Signature Pen

[eclectic2316]

Am searching for a fountain pen to be used mostly for signature

that is distinctive but not pretentious.

 

Any recommendations of models and nibs would be appreciated.

 

Thank you. Kind regards, Paul

 

[ParramattaPaul]

Given your stated requirements, the options are numerous. I suggest looking through various online catalogues and getting what you like the best.

[AL01]

 

 An Esterbrook with a stubby M or B nib will do the job and you can enjoy using it for daily writing as well. There is a great seller on Etsy who sells Esterbrooks that write nicely, (PM me if you want the seller's information.)

 

 Otherwise, pre '97 Pelikan nibs are stubby, but will cost you more than an Esterbrook. You can also find older Cross Townsends that are equipped with Pelikan nibs from the early to mid '90s.

[sgphototn]

34 minutes ago, eclectic2316 said:

Am searching for a fountain pen to be used mostly for signature

that is distinctive but not pretentious.

 

Any recommendations of models and nibs would be appreciated.

 

Thank you. Kind regards, Paul

 

What's your price point?

Distinctive is also very subjective as well as what might be considered pretentious. There are certain pens I won't use that would be considered distinctive (for instance, gaudy bright acrylics would be out of place for me) and some people might considered my Yard-O-Led or Pelikan M1000 as pretentious.

 

So check out a lot of websites and that might help you narrow the field.

 

Good luck.

[sansenri]

I know some people like to have a pen for signatures. That sound odd to me, having been used to always use a fountain pen, I usually sign with the pen I have...

But I can perhaps understand wanting a pen with a rather refined look to be used in such occasion.

Does depend a lot on your budget.

I would probably choose a not too wide stub nib, so that you have some line variation, which is nice to see in a signature, but not excessive.

[sansenri]

as you don't mention a price point, here is what I might consider distinctive but not pretentious.

A Pelikan M600 in Stresemann grey finish is rather stylish but sober (nice for office environment) and in my opinion not at all pretentious.

[carola]

59 minutes ago, sansenri said:

as you don't mention a price point, here is what I might consider distinctive but not pretentious.

A Pelikan M600 in Stresemann grey finish is rather stylish but sober (nice for office environment) and in my opinion not at all pretentious.

Pelikan Stresemann, yes. I was thinking about the same pen, only in the M805 version. Or even in the M1005 version if he likes it really big. Elegant understatement, sober and yet beautiful colour, very distinctive.

Do I have to mention I really love my M805 Stresemann?

[lionelc]

would you consider a vintage one then?  something like a conway stewart herringbone 85L, broad nib - many dont need further attention (ie cost) to write a a subtle stubby line with a bit of flexibility as well.  it would be distinctive - only those in the know would recognise one.  it is also less 'shiny' which can be seen as less pretentious but more importantly discourage random pen borrowers.

[loganrah]

Montblanc 149 3B

[Mr.Rene]

Really? A fountain pen to be used for signature

 is always pretentious...I think...😂🤣👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[Arkanabar]

We are shooting in the dark here.

 

I agree that a stubby nib will give your writing some flair through its line variation, but that also means you have to hold the pen a little more carefully, so the entire edge of the nib is on the paper.  And it also means your lines get rather broad, so if your signature space is only 6mm high, that would cause things to be difficult.

 

I wonder about your preferences, and how much use your signature pen will see.  If you prefer a slim pen, and sign sixty documents a day, I wouldn't want to recommend an MB 149, because it'd be too thick.  But if it's for one or two documents a week, then its writing and handling characteristics matter quite a bit less.

 

Your budget matters, as well.  If you regard $150 as your upper limit, then we have no business suggesting a $1500-$15,000 urushi or maki-e pen.

[loganrah]

Some other factors that come in to play: 

 

Do you need permanent inks for your signing? If so you might want to pick a pen that will play nice with pigment inks (something easily dissembled for cleaning) or iron-gall inks. 

 

Pigment inks are generally very wet while iron gall inks are quite dry. Will you be signing on high quality paper that can resist a wet ink well, or on low quality paper that feathers or bleeds?

 

Will you be signing documents that will be quickly put away? If so drying timing will matter and you might want to choose a thinner line size. If you will be signing documents that can be allowed to dry for a while then a thicker line size is more acceptable. A flex nib might be a good choice to give you either option when you want them. 

 

And, as others have noted, budget is probably the most important limit on suggestions.

[ParramattaPaul]

15 minutes ago, Arkanabar said:

I agree that a stubby nib will give your writing some flair through its line variation, but that also means you have to hold the pen a little more carefully, so the entire edge of the nib is on the paper.  And it also means your lines get rather broad, so if your signature space is only 6mm high, that would cause things to be difficult.

 

Using a stub nib could prove problematic if the pen is used by others who are not used to a fountain pen, much less a stub nib.  At best, they'll produce a scratchy signature and at worst a holed document.

[I-am-not-really-here]

"Distinctive but not pretentious" could mean anything but what comes to my mind is a Pilot Vanishing Point (using cartridges and not the tiny capacity converters). You will know it is a fountain pen but your audience, if there is one, may be completely unaware.  Versus the uncapping ritual any other fountain pen requires and the nib a dead giveaway that you do not have a simple rollerball.

[A Smug Dill]

Lamy 2000 Black Amber, or Lamy 2000 Blue Bauhaus, limited edition pens. Understated in appearance, but not the garden-variety Lamy 2000 Makrolon or brushed stainless steel models to be distinctive to those who know fountain pens. The slip-cap makes the business end of the pen easier to deploy for a signature here and there; and the relatively generous capacity of the ink reservoir, along with (in my experience) effectiveness in preventing ink evaporation in spite of being a slip-cap, means you don't have to refill very often at all.

 

As for nib width, just choose what works best with your signature. If it consists of four intersecting coils and squiggles, then you'd probably want something broader than an EF; and if it consists of three cursive/stylised Chinese hanzi characters with 15 pen strokes each on average, then a B nib just won't be suitable.

[jchch1950]

8 hours ago, loganrah said:

Montblanc 149 3B

+1 

[carola]

Montblanc? He said "not pretentious".

Montblanc fans see that probably differently, but to me a Montblanc is in some aspects the peak of pretentiousness.

I´ve probably seen too many men (no women I have to say) who come to a meeting, sit down and immediately place a pen on the table before them in this certain "See? I´ve got this costly thing here and it´s a fountain pen because I´ve got money and style." manner. They never use it (well, maybe to jot down two words during a 3 hour meeting), it´s just sitting there the whole time for everybody to notice. And it is always, ALWAYS a black Montblanc with gold trim of varying size, usually rather big.

 

If you want understatement and distinctiveness, I wouldn´t choose a Montblanc.

 

And before I get rocks thrown at me, I know perfectly well there are people out there who dearly love their MBs. No offence to you. It´s just that there also seem to be a lot of people who are drawn to the snowy caps exactly for pretentiousness because Montblanc is broadly known even to non-fountain pen people as a trademark and as being expensive. A status symbol at its best. 🤷‍♀️

[Karmachanic]

Sharpie.

 

[carola]

2 minutes ago, Karmachanic said:

Sharpie.

 

Ummm... No. 🙈

[ParramattaPaul]

29 minutes ago, carola said:

Montblanc? He said "not pretentious".

Montblanc fans see that probably differently, but to me a Montblanc is in some aspects the peak of pretentiousness.

I´ve probably seen too many men (no women I have to say) who come to a meeting, sit down and immediately place a pen on the table before them in this certain "See? I´ve got this costly thing here and it´s a fountain pen because I´ve got money and style." manner. They never use it (well, maybe to jot down two words during a 3 hour meeting), it´s just sitting there the whole time for everybody to notice. And it is always, ALWAYS a black Montblanc with gold trim of varying size, usually rather big.

 

If you want understatement and distinctiveness, I wouldn´t choose a Montblanc.

 

And before I get rocks thrown at me, I know perfectly well there are people out there who dearly love their MBs. No offence to you. It´s just that there also seem to be a lot of people who are drawn to the snowy caps exactly for pretentiousness because Montblanc is broadly known even to non-fountain pen people as a trademark and as being expensive. A status symbol at its best. 🤷‍♀️

 

I have to agree with you that a Mont Blanc is a 'status' pen.  I own one -- a rollerball -- that was a graduation gift decades ago.