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Long time basic fountain pen writer, grown curious.


mskb

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28 minutes ago, awa54 said:

proving a pen doesn't need to be expensive to have a well sealed cap!

 

¥300 (ex tax) Platinum Preppy. QED.

 

37 minutes ago, awa54 said:

Another side note: Platinum 3776 pens with a snap cap don't have the same level of dry-out resistance as the screw cap models, they're actually a bit below average for a modern design.

 

The Platinum #3776 Celluloid models, now rebranded Platinum #3776 Century Celluloid, have screw-caps, don't have such great cap seal effectiveness either. The key is whether the pen model is fitted with the Slip and Seal mechanism, and not just whether it has a snap-cap or a screw-cap (Preppy has a snap-cap, #3776 Century Chenonceau White has a screw-cap), or whether it bears the #3776 or even #3776 Century ‘brand’ (these days).

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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I forgot a Sailor Realo for what must have been five years in a drawer and it started on the first touch.

Too many pens; too little writing.

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8 hours ago, awa54 said:

I've never been charged import duty on a foreign bought item shipped to the US ...and I've made several foreign purchases that exceeded $250 in the last decade, value of goods was always clearly stated on the package.

 

Thank you @awa54! That greatly helps.

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If we're completely honest here, the actual *writing* experience you'll be getting with any of the suggested pens is only incrementally better/different than what you're used to with your basic Pilot (soft nibs excepted).

 

Some of the gold nibs will have a softer feel, with more bounce from the nib, others will be as rigid (or even more!) as your current steel nib. Ink flow is unlikely to be much different either. 

What you *will* be getting is nicer fit and finish, a better clip design, lighter (and to my taste, more comfortable in hand) acrylic resin cap and barrel, gold or rhodium finishes (as opposed to chrome) and of course, prestige.

 

If you were shopping for extra-fine, broad, music, zoom, or flex nibs, then the suggested step-up pens provide options that are generally unavailable in budget models.

 

This said, I definitely suggest making the step up to any of these pens, IMO the subtly better writing qualities and pride of ownership are worth the price of admission for anyone who uses their FPs regularly.

 

Beware though, you may be taking the first step toward addiction. Once you've sampled the variety of available pens (especially vintage or LE), it's often a downward spiral into... I believe "collecting" is the polite term. ;)

David-

 

So many restoration projects...

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2 hours ago, mskb said:

 

Thank you @awa54! That greatly helps.

I have been charged tax on a pen just the once and, if I recall, it was around 20% on a pen from Germany which wouldn't have been charged had we not left the EU which is the dumbest thing the UK has done for a long time.  

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58 minutes ago, awa54 said:

If we're completely honest here, the actual *writing* experience you'll be getting with any of the suggested pens is only incrementally better/different than what you're used to with your basic Pilot (soft nibs excepted).

 

Some of the gold nibs will have a softer feel, with more bounce from the nib, others will be as rigid (or even more!) as your current steel nib. Ink flow is unlikely to be much different either. 

What you *will* be getting is nicer fit and finish, a better clip design, lighter (and to my taste, more comfortable in hand) acrylic resin cap and barrel, gold or rhodium finishes (as opposed to chrome) and of course, prestige.

 

If you were shopping for extra-fine, broad, music, zoom, or flex nibs, then the suggested step-up pens provide options that are generally unavailable in budget models.

 

This said, I definitely suggest making the step up to any of these pens, IMO the subtly better writing qualities and pride of ownership are worth the price of admission for anyone who uses their FPs regularly.

 

Beware though, you may be taking the first step toward addiction. Once you've sampled the variety of available pens (especially vintage or LE), it's often a downward spiral into... I believe "collecting" is the polite term. ;)

 

Thanks for the reality check @awa54! These points and related discussions by other posters are helping me hone in on the pens' attributes I should check when I visit our local store.

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On 10/5/2021 at 12:44 AM, arcfide said:

Given that you haven't experienced a lot of different aspects of pens, my personal recommendation would be to get a pen that has an alternative filling system than your C/C system in your Pilot Metropolitan (piston, vacuum, eyedropper, &c.) and that has a replaceable Jowo nib unit. Then I'd buy a small range of nibs in various sizes, including stubs, flexy, and regular pen point tips, and try out the various points to see what you like and don't like. That way, you can hone in on the experience you're looking for and what you like and don't like all in a fairly self-contained experiment. Of course, that's not the way most people (including myself) went about it. 🙂 I'd also invest in a range of ink samples of various inks that are on the spectrum of properties, such as dry, wet, viscous, permanent, &c. That way you had an idea of how the inks can affect your writing experience.

 

I would say grab a cheap TWSBI on the side to do this with, but I would add the caveat that JoWo nibs are not at all representative of much of what draws people to Japanese fountain pens in terms of nibs.  They tend to be broader than a Japanese nib marked the same size, and won't have any of the feedback people like from Platinums and Sailors.

 

On 10/10/2021 at 4:44 PM, mskb said:

I had one question: if purchasing via eBay (e.g., the trustworthy cool-japan / penpen-avenue), how much $ does the US customs duty add up to, at least for these mid-range pens? Following txomsys' advice, I did check amazon.co.jp website, but the varieties offered are much less than eBay.

 

Thank you so much!

 

 

Given changes in US customs policies last year, you should be good.  Most orders be $800 in value shouldn't be charged customs, well above your budget.  In fairness, I've never been charged customs in over 15 years of ordering stuff from around the world, including records from Japan that were over the previous $200 limit.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/8/2021 at 6:15 PM, Karmachanic said:

 

Perhaps.

Sailor Pro Gear is a SHORT pen unposted.  Posted it's the same length as the Pelikan M200.  I find the Pro Gear back weighted and uncomfortable when posted.  For me the M200 is perfect when posted; perhaps because it was designed to be used that way.  It took perseverance to become comfortable with the unposted Pro Gear.  I found it worth the time and effort. 

Same experience here with the Pro Gear, very nice pen in terms of construction, robustness, nib, design...but very difficult ergonomics because it is too short unposted and it is unbalances when posted. Much better, if you like that design with flat top, the Pilot 712.

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1 hour ago, manolo said:

Same experience here with the Pro Gear, very nice pen in terms of construction, robustness, nib, design...but very difficult ergonomics because it is too short unposted and it is unbalances when posted. Much better, if you like that design with flat top, the Pilot 712.

 

The superb construction, first class material and feel of the pen are qualities that drove my perceverance.  Picking it up and writing a few lines couple of times a week paid off.  Now I happily use it unposted, despite its diminutive length.

Add lightness and simplicate.

 

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26 minutes ago, Karmachanic said:

 

The superb construction, first class material and feel of the pen are qualities that drove my perceverance.  Picking it up and writing a few lines couple of times a week paid off.  Now I happily use it unposted, despite its diminutive length.

Well, good for you, I sold mine after comparing it with the Custom 712 and the Platinum President.

I even ended up selling a Sailor 1911 in favour of those 2, which I keep from years ago. With this, I learnt that Sailor nibs are not to my taste and never bought another one.

The good thing of having so many options in pen-dom is that we can test and keep those that better fit every one of us.

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On 10/10/2021 at 8:20 PM, mskb said:

 

Thanks @VillersCotterets. I agree. Looks like our local store has been recently bought by Appelboom. I have emailed them about a visit. I look forward to making my purchase at the store. Thanks! 

Are you in the Boston area, mskb?  Because I know that Appelboom just bought Bromfield's.  Coincidentally, that was where I bought my first Metropolitan, while on a trip to visit in-laws in Boston's Metrowest.  I liked how I was able to try the pens to see whether I preferred an M or F nib (I ended up choosing a plain silver color one with an M nib -- and liked it so well that more recently I bought a Grey/Herringbone Retro Pop with a stub nib).

One consideration for you is whether you want a pen or not is whether you want much variance in size or weight.  When I bought a TWSBI 580-AL a few years ago, it took a while to get used to because it was so much heavier than my other pens (although the size was good for my hand).

I don't have a Pilot 74, but I do have a Pilot Falcon and a couple of Pilot Decimos, which I like a lot, and I also have a Sailor Pro-Gear Slim and a couple of Sailor 1911S pens and I like them as well.  

I have small hands so overly large or heavy pens don't work well for me -- the TWSBI 580-AL and 589-ALR are pretty much the limit weight-wise.  I do have one fairly large pen (especially compared to most of the others) -- it's a vintage Sheaffer Balance Oversize which had originally belonged to my husband's grandfather, and while a large pen it is not a heavy pen.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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12 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Are you in the Boston area, mskb?  Because I know that Appelboom just bought Bromfield's.  Coincidentally, that was where I bought my first Metropolitan, while on a trip to visit in-laws in Boston's Metrowest.  I liked how I was able to try the pens to see whether I preferred an M or F nib (I ended up choosing a plain silver color one with an M nib -- and liked it so well that more recently I bought a Grey/Herringbone Retro Pop with a stub nib).

One consideration for you is whether you want a pen or not is whether you want much variance in size or weight.  When I bought a TWSBI 580-AL a few years ago, it took a while to get used to because it was so much heavier than my other pens (although the size was good for my hand).

I don't have a Pilot 74, but I do have a Pilot Falcon and a couple of Pilot Decimos, which I like a lot, and I also have a Sailor Pro-Gear Slim and a couple of Sailor 1911S pens and I like them as well.  

I have small hands so overly large or heavy pens don't work well for me -- the TWSBI 580-AL and 589-ALR are pretty much the limit weight-wise.  I do have one fairly large pen (especially compared to most of the others) -- it's a vintage Sheaffer Balance Oversize which had originally belonged to my husband's grandfather, and while a large pen it is not a heavy pen.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Hi Ruth, Indeed, I am in Boston. Very nice story on the Metropolitan! :) Work has keept me away - I intend to visit this shop soon.

 

Thanks for your insights on the Pilots and the TWSBIs, with the cautious note on the weight. I like the heft of the Pilot Metro, so really interested in seeing how I like these one-step-up pens. Thank you so much! - Kumar

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On 10/10/2021 at 10:44 PM, mskb said:

I had one question: if purchasing via eBay (e.g., the trustworthy cool-japan / penpen-avenue), how much $ does the US customs duty add up to, at least for these mid-range pens? Following txomsys' advice, I did check amazon.co.jp website, but the varieties offered are much less than eBay.

 

Thank you so much!

 

 

Some ebay sellers offer shipment and tax already paid, in other cases it depends on luck I suppose, and where you are.

Here in Italy if I buy from a Japanese ebay seller I have additional VAT and customs clearance added on ALL the time.

Sometimes, calculations done, it's still worth it vs the local retail prices...

In the past I have never paid added tax or customs for shipments from India and China for example (but from Japan, yes), more recently though EU law has changed and there is much more attention from authorities. I have paid VAT and customs tax on the last two purchases from China and India, despite relatively cheap value of goods...

Probably up to you to take the risk (and clearly I cannot give you useful advise for shipment to US).

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