Heavy Pens

[Dblchief2]

I've noticed that, as a general rule, vintage pens tend to be skinnier and lighter than contemporary pens. Or perhaps put it this way: while contemporary pens can be as skinny and light as vintage pens, there are also many more larger, heavier pens being made today. I was wondering whether people have thoughts on why that is, what the relative advantages and disadvantages of heavy versus light pens are, and whether the proliferation of heavier, girthier pens is connected in any way to changes in our use of pens. Finally, I'm interested in your experiences with heavy pens. I don't own many, but I'd be interested to know whether they can be comfortable to use for long periods of time.

[sandy101]

Part of the reason is that vintage pens tend to be made of resins or celluloid.

 

I guess it's because of the cost of metal, and industrial processes developed in the 60's and 70's so that metal pens could be made a lot cheaper than plastic.

 

The 70's is the time of skinny metal pens - Parker 45, Madison, etc. Thin metal had more strength than thick plastic.

 

Trouble was, skinny pens are difficult to use - you need a lighter grip.

 

Asfar as weight goes - it's not the weight that's the issue - it's the distribution of the weight.

 

S T Dupont make lovely, balanced, metal pens. This makes the pens a joy to write with.

 

The Visconti Van Gogh has a metal section and a resin barrel. This puts the weight at the front end - which means the section is already pushing the nib into the paper, so the user doesn't have to.

 

Cheaper, metal pens are not always so well designed - and as a result they are more uncomfortable to use.

 

 

 

[Surlyprof]

 

8 hours ago, sandy101 said:

Asfar as weight goes - it's not the weight that's the issue - it's the distribution of the weight.

I couldn’t agree more.  One of my early purchases was a Gravitas Titanium Pocket Pen.  Beautiful and bombproof but I always felt the cap felt a little heavy making the pen a bit back-weighted.  Since it is a pocket pen, it has to be posted to be usable.  Ben Walsh sold me a stainless steel section at the SF Pen Show which added several grams to this already heavy-ish pen.  Despite this becoming my heaviest pen, it has also become an absolute dream to write with.  The heavier section does a beautiful job of offsetting the weight of the cap and I couldn’t be happier with it.

[Dblchief2]

On 5/14/2024 at 5:31 PM, sandy101 said:

Part of the reason is that vintage pens tend to be made of resins or celluloid.

 

I guess it's because of the cost of metal, and industrial processes developed in the 60's and 70's so that metal pens could be made a lot cheaper than plastic.

 

The 70's is the time of skinny metal pens - Parker 45, Madison, etc. Thin metal had more strength than thick plastic.

 

Trouble was, skinny pens are difficult to use - you need a lighter grip.

 

Asfar as weight goes - it's not the weight that's the issue - it's the distribution of the weight.

 

S T Dupont make lovely, balanced, metal pens. This makes the pens a joy to write with.

 

The Visconti Van Gogh has a metal section and a resin barrel. This puts the weight at the front end - which means the section is already pushing the nib into the paper, so the user doesn't have to.

 

Cheaper, metal pens are not always so well designed - and as a result they are more uncomfortable to use.

 

 

 

 

This is a very helpful explanation, thank you! Your point about weight distribution rings true to me.

[Dblchief2]

On 5/15/2024 at 2:03 AM, Surlyprof said:

 

I couldn’t agree more.  One of my early purchases was a Gravitas Titanium Pocket Pen.  Beautiful and bombproof but I always felt the cap felt a little heavy making the pen a bit back-weighted.  Since it is a pocket pen, it has to be posted to be usable.  Ben Walsh sold me a stainless steel section at the SF Pen Show which added several grams to this already heavy-ish pen.  Despite this becoming my heaviest pen, it has also become an absolute dream to write with.  The heavier section does a beautiful job of offsetting the weight of the cap and I couldn’t be happier with it.

 

I just had a similar experience! I recently received an Elbwood Pocketmaster in Ebonite and Neusilber (Nickel Silver), and it is by far the heaviest pen I own. That said, Frank clearly lines the ebonite portions of the pen extremely carefully so that it is front-weighted by the metal section, and it's an absolute pleasure to write with.