... I don't want to buy a few pens to find one I like
Probably be able to check out some for test drives next month at the www.sfpenshow.com/
... I don't want to buy a few pens to find one I like
Probably be able to check out some for test drives next month at the www.sfpenshow.com/
I think I've read somewhere that you can change nibs, it should be Pilot number 5 nibs (same as ch92) Don't know where to find them
I just pulled mine out...it didn't take much effort either....maybe mine's a fake
I've been looking at some middle of the road priced fountain pens in the £50 - £100 price range. I've found some varying reviews for various pens but my shortlist is:
Parker Sonnet /w Gold nib - £108 (slightly over budget)
Parker Sonnet /w Steel nib - £50
Waterman Carene - £72 (big discount, usual price is £190)
Waterman Expert - £55
Basically at these prices, what would you go for and why, or if you would pick none of these what other pen would you recommend and why?
Look forward to reading your comments
James
i think that any pen from modern Waterman and Parker is almost certainty made of inferior craftsmanship. those companies have taken a nosedive from their former glory.
i think that you would benefit from looking at a pen from sailor or platinum, they are much safer bets, at very good prices.
you can get it cheaper then that easily bro. just remember that with jap pens (in my experience) the nib writing surfaces are either woven out of slicked glossmer strands of clouds or are a miniature ball of rusty fishhooks. if they are great they are unmatched, if they are bad then you have a unusable pen, and in my experience platinum and sailor will not help you if it all goes bad.I must admit I do love the look of the Platinum 3776 Century, plus it's a 14K gold nibbed pen for only £60
Carenes have a great reputation. New Parkers are probably fine but I'd rather have a vintage.
Pelikan 140's have been my soft spot. I love them. Off the bay and coming out of deepest darkest eastern europe can net some nice deals.
Having said that, I also swear by my Pilot Vanishing Points. i would love to have a Pilot Piston Filler but have no need and no need to spend the money on them while trying to rebuild a Jeep... Now that is a rabbit hole!
So many nice pens in that price range, you'll pick one and love it. So many have great reputations and if not, you can resell it or return it (depending on where you bought it). Seems win win win to me.
Well i've ordered a Platinum 3776 Century with a broad nib in blue. Came to £64 including a converter and a bottle of ink. I'm happy with that, just got to wait for delivery now
the pelikans look nice, but due to my snobbery i cannott bring myself to buy one that is not a pelican 1000. as for pilot..i am cut on them.
they have a production standard that is in my experience below that of sailor and platinum, and many of their pens have major problems with skipping, startup and nib grind, however their level of innovation if the field of pen design looks amazing, i don't really know what to make of them. only thing i can sy is avoid the semi-flex pens. if anyone has a vanishing point i would be interested to hear about it.
Well i've ordered a Platinum 3776 Century with a broad nib in blue. Came to £64 including a converter and a bottle of ink. I'm happy with that, just got to wait for delivery now
You won't get anything below a Pelikan 1000 because of a status symbol, or because you feel that anything less than the 1000's are inferior to the quality that you'd prefer?
I've heard that the VP's are prone to landing directly on the nib if dropped. There are quite a few members on here that do have one (or many). If you do a search here in The Nib for "Vanishing Point" and you should get quite a few mentions and threads discussing the VP.
Nice!
I have two VP's. One a factory fine and one is a M stub done by Richard Binder. Both have made great work pens and have lived in my chef coat sleeve pocket. The black matte finish one has just got back from Pilot for the second time because of the "patina" it gets from just being used. It was no longer matte and more brass than black. It is now back to being matte black and lives in a case on my desk at home...every time i go half way i end up getting salty and going whole hog. i feel that the 1000 is the quintessential pelican and i know from experience i would not be able to enjoy say a 800 with that at the back of my head. strange, yes, snobbish and foolish definitely, but its my reality.
as for the VP nosediving, i think that if you drop your expensive FOP then that is almost what you deserve.
every time i go half way i end up getting salty and going whole hog. i feel that the 1000 is the quintessential pelican and i know from experience i would not be able to enjoy say a 800 with that at the back of my head. strange, yes, snobbish and foolish definitely, but its my reality.
as for the VP nosediving, i think that if you drop your expensive FOP then that is almost what you deserve.
I have two VP's. One a factory fine and one is a M stub done by Richard Binder. Both have made great work pens and have lived in my chef coat sleeve pocket. The black matte finish one has just got back from Pilot for the second time because of the "patina" it gets from just being used. It was no longer matte and more brass than black. It is now back to being matte black and lives in a case on my desk at home...
Having the VP in my sleeve pocket, I usually have a vintage Pelikan 140 in my breast pocket on my chef coat. I use it for more formal writing or something I can actually sit and write, like taking notes in a phone meeting or whatever.
If you're wanting to go try a Pelikan but don't want to go whole hog up to a 1000, (because it is just bigger not necessarily better) I would try out a Vintage 400 or 400NN. Maybe even a vintage Mont Blanc.
Should cost about the same or less than the VP's.