Your Favourite Designs

[Arkanabar]

To just sit and stare and smile, I'd have to say my Pelikan M205 aqua limited edition. Then would come FPR's acrylic Himalayas. I also love a celluloid Esterbrook J. Every so often I think about getting a classic BCHR, but I doubt I'll ever pull the trigger.

I try to avoid near occasions of sin, such as vanity, covetousness, and greed, and loving things and using people; we are meant to go the other way around, using things and loving people. So as not to inflame passions, I avoid looking for things to want.

[sansenri]

as far as pure aesthetics of design are concerned, I have a preference for simplicity

 

Stipula Novecento, for example, simple but harmonious lines

[FOUR X FOUR]

The most gorgeous pen I own or have ever seen, is the Visconti Blue Divina.

[cobalt]

A question with no answer, but there seems to be some clustering of people's preferences, which with analysis might throw up some general aesthetic features that rate higher than others. When I looked at the choices, a lot of them could pass for an illustration of a fountain pen in an illustrated encyclopaedia under the entry 'fountain pen'. When I think of the aesthetics, though, I look for some designerly thinking that transcends just tinkering around the edges, like shape of the ends, use of chrome banding or not, even the markings on the nib. Stripping away these 'distractions', I'm left with the Wahl Eversharp Skyline. It evokes more than pen-ness but transports the user to time when that was the bleeding edge of design and the aesthetic was part of the writing experience.

[Addertooth]

Cobalt,

I cannot fully argue with you. I find the Skyline to be very comfortable to hold and write with. I find (three) of my Skyline flex nibs to be the easiest to use in flex mode, with the least catches and scratches of any of my flex nibs (they are very novice friendly). I like the large variety of caps/bodies/derbies/nibs this model has, it almost rivals the Parker 51 in this sense. The fact they were the top seller in the 1940s tells you how the public felt about that pen, in that era. Probably their greatest strength and weakness is their function before form appearance. There are certainly other pens which are more eye-catching.

[cobalt]

Addertooth: agree on the nibs. I have a Wahl Skyline (no E.. on the pen) with the most amazing flexible firehose of a nib. Leaves a trail across the paper that shouts presence. I guess I also like the imagery around the pen design from the designer himself, Henry Dreyfuss.

 

I'm sure Sheldon, from Big Bang, would use Skylines, as he could feel he was writing with a train!

[Joe124013]

From a design perspective the Pilot Myu (I read a review somewhere that said it was reminiscent of the Concord plane and I think that's pretty accurate). Also I know most people think of them more for build quality, reliability, etc but the Conid Regular was something that really caught my eye when I saw it. Similar to the Lamy 2000 the pure functionality of it seems to add some aesthetic appeal to me.

[spirit_stampede]

Design-wise, my vote goes to the Aurora 88P, functional and elegant. I wouldn't remove any elements from that pen and that says a lot. Aurora Hastil also scores high in my book for design and packaging. Again, nothing feels redundant about its design but the nib performance is quite behind compared to the 88P.

[Karmachanic]

Conid Minimalistica. Simple, elegant, modern.

[Fermata]

Cross Verve, superb nib, radical design but flawed in execution

 

 

[MadAsAHatter]

I don't have a favorite shape. Cigar, torpedo, flat top, I like them all equally. I'm not overly fond of a hooded nibs though. What I do favor is the colors & patterns. I like the acrylic swirls in vibrant colors. My favorite pen that I own is my Monteverde Prima in blue swirl.

Edited October 22, 2019 by MadAsAHatter

[WJM]

My favorites are rather conservative classics.

 

1. Pelikan 400

- by which I mean the original 1950's design and all Pelikan lines which follow it to this day, Tradition/Classic/Souveran. Includes M200, which is one of my favorite pens.

 

2. Parker Duofold

- by which I mean the general "big flat top" design popularized by the original 1920's Duofold and now continued by modern Duofold and its knock-offs. I don't own any actual Duofolds, but I do enjoy the knock-offs (e.g. Kaigelu), which I suppose counts as we're talking designs rather than specific models.

 

3. Parker 51

- includes, obviously, the 51 and it's Chinese copies, Wing Sung 601 being the one use most frequently.

 

Honourable mention for Pelikan 100N.

[mongrelnomad]

Absolutely no contest.

 

http://www.maxpens.de/bilder/139km02.jpg

[Bookman]

(1) Aurora 88 LE Green Fine Flex

(2) Nakaya 17mm Portable Cigar Aka Tamenuri

(3) Sailor 1911 Full-Size Ribbed Black