Is your Grail pen your Favorite pen; Is you EDC you favorite or your grail?

[fireant]

On 4/20/2023 at 6:30 PM, amberleadavis said:

 

The prices on Fritz Schimpf are higher than that, but they have been sold out forever.  

 

https://www.fritz-schimpf.de/en/Brands/Montblanc/Montblanc-x-Fritz-Schimpf-Special-Editions/Montblanc-x-Fritz-Schimpf-Special-Edition-Italic-Edge.html?force_sid=nt5vfg9iot00kqj583556s8cr3&listtype=search&searchparam=italic edge&listtype=search&searchparam=italic edge

 

 

Oh sorry, I didn't pay VAT since I am in the US. So that was an 18% savings off the top. I  don't know what the tax is in Italy (never lived there) but I know I saved on the VAT/taxes on the 149 calligraphy as well.

 

I like it tremendously although I'm still learning what inks (I own) work best in it. I found Tom Kellie's thread very educational about the different dry inks in the pen. The first ink I used was honestly a diaster and it was like writing with a sharpie (had a similar experience with a Platinum music nib). 

 

Do you have one too? I learned about the pen when I asked in that group about the MB Brother's Grimm ink. I dithered a while then jumped. I think I got one of the last few ones they had.

 

 

[Arkanabar]

On 4/20/2023 at 10:00 AM, fireant said:

 I swear I should just use Lamy Safaris so I can be let out in public.

I understand completely.  A bunch of my pens are desk denizens only because I fear they'd be damaged by the rigors of nursing.  It's one of the things I like about FPR pens, they're typically durable and tough.

[senzen]

What an interesting topic. Short version: it depends a lot on each pen's match with a specific ink.

 

First grail pen: Pelikan M605 in solid blue, perfect combination with Verdigris.

Accidental grail pen: Waterman Carène, all three in perfect combination with Asa Gao, Kon Peki, Blood Orange.

Mesmerizing beauty: Geha Goldschwinge 725; these seem to need a lot of mollycoddling to get going, plus seem fragile; my OB finally shows all its smoothness with Rikyucha, the F is not there yet.

 

My regular black and rhodium Sailor Professional Gear might look sober but it achieves grail status as it makes Tsuyu Kusa shine. Conversely my Ciselé Parker 75 has had a hard time finding its ink as it dries out a little quickly, so inks start coming out darker. A Silver Pearl Vacumatic has reached the status as I found a way to make it dry out less quickly, even if it produces a very dark Blue Velvet. 

[Mangrove Jack]

On 4/10/2023 at 9:53 AM, amberleadavis said:

  Do you have one pen that completes all those categories?

Yes. The one that ticks all the boxes, for me, is the Pelikan M200.

It is my favourite pen, my EDC, the one I feel most comfortable writing with, and works well with all my favourite inks. 

 

[TrueBlue719]

I would say my grail is generally my EDC.  I keep one pen consistently inked, and then rotate through the rest of the collection the best I can.  

On 4/21/2023 at 7:23 PM, Arkanabar said:

I understand completely.  A bunch of my pens are desk denizens only because I fear they'd be damaged by the rigors of nursing.  It's one of the things I like about FPR pens, they're typically durable and tough.

I see you mentioned nursing. I'm just about to finish nursing school myself! What would you recommend I carry in the hospital (I intend on working in either ED or PACU)

[Arkanabar]

Well, don't take any pens to NCLEX.  If I recall correctly, I was only allowed to use a dry erase marker and the laminated cardstock they gave me.

 

I'm not going to suggest a specific pen or set of pens, but rather the characteristics I think are important.

 

First, it should be a pen you like to use.

Second, reliable.  You don't want to be trying to get your pen to work when you should be making notes for your assessments.  That includes easy to keep filled.

Third, inexpensive, at least by your standards.  Coping with damage or loss of the pen should not impose excessive costs, be they financial or emotional.  This is more likely to be an issue in the ED than PACU, as it's more unpredictable and chaotic.

And quick to deploy.  You don't want to be fiddling with your pen when you should be making notes for your assessments.

 

My preference is a Jinhao 51A XF.  Before I started working in behavioral health, I'd clip it to the outside of my scrub's collar or breast pocket.  To jot, I'd pull it out of the cap, leaving the cap clipped, and when done, I'd slip it back in.  I've never had one just drop out of the cap.  The same goes for the Hero 616, but I find the Jinhao easier to tune.  Both of these pens have the same cap retention system Parker first designed for the "51", a set of six leaf springs in the cap that engage a clutch ring between the hood and barrel.

[TrueBlue719]

52 minutes ago, Arkanabar said:

Well, don't take any pens to NCLEX.  If I recall correctly, I was only allowed to use a dry erase marker and the laminated cardstock they gave me.

 

I'm not going to suggest a specific pen or set of pens, but rather the characteristics I think are important.

 

First, it should be a pen you like to use.

Second, reliable.  You don't want to be trying to get your pen to work when you should be making notes for your assessments.  That includes easy to keep filled.

Third, inexpensive, at least by your standards.  Coping with damage or loss of the pen should not impose excessive costs, be they financial or emotional.  This is more likely to be an issue in the ED than PACU, as it's more unpredictable and chaotic.

And quick to deploy.  You don't want to be fiddling with your pen when you should be making notes for your assessments.

 

My preference is a Jinhao 51A XF.  Before I started working in behavioral health, I'd clip it to the outside of my scrub's collar or breast pocket.  To jot, I'd pull it out of the cap, leaving the cap clipped, and when done, I'd slip it back in.  I've never had one just drop out of the cap.  The same goes for the Hero 616, but I find the Jinhao easier to tune.  Both of these pens have the same cap retention system Parker first designed for the "51", a set of six leaf springs in the cap that engage a clutch ring between the hood and barrel.

All great suggestions, Thank you very much! I definitely won't take anything valuable with me for NCLEX, as I heard they make test takers surrender their belongings (understandably).

 

I've actually been in the very situation during clinical where my pen has run out of ink mid-assessment (thankfully I had a backup for lending patients I could use). I absolutely agree with what you say about damage and loss.  Running around on any unit amplifies that risk, and losing any pen besides a cheap Bic is an emotional loss!  

 

I may look into a 51A. It looks very similar to a Parker and I would imagine it performs similarly. Clipping it to the collar seems like a good idea too, I may just steal that! 

 

I saw you mentioned working in behavioral health. When I did my rotation there a few semesters ago, I saw some VERY interesting things! I could only imagine why you no longer keep your pen clipped to our collar! Every day must be a fun one for you!

[OCArt]

   I have an affliction. I am the son of depression era folks and their habits are deeply ingrained. I still pick up nails and the like from the ground only to  carry them home to deposit in a coffee can for some, unspecified and unanticipated, future need.  Needless to say I also pick up pennies from parking lots. 

   I was able to break away from my upbringing to the point where I did buy a Montblanc and several Pelicans but don't take them out of the office-- they are "for good." (Perhaps you know the phrase from your youth.) My EDC pens are likely made by Wing Sung or Hero and I derive great pleasure in spending so little on them.

[TSherbs]

7 hours ago, OCArt said:

   I have an affliction. I am the son of depression era folks and their habits are deeply ingrained. I still pick up nails and the like from the ground only to  carry them home to deposit in a coffee can for some, unspecified and unanticipated, future need.  Needless to say I also pick up pennies from parking lots. 

   I was able to break away from my upbringing to the point where I did buy a Montblanc and several Pelicans but don't take them out of the office-- they are "for good." (Perhaps you know the phrase from your youth.) My EDC pens are likely made by Wing Sung or Hero and I derive great pleasure in spending so little on them.

 

same same (and my wife is the same, thank god)

 

Tho, I do have a bit of trouble locating the screws that I take out of old wood and keep. This summer I must empty my garage, give away what I don't want, and reorganize with some proper shelving (at a height at which I don't have to bend over  ). I don't have a basement or attic, so EVERYTHING goes in the garage....except the car 🤣.

 

On the question, the closest pen(s) i have to grail status are my Custom 74 and my Maiora Alpha. Not grails, because I didn't quest after them and because I don't browse expensive pens (especially not now that I am not working anymore). I definitely don't ever take these two pens out anywhere, and I certainly never took them to school when I was teaching. 

 

 

[amberleadavis]

On 4/16/2023 at 6:11 PM, countrydirt said:

I started this hobby with a charcoal Lamy Safari and a Waterman Phileus (sp?).  Soon enough I chased quite a few different pens of varying values from cheap Chinese knockoffs to Pelikan and vintage Parkers and Esterbrook. 

 

At some point the Lamy 2000 became my "grail" pen and I searched and searched for a decent used pen so I wouldn't pay too much.  Welp, I ended up with 2 of them.  But at the same time I discovered the Lamy Studio and subsequently purchased about 5 different colors and nib combinations.   

 

My 2K with a F nib is still my favorite, but those Studios are the ones that are in daily carry rotation.  I almost always have a 2K inked up and on my home desk as it is just a fantastic pen for my hand.  

 

Now I am retired and unencumbered with a spouse spending all of the disposable income, but I have no desire to chase any other "grail" pen, even though I can now with only asking myself for permission.  

 

Contentment is awesome.

[amberleadavis]

2 hours ago, TSherbs said:

EVERYTHING goes in the garage....except the car 🤣.

 

 

 

I've heard that people put cars in the garage......

[TSherbs]

4 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

 

I've heard that people put cars in the garage......

 

must be fake news 😀

[Mark from Yorkshire]

Na just old news, that has become faded and dated

[ParramattaPaul]

5 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

 

I've heard that people put cars in the garage......

I put my car in the garage when I go away by air --- after I move everything out of the way so it will fit in that is.

[lisaswehla]

I am always seeking swooshy, silky, wet pens for my super fast writing style (practically illegible).    The music nibs in my Platinum 3776 and Sailor 1911 are lovely.   Slightly prefer the Sailor since the Platinum I bought from a left-handed collector and even after being adjusted at a pen show hasn't ever quite fit my writing angle as smoothly as the Sailor.

The Sailor 1911 music nib pen I chased down (probably via this forum 10 years ago) was sterling and turns out to be heavier than I prefer so i'm chasing down a lighter body for it.   

EDC:  My quest for the best old flex nibs found me a small unknown maker with no cap that is smooth and swift.   I use it most as it is so UNprecious and easy to work on.  Recentlyl farting around with bright Noodler's ink samples without a second thought. 

My first big pen dream was a wet noodle flex nib.   Ended up with a chased rubber Yankee by Pencraft that was indeed more flexible than any pen i'd met.   Due to the cracked nib I found when I got the loupe out.   <laughs>  I think I moderated my dreaming thereafter.    


 

[Bo Bo Olson]

No, very seldom use my ex-grail pens, in I have too many.

I looked around for grabbing a pen that I'd not used in a while....

 

EDC............I sit at my desk at home, so don't go out with a special daily writer....I might not take my P-75 out, or much. It is one of say 5 that very seldom go out the house.

 

It took me for ever to get this Columbus repaired. I got this 'cheap' back in the day. Pretty can happen at affordable prices with no name....have a half a dozen of them pretty no names. It was well hidden when I was grabbing pens for repair.

 

It is perhaps my third prettiest pen. A @1948 Italian made, Columbus piston pen. It has a Bercontra no. 37 nib???? (I don't know Italian nibs, so don't know if this is a true  'no name' or the Italian equivalent of Degussa or Bock. It is maxi-semi-flex gold plated....3X. It is not a Columbus nib.

The green marbled pen with the red copper stripes. Blind cap.

A medium-small pen, well balanced posted. No markings on nib or pen appears to be F/EF....more to the EF side. Makes a real nice Capitol L with Herbin Lie de Thee, my favorite light brown shading ink.

Parker never trademarked it's 'Arrow' clip, in others had it and more than likely before Parker.

 

Well, it was Grail to get repaired...that's for sure.

I'd take it out the house.