Jump to content

Looking For New Pen - Recommendations


Nerdyhistorian

Recommended Posts

 

I have three Sailor Lecoule pens, including the Garnet model. I wouldn't call it an upgrade over the Pilot MR. The plastic pen body is slightly nicer than that of the Pilot 78G, but it is lightweight, and significantly shorter than the Pilot MR. The steel MF nib is OK, and comparable to in both smoothness and line width to the F nib on a Pilot MR. For the price, though, I don't see any reason to recommend it. I'd take the Delike New Moon 3 over the Sailor Lecoule any day for a pen of that form factor, and you can probably buy at least five New Moon 3 pens for the price of a Lecoule.

 

This why I love this community: honest advice. Thank you :) !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 31
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Nerdyhistorian

    7

  • A Smug Dill

    6

  • Arkanabar

    2

  • sirgilbert357

    2

No worries.

 

I do love my Delike New Moon 3 pens – they look great, are solidly built without being too heavy, its EF nib writes equally as well as the Pilot MR and the Sailor Lecoule, cost me less than A$7.50 apiece and came with an additional (Medium) nib unit each. Yes, the nib unit just unscrews from the section, and is therefore easily swappable to a different width. Bonus!

 

The line width from its EF nib is roughly the same as that of the Pilot MR's F nib and the Sailor Lecoule's MF nib. (I haven't tried the M nib yet, and I don't particularly want to do so.)

 

If you like the look of the Lecoule, you may as well try a New Moon 3, if it isn't too heavy for you. A Pilot MR with a CON-40 converter fully filled weighs 27g, a Sailor Lecoule with a 14-0506 converter fully filled weighs 17g, and a Delike New Moon 3 with the supplied converter fully filled weighs 38g (or quite possibly 39g, because I pre-emptively replaced the metal finial screw in the cap of each of my NM3 pens with a acrylic screw). I don't know about the tax and duty regime in Belgium, but the pens are so cheap, it wouldn't incur VAT liability if imported into the UK. I see a listing on eBay for US$4.99 each right now, but I'm not sure if it comes with the extra nib unit.

Edited by A Smug Dill

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

By the way, if you don't like short pens, then you probably won't like writing with the Sailor Lecoule:

 

fpn_1549445461__sailor_lecoule_against_t

  • Lamy Safari
  • Lamy CP1
  • Pilot Capless Vanishing Point
  • Pilot Custom Heritage 91
  • Pilot Custom 74
  • Pilot Cocoon (aka Pilot MR Metropolitan)
  • Pilot Elite 95s
  • Sailor Lecoule
  • Delike New Moon 3
  • Pilot 78G
  • Leonardo Momento Zero
Ignoring shipping charges and tax and duty for imports for a moment (since I don't know Belgium's regulations, how and how strictly they are enforced, and whether you can find online sellers who will include 'free' shipping in their offers, etc.), ...

 

Since you seem to prefer a flat end on the pen cap (and probably the tail end of the barrel too?) over a cigar- or torpedo-shaped pen, I could recommend the Pilot Elite 95s. It's on offer for ¥7,800 on Amazon.co.jp (inclusive of Japan's domestic consumption tax of 8%) which is about 62.50 at the current exchange rate and US$83.98 (73.73) on Amazon.com; mine cost me ~A$108 (68) after eBay promotional discounts but including GST (in a sense, our border tax) shipped to Australia, so that model is in the price class of "below 75". Lightweight, well-constructed, actually fairly long when the cap is posted, and has a Pilot quality 14K gold nib. I don't generally like pens that are both slender and lightweight, but I make an exception for the Pilot Elite 95s as a convenient, tiny pen to carry yet writes very well.

Edited by A Smug Dill

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hm, I don't dislike rounded caps or barrels. I mean, I have three Metro's :P

 

What about the Pilot Prera? Is that a good pen?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hm, I don't dislike rounded caps or barrels. I mean, I have three Metro's :P

I was just going by:

 

In regards to style: I like the looks of for example the magnenta Parker Urban, the blue Lamy Studio, the Pelikan Souverains and Classics, Parker Sonnet and IM.

All of those have flat ends, or at least a flat cap, no?

 

What about the Pilot Prera? Is that a good pen?

I suppose. I (bought, and now) have three brand new ones sitting in a drawer, but have never inked or used a Prera myself. However,

 

... an upgrade would essentially be a better nib and smoother writer in my mind,

The Prera uses the same nibs, feeds and inking mechanism as the Pilot MR, so it wouldn't be an upgrade in that regard.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, most any nib can be made to write "smoother". 12000 grit Micromesh and some Myler sheets can be used to tune nibs into buttery smooth writers. Smoothness out of the box is definitely preferred, but it's possible to enhance most nibs if you aren't fully happy with how they write stock.

 

As for where to get those things in your country, I don't know. Others can chime in maybe...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Prera CM, and I like it. It's got just a little bit more girth in the section than an MR, which I find to be too narrow (and I don't like the step where it screws into the barrel). Prera nibs are, as far as I know, no different from MR nibs.

 

For me, finding out what I do and don't like in a pen involved a process of getting an of inexpensive Chinese pen, using it for a few months, noting whether I liked or disliked it for its length, girth, weight, materials, section profile, and so on. By now, my preferences in form factor are pretty well hammered out -- no more than 140mm capped, section diameter of 9.5-10,5mm, weight no more than 25-30g, with a preference for around 20g, with a section that preferably doesn't taper, or at least has a stop at the end. Pens that fit this profile include Pelikan M2xx, Pilot Prera, Platinum Plaisir, FPR Himalaya and Triveni Jr., Nemosine Singularity, and Noodler's Konrad.

 

So of course my most used pen is a Hero 616, an "homage" to the Parker "51", which has a tapered section that gets pretty darned slim near the point. But I hold that down by the clutch ring.

 

edit: +1 on learning to smooth nibs, another reason to pick up some inexpensive Chinese pens. The finest abrasive on a nail buffer stick can also be used for this purpose.

Edited by Arkanabar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In addition to others mentioned I would suggest:

 

Cartridge Pens

Parker 45 (replacement nib easy to get)

Pilot 78G (nibs are interchangeable with Pilot Plumix)

Lamy Safari

Kaweko Sport

 

If you can somehow do without a cartridge pen, which I strongly suggest you try at some point, I would highly recommend a restored Parker 51 Aerometic such as Farmboy here on FPN sells somewhat on a regular basis. They are rugged pens, hold a very good amount of ink and are easy to maintain. A very reasonably priced pen is the TWSBI Eco. So far mine have faired well, they have a great guarantee and hold enough ink to write for days and days.

Edited by MKeith

"Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?" Patrick Henry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Also, most any nib can be made to write "smoother". 12000 grit Micromesh and some Myler sheets can be used to tune nibs into buttery smooth writers. Smoothness out of the box is definitely preferred, but it's possible to enhance most nibs if you aren't fully happy with how they write stock.

As for where to get those things in your country, I don't know. Others can chime in maybe...

 

Oh, I don´t have troubles with my nibs at the moment, they are all great and smooth. But I can imagine there are better nibs and I am also looking for an upgrade style wise.

 

If you can somehow do without a cartridge pen, which I strongly suggest you try at some point, I would highly recommend a restored Parker 51 Aerometic such as Farmboy here on FPN sells somewhat on a regular basis. They are rugged pens, hold a very good amount of ink and are easy to maintain. A very reasonably priced pen is the TWSBI Eco. So far mine have faired well, they have a great guarantee and hold enough ink to write for days and days.

 

I don´t write that much to work with converters or piston fillers and bottles of ink. The bottles would dry out on me I am afraid. Now if I used a few cartridges a month, it would be a different story. But since november I am still waiting for my first empty cartridge ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

 

Oh, I don´t have troubles with my nibs at the moment, they are all great and smooth. But I can imagine there are better nibs and I am also looking for an upgrade style wise.

 

 

I don´t write that much to work with converters or piston fillers and bottles of ink. The bottles would dry out on me I am afraid. Now if I used a few cartridges a month, it would be a different story. But since november I am still waiting for my first empty cartridge ;-)

 

 

 

I have a bottle of ink that's probably at least as old as I am, likely older...vintage Parker Quink with Solv-x. It hasn't dried up. It's mostly full and writes just fine. Bottles don't just evaporate off if not used up within 6 months...

 

And if it takes you over three months to use up just one cartridge, I would probably really focus on pens that are known for not drying out. Platinum's "slip and seal" cap has a great reputation for preventing nib dry out; check those out if you haven't already.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you choose to go Platinum, I'd suggest the Plaisir. My wife neglects hers for months at a time, and it never fails to write on the first stroke. I suggest the medium (0.5m) point, as it usually has less feedback than the fine (0.3m). Either can be smoothed with careful, gentle application of the very finest grit on a nail buffer stick (as in, two strokes, test, two strokes, test -- search for videos).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

So, since starting this thread I got a few Lamy Studio´s, the Lamy Scala and a few more Pilot Metropolitans.

 

Today I bought the Lamy 2000, can´t wait for it to arrive!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...