure does not hold much but it works in the Pilot Falcon I have. I have not had any issues with Sailor or Platinum converters. I really dislike the Con-70. I would rather use my con-20 or just refill cartridges which hold more then the converters.

 

International converters normally have issues for me with ink sticking to the walls of the converter. Need to order some keyboard springs or something to break the tension inside.

 

I really like piston fill pens best.

[Mew]

The con-50's I hated. I do have a con-40 that is working great after it got flushed with water with a drop of dish soap. It sure does not hold much but it works in the Pilot Falcon I have. I have not had any issues with Sailor or Platinum converters. I really dislike the Con-70. I would rather use my con-20 or just refill cartridges which hold more then the converters.

 

International converters normally have issues for me with ink sticking to the walls of the converter. Need to order some keyboard springs or something to break the tension inside.

 

I really like piston fill pens best.

Why do you dislike Con-70? I find it easier to press that button on top 3-4 times for a full fill. Twist convertors are a pain to use, they never fill completely without draining a bit of ink back into the bottle, and I dislike operating those thin piston knobs.

[Driften]

Why do you dislike Con-70? I find it easier to press that button on top 3-4 times for a full fill. Twist convertors are a pain to use, they never fill completely without draining a bit of ink back into the bottle, and I dislike operating those thin piston knobs.

 

 

The idea is good, but mine always gets ink stuck behind the white plunger at the top that is used to create the suction. It was a real pain to get the top end off mine apart to clean it out.

 

I would much rather use my Pilot 92 or 823 which don't need converters. It's also easy to swap in any of the 74's #5 nibs into the 92 for a wide selection. The 823 can use any of the #15 nibs so you really cover all the options Pilot has. Yes Pilot does not sell the nibs separate but it's easy to buy a 74/743 swap the nib and then sell unwanted pen.