What Pens Wouldn't You Buy Again?

[sgphototn]

I've found that sometimes knowing why someone didn't like a pen might be as helpful as knowing why someone did. 

 

Here's two pens I wouldn't buy again.

 

Conklin Duragraph - Purchased January, 2020 on a whim. It's never felt good in the hand. The nib, a 1.1 (supposedly a JoWo) has never wrote well regardless of what I did. Changing nibs didn't help. Quick to dry up, hard starts, doesn't take regular Schmidt converters. After futzing with it for hours, it still was too temperamental to use. I've come back to it several times trying another potential solution, but to no avail. I'd give it away, but I wouldn't want to inflict it on anyone. The best part though is it was only $45.00 so I'm not out much.

 

Noodler Triple Tail - This is a case of where it's not the pen, it's me. It writes well. There are two things though that keep it from staying in the fold. First, while I've not had a problem with the pump style converter, I don't like it. It can be difficult to prime the pen with just a couple of drops as the converter isn't smooth. That's true about the Ahabs and Neponset too.  But the main thing is I don't like demonstrators. It was my first and will probably be my last. It seems unfinished and requires too much work to get the inevitable ink stains out of the section.  Even high-dollar demonstrators do not attract my attention. If I found a expensive demonstrator at a bargain price I might buy it, but only to resell it. I also know this is merely my personal opinion as others enjoy demonstrators. But if a pen doesn't look attractive to me, it's not staying.

[silverlifter]

• Pilot VP/Decimo: ergonomically, a nightmare for me: too heavy for their size, unbalanced, and the clip placement is awful. 
• Homo Sapiens: too heavy, the bayonet closures are right where I grip the pen so it was uncomfortable after half a page.
• Any acrylic C/C pen with a stock #6 nib: the pen equivalent of empty calories.

[ParramattaPaul]

My reply will probably earn my a place on most people's ignore list.

 

I found the one Lamy I have completely unimpressive.  It has been relegated to dust collector status, and will be the next free pen I'll give to an associate who asks to try a fountain pen.

[Buzz_130]

Another vote for the Visconti Homo Sapiens - unreliable filler with no view window for ink level, too thick to be used comfortably, and a pen that is far too heavy.

 

Buzz

[Paul-in-SF]

Please note, these are not digs on any pen's quality, just personal reasons why I don't use them. 

 

Cross Peerless 125 -- the nib is good, but the pen feels heavy and awkward in my hand. I discovered, too late, that I don't like lacquered metal pens. 

 

Diplomat Excellence A2 -- similar to above, good nib, heavy lacquered metal pen. 

 

Lamy Dialog 3 -- does not keep the nib from drying out long enough (2 weeks) for the way I use pens. 

 

Sailor 1911S -- just too small for me.

 

Graf von Faber-Castell Intuition Platino -- odd design quirks not interesting enough to make it fun to write with. Again, good nib, not comfortable for me to use. 

 

These are all excellent pens for the right person. Unfortunately, that person is not me. 

[TSherbs]

Lamy 2000

 

Diplomat Magnum

[gyasko]

Pelikan M_Whatever.  Two chicks, PF, E|N, 14k, 18k, steel... They’re all  such insipid nibs &  not worth the trouble to get them to write properly.

 

Pilot Capless: too heavy, needs frequent cleaning but is hard to clean.

[JonSzanto]

Kaweco Sport: I still love the compactness and build, but it is too small for me to use with any comfort..

Lamy 2000: As remarkable an achievement as it is, the pen bores me to tears and is not used.

[mizgeorge]

1 hour ago, ParramattaPaul said:

My reply will probably earn my a place on most people's ignore list.

 

I found the one Lamy I have completely unimpressive.  It has been relegated to dust collector status, and will be the next free pen I'll give to an associate who asks to try a fountain pen.

I'm so with you Paul, I've never met a Lamy I got on with. I find them generally dry, and don't like the styling or the performance. I especially don't like the Safari, but I have to include the 2000. I own one as an exemplar, and I can appreciate its design qualities, both material and form, but don't like writing with it at all. 

 

As a general rule, I don't get on with capless (too much faff), hooded nibs (sorry Parker 51 et al) or anything with too much bling - especially not huge pens with too much bling. I also try to avoid anything that's too blatant a copy of someone else's design, but that seems to be harder all the time, especially when I'm just looking for great performance at a sensible price - which is my second main reason for getting a pen (after the ooooh! pretty factor).

 

I'm sure there are lots more I've been disappointed in, but I'd be here all day if I tried to name them individually!

 

I really want to like wooden pens, but I can't say I wouldn't buy one again because I've yet to find one I wanted to buy. 

[Sailor Kenshin]

I can't really say I wouldn't buy any pens again, even ones I didn't like.  They gave me an opportunity to try things out and discern what works for me.

 

I have a LOT of pens, so at this point nothing too heavy or thin, and nothing with a metal section.  I've given many away (next PIF coming soon) and sold a few, so others got a pen they wanted, or to try some for free.

[tim77]

Interesting!  Some of the unloved pens mentioned above are amongst my favourite.  I wonder if my neglected pens are likewise treasured by somebody else?  Here they are:

• Tactile Turn Gist titanium
• Ensso Italia titanium / brass / aluminium
• Karas Ink aluminium

These pens all have the same problem.  They look great, feel great, and I really want to like them, but they're hopeless as practical writers.  The cap threads jam and are generally unpleasant, and the section tends to unscrew at inopportune moments.

 

I don't dislike all machined pens: I carry my steel Kaweco Liliput most of the time, and even the gloriously ridiculous copper Karas Ink gets regular use (whenever my writing muscles need a work out).

 

[MuddyWaters]

3 hours ago, silverlifter said:

•  
• Any acrylic C/C pen with a stock #6 nib: the pen equivalent of empty calories.

 

👏 Agreed

 

 

There are a few people mentioning the Lamy 2000 and safari. I hope readers who have not tried these pens do not listen. They are excellent pens for what they do. 

[MuddyWaters]

3 hours ago, Paul-in-SF said:

Please note, these are not digs on any pen's quality, just personal reasons why I don't use them. 

 

Cross Peerless 125 -- the nib is good, but the pen feels heavy and awkward in my hand. I discovered, too late, that I don't like lacquered metal pens. 

 

Diplomat Excellence A2 -- similar to above, good nib, heavy lacquered metal pen. 

 

Lamy Dialog 3 -- does not keep the nib from drying out long enough (2 weeks) for the way I use pens. 

 

Sailor 1911S -- just too small for me.

 

Graf von Faber-Castell Intuition Platino -- odd design quirks not interesting enough to make it fun to write with. Again, good nib, not comfortable for me to use. 

 

These are all excellent pens for the right person. Unfortunately, that person is not me. 

 

For me the cross peerless is exactly that pen, especially for the amount of money I paid for it. 

 

I have always been tempted by the diplomat excellence but after the peerless, I won't even try. 

 

Funnily, I have been thinking of 1911s, but probably to not dish full price on a bigger model, so I should probably just keep my money and enjoy what I have for now. 

[Cassotto]

I wouldn't buy a Platinum Preppy again. I wanted to have a cheap fountain pen so as to have one I could afford not to be very careful about, and I had read good reviews about this one. But I didn't like how it felt when writing, and I haven't used it since the original cartridge run out.

 

And I've also got a Jinhao Whatever which I bought because I liked its looks, but it skipped, was too heavy for me, and the golden plating flaked in no time. I wouldn't buy it again.

 

As you can see, cheap pens maybe I shouldn't even have bothered to buy in the first place...

 

Anyway, rather than considering what pens I wouldn't buy again, I'd rather think of what pens I'd buy again. If I could find a new set of translucent red, blue and green Parker Vectors, I'd buy them without thinking twice about it. They are too small for my hands, but they are among the few pens I've never had a single problem with.

 

 

[chromantic]

6 hours ago, sgphototn said:

IConklin Duragraph - Purchased January, 2020 on a whim. It's never felt good in the hand. The best part though is it was only $45.00 so I'm not out much.

 

Same here, bought one on sale for $40, red marble/black cap, beautiful to look at but horribly designed imo. Very tall capped but clip was way too short so it barely caught on edge of shirt pocket; cap very heavy to boot. For such a tall pen with a long cap, the barrel/section was surprising short, topped by a monstrously long #6 nib that made the whole thing look terribly out of proportion. Had no desire to even ink it and sent it back for a refund.

[AmandaW]

Any pen with an ink "window" that's just a gaping hole in the barrel - think Lamy Safari and Al-Star, but there are others - because in my dry climate they allow the ink in the cartridge or converter to evaporate to dust within weeks. Even overnight the ink thickens to make a skippy pen.

 

Noodlers Ahab because they dry out too fast too. I had two. Gave them away.

 

What a waste.

[JonSzanto]

1 hour ago, MuddyWaters said:

There are a few people mentioning the Lamy 2000 and safari. I hope readers who have not tried these pens do not listen. They are excellent pens for what they do. 

 

Oh, come on now - the entire post is about the pens we aren't in love with. I could say that (the bolded part quoted) about the tires on my car, but it's not the same kind of relationship with my writing instruments, or at least not for me. And the thread is asking our perspective.

[Uncial]

Nakaya......just to prove the subjectiveness of the thread if nothing else.

[MuddyWaters]

49 minutes ago, JonSzanto said:

 

Oh, come on now - the entire post is about the pens we aren't in love with. I could say that (the bolded part quoted) about the tires on my car, but it's not the same kind of relationship with my writing instruments, or at least not for me. And the thread is asking our perspective.

 

That's true. I didn't dispute your perspective. I just stated that I hope other newbies were not dissuaded from taking a chance on them.

[ParramattaPaul]

5 hours ago, Quentin said:

Diplomat Magnum

I like the Magnum for what it is -- a utilitarian, low cost pen, but I will admit it is a wee bit short for my likings.