100% Satisfaction ? ( Do You Have One ? )

[old4570]

Be honest , what is your budget FP with no issues ..

 

No Burps

No leaks

No drying out

No writing issues ( Sweat spots )

No mods / tweaks / adjustments

 

Pens that just worked out of the box as shipped ?

 

I have (?) I dont want to know how many budget pens that have one issue or another . Some are just annoying others make the pen a throw away .

 

But seriously , how many actually have a pen that was 100% out of the box ?

 

Out of the ( I believe 100+ ) ones I own , I so far only have one pen that was 100% out of the box . ( Just one ) That is less than a 1% satisfaction rate for budget fountain pens .

OK !!! I have not inked all my FP's , I have only inked maybe half of them , if that . ( That would then be more like close to 2% )

After getting the one that was 100% satisfactory , I kind of lost interest in buying pens that would most likely have one issue or another .

I dont want to make excuses for the pen I use and at the moment I dont have to .. ( I did buy another and just 5 minutes ago , I got another .. I mean for around $2.50 USD , Id be silly not to )

 

Thats the question ? Do you have a budget FP you are 100% with out of the box ? A pen that only needed to be inked .

[peroride]

Budget, no issues and in the context of this forum?

 

My answer: http://pilotpen.us/categories/pilot-fine-writing/explorer/

 

I got it as a sale filler and to reduce shipping costs

 

What a great pen! The Medium is finer as is eastern nibs and takes a con-70 for higher volume.

 

It posts securely and perfectly sized.

 

While the steel does not write like my Custom Urushi; it gets the job done smoothly write out of the box.

 

Heck I even use the better inset foam case for my Pilot Capless Stripes

 

Think the Explorer's too long? Kakuno w/Con-70 is another 100% satisfaction

 

So yeah, there's a lot of great budget pens out there

[Holon]

- PenBBS 491, 308 and 323 with EF nibs

- Moonman M2 (EF)

[Mech-for-i]

Actually quite a number .. But I had to add that usually I can still improve the writing experience further with some tweaking tuning here and there.

[Estycollector]

Wing Sung 601 with Waterman ink clicks on all of your points. The Lamy Al Star comes close, but it might be the wet ink to blame as I get ink on my second finger a bit.

[ian1964]

I have bought a total of 4 Moonman Wancai ( two bought for others) and every one has been perfect straight from the box. I use them as eye droppers with Diamine inks in all of them.

[Sailor Kenshin]

In order of acquisition:

Hero 616. (Hands down, every one!)

Delike New Moon. Both of them, came two in a case, writes a hairline, but they work.

WS 601. Which I loved so much I got three of.

[Mech-for-i]

My list probably too long to produce here but I've found that price , vintage , mfr , country of origin generally had no correlation here.

 

Mind that some model simply exhibit so wide a QC that it really cannot be said to represent - Lamy Safari and Hero 616among the 2 I had experience first hand that give me no end of nightmare as well as giving me some care free out of the box writing pleasure.

[sciumbasci]

Hero 616 Doctor, from mentag, the kind that comes in blisters.

I bought a total of 24, in sets of 3 (black maroon and teal).

 

To me the 616 Doctor is the ultimate pen: cheap, sturdy, with a ink sac, writes with just about any ink and has that sweet EF nib with just enough feedback.

[MuddyWaters]

No chinese pen ever provided me with 100% satisfaction except for the Wing Sung 601 which provided something no other maker in the FP world was making. However, I can't comment on its longevity since I lost it within 2 months of using it daily at work.

 

Otherwise, Chinese pens have had a tendency to fall apart (WS 3008), be too small (almost all), have boring nibs (WS 698), or leak like crazy (all hero hooded nib pens including 616 unfortunately). But they are still great pens to learn on.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I forgot one, and I'm using it now with Monteverde Ash ink, and I don't remember the 'name:' a WS with Pilot-like feed, similar in looks to the Prera. Fun colors, fine dry nib, satisfying cap click.

[NighthawkSix]

I've had great success with three Wing Sung 601As. Right out of the box they write great. They are a nail, but that's what I need for a EDC work pen.

[Estycollector]

WS 601's are getting some good press.

[Ardakilic]

Weirdly, Baoer 388 and PenBBS 494 were perfect for me out of the box. None of the issues provided appeared on me whatsoever.

 

Also, I had some hard start issued with Wing Sung 698, but it's almost gone. Maybe from long time usage, can't say much, but no tinkering done. Apart from that, it's also perfect for me.

 

I also own some Jinhao x750s, 991s, Baoer 508s etc. etc. All had some sorts of issues.

[Honeybadgers]

WS601, no contest.

 

the 698 is reliable too.

 

Muji aluminum.

 

If I care about writing and low cost above all else, preppy.

 

Until the cracking issue, I would have said the kaco edge. its nibs were always perfect.

Edited April 21, 2020 by Honeybadgers

[como]

Pelikano school pens, plastic with steel nib. No issues, smooth writer with pencil like feedback. The steel nib is even a bit bouncy. Ok, it's not the most beautiful thing, but absolutely nothing to complain about for 20 francs (I am sure they are even cheaper in Germany or elsewhere).

[eachan]

Moonman 600s. Absolutely faultless in 6 months of constant use.

[Mech-for-i]

My latest 100% satisfaction pen came in the form of the Wolff 286 which I had not been using until lately