Hey all! I have been out of this sub-forum for a while but have been enjoying my fountain pens for the last 2 years. When I first got into fountain pens it was through B&B with the 5 O'clock shadow ink (need a pen to go with the ink of course! 
) and with a Platinum Plaiser. This was the first time I had spent $20+ on a pen but it quickly escalated.
From there I quickly purchased several other pens including; another Platinum Plaiser (different color of course), several preppies (almost all caps cracked), Noodler's Ahab, Franklin-Christoph B&B fountain pen, parker 45 flighter from e-bay, and several other cheapo pens here and there. Finally I purchased a TWSBI Vac 700 and a TWSBI 540 and that was it. I loved the feel of these pens and the nibs which were both smooth and consistent. I purchased these two pens at the same time (special offer!) about 1 1/2 years ago and have since stopped looking. These provided everything I was looking for in a pen; perfect size, interesting fill methods (not cartridge / converter), consistent performance, and good looks.
Since I found some good pens that met my needs on a day-to-day basis I stopped looking and stopped reviewing this sub-forum on a regular basis. Unfortunately (although I am sure some will say unsurprising) about a year after getting my pens, the cap broke on my Vac 700. I quick e-mail to TWSBI (no pictures needed) and a replacement cap was on its way which quickly arrived. Six months later the cap on my 540 broke. A quick e-mail to TWSBI (with a very quick response) indicates that these pens are discontinued but a replacement cap should be available in a few weeks. I am highly pleased with TWSBI's customer service and responsiveness, but I do have concerns. At some point replacement caps will no longer be available but I have very little confidence that a new cap would last longer than a year or two. While I love these pens, they will become useless without a cap and that seems like a very real possibility in the future.
That leads me to why I am here; I need to find a new pen.
I want something that will meet all of my previous needs and be more robust and last many years allowing me to not think about buying new fountain pens all the time (they can get expensive). These are:
Size: Should be on the larger size; similar to the TWSBI 540 & Vac 700. The Franklin-Christoph pen was too narrow.
Price: Should be around $100
Looks: Should look good.
(I know this is subjective, but it should not be too flashy or garish)
Performance: Needs to write consistently and smoothly (I use it at work for taking notes in meetings and cannot be fiddling with it trying to get it to start)
My other wants are less rigid and include things like interesting looking nib, not cartridge / converter filling system, etc.
I have been thinking Pelikan but I don't know how the sizes compare to a TWSBI. Are the 200 & 400 roughly the same size but with nib changes? on the small side? Would I need to go up to a 600 to get the right size? (which is clearly out of my budget).
Also looking at lamy 2000...
I guess I am just looking for input before pulling the trigger on a new pen. Sorry for the long post, but hopefully it is interesting and provides enough information to point me in the right direction.
Thanks in advance
) and with a Platinum Plaiser. This was the first time I had spent $20+ on a pen but it quickly escalated.From there I quickly purchased several other pens including; another Platinum Plaiser (different color of course), several preppies (almost all caps cracked), Noodler's Ahab, Franklin-Christoph B&B fountain pen, parker 45 flighter from e-bay, and several other cheapo pens here and there. Finally I purchased a TWSBI Vac 700 and a TWSBI 540 and that was it. I loved the feel of these pens and the nibs which were both smooth and consistent. I purchased these two pens at the same time (special offer!) about 1 1/2 years ago and have since stopped looking. These provided everything I was looking for in a pen; perfect size, interesting fill methods (not cartridge / converter), consistent performance, and good looks.
Since I found some good pens that met my needs on a day-to-day basis I stopped looking and stopped reviewing this sub-forum on a regular basis. Unfortunately (although I am sure some will say unsurprising) about a year after getting my pens, the cap broke on my Vac 700. I quick e-mail to TWSBI (no pictures needed) and a replacement cap was on its way which quickly arrived. Six months later the cap on my 540 broke. A quick e-mail to TWSBI (with a very quick response) indicates that these pens are discontinued but a replacement cap should be available in a few weeks. I am highly pleased with TWSBI's customer service and responsiveness, but I do have concerns. At some point replacement caps will no longer be available but I have very little confidence that a new cap would last longer than a year or two. While I love these pens, they will become useless without a cap and that seems like a very real possibility in the future.
That leads me to why I am here; I need to find a new pen.
I want something that will meet all of my previous needs and be more robust and last many years allowing me to not think about buying new fountain pens all the time (they can get expensive
). These are:Size: Should be on the larger size; similar to the TWSBI 540 & Vac 700. The Franklin-Christoph pen was too narrow.
Price: Should be around $100
Looks: Should look good.
(I know this is subjective, but it should not be too flashy or garish)Performance: Needs to write consistently and smoothly (I use it at work for taking notes in meetings and cannot be fiddling with it trying to get it to start)
My other wants are less rigid and include things like interesting looking nib, not cartridge / converter filling system, etc.
I have been thinking Pelikan but I don't know how the sizes compare to a TWSBI. Are the 200 & 400 roughly the same size but with nib changes? on the small side? Would I need to go up to a 600 to get the right size? (which is clearly out of my budget).
Also looking at lamy 2000...
I guess I am just looking for input before pulling the trigger on a new pen. Sorry for the long post, but hopefully it is interesting and provides enough information to point me in the right direction.
Thanks in advance
) on massdrop. Fortunately I was able to unload a few LE brushes which fully funded (and then some) these purchases.
