Heavy Pens or Light Pens?

[omasfan]

I am a lover of light pens. When I started rediscovering/accumulating/using/collecting/obsessing over fountain pens about two years ago, I thought that the heavier a pen is, the better it must be. Well, I rapidly realized that writing with a full-metal pen for instance is very tiring.

 

I was totally changed about one year ago. I now love light pens. The lighter, the better. Normally that means for me, that they have to be made out of hard rubber or celluloid in order to be big enough and light at the same time. For that reason I have become a lover of the Omas Paragon line (old-style). The old Paragon weighs in at about 20 grams which I consider to be perfect. I recently acquired an Omas Lucens. While this pen's material is so sophisticated, it is even lighter than a Paragon although of the same size (I assume the lacking facets have something to do with it, as rounder pens need less material). The Lucens is probably not more than 18 grams. Like a feather, and yet it fits in my hand and is just perfect. The pen's nib is geared to the lightest of touch in order to correspond with the light weight of the body. I have to say this is the epitome of a writing implement for me. Just a year ago I would have described this feeling as "cheap," and now I absolutely enjoy it. And the good thing also is: With these light pens you can post the cap or leave it off. This will not change the balance of the pen but only add to the length.

 

I do love my Dupont Orpheo pen. It's finish is terrific and it writes great. But given that it is an all-metal pen body, I cannot use it for extended periods of time. For that I only take my light pens. I'd also like to add that I don't have any problems with my hands or joints, so the weight thing is just my personal preference.

 

I do think that light pens make you forget that you need to use a tool in order to write. They just feel as if molded in your hand.

Last, I have to add that I do have some pens whose own weight can guide the pen when writing (e.g. my Omas Bologna or Montegrappa 1930: both have silver sections that add to the weight of the pen), resulting in a medium to heavier pen which still feels very pleasant.

 

 

What is your preference and why?

Edited October 12, 2007 by dupontfan

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I prefer a lightweight fountain pen. A little heft is all right, but a heavy pen wouldn't work for me in most instances. I sometimes have to write fast during meetings and the Kaweco Sport fountain pens work for me in that case. And when I'm home I frequently write on a clipboard and I have have that on my knees while I'm scrunched up on the couch, which means that I'm writing at an angle. In either case a heavy fountain pen slows me down and fatigues my hand.

 

I think that there is such a thing as a fountain pen that is too light though. Those won't let you really control the fountain pen enough. Too light a fountain pen requires a tighter grip and more muscular control to keep the tip on the paper.

 

Just call me Goldilocks when it comes to fountain pen weight, I guess :embarrassed_smile: .

[encremental]

I completely agree, dupontfan. For me pens like the M200-400, "51", Sapporo etc are exactly right, and that's not something I would have necessarily expected before I started using FPs again.

 

We are used to associating quality with heft, and it takes a while to realise the two don't always go together. When friends examine my pens (and after we've gone through all the usual What? Why? How many? How much???? ) the two characteristic they seem to comment on are weight and smoothness, two qualities that aren't at the top of my list any more (I know the smoothness thing is a different thread).

 

Last weekend I got my first VP, and I'm not enjoying it as much as I'd hoped because of the weight, although I promise I will keep trying!

 

John

[Carrie]

Interesting topic and you've just tempted me to put my two favourite pens on the scales. The Parker 51 comes in at 22 grams whilst my CS Dandy is 16 grams. My largest and heaviest pen is my Duofold Centennial at 28 grams and that's the largest and heaviest pen I would feel comfortable using. In terms of size, the Duofold and CS Duro are almost identical, but because my Duro is ebonite it's lighter, so of the two pens I'm more likely to choose to write with the Duro. When I was looking at the CS stand at the Northern Pen Show I was put off by the weight and size of the vast majority of the modern CS offerings. I chose the ebonite pen because it was lightweight, I wouldn't be tempted to buy a different style of Duro because of the weight.

 

I think you can safely put me down as a fan of lighter weight pens, but as has already been said, some pens can just be too lightweight.

[encremental]

Can you give examples of pens that you find too light? I haven't come across any as yet, although I can imagine they must exist.

 

John

[Carrie]

Can you give examples of pens that you find too light? I haven't come across any as yet, although I can imagine they must exist.

 

John

I have an older sailor pen, no idea what model, that I find too lightweight or maybe it's just something about the balance that doesn't quite work for me. Other than that, some of the Chinese Heros.

 

[kkbach]

I have never considered the weight of pen when purchasing one. Really. I guess if you put me in thumbs screws (please don't) I would prefer a heavier pen but the fact is weight is a very low priority for me.

 

More important issues are does it work well every time I use it? Ink capacity? What kind of nib is available? and yes How does it look?

 

I do have some vanity.

 

and yes I do have pen in hand for hours at a time

Edited October 12, 2007 by kkbach

[Doug C]

Count me in. Most of my new pens are light weight, which is also one of the many reasons I tend to prefer Italian pens. From time to time I will pull out some of the heavyweights, but I never use them for more than a day.

Another issue associated with the weight is the overall balance. I have several Faber Castells, and for the life of me, I don't understand why they make the caps so heavy. I bought a resin Emotion a while back, and together with the heavy cap (which slides off anyway), and the slick section, make it a very difficult pen to write with. My FC Perfect Pencil is perfect to write with once the pencil has been sharpened down to where it is short, but a new pencil refill is just no fun.

 

I believe that is one of the reasons that Bexleys are popular. They are very light and supremely balanced.

[Ernst Bitterman]

I've yet to find a pen that's too light, and I'm not currently writing things at enough length to worry about too heavy, but I certainly would have trouble with too thin. My sole objection to the Waterman Hemisphere is that the section verges on too slender (likewise, traveling back in time, the Waterman 12-- the Phileas breaks the cycle). While on the subject, I should say that the Wality 69L I just got is colossal but feathery light, so if you like a large but light pen, it's a good bet.

[Fountainbass]

I could go either way. I used to like slightly heavy pens. My Parker Sonnet ballpoint is a hefty little pen as far as ballpoints go. After I got my Pelikan M605, I realized light pens are nice, too.

[jsonewald]

Lighter to medium weight are my favorites, up to about 25 grams. The heavier they are, the more important balance is. Heavier pens just don;t get put into rotation. From my collection, the Rotring 600's, a Hero 200D, and a Pilot Knight, all get little use because of weight. All write very well and are reliable, but just aren't comfortable for regular use.

[Romagno]

I prefer larger pens, and I like to use most pens unposted. While most of my pens are medium-weight, I find that balance is more important than weight.

[Penache]

I definitely prefer lighter pens. My shoulder is in recovery from RSI and having the correct balance of weight, length, and width is crucial when I'm writing for long periods. The Sailor Sapporo Mini is a great weight for my hands and I can write for hours with no issues. The Decimo, however, is a bit on the heavy and long side and is now relegated for short notes and scribbles.

Edited October 12, 2007 by Penache

[Kaiten]

Well I would have to say that I really like my pen on the hefty side just like my watches. I like to know that I'm using something and I feel that a pen with some weight has a really good feeling to me and allows me to control the pen better in my in my eyes, but there is one big problem my had writing looks horrible and no matter how nice the pen is it will be the same. LOL

 

 

Cheers

 

Brian.

[Russ]

Lighter pens with a wide barrel are easier on my hands when I write for hours. I want to focus on the work at hand, not on what is being held in the hand.

[*david*]

I like both. Like they say, "A change is as good as a rest".

I use and enjoy Pelikan 200 and Rotring Initial, and anything in between.

[Stephen-I-am]

I prefer my pens to be lighter (a Bexley ATB is about perfect, though I'll go as heavy as a vanishing point), but I don't like light and small. An ATB or an Aurora optima are wonderfully shaped for me. My Rotring will eventually go to the marketplace if I ever get around to it.

 

Stephen

[greencobra]

I saw a few people mention they don't consider the weight when buying a pen and I'm with them. But, I do like a heavy pen though just because it feels better balanced to me. I write with a Montegrappa Extra which pretty much could be considered a ton weight compared to a lot of the pens I own.

[WillAdams]

I prefer lighter pens as well --- wish that my Sheaffer Agio were a bit lighter, it's at the top of what I find acceptable weight-wise.

 

William

 

 

[AndyHayes]

I prefer heavy pens, but the thing that tires me the most is writing with thin pens like Pelikan 20x, Cross Century and Waterman Hemisphere. I end up with cramp in no time. The nicest pens to write with are the Lamy 2000, Pelikan 805 and Danitrio Densho from my collection. So I use the small pens for signatures or short notes.