A special pen in weight or size. What is yours?

[RedPie]

I thought my Jiaxiang JD was my largest and heaviest pen. I was wrong. My Jinhao 999Twins Dragon is the heaviest with 100 grams.

 

My Duke 510 with 6.3 inches (16 cm) is my largest pen. 

 

The smallest one I own is the Petit 1 Pilot. The weight is only 10.4 grams and it is 4.3 inches in size (11 cm). Posted the pen is growing to 5.3 inches (13.5 cm) and easy to write with. 

 

 

I do like them all. I have to say, big and heavy is okay with me. The smallest ones are great for taking field notes.

[inkstainedruth]

I don't like heavy pens (although the weight tolerance has increased over the years).  I'd say that the heaviest pens are the TWSBIS -- I have a 580-AL, an 580-ALR, and a 700-Vac (although that one has gone missing ).  I think they're around 30 grams capped or posted.

The largest pen?  The vintage Sheaffer Balance Oversize, which had been my husband's grandfather's pen.  Although for it's size it is a VERY lightweight and well-balanced pen.

The smallest?  Not sure which is smaller without doing a side by side comparison, but it would probably be one of these: the Arnold mini-pen; the Peter Pan Deluxe mini-ringtop; the Treasure (don't know the model, but apparently it's a Wherever sub-brand); or the unknown brand (might be a Welsharp) ringtop.  Slightly longer than these (but possibly thinner) would be the chased BHR Waterman Ideal ringtop, the Mabie Todd Swan gold-plated (?) overlay ringtop, or the Good Service mini-ringtop; with a an unknown brand mauve Vulcanite ringtop getting honorable mention.  Just above those size-wise would be the Morrison ringtops (two with gold-filled filigree overlays, one with a sterling silver filigree overlay, one with an engraved sterling overlay, and one that's I think BHR.  And, a little thicker and longer would be the Penatia Madison (?), which I have been told was a cross sub-brand.

Mind you some of the small pens are not up and running yet....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[senzen]

This made me think and realize as long as the pen is not too thin, I'm ok with low weight or heavier pens: I'll even put up with scratches as long as the thing work and preferably brings something to the table in terms of ink colours and writing experience.

 

The oddest to grip is probably a Dunhill Gemline Dress Classic (if that's what it's called) as the section goes from square to conical, but you get used to it after a couple of words.

[Penguincollector]

My smallest pen is next to one of my my largest in this photo: a tiny Salz Peter Pan ring top and a Pelikan M800.

 

[jchch1950]

More heavier than light and bulkier than thin pens, but there can be some changes if the pen has a good equilibrium in hand or if you can post the pen or not.

[RedPie]

15 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

I don't like heavy pens (although the weight tolerance has increased over the years).  I'd say that the heaviest pens are the TWSBIS -- I have a 580-AL, an 580-ALR, and a 700-Vac (although that one has gone missing ).  I think they're around 30 grams capped or posted.

The largest pen?  The vintage Sheaffer Balance Oversize, which had been my husband's grandfather's pen.  Although for it's size it is a VERY lightweight and well-balanced pen.

The smallest?  Not sure which is smaller without doing a side by side comparison, but it would probably be one of these: the Arnold mini-pen; the Peter Pan Deluxe mini-ringtop; the Treasure (don't know the model, but apparently it's a Wherever sub-brand); or the unknown brand (might be a Welsharp) ringtop.  Slightly longer than these (but possibly thinner) would be the chased BHR Waterman Ideal ringtop, the Mabie Todd Swan gold-plated (?) overlay ringtop, or the Good Service mini-ringtop; with a an unknown brand mauve Vulcanite ringtop getting honorable mention.  Just above those size-wise would be the Morrison ringtops (two with gold-filled filigree overlays, one with a sterling silver filigree overlay, one with an engraved sterling overlay, and one that's I think BHR.  And, a little thicker and longer would be the Penatia Madison (?), which I have been told was a cross sub-brand.

Mind you some of the small pens are not up and running yet....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

You have a great collection of pens and so are the small pens you have. Wonderful!

[RedPie]

10 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

My smallest pen is next to one of my my largest in this photo: a tiny Salz Peter Pan ring top and a Pelikan M800.

 

That is such a good picture of 2 fantastic pens. I love the little one!

[RedPie]

3 hours ago, jchch1950 said:

More heavier than light and bulkier than thin pens, but there can be some changes if the pen has a good equilibrium in hand or if you can post the pen or not.

👍

[RedPie]

10 hours ago, senzen said:

This made me think and realize as long as the pen is not too thin, I'm ok with low weight or heavier pens: I'll even put up with scratches as long as the thing work and preferably brings something to the table in terms of ink colours and writing experience.

 

The oddest to grip is probably a Dunhill Gemline Dress Classic (if that's what it's called) as the section goes from square to conical, but you get used to it after a couple of words.

That Dunhill sounds like an interesting pen!

[Penguincollector]

On 9/5/2024 at 4:12 AM, RedPie said:

Duke 510

 
  I only just realized the clip is opera masks, how neat! 

 

3 hours ago, RedPie said:

That is such a good picture of 2 fantastic pens. I love the little one!

 

  Thanks! The Salz when capped fits in my palm with room to spare. It’s probably about 2 inches long. 

[RedPie]

3 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

It’s probably about 2 inches long. 

That is a small pen! So nice!

[inkstainedruth]

18 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

My smallest pen is next to one of my my largest in this photo: a tiny Salz Peter Pan ring top and a Pelikan M800.

 

Interesting.  I think that's now the SIXTH brand of vintage pen I've seen that has that style overlay (so far, besides my Morrisons, I've seen Waterman, Parker, and several 2nd or 3rd tier brands).  Apparently now going to add Peter Pan to the list....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[senzen]

9 hours ago, RedPie said:

That Dunhill sounds like an interesting pen!

 

 

it does dry out rather quickly.

[jchch1950]

 

On 9/7/2024 at 3:25 AM, senzen said:

 

 

it does dry out rather quickly.

The Dunhill pen was made by Montblanc more than 30 years ago. It was a different shape but the nib was the same as the Noblesse series one. It is a very uncommon pen.

[Bo Bo Olson]

A standard sized Geha 780, semi-flex M.

The same size as a Pelikan 400/200. All four are very well balanced, nimble posted.

 

MB 264...late '50s-60s semi-flex like most of that era....very well balanced.

They had to have great balance or one bought some other brand that was. One might have to write with it all day long!!!!

 

I like the 'post 97 'large' Pelikan 600, very much indeed, still nimble with larger girth.

A '52-54 only MB 234 1/2 standard sized pen, with the 600's girth........my best balanced pen. A shock, in it is back weighted with brass piston guts.

Real precise slapstick engineering.

A medium-large '48-59 MB 146 (maxi-semi-flex)...so beats the Large '70-now 146 for balance; besides having a much better nib.

The green 1948-52 Italian Columbus is in my top 5 for pretty. It and the no name one under it are medium-small (very popular in the late '40-60's), but posted one don't notice. Two pens I really should ink, superb 'no name' semi-flex nibs.

 

Number two, is a medium-long, thin Geha 725. # 3 was a silver P-75....#4 was a Pelikan medium-long 400nn.

I like what the younger generations might think as thinner, smaller pens (posted they are not small).....but in my youth they were the standard sized pens.

 

IMO Large pens came in to bling on the conference table....in to me they are not well balanced....Out side the thin Shaffer Snorkel and the second generation P-45.

 

[RedPie]

1 minute ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

A standard sized Geha 780, semi-flex M.

Beautiful color! 👍

[Bo Bo Olson]

Thank you.

I'd had 790 Gehas for some 10 years,and finally a 760, which if it has a piston ring was once a flag ship of Geha.

I didn't known of the 780, until some poster showed up with 6 in different colors.

Here are two where I finished second for.

Didn't hunt  for a second rolled gold capped one.

Geha 790...I think of this as a cheaper and as good as a Pelikan 400.....some said it was a student pen....that I doubt, in it has a nice springy stubbed semi-flex nib. School nibs have to be more rugged.

Torpedo/cigar was very popular back in the '50's. MB 146/9, Swan Torpedo, Pelikan 140 and some Osmia's.

A very solid pen, that matches the 400 for posted balance.

 

IMO the medium-small Pelikan 140 has better balance than the Geha 760, i the 140's cap is longer making for a pen that matches the length of the 400 when posted. The 760's cap is not quite so long, so there is a slight difference.....no difference between the length of the 790 and the 400.

Two posters I respect, said the Geha piston pen, that were not the marked 'school pen' with serial number to prevent theft, had better, more springy nibs than the Pelikans. (outside the Pelikan 120 also a school pen=to the Geha's springy regular flex school pen.)

Having then 4-5 Geha 790's and the three-four 400's and a 140...compared nibs.

Geha's nibs were made by Degussa (who in 1932 took Osmia's nib factory for debt) , who made Osmia nibs,and last years of Sonnenecken, so those nibs matched Osmia's grand nibs.

They are a tad more springy.

[Format]

I was in the Montblanc store in Canary Wharf London in 2012, the staff knew me quite well. 

 

'Come over here, we have something special' they sat me down at a table and brought from the safe a £8000 thats $10,400, special edition pen.

 

They put the pen into my hand and it was so heavy my hand fell to the table. Must have been a special metal, silver coloured and no decoration at all from memory but, IMHO, it must have been almost unusable as a pen due to the weight, possibly Tungsten?

 

$10,000 is buying a car type money so I had to pass on spending it on a pen, nice memory though.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Two decades after the event, I saw a MB Limited Edition, Brandenburg; they only wanted €18,000 for it..... cubed....even if too big and ornate for me.

90% of the time I go to town I go to my B&M, and go pray in the MB corner....The last I can actually remember the name, the Glacier was a real fine looking pen. I wouldn't be surprised if they make two or three LE's or new pens a year.

[inkstainedruth]

1 hour ago, Format said:

I was in the Montblanc store in Canary Wharf London in 2012, the staff knew me quite well. 

 

'Come over here, we have something special' they sat me down at a table and brought from the safe a £8000 thats $10,400, special edition pen.

 

They put the pen into my hand and it was so heavy my hand fell to the table. Must have been a special metal, silver coloured and no decoration at all from memory but, IMHO, it must have been almost unusable as a pen due to the weight, possibly Tungsten?

 

$10,000 is buying a car type money so I had to pass on spending it on a pen, nice memory though.

My first car cost less than that (bought brand new) and I drove that thing into the ground.  At 125K miles, I was at a local gas station/mechanic for the annual inspection and Gus, the guy who ran the place, said, "I've never seen a Dodge Omni last this long!"  And that was BEFORE my husband and I moved to Massachusetts.  We really only needed one vehicle for the most part up there (I'd drop him off and pick him up from the train station for his work commute, which his company paid the fare for as far out as where we lived from Boston/Cambridge).  So my poor little Jenny car mostly sat in the driveway until the bumper rusted off; and while we didn't get anything on the trade-in value for the car, at least the dealership where we bought our first minivan hauled it away for us.

As for expensive pens....  A number of years ago I found a website that had a bunch of drop-dead GORGEOUS maki-e pens.  Truly works of art.  But I know what urushi is -- it's the same stuff that's in poison ivy & poison oak, and I am SERIOUSLY allergic.  So after drooling over the pens I wouldn't have bought even if I *could* have afforded them, I looked at my husband and said, "Congratulations!  I've just saved you $20,000...  and that was the price PER PEN!"  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth