[Closed] Pen ponces - recommend me a fountain pen

There is a certain skill in how to get help and advice from someone.

I am not sure you have it.

Watching with interest (although my budget is nowhere near yours). I get the feeling that fountain pens can end up being a very deep rabbit hole!

I got a £30 Parker off ebay.

Like watches I don't see the need to spend money purely for branding.

Pilot capless is very nice. Great nib, no cap to lose or drop. Try cultpens.com

I got a few parkers for birthday presents - teacher so it's a default gift.

However the best most reliable pen I have is a cheap 2 pound job from tesco, sometimes cheap and cheerful is best?

Sorry Cranberry, pre-empting the "why do you want a fountain pen you ponce" responses I'd expect from bits of STW. Didn't expect to get pulled up on it first post though. Should have added some smilies? Anyway, I will withhold my pudding as punishment.

Any particluar Parker Al? Hadn't thought about second hand.

Will also look at Pilot on cultpens, ta Stuart.

Anyway, I will [s]with[/s]hold my pudding as punishment.

Are you a judge?

I have a Mont Blanc Meisterstück. It's a delight to write with but I rarely use it because it's too valuable to lose so I won't take it to work. I actually nearly always use my Parker Frontier which is inexpensive and performs well.

Anyway, I will withhold my pudding as punishment.
Are you a judge?

Shouldn't it be something about pulling and pudding? Anyway, unlike some judges I have an idea what "acceptable" use might be in an IT policy at work!

I had a Cross fountain pen once, it was horrible and scratchy and always stopped working. Tried two different nibs and various inks. Shame, it looked great.

With a budget like that I think I'd be going to a stationers or jewellers and trying some pens out. You'll find out quick enough which feel nicest to write with. After years using 0.7 uni-ball Signo gel pens, I decided to try a fountain and picked up a Parker Jotter, their basic steel fountain pen, which I'm happy enough. I tried some more expensive pens and found a couple that were both comfortable and easy to write with. Not all nibs are made equal, and it's surprising just how much they can vary.

I use a tombow Zoom 101 carbon fibre fountain pen day to day, and also a rotring 600 fountain pen for different days when I feel like it.
I have draw fillers for both and use Pelikan 4001 black ink.
I also often use a Worther lead holder most days too...

Oddly enough, I use a Cross Townsend and it's glorious to write with.

It does rather depend on the way that you write, though, as some pens just feel better.

FWIW, I also have Pelikan, Parker and some lovely old Conway Stewart lacquers.

Thanks, more suggestions to look at. there's a pretty good stationers near me so I'm planning on trying a few, but it's good to go with some ideas.

If you fancy a vintage Parker the parker 51 seems a good place to start.

Can't really advise as I'm pretty new to the fountain pen world - enjoying my new Lamy Al-Star though.

Would be worth look at http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/ and http://www.penaddict.com for advice. cultpens.co.uk and thewritingdesk.co.uk are a good place to start for buying in the UK.

Then once you have a few nice pens it looks like you start getting interested in inks 🙂

Let us know what you go for.

Around that budget I've had a Waterman Carene, a Lamy 2000 in steel and a Pilot Capless Fermo (aka vanishing point). All were really nice and most come with nib options other than the usual F/M/B if thats your thing.

Or a used Montblanc - just probably not the latest generation though.

Between the Safari and your budget though there is a world of great pens - that's one big jump in price!

Slight hijack here but what's around nearer to £50? I do like the look of the Parker 51!

For £50 new: Maybe a Monteverde Impressa in Red/ metal.

Or Italix Pens get a big following on Fountain Pen Network. Pretty much like the On-One model in bikes but with good customer service and just about every type of nib possible. The owner checks / customises each nib kind of thing and changes them if you're not happy.

Or a twisbi 580 (although it looks cheap).

Or a Lamy accent with a choice of nib.

For £50 used - well that's pretty broad tbh.

I guess I'm beginning to sound like a pen ponce!

[url= http://www.penisland.net ]I recommend a trip to Penis Land [/url]

Definitely a pilot capless, the fermo version I is my favourite

cranberry - Member
There is a certain skill in how to [s]get[/s] give help and advice [s]from[/s] to someone.

I am not sure you have it.

I'm not much of a fountain pen user, I have a black Lamy I bought years ago, haven't used it in ages, but I have a hankering after one of these:
http://www.tigerpens.co.uk/kaweco-liliput-fountain-pen-eco-brass/p2241
I love the brass body, I have a brass pen which takes Fisher Space Pen refills, and which attaches to a keyring with an airhose Q/R, and a beautiful solid brass 0.5mm mechanical pencil, both crowdsourced projects, and it would be rather nice to have a brass fountain pen to sort of complete the set.
Not posh, but brass is hard-wearing, and ages and patinates well, nicer to hold than alloy or steel, more durable than plastic, or lacquer.

Firstly, sorry - I was in a bit of a grumpy mood when I wrote that.

I can't suggest anything in the £150 range, but for £50 a Lamy Accent would be a good option.

Nah it's alright Cranberry I thought it was quite a funny comment!

Thanks for all the suggestions, budget is set as it's a gift from family to me.

I'll probably leave it in the house but interested in some of the less pricey options as "everyday".

Pen geek (own to many to use really), but firmly in the 50 quid bracket - like to actually use them...

Lamy Studio.
TWSBI 580
Pilot Prera
Schneider iD (much cheaper but surprisingly good)
Rotring 600 if you can find one

Every day pen, get a Pilot disposable!
[img] [/img]
They're lovely things to write with. Often have one in my pocket as a spare should the Cross run out of ink in the middle of a big paperclip deal. 😉

Mont Blanc is nice but not worth the cash.

i now have 2 Parker 51s - one a vacumatic - and they are brilliant. A good vacumatic can hold way more ink than other pens, and a good one is smooth as silk to use.

About £100 on eBay should do it.

In true Singletrack tradition, I have a Platinum #3776 in black. Took a while to get used to it having not used a fountain pen for many years. And it writes best when held a long way from the nib, a bit (worryingly) like a wand. Because it's Japanese? Who knows. Love it though, it's in your price range if you hunt about a bit and looks much more expensive than it is.

My only other long termed was a Schaeffer Targa in black and gold. A bit 1980s but wrote as smooth as.

I like the look of that Lamy Studio. Are people using cartridges or bottled ink for office use?

im into pens and calligraphy

I have just ordered a custom pen from this guy

http://www.handmadefountainpens.co.uk/

he is based in edwinstowe (5 mins from sherwood pines)

making me a one off pen, italic nib, 3 tongue, they are wonderful, and I'd rather give my money to an individual making a quality product

takes about 6 weeks to make, having to order the nib from USA

I like the look of that Lamy Studio. Are people using cartridges or bottled ink for office use?

Cartridges hold more ink (than the 'convertors' that allow you to use bottles). They are also sealed when new. Which are both advantages.

On the other hand carts are more expensive per ml and are in a greatly reduced range of colours. Also Lamy carts are proprietiary.

But for me - generally - I'd use a convertor and cart's as a backup.

As an aside - the studio comes with a z50 nib (like most lamy's) and the M nib may be a bit broader than you expect. Luckily lamy sells a good range of sizes for £4 - 7 if you want to change. Also WH Smith sometimes sell off new, M nibbed studios on ebay for good prices.

saw this in the flesh, was VERY nice

http://www.handmadefountainpens.co.uk/epages/es144810.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es144810/Products/fp3

Not fountain pen but I prefer Fisher AG-7 space pen. 😀

I have pretty much EVERY Lamy fountain pen in their range.
If I was on a budget then the Lamy Studio is a great pen for c£30.
However my one pen that I use most of the time and adore is my black Lamy 2000 with EF nib. For around £100 it really is the nicest pen on the market. Lovely to write with for long periods (I use it in exams as well as daily use).
There are other flashier pens for signing things and looking important, but for a stealthy lovely pen the Lamy 2000 is the best.

If you can find one (I got mine imported from Germany, but I got my wife's in York) the Diplomat Excellence A+ is very nice. Can be had for £180.

Edit - maybe less. It appears the euro is in your favour.

Lamy ABC here as well. Used for everything but mostly sketching.

Just this quick concept sketch for a new target.

https://flic.kr/p/rmwPkD

Can't seem to get the bbcode code when using the Android app.

PS quite like the disposable pilots.

You don't need to spend much.

+1 for the Lamy 2000. The broad nib is very smooth indeed. With a custome nib, it can be had for ~£100 from eBay (Germany)

Cheers all, plenty to look at so far. Keep the recommendations coming!

I have had an enthusiasm for good handwriting for a long time.

Many years ago I went into a flash pen shop. I wanted the best pen I could get and wanted to test drive them.

Price was no object other than I was not interested in paying for ornamentation or exotic materials irrelevant to the pen's function - I wanted a pen that was comfortable to write with for hours.

I wanted an italic nib. The folk in the pen shop couldn't have been more obliging and lined up an array of pens of all shapes, sizes and prices. My test was to write a standard paragraph with each one. At the end of the paragraph I put the pens into a like or don't like pile. Some pens wrote beautifully but the balance was poor, not a problem for just signatures, but a hassle for extended writing.

At the end I repeated the procedure with the like pile until I had thinned it down to 2.

And what did I end up with? A plastic Lamy. The metal bodied one was just as nice but didn't balance as well.

The price was a very pleasant surprise because I was unaware of the prices while testing. I was so happy with it, I also left a large donation to the staff tea and biccies fund for their patience.

So the long and short of it is, if you want a pen for actually writing with rather than doing stuff like signatures, take it for decent test drive first.

BTW if that sounds a bit obsessive, I used to carve my own nibs from quills. 🙂

Don't know if you can get one of these for £200 but the Pilot Myu/Murex is a thing of particular beauty (in my eyes, at least)

[img] [/img]

Any photos of the carved nibs? sounds interesting.

This thread's brought out the impulsive in me and I've splashed out on a Pilot Vpen... It's the most expensive pen I've ever owned.

brought out the impulsive in me and I've splashed out on a Pilot Vpen... It's the most expensive pen I've ever owned.

Congratulations on your purchase, there is something nice about writing with a fountain pen.

S****

http://www.penisland.net/

So the long and short of it is, if you want a pen for actually writing with rather than doing stuff like signatures, take it for decent test drive first.

Agreed in full!

For many people, they think it's more about pulling a Mont Blanc out to sign that big deal, grrrr, you're a tiger, etc!

I test drove/wrote my Cross and it's a joy to write with.
[img] http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/ATCross/576_us?$_proddetaillargerP$ [/img]
(I never put the cap on top like that though. Looks scruffy and doesn't balance as well for writing.)

Gahhhh hurry up payday! I [s]want [/s][b]need[/b] to be fiscally irresponsible!

Double s****
[url= http://www.penisland.net/wood.html ]http://www.penisland.net/wood.html[/url]

So, I don't need a fountain pen but was seduced by reviews of the Italix pens mention ed. Ordered one (Churchman's Prescriptor) yesterday, arrived today, and it is gorgeous. Heavy and well weighted, it writes beautifully, so if the OP is still looking these are definately worth a look. Need to find the paper to do it justice now

Also Lamy carts are proprietiary.

Lamy might be proprietary, but you can either buy a refiller that lets you use any bottled ink for about £3 or buy the disposable cartridges in bulk for not much money online.

I'm glad you liked the Italix!

As for carts: there is a "standard" (international / euro) and neither Lamy or Parker use it. But those two are almost the same - and as Pinkster found out - will work in each other in a pinch. Or yes CHB, use a convertor with bottled ink!

There are other flashier pens for signing things and looking important, but for a stealthy lovely pen the Lamy 2000 is the best.

This is the truth.

I have two 2000s: a black Makrolon with medium nib, and a stainless steel 2000M with EF nib.

These go with:

Cross Century II
Lamy Safari (white and Vista)
AG Spalding (wood and translucent bodies)
Lamy Safari (platinum grey with gold nib)
Dunhill Sidecar Chassis with an immense Bock nib, which a near miss on losing it means it now never leaves the house

I use bottled ink in all of them - always Diamine.

Other than the past few weeks when the urge to use a Lamy 2000 ballpoint has overtaken me (and the occasions only a pencil - Rotring, natch - will do), all my writing is done with a fountain pen.

I think a recent pay rise may warrant a new pen. Definitely Japanese, probably a Sailor (Pro Gear or 1911) or a Platinum 3776 or Pilot Falcon.

Ourman in t'North: I have the Stainless steel Lamy 2000 too, but it's too heavy and the cap tends to fall off easily due to weight.
The Lamy Dialogue 3 I have in SS is also a nice pen, but the clip tends to get in my way when I write as I am left handed and hold the pen in a gawky way.
Is the Diamine ink much better than standard Lamy stuff?

I love a nice fountain pen although mine are just cheap ones - mid 90s Parker (x2) and a Schneider iD after being led astray by this thread. I find that I rarely use them in this age of computing and my handwriting had regressed to Kubrick's ape level.
I'd love to be able to do caligraphy style writing
Can anyone recommend an online teaching resource for this?

Is the Diamine ink much better than standard Lamy stuff?

ElShalimo - Member
I love a nice fountain pen although mine are just cheap ones - mid 90s Parker (x2) and a Schneider iD after being led astray by this thread. I find that I rarely use them in this age of computing and my handwriting had regressed to Kubrick's ape level...

I no longer have much occasion to write and I fear that is happening to me too.

You can dramatically improve most cheap nibs if you are prepared to put a few hours in with a very fine oilstone.

This thread has inspired me to get out my pen again though. I'll find some excuse to use it.

You can dramatically improve most cheap nibs if you are prepared to put a few hours in with a very fine oilstone.

How does that work?

You can dramatically improve most cheap nibs if you are prepared to put a few hours in with a very fine oilstone.
Seeing as how paper is pretty abrasive by itself, putting in the equivalent amount of time writing on some fairly rough surfaced paper will have exactly the same effect, which is to get the nib adapted to exactly the right angle for your writing style, and polished at that angle.

 

Thanks

Cheers everyone, I like the look of the Lamy 2000, so will try one at my LFPS (local fountain pen shop). But some of the others linked look nice too. Maybe I need more than one. or two. Or three.....

Churchman's Prescriptor from Italix (c£50).
Pure pen porn (especially when added to some Diamine Sargasso Sea ink)
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

I already have a perfectly good pen (a parker that I was given) but I'm really tempted to get a lamy studio and an ink pot. What say you oh "potentially more fiscally responsible than I am" ones?

Curse you Terry Wrist!

Today I found myself in a stationer's shop fingering the fountain pens.

I got as far as the counter before I realised I would be wasting bike money on a pen.

A near miss.

🙂

Somewhere, I have a black plastic Lamy I bought donkey's years ago, I'm now going to have to start hunting through various drawers full of assorted clutter to try to find the damned thing!
See what you've started...
(Tut!) 😉

psa - WH Smith online are doing Lamy Studios for 28 gbp, code SPRING5 gets you an extra fiver off so 24 gbp delivered.

Top one, on its way!!! Thanks, good post

Looks like I'm going to the local smiths at the weekend to see if I can get a test write!

I had a hunt around last night, couldn't find the Lamy, but I found two Parkers and a cheap Osmiroid italic, which are soaking in a little box full of water to get all the dried ink out, and I'll get some cartridges at the weekend.
One of the Parkers is a 99, I think, the other I have no idea. When I've got them dried out I'll stick up a photo.