Which pen does the trick for you?
2009/08/24If you had to get it down to just one pen that makes the most of your writing as well as makes you happy to use, which one would it be?
I was thinking about that as I made a journal entry a few minutes ago. For the umpteenth time the same pen was not only very kind to my handwriting but it was fun to use and very easy on my hand. It really does top anything else I own, well, at least until the Waterman Carene stub arrives but the jury’s out on that one for now.
Until then, my black and rhodium Sailor 1911 fine nib does the trick for me regardless of the ink. I’ve used J. Herbin Vert Empire and Bleu Pervenche, Diamine Teal and Steel Blue, and Stipula Moss Green. Not a stinker in the bunch. The 1911 has the whole package and never disappoints me.
Do you have a pen that works that well for you? I hope you do because it is exactly what makes using a fountain pen superior to any other writing instrument. Yes, I’m biased but you already knew that.
Hey, do post the name of your favorite pen in the comments. Maybe someone else would find your fave to be the perfect pen, too.
I absolutely LOVE my cobalt Estie ‘J’ with either JH Bleu Nuit (currently in it) or PR Lake Placid Blue in it flowing from my 9556 nib. I am not a blue person by nature, but these two blue I am absolutely in love with.
Omas Brevetto 556/S. An unassuming pen to look at, but with a feel and a nib that flexes and takes you back to the time when handwriting and the feel of ink on paper captured a magic that even my Apple falls short of!
For me it has to be my c1946 Waterman’s W5 green stripe executive fine nib. Beautiful to look at, perfect size and weight, buttery smooth nib with just a tiny bit of flex, and it absolutely loves the J Herbin Lierre Sauvage ink I’ve paired it with. The first time I picked it up it was as if this fountain pen had been made for me – I could write with it all day, every day, it’s just perfect.
My jade Flattop Sheaffer Lifetime, with a factory stub — any ink. But it’s close; For everyday, my Laban Kaiser with a slightly stubbed nib (courtesy of Deb Kinney) and my Sheaffer Lifetime Balance (vac-fil)with a factory stub work hard and well, and every time I use my late father’s MB 149, it gives me smooth lines and fond memories.
aaaaaarghhhh only one pen?? I have to name two! My Parker Duofold (medium) and my Montblanc Meisterstuck 149. They never let me down and give me a feeling that makes me want to make the sentences longer.
I’m fortunate enough to have multiple pens since I’ve been collecting awhile. So I’ll break it down into classes – Waterman Carenes, both stub and B nibs
Krone stubs
Visconti stubs
Montblanc B nibs
Ancora B nibs
Marlen B and BB
Conway Stewart IB
I’m not a heavy writer and only own a few low end pens (Parker Frontier, Lamy Safari and one of the discontinued slimline Sheaffers). I’d say the Sheaffer is my favourite for writing with.
I suuuuuuuupppooooooooooooossssee if you took away all my other pens permanantly, I’d grab the Omas 620 Demonstrator to stay. It has a nice Kinney stub, and it’s red frame entertains and changes with what it’s inked with, and I can stuff it in my jeans front pocket.
This is the reason I have so few pens: I only keep those I really, really love.
If I had to choose one, it would be the Sensa Meridian. I love the Namiki Vanishing Point I recently acquired, but for extended writing sessions, the unique gel grip can’t be beat for my writing style (I tend to grip too tightly and the resultant “writer’s bump” is rather painful). And the cap is pretty air-tight–even though I know I shouldn’t, I’ve left ink in there for months, and many inks start right up (even some inks with which others have reported problems)!
Dani Trio eydropper fill M
Pilot 823 with M nip
If’n it can only be one…it’s gotta be my late-1946 Parker “51″. It hasn’t ever failed me.
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I am going to have to go with my Safari Al Star in raspberry. It is always dependable, and I love, love, love the color!
What a diverse group of people and pens! Thank you so much for posting your faves. There are several I’d like to try and I’ll bet I’m not the only one thinking such thoughts.
I’m firmly attached to my Pilot 78G with a B nib. But it’s not a B nib, really, it’s sort of a stubby italic nib, but that’s how Pilot makes them. If I had more money (and it should be an indication of something, considering how inexpensive these pens are) I’d have one for each of my 3 preferred inks.
Of course, my favorite pen peddler recently got his hands on some BB’s, also of a stubby italic nature which I’m dying to try.
I couldn’t choose just one. To write letters, I like a flex nib, which would be either my 742FA or a Waterman NY nib. For quick notes, you can’t beat a Vanishing Point.
If you make me pick…I don’t think it would be a specific pen but any with a good italic nib
My favorite is my Pilot 823, the only Pilot with the plunger fill. The nib has a truly exquisite feel as it glides across the paper. I had hoped the same would be true of my new 1911 Sailor Realo but it is not. The nib did not live up to my expectations.
Since I’m a total and complete addict and devotee of the line I’d have to say my favorite daily writing pen is a Pelikan M605 with a Spencerian modified nib. For an off the shelf pen I’d have to agree that the Sailor 1911 is probably the best modern pen hands down, mine is a rhodium demonstrator that makes me feel like I’m writing with the pen of the angels when I use it. For the sheer joy of writing and drawing the Pilot 742 with the Falcon nib just can’t be beat. And for the sheer pleasure of understated ostentation the Pilot 823 with a modified Falcon nib is hands down one of the most pleasurable writing experiences ever devised by man. For a signature pen one just can’t seem to beat the elegance of an urushi lacquered Nakaya with its extra fine soft nib. But the true workhorse of the bunch is the Pelikan M605 with modified Spencerian nib even though I’ll admit that an off the shelf Pelikan will never even come close to my ideal pen. Like the rest of you FP users I could easily list 20 pens I absolutely could not do without but I have to admit that for a daily user if one were to go with a Pelikan M200, M400 or M600 with the nib modified to their personal writing style then you’d have one of the best performing pens for daily use out there. You can put the thickest of inks, Noodler’s BPB and Platinum Carbon Black, through a Pelikan, or a Sailor 1911 for that matter, with absolutely no complaints for page after page of at speed writing when all other pens scream and skip as if their being tortured by the simple act of what they were created to do, write. If it don’t write, it ain’t right!
Well, Seamus, that’s a terrific pen list. The Pilot 742FA is high on my Wish List. Drawing with it promises to be a real treat. Good to hear another vote in its favor.