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Mid-priced Fountain pens

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
 
The Lamy 2000 is a bit over your budget but it is the best writing pen I own regardless of price. The fine point version has a definite sweet spot. The medium version is superb in all ways. JMHO... Great hand feel...

You're looking at $160 or a bit less. Many of us feel it is well worth the difference.
 
My experience with Waterman and Parker is mostly with vintage, so I can't comment on the ones you mention. I also don't know what prices you would pay in England for the pens that I will mention. The same prices don't apply everywhere.

But you might want to have a look at Pilot pens. The prices you mention come to about $64.70 to $129.40 USD. In that range, you can find a number of good models if you order directly from Japanese dealers on eBay or third party sellers on Amazon. The Custom 74 and Custom Heritage 91 plus a little extra for the high capacity CON-70 converter should each come in at under $100. You can find a Pilot Capless Decimo for around that ( a slimmer version of the Vanishing Point ).

You could also look at the Platinum 3776 Century, which, with a converter, would probably come to under $90. I don't like it as much as the Pilots, but it's a good pen.

And for that matter, I got my Lamy 2000 for $123, about £95, on Amazon, so that's in your range. I agree with Bob L.'s recommendation on that one.

Also, just see what prices you can get on the lower end Pelikan Piston Fillers, M200 and M205.
 
From your list, I have the Parker Sonnet (brushed steel) and it's a nice pen. But for a suggestion: Pelikan M200. Classic design, time tested, and piston filled. Suggestion #2: TWSBI
 
The Lamy 2000 .... Many of us feel it is well worth the difference.
+1, I got mine (x2) for about $125 each with shipping.

The Custom 74 and Custom Heritage 91 plus a little extra for the high capacity CON-70 converter should each come in at under $100.
another nice idea. I have my Custom 74 inked up right now and the pen and converter cost me less than $85 shipped; just like Slivovitz, my Waterman and Parker experience is all vintage stuff.
 
Hmmm just had a look at the custom 74's, i'm torn now between the Lamy 2000's modern approach to fountain pens and the 74's more classic approach.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Anytime someone is thinking of spending more than $50 or so on a pen, I encourage them to look at the Pilot Custom Heritage 92 ... a fantastic piston-fill pen from Japan, and I suspect (after all the various exchange rates are taken into consideration) if you get one off e-bay from a Japanese seller (several reputable ones there) you will be within your price range.
 
I recommend the Lamy 2000 which Bob recommended to me. A nice writer and has a good ink capacity. The Parker Sonnet and Waterman Carene are nice pens too.
 
Hmmm just had a look at the custom 74's, i'm torn now between the Lamy 2000's modern approach to fountain pens and the 74's more classic approach.

I picked up a Custom 74 with a SFM nib a few months back, and it quickly became my favorite pen. It's a timeless design that I love for the office, and the soft fine medium nib is simply to die for.
 
I picked up a Custom 74 with a SFM nib a few months back, and it quickly became my favorite pen. It's a timeless design that I love for the office, and the soft fine medium nib is simply to die for.

Do the Custom 74's have interchangeable nibs?
 
Anytime someone is thinking of spending more than $50 or so on a pen, I encourage them to look at the Pilot Custom Heritage 92 ... a fantastic piston-fill pen from Japan, and I suspect (after all the various exchange rates are taken into consideration) if you get one off e-bay from a Japanese seller (several reputable ones there) you will be within your price range.
I definitely agree with the heritage 92 recommendation. By far my favorite pen. Followed closely by the lamy 2000. I got my Pilot 92 for $122 US from a Japanese seller who seems to be well respected here.
 
Nope, and @nemo makes a great point above. You'd have to decide on one nib. I prefer Japanese and the soft nibs are just flexible enough to add some flair and smoothness to the writing.

I asked because they offer a lot of different nib choices for the Custom 74's and I don't want to buy a few pens to find one I like :001_unsur
 
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