izz
Increased Leisure Citizen
the Herbin Stormy Grey is quite sparkly, I found, fwiw.
Fountain pen - recommendations
- Thread starter HackneyE9
- Start date
Yuwipi Woman
Whack-A-Mole Queen
I was a bit depressed after the healthcare vote in the House last week so I splurged on art supplies. I got a set of water soluable markers and a Lamy Fountain pen:
Amazon.com: Letraset 9.6 Aqua Marker, Twin-Tip, 12-Pack: Arts, Crafts & Sewing
Amazon.com : LAMY Vista Fountain Pen Demonstrator, Clear Fine Nib (L12F) : Lamy Safari Extra Fine : Office Products
Amazon.com: Letraset 9.6 Aqua Marker, Twin-Tip, 12-Pack: Arts, Crafts & Sewing
Amazon.com : LAMY Vista Fountain Pen Demonstrator, Clear Fine Nib (L12F) : Lamy Safari Extra Fine : Office Products
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
Apparently Platinum are doing a new version of the Preppy and Cult Pens are selling the old ones off cheap, so I got a couple, F and EF nibs. (They only seem to have EF left.)
Platinum Preppy | Cult Pens
For the price these are incredibly good. The EF is Japanese-style EF i.e. really fine; I prefer the F though, which has a slight stub and flex to it and just writes in a really fountain pen-y way. The nibs beat Safari F/EF nibs easily as well as being much finer - Safaris are good from M upwards IMO but below that pretty bad.
I put a Platinum carbon ink cartridge in the F and it’s very pleasant. Had some initial issues with flow but it seems fine now.
The only problem is that they don’t seem to have converters. There’s a widget that lets you use international cartridges though, so I might try that with an international converter.
Platinum Preppy | Cult Pens
For the price these are incredibly good. The EF is Japanese-style EF i.e. really fine; I prefer the F though, which has a slight stub and flex to it and just writes in a really fountain pen-y way. The nibs beat Safari F/EF nibs easily as well as being much finer - Safaris are good from M upwards IMO but below that pretty bad.
I put a Platinum carbon ink cartridge in the F and it’s very pleasant. Had some initial issues with flow but it seems fine now.
The only problem is that they don’t seem to have converters. There’s a widget that lets you use international cartridges though, so I might try that with an international converter.
Throbbing Angel
this is no longer a place of honour
hey hey, questions/advice
I has the joint problems and am thinking of using a fountain pen to do NaNoWriMo this year.
I am considering Waterman Hemisphere and the Waterman Expert
Any idea/suggestions? Looking at writing a couple of thousand words a day, so approx. 10 handwritten A4 pages (of my handwriting).
cheeeeeers
I has the joint problems and am thinking of using a fountain pen to do NaNoWriMo this year.
I am considering Waterman Hemisphere and the Waterman Expert
- both £35-£38 atm
- both have steel, medium nibs
- the Expert looks thicker in the body and that, I think, would be better for me (piccys below)
Any idea/suggestions? Looking at writing a couple of thousand words a day, so approx. 10 handwritten A4 pages (of my handwriting).
cheeeeeers
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
I have a couple of J Herbin refillable roller balls, they take the short cartridge. Metal bodies, real quality feel to them.
On an aside, I use turquoise ink, have done for fifty years. Rollerballs are a bit more forgiving than fountain pens, so I was always on the look for refillable roller balls. I used Kaweco Sport for long enough, then they discontinued them. Anyway, I digress. Every time I was in Auchan, I would buy 6 x 18 'Mer de Sud' ink cartridges. I wrote all day at work, even then had built a fair supply, every time I write something now, I have to scribble to get the ink flowing. If I could live to use all the ink, Methuselah would be as a child.
If there is anyone out there who uses turquoise ink, PM me.
I just* got an EF preppy and it's really not that fine. Not sure if they sent one with the wrong nib or I just have an unrealistic idea of what "extra fine" should look like based on my EF kaweco sport which took loads of faffing to write at all and is VERY fine.
*just started using it after buying it months ago and putting it somewhere safe
Throbbing Angel
this is no longer a place of honour
I...just started using it after buying it months ago and putting it somewhere safe
at least you found it
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
I have to say that I rated my EF one as "very spidery" on the 'how unusably fine is this nib" scale, so you may have a broader one - or the flow in the pen is more than expected. It's Japanese style mind so it's fine on the downstrokes than lateral ones. (I find this a bit annoying.)I just* got an EF preppy and it's really not that fine. Not sure if they sent one with the wrong nib or I just have an unrealistic idea of what "extra fine" should look like based on my EF kaweco sport which took loads of faffing to write at all and is VERY fine.
*just started using it after buying it months ago and putting it somewhere safe
Yeah my kaweco was "very spidery and scratchy" on the "how unusably fine is this nib" scale (
) so it might just be that anything seems broad and flowy in comparison. Might post some scribbles from both for comparison when I get home.E2a and I sometimes write two lines per 5mm ruled line so my "unusably fine" is practically invisible
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
Since this thread has been restarted I might as well add my own recent explorations.
I got a TWSBI Go pen, which has a spring-filling mechanism that's pretty cute and lets you expel and fill ink very quickly. Unfortunately I can't recommend this one - partly because mine was a really hard starter, though that got better with time and nib pressure, but mostly because to fill it you need to immerse the whole nib in ink _plus_ have enough space above that to operate the mechanism. This is hard to describe but basically almost no ink bottles work with it unless they are very full. I'm all for experimentation but this doesn't quite work.
Apart from that I've been writing with a Lamy 2000 M, with Kiwa-Guro pigment ink, that is really a B because it's Lamy. It's such a nice writer that I forgave it for a while but now I've emptied it I don't so much want to continue. Instead I'm using a Pelikan M205 demonstrator with an M nib that's a lot more sane, with Noodler's Black, plus sometimes an Airmail eyedropper with Noodlers Heart Of Darkness. The TWSBI Go remains full of Parker Blue-Black and also there's a Preppy F that has purple ink in it.
I got a TWSBI Go pen, which has a spring-filling mechanism that's pretty cute and lets you expel and fill ink very quickly. Unfortunately I can't recommend this one - partly because mine was a really hard starter, though that got better with time and nib pressure, but mostly because to fill it you need to immerse the whole nib in ink _plus_ have enough space above that to operate the mechanism. This is hard to describe but basically almost no ink bottles work with it unless they are very full. I'm all for experimentation but this doesn't quite work.
Apart from that I've been writing with a Lamy 2000 M, with Kiwa-Guro pigment ink, that is really a B because it's Lamy. It's such a nice writer that I forgave it for a while but now I've emptied it I don't so much want to continue. Instead I'm using a Pelikan M205 demonstrator with an M nib that's a lot more sane, with Noodler's Black, plus sometimes an Airmail eyedropper with Noodlers Heart Of Darkness. The TWSBI Go remains full of Parker Blue-Black and also there's a Preppy F that has purple ink in it.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
I find that thicker bodies tend to be better for long-term writing but that's a really vague level of recommendation.hey hey, questions/advice
I has the joint problems and am thinking of using a fountain pen to do NaNoWriMo this year.
I am considering Waterman Hemisphere and the Waterman Expert
- both £35-£38 atm
- both have steel, medium nibs
- the Expert looks thicker in the body and that, I think, would be better for me (piccys below)
Any idea/suggestions? Looking at writing a couple of thousand words a day, so approx. 10 handwritten A4 pages (of my handwriting).
cheeeeeers
I've done several NNWMs with fountain pens (won two) and the most important thing was that the pens didn't crap out while I was writing. This isn't just to do with ink capacity, it's also to do with how quickly the feed takes up ink from the reservoir. Some older classic pens like the Parker 51, which has a massive feed, were actually not great at filling it quickly, with the result that if you're writing quickly over a long period you run out - so if you suddenly get a burst of inspiration and want to write several pages non-stop, you can't and you have to pause after a while. The best ones were the eyedroppers, really. Also you use more ink than you might imagine.
Throbbing Angel
this is no longer a place of honour
The M205 has a bucket for a reservoir, ime. But they’re none too cheap.
My recent pen adventures centre on losing my Spencerian ground Pilot Namiki (gutted! No idea where or when), likewise my sailor blueberry something or other. And sort of likewise the m205, which the dog ate.
That’s about £500 or pens gone this year, no prospect of replacing them for some years to come!
(I’m only really using my Nakaya burred walnut and Platinum Carbon at work; and sometimes my Nakaya Rolled String at home. Tbh, I think that’s probably about the sum total of my remaining pens.)
That’s about £500 or pens gone this year, no prospect of replacing them for some years to come!
(I’m only really using my Nakaya burred walnut and Platinum Carbon at work; and sometimes my Nakaya Rolled String at home. Tbh, I think that’s probably about the sum total of my remaining pens.)
Throbbing Angel
this is no longer a place of honour
I went with the Expert as it had the thicker body.
Glad I did. It is at the thinner end of 'thick' in my opinion and I think a Hemisphere would have been a little too thin for me to hold comfortably. I probably need to get a converter.
Any recommendations for bottled ink? FridgeMagnet mrs quoad
Should one stick to the same brand as the pen or just try what you like?
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Callum91
Let them eat cock
Recent additions to my collection include:
Lamy Studio piano black special edition (EF 14K nib)
Lamy 2000 (fine)
Lamy Al-Star - Blue/green (broad)
Lamy Vista (fine)
Lamy Safari Dark Lilac ( black medium steel)
Sailor 1911 Standard, Black/gold (21k Medium nib)
Platinum Century 3776 , Black/gold (soft-fine nib)
Platinum Century 3776 Bourgogne Red (''C'' nib)
Platinum Century 3776 Chartres Blue (music nib)
Pilot Custom 92 - Demonstrator (fine)
Pilot Custom 823 - Amber- (medium) - I also have a demonstrator model of this pen on order with the FA nib.
Pilot Falcon - Metal body, Black (soft fine)
Pilot Vanishing Point, Midnight blue (fine)
Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black (broad)
Pilot MR , White Tiger (medium)
Waterman Expert, Black/Gold (medium)
Waterman Hemisphere, chrome ( fine)
Pelikan Souveran M400, Black/gold (medium)
Noodler's Ahab, Black Pearl (soft fine steel)
EDIT: I forgot to add a Pelikan Souveran M1000, Green/black (EF nib) and a Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Ages (23 carat palladium EF). The Pelikan M1000 is off being repaired (my dog got to it
) and my dad has borrowed the Visconti (it's his 60th this year and he fancies a pen.)
Yes I have serious issues
Lamy Studio piano black special edition (EF 14K nib)
Lamy 2000 (fine)
Lamy Al-Star - Blue/green (broad)
Lamy Vista (fine)
Lamy Safari Dark Lilac ( black medium steel)
Sailor 1911 Standard, Black/gold (21k Medium nib)
Platinum Century 3776 , Black/gold (soft-fine nib)
Platinum Century 3776 Bourgogne Red (''C'' nib)
Platinum Century 3776 Chartres Blue (music nib)
Pilot Custom 92 - Demonstrator (fine)
Pilot Custom 823 - Amber- (medium) - I also have a demonstrator model of this pen on order with the FA nib.
Pilot Falcon - Metal body, Black (soft fine)
Pilot Vanishing Point, Midnight blue (fine)
Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black (broad)
Pilot MR , White Tiger (medium)
Waterman Expert, Black/Gold (medium)
Waterman Hemisphere, chrome ( fine)
Pelikan Souveran M400, Black/gold (medium)
Noodler's Ahab, Black Pearl (soft fine steel)
EDIT: I forgot to add a Pelikan Souveran M1000, Green/black (EF nib) and a Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Ages (23 carat palladium EF). The Pelikan M1000 is off being repaired (my dog got to it
) and my dad has borrowed the Visconti (it's his 60th this year and he fancies a pen.)Yes I have serious issues
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izz
Increased Leisure Citizen
PhwoarRecent additions to my collection include:
Lamy Studio piano black special edition (EF 14K nib)
Lamy 2000 (fine)
Lamy Al-Star - Blue/green (broad)
Lamy Vista (fine)
Lamy Safari Dark Lilac ( black medium steel)
Sailor 1911 Standard, Black/gold (21k Medium nib)
Platinum Century 3776 , Black/gold (soft-fine nib)
Platinum Century 3776 Bourgogne Red (''C'' nib)
Platinum Century 3776 Chartres Blue (music nib)
Pilot Custom 92 - Demonstrator (fine)
Pilot Custom 823 - Amber- (medium) - I also have a demonstrator model of this pen on order with the FA nib.
Pilot Falcon - Metal body, Black (soft fine)
Pilot Vanishing Point, Midnight blue (fine)
Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black (broad)
Pilot MR , White Tiger (medium)
Waterman Expert, Black/Gold (medium)
Waterman Hemisphere, chrome ( fine)
Pelikan Souveran M400, Black/gold (medium)
Noodler's Ahab, Black Pearl (soft fine steel)
Yes I have serious issues
izz
Increased Leisure Citizen
There are worse addictions and hey, you're an adult, you don't have to excuse it
Chilli.s
mingling jets and statuettes
That's a fine collection above!
At the far other end of the scale, my £1.50 China pen is still going strong despite being dropped many times on concrete floor and also used by kids that have no idea about pressing too hard etc.
The "enamel" on the barrel has chipped, but it is made of some kind of brass. The "gold" has worn off the plastic bits and the unidentifiable metal arrow clip
At the far other end of the scale, my £1.50 China pen is still going strong despite being dropped many times on concrete floor and also used by kids that have no idea about pressing too hard etc.
The "enamel" on the barrel has chipped, but it is made of some kind of brass. The "gold" has worn off the plastic bits and the unidentifiable metal arrow clip
Callum91
Let them eat cock
I really love when pens get beaten up, that first scratch a pen receives is the start of it's life as a hard working pen.
Chilli.s
mingling jets and statuettes
Oh yeah, that pens been worked hard, 3 years of daly use as a pocket pen, outdoors, workshop, made to write on any surface. Surprised it still works.
If I had a proper one, it'd be lost in a week.
Callum91
Let them eat cock
If anyone wants any details about the pens I own or some short reviews I'd be happy to oblige. In short however, the Lamy studio 14k, Pilot Falcon and Sailor 1911 21k are all superlative pens .That 14k Lamy Z-50 nib is the dog's bollocks, James Bond smooth, lovely bouncy feel, wetter than an otters pocket . Easily the biggest surprise with a pen I've had so far, I was not expecting it to be such a nice nib.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
I really liked my Sailor 1911 until I dropped it on the floor and the nib went scratchy 
I really should get it fixed but I don’t actually know where to go.
I really should get it fixed but I don’t actually know where to go.
Callum91
Let them eat cock
Can't you contact Sailor and see how much a replacement would be?I really liked my Sailor 1911 until I dropped it on the floor and the nib went scratchy
Also wondering if anyone else had a fine nibbed Lamy 2000 that has a pronounced architect grind?
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Athos
Well-Known Member
What size is it?I really liked my Sailor 1911 until I dropped it on the floor and the nib went scratchy
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
I seem to remember that Sailor aren’t big on replacement nibs - certainly they won’t change them if you order the wrong size.
I think I’ll contact Penfriend and get a rough quote on it. Probably it just needs minor smoothing, it isn’t awful but bad enough to be annoying.
F, and a Japanese F so really quite fine. I bought it in Kyoto literally on my 40th birthday so am quite attached to it, even if the monetary cost wasn’t that high (they are lots cheaper in Japan).
