Small Fountain Pens With Amazing Nibs?

[Keyless Works]

I have the opportunity to buy two very beautiful and rare hard rubber Aurora fountain pens. One is a safety and the other is a lever filler and they both have amazing flexible nibs and both are (supposedly) reliable workhorses.

 

The thing that gives me pause is the size. They are about 108mm long capped which would even be dwarfed my Soennecken 103 which is designated as a lady's pen.

 

They are fairly priced but if I buy them I want to use them daily. The lever filler weighs a mere 16 grams so without cap (with solid silver clip and and ring) it may weigh as much as a wood pencil.

 

I am 50/50 at the moment; if they were the middle or senior size they would be mine already.

 

Should I buy one?...or two?...or none?

Edited October 21, 2014 by Keyless Works

[playtime]

how long is the safety uncapped with the nib fully extended? I once owned a Waterman 42, which is on the shorter side. The pen, however, felt more balanced once the nib was extended.......

[brunico]

If you're happy writing with your Soennecken - and you've told us the Auroras are giants compared with that pen - then I don't see why they wouldn't be big enough for you.

 

Some of my best pens weigh the same as a wooden pencil. You could always try writing with a pencil to see whether the weight would be a problem for you.

[WaskiSquirrel]

I've always leaned toward the idea that if I'm questioning buying something...maybe I shouldn't buy it.

[Keyless Works]

If you're happy writing with your Soennecken - and you've told us the Auroras are giants compared with that pen - then I don't see why they wouldn't be big enough for you.

 

Some of my best pens weigh the same as a wooden pencil. You could always try writing with a pencil to see whether the weight would be a problem for you.

Oops that was a mistake....My Soennecken 103 would dwarf the Auroras.

 

Wooden pencils are very comfortable but they are not as position sensitive as a fountain pen so it's not quite a 1 to 1 comparison.

[brunico]

Oops that was a mistake....My Soennecken 103 would dwarf the Auroras.

 

Wooden pencils are very comfortable but they are not as position sensitive as a fountain pen so it's not quite a 1 to 1 comparison.

 

Ah, it all makes sense now! I hold a pencil, though, exactly as I hold a fountain pen, so the comparison works for me.

 

I have a Pilot Prera, and though it's a bit bigger than the pens you're looking at - 120mm capped and 108mm unposted, I understand - I'd read a lot of comments before I bought it, from people saying it was too small. And I started to wonder myself, until I had the idea of marking the barrel of another pen with the Prera's unposted length, which made me realise it wouldn't be short enough to get caught in the web of my hand. A centimetre shorter, though, and I wouldn't have bought it.

 

And now when I pick up a longer pen, I wonder why I paid for that extra bit of barrel that just sticks out of my hand and doesn't do anything...

[jar]

How long are they posted?

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

For the most part I prefer pens no smaller than an Estie J or Pelikan M400. However, I was attracted to the early Parker ring-top pens, partly out of curiosity about vintage nibs and as beautiful objects. As I do write with them, I had to learn a slightly different grip, then it was fairly smooth sailing; and six A4s is a doddle. I do not post the cap, which lowers exposure to the risk of damage by splitting the cap or a loosely posted cap being inadvertently flight tested.

 

Next port of call was the Parker England Slimfold, some of which have astounding nibs. Perhaps due to their petite size, they were not considered as work horse pens, so the nibs were more varied. (?)

 

If one takes the time to develop an appropriate grip, I reckon the smaller pens are well worth exploring, but won't replace my Parker Sonnet as a daily writer. And even though I adore my Tuckie, , it won't be invited to the office either.

 

Bye,

S1

[rwilsonedn]

A lot of dip-pen holders were quite short and of course very light. I think the small size may actually help with the fine control that a wonderful nib deserves. So I would say buy them and enjoy--you will be entering into a part of the tradition that modern big, heavy pens can't access.

ron

[sidthecat]

I have tiny hands, so I've developed an ugly desire for old ringtops. My Waterman 52 1/2 v has a lovely, expressive nib, and my Spencer's with a Warrented nib is a bit broader but also a very nice writer.

[Ste_S]

I don't think the length of the pen matters too much - most smaller pens when posted are plenty big enough.

 

What I have difficulty with is the grip/section diameter. I recently bought a Mabie Todd Swan and it's a small pen -about the size of a Parker Slimfold or Pelikan M150. The length of the pen doesn't bother me, but I'm not sure I can get on with the small section diameter.

[takkun]

Might not be entirely the era or aesthetic you're looking for, but two of my regular pens (listed in my signature!) are incredibly tiny with some great nibs. the MB is probably the slimmest pen I have, but has a nice, soft semi-flex nib. My Sheaffer is a bit stubbier, and while the Triumph nib isn't nearly as flexy, it writes surprisingly smoothly.

 

I've got huge 'gecko hands' (as my parents called them), and despite this, I keep acquiring really small pens. Maybe we should trade...

Edited January 5, 2015 by takkun

[dneal]

I'd buy them, but I like small pens. I have a couple of Omas in Dama size that are great nibs. Firm, but springy, and very smooth. A Pelikan M300 is so springy that it is venturing into semi-flex territory. Great nib, and a stark contrast to a large firm nib like on my M800. A 50's Kaweco Sport has become my favorite pocket pen, replacing a Franklin Christoph 40 with Masuyama CI.

 

A Pelikan 400/600 is (to me) the ideal sized pen, although I use a MB146, Sailor 1911 and Lamy 2000 frequently; alternating between them (the Sailor probably gets the most use. Any larger than that and it gets a little unwieldly to me (although I have a 149 and M800 inked up in the rotation right now... go figure).

[Cob]

This Waterman's is 11cm long capped; has a lovely flexible fine Ideal nib and it also holds a lot of ink (1.7ml according to Dr Oldfield). Lady Patricia Ink-Vue:

 

Cob

Edited January 6, 2015 by Cob

[Beechwood]

I had a small Moore, too small to use uncapped. I bought a new nib and this was fitted and tuned by Eric Wilson and it was a honey. It was so abused when i bought it that I thought the pen was black, Eric cleaned it up to reveal a midnight blue pen.

 

My problem is that I hate to post a cap.

 

Sold it about a year ago to a lady who only collected small pens but I really regret selling that pen.

 

Dont ignore small pens!

[Sandy1]

I don't think the length of the pen matters too much - most smaller pens when posted are plenty big enough.

 

What I have difficulty with is the grip/section diameter. I recently bought a Mabie Todd Swan and it's a small pen -about the size of a Parker Slimfold or Pelikan M150. The length of the pen doesn't bother me, but I'm not sure I can get on with the small section diameter.

 

Hi,

 

I remiss in not mentioning how I modified my grip to accommodate pens of narrow girth.

 

For the most part I use a variation of the tripod grip, with my index finger extended more towards the nib, yet still bowed outward.

 

With pens of narrow girth, I shift towards the 'forefinger over' grip.

 

The Topic 'The Classic Tripod Grip', started by Member troglokev, has numerous depictions and discussion of various methods of grasping a pen. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/201146-the-classic-tripod-grip/?p=2056287

 

Bye,

S1

Edited January 6, 2015 by Sandy1