I bought an 823 in broad some time back. I was thinking it would be more akin to a western medium....it turned out to be on par with a western broad. I had Pendleton Brown turn mine into a stub and i really enjoy it...i think he called it a buttersmooth stub or something like that.
What's everyone's next pen going to be?
- Thread starter syngent
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AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
No new pens coming this month, but I do have a couple of Parker IM nib units on order. Four out of my six IMs came with fine nibs, and I have ordered a couple of mediums to swap in.
Also on order is five 80ml glass bottles of Diamine ink. Sapphire Blue, Grape, Misty Blue, Sherwood Green and Ochre. They are all inks that I already have been using from 30ml bottles, which I decided to "commit" to adding an 80ml bottle of, as they are the inks that I expect to use the most (alongside Midnight and Quink Black, which I already have in glass bottles). There's still a few inks here in the smaller bottles that I'm still not ready to commit to in full size bottles yet.
There is also three new Parker converters and a bottle of nib cleaner coming too. I got tired of having to swap converters between pens. I actually had to order from three different places to get everything I wanted at the right price. As one of the orders was direct from the Diamine factory, I also have a sample of their Steel Blue ink coming free of charge.
Also on order is five 80ml glass bottles of Diamine ink. Sapphire Blue, Grape, Misty Blue, Sherwood Green and Ochre. They are all inks that I already have been using from 30ml bottles, which I decided to "commit" to adding an 80ml bottle of, as they are the inks that I expect to use the most (alongside Midnight and Quink Black, which I already have in glass bottles). There's still a few inks here in the smaller bottles that I'm still not ready to commit to in full size bottles yet.
There is also three new Parker converters and a bottle of nib cleaner coming too. I got tired of having to swap converters between pens. I actually had to order from three different places to get everything I wanted at the right price. As one of the orders was direct from the Diamine factory, I also have a sample of their Steel Blue ink coming free of charge.
Steel blue sounds nice...I enjoy blues.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I succumbed to temptation today, and sent payment for another couple of Parker 45 Flighters. A GT with a 14k nib, and a CT with "octanium" nib. The grip sections on both seem to have less wear from the cap clutch than my current one does. They seem to write well too, judging by the seller's writing sample
Although I'll now have three of them, I might only use one, and keep the others for spare parts. I'm not just thinking in terms of section wear, or accidentally dropping a pen on the nib, but losing one of the tiny pieces (nib, collar, or feed) down the sink when stripping it down for a deep clean. It has nearly happened before...
While I'm not a big fan of the clutch caps, I do love everything else about them. The durability, the ergonomics (freedom of handling and unimpeded grip), the choice of (readily available) cartridges or converter, the ease of fully dismantling for servicing. I don't know of any other affordable fountain pens that came close to ticking all the same boxes.
Although I'll now have three of them, I might only use one, and keep the others for spare parts. I'm not just thinking in terms of section wear, or accidentally dropping a pen on the nib, but losing one of the tiny pieces (nib, collar, or feed) down the sink when stripping it down for a deep clean. It has nearly happened before...
While I'm not a big fan of the clutch caps, I do love everything else about them. The durability, the ergonomics (freedom of handling and unimpeded grip), the choice of (readily available) cartridges or converter, the ease of fully dismantling for servicing. I don't know of any other affordable fountain pens that came close to ticking all the same boxes.
Just gifted a Parker 45 GT to one of my friends for his birthday and he liked it a lot. It is a great solid pen.
45s are bulletproof (imho). Great pens. I know they made a bajillion of them, but I still don't understand how they can be had so cheaply, at least in comparison to what a Pilot Metropolitan or Lamy Safari can be had for. I would rather have the 45 than those 2 any day of the week.
10-20 bucks for a quality pen that may even have a 14k nib seems like a no brainer to me.
10-20 bucks for a quality pen that may even have a 14k nib seems like a no brainer to me.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I have coughed up a little more for mine, but that's because I'm getting them from a collector/dealer, rather than taking an eBay gamble. The peace of mind that somone else has already given them a once over, and has taken honest pics, is worth that extra margin for me.
Aside from the cap not going click, and the inevitable wear/shrinkage of the section over time, I'm very happy with the one I have. Happy enough to not be happy that I didn't have spares
Absolutely!
In fairness, neither the Metro and Safari would be good choices for me, due to the triangular section on one, and that big step down on the other, but yes, I do take your point. I do have several low cost Chinese made pens (including some Parkers), which work well for me. But the 45s I have coming cost less than I currently have to pay for a Chinese made Parker IM. Even the stainless Parker Jotter costs more in some places.
I was actually looking at a couple of other pens that caught my eye first. Both were stainless bodied with long unimpeded sections. One was a Papermate made in West Germany, and the other was a Sheaffer with the inlaid diamond thumbnail type nib. Both looked very nice, but they were both more expensive each, than both 45s were together, and neither (so far as I could see) could be stripped down for cleaning like the 45 can.
In fact, I also saw a UK seller that is selling genuine factory made unused shells/sections for the 45s, for £22.50 each. So I got two whole pens (already checked over by a competent person), for the price of two spare parts.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
There might be a problem here...
I ordered these on Thursday, and got the automated reply straight away. Since then, I'd heard nothing, and so I sent a quick email, just to be sure the order had popped up at their end, and all was well. No reply yet. It's not a major problem, as I paid with PayPal, and so can put in an appeal if it doesn't get sorted.
I'll wait a few more days. He might be on holiday. He might be ill. His internet might be on the blink. In the meantime, I'm not exactly short of pens.
We've all gotten so accustomed to immediate responses these days, that it's easy to get a little twitchy when all is quiet for more than a few hours.Just received my new Lamy Safari in Pina Colada color (F). It writes smooth, out of the box. The nib is perfect and I love the color.
Also picked up a Sheaffer Javelin Cranberry Red Fountain Pen w/Converter from Ebay, as a new addition to my Sheaffer collection.
Also picked up a Sheaffer Javelin Cranberry Red Fountain Pen w/Converter from Ebay, as a new addition to my Sheaffer collection.
I am waiting on a Pilot MR Murex MR-500SS, marked M-H478, which means it is stainless steel, has a medium nib and was manufactured in April of 1978 at Pilot's Hiratsuka manufacturing facility. The nib is integrated into the barrel. They stopped making them in the 1980's. It is a beautiful piece of history. Next will be the Murex's predecessor, the Pilot MYU, if I enjoy writing with this one!
I need to sell a few pens first but I really want a 90s Pelikan M600 tortoise with a fine to medium nib
Sheaffer VFM Coffee Edition (Medium) arrived today. It is beautiful and so is the packaging. Arrived with a converter and two cartridges. My Grey VFM (Medium) is one of my favorite writing pens, and that is why I purchased a second one. Great ink flow, no scratchiness, and never had a start issue.
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