Help me decide on my first grail pen! :-)

[boilermaker1975]

13 hours ago, ArtfullyInked said:

 

Thanks for your thoughts.  Funny, I was back on the ONOTO website last night for quite a while... I'm really liking the Pi pen.  Do you have any familiarity with that one?

 

One more Q about ONOTO:  In your experience, which of their pens have you found to be the smoothest writer, nib size being equal, of course.

 

I have the Pi pen. It is a Magna. It feels very similar, and writes the same, as my Magna Ebonite even though the Pi pen is acrylic. It is a very nice pen.

[Russprechtl]

On 1/20/2026 at 8:55 PM, ArtfullyInked said:

 

Thanks for your input  

I tried a lubricated ink in it last night (Monteverde Horizon Blue), and it's now even smoother.

[boilermaker1975]

10 minutes ago, Russprechtl said:

I tried a lubricated ink in it last night (Monteverde Horizon Blue), and it's now even smoother.

 

I have that ink and I think it is a very nice blue.

[zmija]

Btw, only last grail pen matters...

[demcav]

I have a Sailor King of Pen Rialo, 2006 95th-anniversary pen, that I will be posting on Market soon.  I have photos that I took earlier today.  It's number 33 of 100 for the US market.  If you're interested, I have a dozen more photos.  I've owned it for about 15 years, very lightly used, and the Naginato Toji nib was sent to Mike Masuyama shortly after I received the pen for a slight adjustment -- I found the original NM to be just a bit wider than my preference. 

 

[VacNut]

3 hours ago, zmija said:

Btw, only last grail pen matters...

This is because the collector is no longer collecting?

[ArtfullyInked]

10 hours ago, boilermaker1975 said:

 

The last time I purchased from Onoto was September, so shortly after the tariffs. They shipped by DHL. The shipping cost I was charged was $37.34 and I got the pen like 3 days after ordering. I had to pay the duty to DHL, which was 15%, but there was no state sales tax charge. DHL emailed me a link to pay the duty.

 

It could be different today, Onoto may add the duty when you check out. I know with Cult Pens when you go to check out they add the duty.

 

Yes, I saw this on Cult Pens as well, which was helpful.  

 

[ArtfullyInked]

10 hours ago, boilermaker1975 said:

 

I have the Pi pen. It is a Magna. It feels very similar, and writes the same, as my Magna Ebonite even though the Pi pen is acrylic. It is a very nice pen.

 

Ahhh, lucky you!    I likely will not opt for the Pi at this juncture though, as I'd like to get a few "staples"--ermmm... can we use this term with luxury pens?!?--together first.  

[ArtfullyInked]

5 hours ago, zmija said:

Btw, only last grail pen matters...

 

...but the "last" will always by necessity be theoretical. 😅

[ArtfullyInked]

4 hours ago, demcav said:

I have a Sailor King of Pen Rialo, 2006 95th-anniversary pen, that I will be posting on Market soon.  I have photos that I took earlier today.  It's number 33 of 100 for the US market.  If you're interested, I have a dozen more photos.  I've owned it for about 15 years, very lightly used, and the Naginato Toji nib was sent to Mike Masuyama shortly after I received the pen for a slight adjustment -- I found the original NM to be just a bit wider than my preference. 

 

 Compliments on your 95th anniversary Sailor; it's a beauty.  Although it doesn't quite fit my aesthetic, I'm sure it'll make a worthy addition to someone's collection.  Thanks for posting! 

[ArtfullyInked]

On 1/19/2026 at 3:04 PM, Yaaseen01 said:

You could customise the nib but also the body of the pen with an engraving. For example, if you like the blue Pelikan aesthetic then a blue magna engraved with a pinstripe and gilded with silver resin may be up your street or a Magna with a diamond engraved pattern - they do many designs and all are brilliant.

 

Apologies for my first reply; I realize now I misread your post!  (didn't see "magna" and was quite confused...) Anyway, yes, that's good to know about Onoto customization options.  Expense will need to figure in, though; I can acquire a Pelikan S. 800 for just a smidge cheaper than the base price of the Magna ebonite.

[boilermaker1975]

7 hours ago, ArtfullyInked said:

 

Apologies for my first reply; I realize now I misread your post!  (didn't see "magna" and was quite confused...) Anyway, yes, that's good to know about Onoto customization options.  Expense will need to figure in, though; I can acquire a Pelikan S. 800 for just a smidge cheaper than the base price of the Magna ebonite.

 

The M800 is on sale at Cult Pens for $528.46. The shipping to the US is free for being over $160. Even with tariffs and state taxes this is probably still less expensive than anywhere else. Plus you will have  528 Penthusiam points. For each subsequent order with Cult Pens you can redeem 150 Penthusiam points for 20% off! So essentially after my first order I have always gotten, and will always get, 20% off.

 

If you need ink, 80 ml Diamine inks are $8.09, much cheaper than you will probably find them anywhere else.

 

Cult has the base Onoto Pi pen for $496.11.

 

I am very happy with both my M800s and my Pi pen.

[VacNut]

From my recent experience, the shipping company will issue the tariff and a processing fee almost equal to the tariff, if the vendor does not charge a tariff. On my last venture, the tariff was $3 and the processing fee was $14.
 

A new pen is similar to a new car. The depreciation starts the minute it is driven off the lot.

[zmija]

12 hours ago, ArtfullyInked said:

 

...but the "last" will always by necessity be theoretical. 😅

 

Indeed. That's the fun of it. That's why "Help me decide on my first grail pen!" is a contradictory topic. I always thought that once you find the Holy Grail, there's no need to search any further. And that rules out "next," so there's no point in talking about "first," because, there's "only one".

 

One pen to rule them all, one pen to find them, one pen to bring them all, and in the darkness...

 

I think it's time for coffee

[camelsuspicious]

16 minutes ago, VacNut said:

From my recent experience, the shipping company will issue the tariff and a processing fee almost equal to the tariff, if the vendor does not charge a tariff. On my last venture, the tariff was $3 and the processing fee was $14.
 

A new pen is similar to a new car. The depreciation starts the minute it is driven off the lot.

Sounds like FedEx!   I just had that with a $0.70 tariff and a $14 “broker” fee.   Pretty annoying.  

[VacNut]

UPS is no better. I was charged  $95 to process a $75 Tariff, when it is work they are already prepared to do for every package. They earned more money from the processing than from the cost of shipment. 😡😡😡

[inkstainedruth]

We'll see what happens if I win the eBay auction for that mini-size Leatherman multi-tool with the main tool being pliers....   

At least (assuming I DO win, of course) that I won't have to deal with tariffs.  But I noticed that there are a lot fewer people overseas on eBay selling pens I'd maybe be interested in at the moment.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ArtfullyInked]

14 hours ago, boilermaker1975 said:

 

The M800 is on sale at Cult Pens for $528.46. The shipping to the US is free for being over $160. Even with tariffs and state taxes this is probably still less expensive than anywhere else. Plus you will have  528 Penthusiam points. For each subsequent order with Cult Pens you can redeem 150 Penthusiam points for 20% off! So essentially after my first order I have always gotten, and will always get, 20% off.

 

If you need ink, 80 ml Diamine inks are $8.09, much cheaper than you will probably find them anywhere else.

 

Cult has the base Onoto Pi pen for $496.11.

 

I am very happy with both my M800s and my Pi pen.

 
Interestingly, I have you to thank for introducing me to Cult Pens, but several days ago… 😄 (Was reading about your recent Pelikan acquisitions) So thank you—twice! 😊 I was indeed a bit blown away by their prices and will likely end up placing an order there eventually.  Appelboom also has competitive prices, and of course they offer their “smooth and tune” service with pen purchase, which is quite appealing.  

[VacNut]

2 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

We'll see what happens if I win the eBay auction for that mini-size Leatherman multi-tool with the main tool being pliers....   

At least (assuming I DO win, of course) that I won't have to deal with tariffs.  But I noticed that there are a lot fewer people overseas on eBay selling pens I'd maybe be interested in at the moment.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Many sellers other free or reduced postage to their local post offices. You can arrange to have the pen delivered to their local post office, and then have that post office ship the package to you.

 

Declared value of the item on the custom forms is at your discretion. It becomes more economical if multiple items are shipped to you in a single package.

 

Some pens can only be found overseas.

[ArtfullyInked]

10 hours ago, zmija said:

 

Indeed. That's the fun of it. That's why "Help me decide on my first grail pen!" is a contradictory topic. I always thought that once you find the Holy Grail, there's no need to search any further. And that rules out "next," so there's no point in talking about "first," because, there's

Indeed.  And therein lies the humor—a bit of poking fun at us collectively.  (From my observation, the term “grail pen” gets tossed around like candy, with so many individuals amassing a sizable subset of “grail pens” within a collection. 😄)

 

10 hours ago, zmija said:

 

I think it's time for coffee

Always…cheers! ☕️☕️