Looking For A Skinny Fountain Pen

[Snoutmol]

I have a strange grip that I've tried to change, but the change doesn't seem worth the effort. I have so much more control with my old grip, since I've written with it probably 500x as much as the proper grip I'm trying to change to.

 

There is one major problem with my old grip: it requires a very thin pen. My Lamy 2000 is too thick. Sure, the actual grip is thin, but it widens as it goes up, and I need to to be somewhat thin up there too. My 2000 is what inspired me to change to the proper grip, as it was hurting my thumb a lot to write with my weird one.

 

But since I am giving up on the proper grip - I am able to write neater and thus focus and think more clearly with my old grip, which is very nice - I am going to sell my 2000 and look for a new pen in the $100-200 price range. This pen needs to have a THIN grip. All the fountain pens I've used thus far - the Jinhao X750, Pelikano Junior, and the Lamy 2000 and Safari - are not thin enough, although the Safari is actually a pretty good thinness. That one would work (although I am not a fan of its triangular grip), but I'm looking for a more expensive option. Also, I really like piston fillers, but I understand if that it difficult to combine with pen thinness.

 

Anyway, my question is, What is a good $100-200, gold nib, preferably piston-filler fountain pen?

[ENewton]

The Waterman Gentleman is a thin pen with a lovely 18K gold nib, and you should be able to find one in your price range, but it is a cartridge converter.

[jar]

Look for 70s pens. Slim was the style for that period. There was the Parker 75, a brazillion different Waterman sticks, Auroras fantastic Marco Polo series and Magellano series and Hastil, MB VIP, Slimline and Noblese, The Cross Century pens, ST Dupont Classiques and Gatsby, Sheaffer Targa and a whole host of others.

[grainweevil]

I think I'd start by looking at Pelikans from the 60s and 70s for skinny piston fillers with gold nibs.

[Sasha Royale]

Have you tried the Parker 45 ? If it suits you, many are available at modest prices. A pen, that is thin as a wooden pencil, would not have room for cartridges. Would a wooden pencil be the right thickness. ?

[dogpoet]

Look for 70s pens. Slim was the style for that period. There was the Parker 75, a brazillion different Waterman sticks, Auroras fantastic Marco Polo series and Magellano series and Hastil, MB VIP, Slimline and Noblese, The Cross Century pens, ST Dupont Classiques and Gatsby, Sheaffer Targa and a whole host of others.

 

This. I'd also suggest the Parker 180/Classic as a skinny '70s pen, but you might not find one of those for $200. My own absolute favourite thin pen is the Rotring 700, but one of those will probably be at the top end of your range, if you can find one at all. (also, it's a c/c not a piston filler, but so are most '70s pens mentioned, sadly.)

 

Also, the comment about thin vintage Pelikans means that I'm honour bound to mention the Reform 1745: waaaay cheaper than the bottom end of your range, but a hugely good pen for the money, and thinner than Natalie Portman in Black Swan. This one is a piston filler as well, which is a plus.

 

Finally, you could try another Lamy. The 27 is (I think) a '50s imitation of the Parker 51. Piston filler, with a much smaller (and thinner) body than the 2000's big modernist cigar. Quite a bit cheaper than you're looking for, though.

Edited February 5, 2016 by dogpoet

[benbot517]

You could get a lamy cp-1. It's designed by the same person who designed the 2000, and with the money you save on the cp-1, as it is a cheaper pen, you could get a gold nib for it.

[dogpoet]

Nobody's mentioned the Cross Century yet. I think that's obligatory when talking about thin pens...

[Karin.S]

I have Lamy Cp1 - skinny and small. Otherwise Cross pens are quite skinny in general

[Snoutmol]

Have you tried the Parker 45 ? If it suits you, many are available at modest prices. A pen, that is thin as a wooden pencil, would not have room for cartridges. Would a wooden pencil be the right thickness. ?

 

Yes, a wooden pencil would be the perfect thickness, if not just slightly too thin. I really like the idea of the Parker 45, but I can't find one in fine. I should add that I'm also looking for a pen with a fine nib.

[Arkanabar]

The Baoer 388 is rather slim. So too would be any other cheap Chinese "homage" to the Parker Sonnet. The Pilot Metropolitan/ MR/Cocoon and Pilot 78G have rather slim sections. Of these, the 78G has the slimmer barrel.

[Snoutmol]

I also like the Reform 1745 and the Lamy 27

[benbot517]

Nobody's mentioned the Cross Century yet. I think that's obligatory when talking about thin pens...

The classic century (not the century II) is quite thin. And even though it's quite thin, comfort wise I found it to be pretty good. The problem is its filling system. It doesn't take a converter, just cartridges. And not the standard cross cartridge, but the cross slim cartridge. Those are (in my experience) hard to find. I enjoyed my century, but in the end I sold it because of that limitation. Of you felt like it, you could refill carts, but for me it wasn't worth the fuss.

[Sasha Royale]

 

Yes, a wooden pencil would be the perfect thickness, if not just slightly too thin. I really like the idea of the Parker 45, but I can't find one in fine. I should add that I'm also looking for a pen with a fine nib.

Check Ebay. Prices seem to vary widely, however. You decide.

Also, you might want to risk $1 for the thinnest fountain pen I know. I have few good things to say about the HERO 266, except, despite many negatives, it writes nicely.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

The Montblanc Noblesse is quite skinny for a fountain pen. It's seen here next to a Fisher Bullet Space Pen for comparison.

 

http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt221/mapn/Pens/20150124_115404_zpszgfcvlqh.jpg

 

I found my two for around $100 each, although I spent some extra having the nib reground on one of them. It's no longer made, of course, but doesn't seem hard to find. It uses cartridges or a converter, but the only converters I've found that fit properly are Pelikan ones; other international converters are too loose, although I assume that the original Montblanc converters would be good as well. I love the way my two write, but in one case that's thanks to the fellow who reground the nib.

[ac12]

If you want THIN there is the Cross Classic Century, according to Cross 8.1mm diameter. Very similar in size to a standard wood pencil. But caution, the chrome finish can be slippery, if you have oily fingers. I suggest the matt black finish. And as was mentioned, this is a cartridge only pen. There is no converter made for this pen. Although you might be able to make a bulb filler out of an empty cartridge.

 

Going up from the Classic Century are (current production):

- the Lamy cp1, 8.7mm section, 9.4mm barrel (cartridge/converter)

- Parker Vector; 8.3mm secton, 10.0mm barrel (cartridge/converter)

- Pelikan M200; 11.2mm section, 11.7mm barrel (piston)

 

Going up from the Classic Century are (vintage/used):

- Parker Classic; 8.4mm section, 9.5mm barrel (cartridge/converter)

- the original Cross Century; 8.8mm section, 9.8mm barrel (cartridge/converter)

- Parker Arrow; 8.5mm section 10.2mm barrel (this is NOT the one that looks like the P45) (cartridge/converter)

- Parker 88; 8.5mm section, 10.5mm barrel (cartridge/converter)

- Reform 1745; 9.0mm section, 10.0mm barrel (piston)

- Waterman Laureat; 9.5mm section, 10.6mm barrel (cartridge/converter)

- Esterbrook LJ; 9.1mm section, 10.7mm barrel (lever fill ink sac)

- Pilot 78G; 9.3mm section, 11.1mm barrel (cartridge/converter)

- Lamy pur; 9.4mm section, 11.2mm barrel (cartridge/converter)

- The Parker 45 is like a small version of the Lamy 2000, tapered in both directions so difficult to give a measurement, thickest part is 11.6mm (cartridge/converter)

 

There is also the Sheaffer SLIM Targa. BUT it uses a special cartridge that is long out of production and VERY difficult to find, so I would not consider the SLIM Targa for that reason.

 

For reference, your Lamy 2000 is 13.3mm at its widest point

Edited February 5, 2016 by ac12

[Snoutmol]

Wow thank you that is extremely helpful!

[ac12]

Section size is difficult to measure on some pens because the section is tapered, like your L-2000. So I usually measure the middle of the section. However, depending on how you hold the pen, you could hold low, middle, high, or even on the barrel. Example, I hold high, fingers approx 2.5cm from the tip and thumb approx 4cm from the tip. On the Cross Classic Century I hold on the front of the barrel.

 

If you are thinking about the Cross Century, be aware that there are 3 different Cross Century pens that people seem to get confused over.

#1 the original Century, from about 1980s, long out of production

#2 the Century II

#3 the Classic Century, current production

 

If you want to go up market, the Pelikan M-300 is a slim pen (10mm barrel), but it is also short.

http://www.ruettinger-web.de/e-pelikan-modell-souveraen.html

Edited February 5, 2016 by ac12

[Venemo]

The Montblanc Noblesse is quite skinny for a fountain pen.

 

+1 for the Montblanc Noblesse. I was going to suggest the Montblanc Noblesse Oblige.

[cleosmama]

I have an old Pelikan Celebry that I like a lot. I also have a Regal pen that is very thin and quite perfect for my grip. It's lighter than the Celebry.