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Which Brand Do You Enjoy The Most And Trust Blindly?


The-Thinker

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its quite amazing how their affordable line nibs are really well tuned, you cant even fined well tuned nibs in flagship these days for 1000 times the price of a pilot

 

New straight out of the box? Most likely Pilot for me, especially in terms of not needing to tune the nib. Including down to their cheapest Petit, works well straight out of the box.

Most of the other brands (especially Italian ones) if they're straight from the factory it's a hit or miss that it's going to need minor adjustment.

The one I seem to be the most skeptical of (or would want to have it tuned for sure before the seller sent it) is Visconti.

Vintages as said above, probably Parker in regards to their 51, 45, and 75. The 45s seem especially promising despite being their low cost pens of the time, yet if you get one, most of the time you just need a good flushing (and maybe a new converter on the 45/75) and you're good to go.

But I enjoy my vintage Pelikans much more than Parker.

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Out of the box: Lamy, the big Japanese 3 (Pilot, Sailor, Platinum, and (surprisingly) Wing Sung.

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Out of the box: Lamy, the big Japanese 3 (Pilot, Sailor, Platinum, and (surprisingly) Wing Sung.

 

interesting, i feel that the chinese pens are getting better these days

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i have never owned an aurora is it a good idea to try one before a lamy 2000 ( i know they are not at the same price point, but regarding experience)

Try to get a vintage 88P: you can buy these from the Bay or other sources (zona900.com; no experience but has good reviews): excellent pens, high capacity piston filler and not as expensive as the Lamy 2000. Highly recommended!

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Try to get a vintage 88P: you can buy these from the Bay or other sources (zona900.com; no experience but has good reviews): excellent pens, high capacity piston filler and not as expensive as the Lamy 2000. Highly recommended!

 

are the vintage 88 cheaper than the lamy 2000 ? i had no idea! i will definitely check them out

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are the vintage 88 cheaper than the lamy 2000 ? i had no idea! i will definitely check them out

Kind of a big 'depends', ranging anywhere from $75 to $200 , depending on rarity, and in some cases whether or not the nib on them is semi-flex or flex.

 

They look a tad like a Parker 51, but the nib sticks out a little more similar to the look of the Lamy 2000. An Aurora 88 (probably the P) is among my list of pens I'd like to get eventually.

 

http://www.inkwell-pens.com/shop/product/313/AURORA-88P-Vintage-Fountain-Pen-Near-Mint-Original-Box-c.1973

 

I see the Lamy 2000 as being roughly a $100 pen, instead of the MSRP of 200 they throw around. So I take the 'cheaper than a 2K' with a grain of salt, since it's also a matter of how cleanly restored the 88P is.

Edited by KBeezie
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Kind of a big 'depends', ranging anywhere from $75 to $200 , depending on rarity, and in some cases whether or not the nib on them is semi-flex or flex.

 

They look a tad like a Parker 51, but the nib sticks out a little more similar to the look of the Lamy 2000. An Aurora 88 (probably the P) is among my list of pens I'd like to get eventually.

 

http://www.inkwell-pens.com/shop/product/313/AURORA-88P-Vintage-Fountain-Pen-Near-Mint-Original-Box-c.1973

 

I see the Lamy 2000 as being roughly a $100 pen, instead of the MSRP of 200 they throw around. So I take the 'cheaper than a 2K' with a grain of salt, since it's also a matter of how cleanly restored the 88P is.

I agree. Still, if you have the patience (or the time to really search the web) you'll be able to find an 88P for less than a Lamy 2000. I have an 88P and an 88 (both vintage) and, even after having some work done on them by a nibmeister, they were well below a Lamy 2000.

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that is interesting! i have been thinking of making my sailor a tad wetter too! did you open up the tines by bending the tip and doing the "fingernail technique" on youtube ?

Precisely. Because I did not want to ruin it, I pressed very slightly, a couple of times if I remember correctly.

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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It seems you prefer finer nibs and and harder nibs.

You could say that. How I would summarise my nib preferences, in my usual verbose way, is:

  • I prefer nibs made precisely, and the lines they lay down on the page crisp at the edges, without undue physical sharpness or scratchiness. I appreciate a good Italic or Stub nib that puts down wide lines — to match the nib's stated width, e.g. 0.8mm Stub on the Nemosine Singularity, or width grade, e.g. Calligraphy Medium on the Pilot MR/Prera — on downstrokes, but keep to smooth fine (say, 0.2mm-wide) lines on cross-strokes. However, the broader a round-tipped nib, the more difficult it is to get crisp lines out of it as a matter of course, unless the tipping is specially ground with an angular "foot". Sailor, for one, is known for having such tipping geometry on its round-tipped nibs.

  • I like versatile nibs. As a writing instrument that does not sport a "specialty" or specialised nib, such as an Italic or Twin nib, I expect a pen to be "language-agnostic", and be suitable for writing in Chinese, English, Hindi, Japanese and Russian all the same, even though I only understand the first two (and can only copy writing in Japanese without understanding the text). There is a minimum capability requirement, for a nib to be fit for my writing purposes; other capabilities, such as being able to put down thick lines or produce swells on demand, are a boon and does the nib credit. The H-M nib on my Sailor kabazaiku pen gives me that out-of-the-box in a big way, but many other pens can also do it to some extent. A lot of other fountain pens — not limited to Japanese brands — arrive ready to support "reverse-writing" adequately, although I prefer not to have to keep holding the pen in that orientation in order to get the fine lines I require.

  • I don't mind nibs that exhibit elastic deformation — including Soft and Flex nibs — either to produce line variation and give one's handwriting some flair, and/or offer a bouncy writing experience, provided that the metal is really quick to return to the original shape as soon as the user's hand pressure is reduced. In fact, I prefer nibs that will initially comply but continuously push back when the user "forces" its tines to bend, in the way a rattan rod will bend but push back firmly, as opposed to a steel pipe that does not yield at all. The floppier or more "compliant" a Soft or Flex nib is, the bigger the demand it places on me in terms of concentration and fine motor control to get the shapes I want on the page, and the writing experience becomes taxing instead of relaxing and flowing. My Sailor 21K gold H-F nibs all exhibit some give, as do the Pilot gold #10 F nibs, and Pelikan steel M20x F nibs too, whereas the Platinum #3776 14K gold F nibs do not yield at all in my experience, and nor does the Lamy Z52 steel nib; but I enjoy writing with all of those.

I have tried the sailor naginata Broad and appreciate the craftsmanship, but i can not agree that it can be used as an EDC.

I suggest you try a Naginata Concord nib, which writes finely enough in normal orientation.

 

i have never owned an aurora is it a good idea to try one before a lamy 2000 ( i know they are not at the same price point, but regarding experience)

How much are you prepared to spend? :)

 

I like the look of, and enjoy writing with, most of my Aurora pens but not all of them. (Actually, I'm still waiting for six on the list, including all of the steel-nibbed ones, but five of them should arrive today.) I have two Lamy 2000 pens, although I've only written with one of them — the more expensive Blue Bauhaus limited edition — and frankly I don't like it, even though it is no doubt a well-made pen. Still, for US$100 the gold-nibbed Lamy 2000 Makrolon is probably worth a try, just to know what the fuss is about and form one's own opinion. The gold-nibbed Aurora Ipsilon Deluxe is about US$120, while the entry-level steel-nibbed Ipsilon can be had for around US$60. I just opened up a steel-nibbed one that arrived today, which cost me about US$56 (and it even came fitted with an Aurora converter, which isn't cheap to buy separately), and I'm finding that I like it quite a lot. Its EF nib may not be the finest Aurora EF nib I've used, but it performs respectably in that regard (12 parallel horizontal lines in a 5mm square space) and writes very smoothly, even when "reverse-writing".

 

There's an offer for the Aurora 888 Mercurio for US$436 right now, and I would've jumped on it if I didn't just buy the 888 Nettuno (but have already been relieved of it), an Optima in burgundy aerolide, and four other cheaper Aurora models this month.

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.

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have you owned an m1000?

 

Yes, I have three (well, technically, one is a M1050), usually one is always inked. They are among my favorite nibs.

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I don't have a sufficient sample size to offer an opinion on any brand of modern pens.

 

I flew helicopters (20,000 rivets flying in close formation) for 15 years so I don't trust mechanical stuff blindly or otherwise.

 

Given that proviso, the most consistently reliable vintage pens I have used (with a sufficient sample size to make an informed opinion) would be Parker and Esterbrook. Those 1920's Duofolds, 1930's Challengers, 1940's Victories and "51"s take a smiting and keep on writing. Same for the Esterbrook J pens and the Relief nibs.

 

The most consistently enjoyable are the Conklin Crescents and Duofolds. BHR and Toledo nibs are my idea of fun writing tools.

Dave Campbell
Retired Science Teacher and Active Pen Addict
Every day is a chance to reduce my level of ignorance.

fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pi

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even the big pilot namiki line ?

 

I don't own any namiki pens, but from the metro to the petit1, e95s, custom 92/74/823/justus 95, stella 95s, falcon, and a bunch others, yep. I've got maybe 25 different pilot models and the VP was the only one I didn't like (and I'm still willing to give the VP another chance and buy a decimo)

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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I like Twsbi. I’ve never had an issue with cracking, but all of my pens have been purchased within the last 4 years. Perhaps older models had trouble with this issue?

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The Delta Stantuffo model is by far my absolute favorite brand and model. Unfortunately, I can't add to the collection unless they come up on the secondary market.

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You could say that. How I would summarise my nib preferences, in my usual verbose way, is:

  • I prefer nibs made precisely, and the lines they lay down on the page crisp at the edges, without undue physical sharpness or scratchiness. I appreciate a good Italic or Stub nib that puts down wide lines — to match the nib's stated width, e.g. 0.8mm Stub on the Nemosine Singularity, or width grade, e.g. Calligraphy Medium on the Pilot MR/Prera — on downstrokes, but keep to smooth fine (say, 0.2mm-wide) lines on cross-strokes. However, the broader a round-tipped nib, the more difficult it is to get crisp lines out of it as a matter of course, unless the tipping is specially ground with an angular "foot". Sailor, for one, is known for having such tipping geometry on its round-tipped nibs.

  • I like versatile nibs. As a writing instrument that does not sport a "specialty" or specialised nib, such as an Italic or Twin nib, I expect a pen to be "language-agnostic", and be suitable for writing in Chinese, English, Hindi, Japanese and Russian all the same, even though I only understand the first two (and can only copy writing in Japanese without understanding the text). There is a minimum capability requirement, for a nib to be fit for my writing purposes; other capabilities, such as being able to put down thick lines or produce swells on demand, are a boon and does the nib credit. The H-M nib on my Sailor kabazaiku pen gives me that out-of-the-box in a big way, but many other pens can also do it to some extent. A lot of other fountain pens — not limited to Japanese brands — arrive ready to support "reverse-writing" adequately, although I prefer not to have to keep holding the pen in that orientation in order to get the fine lines I require.

  • I don't mind nibs that exhibit elastic deformation — including Soft and Flex nibs — either to produce line variation and give one's handwriting some flair, and/or offer a bouncy writing experience, provided that the metal is really quick to return to the original shape as soon as the user's hand pressure is reduced. In fact, I prefer nibs that will initially comply but continuously push back when the user "forces" its tines to bend, in the way a rattan rod will bend but push back firmly, as opposed to a steel pipe that does not yield at all. The floppier or more "compliant" a Soft or Flex nib is, the bigger the demand it places on me in terms of concentration and fine motor control to get the shapes I want on the page, and the writing experience becomes taxing instead of relaxing and flowing. My Sailor 21K gold H-F nibs all exhibit some give, as do the Pilot gold #10 F nibs, and Pelikan steel M20x F nibs too, whereas the Platinum #3776 14K gold F nibs do not yield at all in my experience, and nor does the Lamy Z52 steel nib; but I enjoy writing with all of those.

I suggest you try a Naginata Concord nib, which writes finely enough in normal orientation.

 

How much are you prepared to spend? :)

 

I like the look of, and enjoy writing with, most of my Aurora pens but not all of them. (Actually, I'm still waiting for six on the list, including all of the steel-nibbed ones, but five of them should arrive today.) I have two Lamy 2000 pens, although I've only written with one of them — the more expensive Blue Bauhaus limited edition — and frankly I don't like it, even though it is no doubt a well-made pen. Still, for US$100 the gold-nibbed Lamy 2000 Makrolon is probably worth a try, just to know what the fuss is about and form one's own opinion. The gold-nibbed Aurora Ipsilon Deluxe is about US$120, while the entry-level steel-nibbed Ipsilon can be had for around US$60. I just opened up a steel-nibbed one that arrived today, which cost me about US$56 (and it even came fitted with an Aurora converter, which isn't cheap to buy separately), and I'm finding that I like it quite a lot. Its EF nib may not be the finest Aurora EF nib I've used, but it performs respectably in that regard (12 parallel horizontal lines in a 5mm square space) and writes very smoothly, even when "reverse-writing".

 

There's an offer for the Aurora 888 Mercurio for US$436 right now, and I would've jumped on it if I didn't just buy the 888 Nettuno (but have already been relieved of it), an Optima in burgundy aerolide, and four other cheaper Aurora models this month.

 

i like your detailed explanation, it seems you prefer performance over overpriced beauty !

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wow that is impressive ! by toledo you mean the pelikan ?

 

I don't have a sufficient sample size to offer an opinion on any brand of modern pens.

 

I flew helicopters (20,000 rivets flying in close formation) for 15 years so I don't trust mechanical stuff blindly or otherwise.

 

Given that proviso, the most consistently reliable vintage pens I have used (with a sufficient sample size to make an informed opinion) would be Parker and Esterbrook. Those 1920's Duofolds, 1930's Challengers, 1940's Victories and "51"s take a smiting and keep on writing. Same for the Esterbrook J pens and the Relief nibs.

 

The most consistently enjoyable are the Conklin Crescents and Duofolds. BHR and Toledo nibs are my idea of fun writing tools.

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I don't own any namiki pens, but from the metro to the petit1, e95s, custom 92/74/823/justus 95, stella 95s, falcon, and a bunch others, yep. I've got maybe 25 different pilot models and the VP was the only one I didn't like (and I'm still willing to give the VP another chance and buy a decimo)

did the clip position bother you in the VP or the size ?

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i have been hesitant, even tho the newer models feel like a tank specially the AL/R

 

I like Twsbi. I’ve never had an issue with cracking, but all of my pens have been purchased within the last 4 years. Perhaps older models had trouble with this issue?

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