Super Thick Barreled Pens

[ScifiTentacles]

Heyas, I was wondering if I could get some pen recommendations, I have some pretty nasty repetitive strain in my hands and wrists and in the past I have found because of it that when I'm writing for too long I get some nasty sharp pains that force me to stop. It doesn't help I don't think that I hold my pen "wrong" but when I taught myself to hold my fountain pen with a tripod grip I found that the pain just got worse and that I couldn't help but end up gripping the pen tighter and couldn't force my fingers to loosen despite how much I practiced.

 

I'd pretty much given up on the hope of being able to sit and handwritten stories all day like I used to as a kid. However my latest pen is a MB 149 which is a seriously chunky pen, the girth of it is crazy and since I've been using it I've had no pains in my hands and can literally sit and write for hours no problem!

 

So what I was wondering is if anyone can recommend any other FPs with a really wide barrel. thanks very much guys

[northlodge]

Hi

From time to time you will see wide barrel vintage pens up for sale on ebay. There are lever fill and piston fill versions, which I believe were imports from Japan. Probably Intended as a novelty, they will serve the purpose you are referring to quite well, resembling the adapted knives and forks that are sold by companies such as 'Nottingham Rehab" for those with arthritic hands.

[Namo]

Delta Dolce Vita OS. Grip is thicker than the 149's. Beautiful pen!

The pen northlodge is referring to is a Japanese "Jumbo", and there is a lever filler version, but the other one is an Japanese style eyedropper filler.

You could also have a look at Danitrio: the Genkai and the Mikado seem to be huge, but I didn't hold them in my hand, so I can't tell how fat they are.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Namo

[Lorna Reed]

What about an Edison Collier? The barrel looks about the same as a 149 (sorry, I don't have any means of accurately measuring) but the section is slightly narrower because of its flared shape. Might be worth a look.

 

[jar]

Sheaffer Legacy series pens are another line you should consider.

[Christi0469]

The Guider Super Zimbo from fountainpenrevolution.com is amazingly chunky with what looks like a large section. These are handmade eyedropper pens but you can get an aerometric converter fitted. It is a much lower range pen the the MB but I remember looking at the pen and thinking that it might be good for arthritic hands.

[doggonecarl]

Tombow Egg

[Scrawler]

Tombow Egg

Yes - If you can find one. As soon as I saw one in Harrods, I recognized that a time would come when I might need something like this, so I snapped one up and have kept it stored away, just for this reason. There is a problem with this pen. You need quite a bit of grip and strength to get the cap off.

[Ghost Plane]

Delta (see Bryant's Chatterley versions)

CS Churchill

Sailor King of Pen

YoL Grand (more heavy/long than fat)

The larger Visconti such as Ripple, Romanica as well as the now discontinued Van Gogh Maxi with the 14k nibs

[jj9ball]

I would be happy to make you a pen to whatever specifications you chose. The best thing about custom pens is that they are custom. You can tell me that you need a section that is .952 inches long and .658 inches thick and I can do it for you... those are just random numbers but you get the point. You could also pick out your own acrylic and clip. Just pm me if you are interested. I have some of my work posted over in the pen turning forum.

Jeff.

[j.a.j.]

Would it be a good idea to first try are big & heavy or big & light pens better before making expensive aquirements?

 

Jinhao 159 is much more heavy than a 149.

 

Large Indian ebonite pens are very light. Available as c/c fillers from Asapens (Gama Saral) for example.

[Uncle Red]

The Laban Mento is another off the shelf option. Laban has some other large pens.

[Snargle]

A vintage Sheaffer PFM ("Pen for Men") has a pretty thick barrel and being gradually tapered, can be gripped almost anywhere on the barrel. Not cheap but well worth the expense.

http://www.penworkshop.co.uk/images/source/009p.JPG

[rwilsonedn]

+1 for Indian hand-made ebonite pens. Several very good pen-makers there produce a very large version as part of their regular product line. You might check out ASA Pens (http://asapens.in/eshop/index.php?route=common/home) for example. I've had very good experiences dealing with them, and the prices are quite reasonable.

ron

[ScifiTentacles]

Hey guys, thank you all so much, there are some awesome options here and I'm very excited to look through these in more detail and make a decision. A lot of these pens are gorgeous and quite a few of them are in a wonderfully reasonable price range for me so I'm looking forwards to researching them. thank you all so so much for your suggestions, this all really helped me! <3

[amk]

Laban Mento is particularly nice as it's a relatively light pen for its girth. I have two. Lovely pens and pretty good nibs, too.

 

Indian ebonite is another way forwards, but the nibs can be a weak point and you'd have to tolerate eyedroppers. However many are now coming with the alternative of cartridge/converter and a Schmidt or Jowo nib.

[sevenof9]

I would add an M1000 Pelikan to the list....it is roughly equally wide to the MB. 7

[usk15]

Vacumatic Oversize & Maxima.

[georgeb]

The Laban Mento is another off the shelf option. Laban has some other large pens.

Yes, this is the one to get. isellpens.com

[penmanila]

I love my 149s for exactly that same reason--they're actually very nice to hold. The threads near the section give better grip, and the pen is large but its tapered ends make it seem and feel more comfortable in the hand.

 

On top of the earlier suggestions, I'd recommend a Duofold Centennial (one of the older squarish ones) whose girth will match the 149's. The Duofold is also built very well and with a converter, there's not very much that can go wrong with it.