Converters

[Tangibleman]

I am wondering who makes a solid converter. I have three pens that use cartridges, but I would like to go to converters so I can vary my ink colors (I need red for grading).

 

There are several converters out there, so what, in your opinion, are the best, and which ones should I avoid?

[putteringpenman]

I think Platinum makes the best converters. They hold a good amount of ink, are disassemblable for thorough cleaning, and they are sturdy. The only downsides are that they are somewhat expensive at $11 and they only fit Platinum's pens. I made a video about it a few months ago. See below.

 

https://youtu.be/RT3Wc8coTHY?si=MzJtnl5yRW-sYSOx

[inkstainedruth]

@Tangibleman -- It depends.  Some brands (such as Parker) have brand specific converters.  But even there, you have to be careful about what pen the different styles of Parker converters go in.  I didn't like the slide converter which came with the Parker Urban from H*ll, and bought what turned out to be an older style converter that got stuck in the barrel.  Had to send it back to Parker (fortunately the pen was still under warranty) and they sent it back in a plastic tube in a bubble wrap envelope with a snotty note (needless to say I was NOT amused).

Other brands use what's called "International Standard".  But IME, they aren't as "standard" as claimed.  For instance, I found a pen in a little antiques shop a few years ago which turned out to be a Penatia (a sub-brand of Cross).  And was told that it took "International Standard".  Well the International Standard long cartridges were too long (and writing without the barrel on the pen was awkward.  So I trailed around a pen show trying to find ANYONe who had the right sort of converter.  And it turned out?  NONE of the International Standard converters fit -- but a *Cross* converter fit just fine....  Go figure.

What pens do you have that you trying to find converters for?  That may help point you in the right direction.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth 

[SpencerianDream]

Montblanc converters are nice, as are Graf Von Faber Castell. Those are “international standard.” To be honest I think they’re about all of equal quality. Pilot’s Con70 is nice if you have a Pilot. Pushbutton and large capacity. 
 

[Penguincollector]

  What brand and model are your pens? It will be easier to source a good converter with more information.

[PAKMAN]

Parker, Sheaffer, Pilot and Lamy all have their own proprietary converters.  Many other pens will use an international standard converter. 

[jchch1950]

What are the brands(s) of tour pens? Lamy, Parker, Sheaffer, and other companies make or sell converters for their pens, and they work in an acceptable way. The problem with any converter can be related to the ink, as some are thick or they stain or many other reasons. Try to find the converters from the same manufacturer of the pens and use "safe" ink; you can find information about inks in the Ink sections of FPN.

[Tangibleman]

I have two OHTO pens and a Nemosine Singularity Demonstrator that I am looking to move to a converter. I found out about Pilot being special from a poor mistake!

[Penguincollector]

  For the OHTO pens, JetPens recommends a Faber-Castell, Schmidt K5, or Pelikan C499 converter. 
 

  Inexpens still has the Nemosine converter in stock. I don’t know this retailer, but a small purchase like a converter is a good way to see if they’re a good source.

[Chris1]

Converters can be a bit of a minefield if you can't source an exact brand-specific one. Even then, some pen brands have more than one style to fit different models in the range (eg Cross has threaded and unthreaded, Montblanc has one for the Starwalker and one for almost all the rest, and so on).

 

I would suggest naming the exact pen(s) and asking for someone who can say 'I have that pen and use this converter and it fits properly' otherwise, like me, you can end up with a box of spares!

[Dillo]

Incidentally, the Pelikan C499 is a rebranded Schmidt K5. They have varied over the years. Some have the words "Pelikan" stamped into the metal, some have no markings, and some have words in ink on the metal which rubs off. They are the exact same because Pelikan buys from the Schmidt. The Faber-Castell converters are all off the shelf Schmidt converters as well.

[nm4]

Many fine converters out there.  I find the Platinum ones rattle a lot…so for my Platinum and Nakaya pens I use empty cartridges.  
 

N

[Lithium466]

6 hours ago, nm4 said:

Many fine converters out there.  I find the Platinum ones rattle a lot…so for my Platinum and Nakaya pens I use empty cartridges.  
 

N

Interesting, I have the opposite approach. Platinum cartridges rattle too much so I prefer the converters 😂

 

Back on topic, I think the original question has been answered already.
I don't think I ever had a bad converter, even the cheapest ones. Some of the "International standard" or some Parker with the black end piece can crack there and leak a bit, I've had some old converters with sacs that perished after several decades, etc. 

[Tangibleman]

I picked up some Faber-Castell converters for my Otho.  I'll report back once I have them cleaned up and up and running.

[Tangibleman]

I put the first converter into an Otho Proud pen that has never worked well for me with cartridges. I thought it would be worth a try to see how well it works. I'm happy to report that it is doing well. I even let it sit for about five days, and picked it up, and the flow is still going well.

[Runnin_Ute]

On 7/23/2025 at 9:47 PM, PAKMAN said:

Parker, Sheaffer, Pilot and Lamy all have their own proprietary converters.  Many other pens will use an international standard converter. 

Platinum too

[jchch1950]

Plus Sailor.