EPTFountain Pens - Page 20
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kmpisces
United States50 Posts
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Cambium
United States16368 Posts
On July 12 2013 09:21 kmpisces wrote: I do love the way fountain pens write. I actually seem to be able to write nicer with one. They are hard to find around here though. I had a good one that has gone missing. I do see what the OP meant about how they can actually be cost effective over time. This is something for me to keep in mind. Maybe I will hunt online for some. I could order a couple at a time. I would love to see how much of my writing for college and work I could do with these. Unless you go with the cheapest pens, it's going to be a lot more expensive than buying roller pens (see below lol), which are almost always free if you are in college (career fair or random events) or have a job. Try spending at least $20 and buy them used (ebay). Even then, it's not going to be that great... On July 11 2013 01:22 Cambium wrote: I'm gravitating towards more flexible nibs as I try to pick up cursive writing. My Sailor 1911M is nice, but it kind of feels like writing with a nail, and the lack of line variation is somewhat disappointing. I'm pretty sure I'm going to pick up a Pilot Custom 823 within the next month  ![[image loading]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4422775298_87a757c963_b.jpg) I bought this, and a bottle of iroshizuku ink, this is going to be really fun. $220 together, not too bad. | ||
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Quilty
Canada13 Posts
![[image loading]](http://www.beautifulnotebooks.co.uk/ekmps/shops/lovelynotebooks/images/ferrari-gloss-black-100-fountain-pen-by-sheaffer-2280-p[ekm]1000x451[ekm].jpg) I'm very happy with it so far. | ||
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neptunusfisk
2286 Posts
![[image loading]](http://oi43.tinypic.com/2j31g2d.jpg) | ||
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Kronen
United States732 Posts
Also, my Noodler's Konrad was damaged by the short clearance of the cap and Noodler's hasn't returned any correspondence about replacing the nib.... I would suggest not purchasing from them. This process has been very frustrating. | ||
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MoonfireSpam
United Kingdom1153 Posts
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Cambium
United States16368 Posts
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hoemuffin
United States72 Posts
On August 21 2013 08:53 Kronen wrote: Blue Lamy Safari for 18 bucks on Amazon!! I just picked up another!! wooohoo! Also, my Noodler's Konrad was damaged by the short clearance of the cap and Noodler's hasn't returned any correspondence about replacing the nib.... I would suggest not purchasing from them. This process has been very frustrating. Noodler's is literally just Nathan Tardiff - nice (if somewhat eccentric) guy, but he's only one person, so its unlikely he'll be able to respond to your e-mail. You can slot in any size 6 nib into the Konrad, alternatively, if they're not too badly bent, some tweezers and sandpaper can fix up your nib in no time (I've dropped my Konrad in the sink nib first and was able to save them). Where'd you buy it from? It might be easier to talk with the distributor. Noodler's QC for their pens isn't always the greatest, but they're a lot of fun if you're into DIY FP's and are terrified about breaking a vintage FP. I guess kinda like a higonokami. | ||
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Djzapz
Canada10681 Posts
Contrary to what I had read though, none of the cheaper pens, even the Pilot and Nemosine, come close to the Parker Sonnet in terms of smoothness though. It's an entirely different categories. Some of the knockoffs do okay but they're not quite there. | ||
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docvoc
United States5491 Posts
. I might see about working my way to buying a low-level Waterman or Nakaya by the time i've graduated. | ||
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electronic voyeur
United States133 Posts
User was warned for this post | ||
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Cambium
United States16368 Posts
On August 25 2013 23:59 Djzapz wrote: I have tried a bunch of cheaper pens, many people seem to think that cheaper pens can be just as good as expensive ones, and although most of the cheap Chinese pens are adequate, they've all got some small problems that make them sometimes a little bit unreliable. I can only rely on the better pens, like the Pilot Metropolitan and Nemosine singularity. They're only $15 but they're reliable. Contrary to what I had read though, none of the cheaper pens, even the Pilot and Nemosine, come close to the Parker Sonnet in terms of smoothness though. It's an entirely different categories. Some of the knockoffs do okay but they're not quite there. My experience with Lamy Safari has been poor. I have one in Fine nib, and it wrote horrible in the beginning. So I flushed it with water, and adjusted the flow slightly with my thumbs, and wrote pages after pages with it, and it did get better. There is still a very unpleasant scratchiness with upstrokes, so I gave up on it altogether. Sonnet is a solid pen. In general, I think Parker makes some amazing pens at low prices (e.g. Sonnet, Urban and Vector). If you were in Japan however, you'd be able to find 14K gold nib pens from Pilot, Sailor and Platinum at around $60 new, and they are then again on a complete different plane, as they'd retail for $150-$200 in the States. On August 26 2013 00:17 docvoc wrote: Still loving my monteverde. It's the one pictured in the OP, was given it as a present from the 'rents before I went to college. I use it to do pretty much everything that isn't in one specific notebook or on my computer. I fucking love this pen . I might see about working my way to buying a low-level Waterman or Nakaya by the time i've graduated.Waterman and Nakaya aren't even close in terms of price points (Nakaya is probably 4-5x the cost of a Waterman). Also, Nakayas are really small pens. | ||
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Djzapz
Canada10681 Posts
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Cambium
United States16368 Posts
I'd say the most common ones around that price range would be Pelikan M800 and Montblanc 146. But then there are just so many other choices like Italian and Japanese pens that are just so different and impossible to compare. I have a few 'expensive' pens, and I like all of them: - Pelikan M800 is probably my favourite pen. A heavy pen with a super smooth nib, albeit a little boring. - Pilot 823 has a fine nib that is a little springy, and the filler system (vacuum) takes in a huge amount of ink. I probably write the most with this pen. - OMAS Ogiva I just bought sort of combines the two above. It's kind of an expensive hobby, but it's really fun to try and experiment all sorts of pens (mostly nibs and filling mechanism for me) from various manufacturers. | ||
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Djzapz
Canada10681 Posts
My initial reaction purely from the looks and shape of the pens is that the Pelikan M800 and the Montblanc 146 (as well as most Montblanc pens) are a bit too thick for my liking. Am I wrong to think the Pilot 823 is a bit narrower? I don't have small hands really but I prefer narrower pens. My Sonnet is pretty much perfect for me for everyday writing. Also, the 823 seems a bit more reasonable at $250 so it's definitely worth looking into. I'll say though that if at all possible, I would prefer a metal barrel and cap over resin. I prefer its weight and general feel. I'm not too familiar with the materials that are used in higher end pens though. | ||
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Cambium
United States16368 Posts
823 is actually a really big pen, so probably not something you are looking for as sonnet is pretty small. I'd say a pelikan 215 with a m400 nib (metal body with gold nib) might be good given what you are looking for. The cap is purely decorative unless you post. I don't have a metal cap, so I don't know how well they post, but I'm guessing it'd be rear heavy. I would still recommend trying larger pens, because I thought 1911M was a good size for me, then I gradually moved bigger and bigger, and I'm thinking about getting an oversized pen just for kicks. Montblanc 144 is a small-medium pen, but that's cartridge if you care. | ||
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Djzapz
Canada10681 Posts
I checked and it looks like the Montblanc 144 is no longer being produced. The 145 kind of replaces it and it looks pretty damn awesome... As much as I like the overall elegance of the piston filling system, converters are convenient to me. They certainly hold less ink but I like to be able to check the ink level. It also allows me to clean the pen more thoroughly (I feel). Anyway I'm not getting anything anytime soon, I'm finishing my masters in a year, maybe a bit more if I keep being slow with my thesis. My only problem is that I wouldn't know where to look to ensure that I get an authentic one! | ||
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Lorizean
Germany1330 Posts
Today I fired up my old fountain pen though and I quite liked it. I got Ink on my fingertips though My ballpen and fountain pen are both from the Mont Blanc Platinum LeGrand series, I got one for my 18th Birthday and one for my Confirmation. I do like the big pens more than the thinner ones I have to say. I'll use the Fountain Pen for a while longer, maybe I'll stick with it! | ||
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Jonsoload
Germany62 Posts
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docvoc
United States5491 Posts
On August 26 2013 01:28 Cambium wrote: My experience with Lamy Safari has been poor. I have one in Fine nib, and it wrote horrible in the beginning. So I flushed it with water, and adjusted the flow slightly with my thumbs, and wrote pages after pages with it, and it did get better. There is still a very unpleasant scratchiness with upstrokes, so I gave up on it altogether. Sonnet is a solid pen. In general, I think Parker makes some amazing pens at low prices (e.g. Sonnet, Urban and Vector). If you were in Japan however, you'd be able to find 14K gold nib pens from Pilot, Sailor and Platinum at around $60 new, and they are then again on a complete different plane, as they'd retail for $150-$200 in the States. Waterman and Nakaya aren't even close in terms of price points (Nakaya is probably 4-5x the cost of a Waterman). Also, Nakayas are really small pens. I did some research after the post and found out just that, though I still can't help but love the way Nakaya pens look. Of course there are other really nice pen makers, and I'll probably have to wait a good 20 years before I could even think of buying a pen like that. | ||
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