Choosing a pen for my girlfriend

[Moose]

Okay, guys, I am in a little bit of a dilemma. I am just not sure what I should do. My girlfriend expressed to me the other day that she is interested in having a fountain pen and that she wanted me to get one for her for Christmas! Yay, a new convert. I am sure some of you have been through this before, so I am looking for suggestions as to what you guys did. She doesn't have any idea what she wants, but she did specify that it be:

 

1.) About the same line width as a ball point (ABOUT, not exact)

 

2.) The pen body must look presentable in more formal situations (Ex. a Yellow Lamy Safari might be a little loud)

 

3.) Not extremely expensive (I don't want to spend a fortune, but I would like to get her a relatively nice pen, maybe $50 range, so that she doesn't end up with something that might feel cheap to her. So this one is slightly negotiable depending on your recommendations.)

 

Those were the only requisites. Just so you guys know the kind of stuff that I like (even though she may like something completely different) I have two VPs, two Safaris, a Knight, and two vintage "51s" (though one of my 51s needs to be restored).

 

Any and all suggestions are welcome and thanks for the advice!!

[meanwhile]

A Hero 100 Flighter.

[MikeLip]

I am looking at two right now that might fill the bill;

 

Cross Century II in black. $60. Nice looking pen!

 

Sheaffer Agio Compact. $48.75. Not sure if it takes a converter, so you may have to buy cartridges for it.

[Benjamin McFerret]

Parker "51" demi. Small, thin, and affordable.

[mike1]

The Hero 100 is a good bet. I just bought one for my thirty something year old daughter for her birthday. It's cheaper than $50 so get her some ink to go with it. I got my daughter a bottle of Private Reserve plum ink so she'll be able to write and write.

Edited October 26, 2006 by mike1

[Ogrebait]

How about the following. They can be had for under a $100.

 

 

Pelikan 205

Pelikan 215

Lamy 2000

Lamy Studio

 

 

 

Rick

Edited October 26, 2006 by Ogrebait

[*david*]

Another vote for Hero 100. One possible drawback is that it is a very conservative-looking "non-girly" pen. Certainly acceptable in any situation though.

 

Parker 45's in my experience write very wide, so maybe not one of those.

[æon]

I'd get her something that clearly looks like a fountain pen. From a ballpoint user, a Parker 51 or other hooded nib looks a bit boring.

 

A Pelikan M200 is the easy choice here. Classic lines, excellent piston fill, and replaceable nibs. The blue marble one is classy looking, or one of the demonstrators if you think she'd like to see the ink and mechanism. Should be able to get one for about $50.

[Anne-Sophie]

A Taccia Continental available in beautiful pink, purple, jade and brown celluloid with silver clip and ring. A classy girl pen, medium size and weight, very nice and smooth line in Medium only. $64

 

Kevin $33 pen, heavier metal pens, beautiful colors, very classy with either silver or gold clip and ring depending on color, nice and smooth line in Medium only.

 

Waterman Phileas, weight between the Taccia and Kevin's pen. Beautiful celluloid in Blue, Red and Green with swirled white and black in it, with gold clip and ring. Very nice and smooth line in Medium and Bold, also exist in Fine. (gift)

 

Waterman Ici et La, small pen in cute colors. smooth nib (don't remember the price)

 

All of the above are modern pens.

[Moose]

Thank you guys so much for all the suggestions. I am not sure where to go yet, but I appreciate all the feedback!!!

[sonia_simone]

I say go just a little bit all-out and get her a Tryphon Clef. Real celluloid, and if she ends up not liking it, you can sneak it back from her.

 

I haven't tried the Clef, but it looks great and has received nice reviews here.

 

If she wants something about the width of a ball point, I'd definitely suggest a fine nib.

 

Winedoc's pens are a great suggestion, but they're all medium nibs for the less expensive ones, which I think is a little bit on the broad side for new FPers. (Unless one has the habit, as many people do at my work, of using the new brightly-colored ultrafine Sharpies.)

[Arkanabar]

Moose,

 

get her responses to the "Considerations" part of my article, On Selecting a Fine Pen. That will help narrow down the suggestions a tad. Ignore the rest, it is in dire need of updating.

 

edit: Oh, and if she doesn't know, ask her about what she DOESN'T like about the pens she uses. That's nearly as good as knowing what she DOES like.

Edited October 26, 2006 by Arkanabar

[WillAdams]

I agree with Mikelip and would suggest a Sheaffer Agio - possibly the regular size instead of a compact though since it comes with a converter.

 

William

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

She might like a Waterman Ici et La fountain pen. When you buy, be sure that it can take a converter. The new ones take converters, but the old ones only took Waterman Short cartridges.

 

Dillon

[kissing]

Waterman Phileas with a Fine or Extra Fine nib?

http://www.nexternal.com/swisher/images/Red_FP_4257.jpg

 

Inoxcrom's Jordi Labanda fountain pen (can be found at Swisher Pens under "inoxcrom") These have one-sized nibs that write fine. Highly fashionable art deco design - something I would buy my girlfriend (if I had one )

http://www.nexternal.com/swisher/images/Inoxcrom_Jordi_Labanda_White_FP.jpg

 

 

Parker Frontier with Fine nib? (might be a bit broader than the ballpoint, but still an elegant pen for its price)

http://www.dalyspenshop.com/Images/Store2005/Product_TN_10034.JPG

 

Kevin's $33 TAC II pens (currently in Marketplace of FPN, i think)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/winedoc/Sale%20Stuff/tn_DSC07945.jpg

 

Pilot Knight fountain pen (found at swisherpens or pendemonium)

http://www.nexternal.com/swisher/images/Namiki_Pilot_Knight_Black_FP_500.jpg

 

A Hero 100 will probably write as fine as a ballpoint. Not sure how a first time user of FP will react to a hooded nib and an aerometric filler though.

 

 

All below $50, and great value for its price IMO.

[goodguy]

I dont think there is much to think.A Pelikan 200 is the perfect pen.

 

1.Its perfect to ladies hands

2.Close to your price range.

3.Many colors to choose from

4.High Quality and VERY durable

5.If she ever gets tired of it she can always sell it close to the buying price.

6.Its a fool proof easy to use piston filler with a big ink reservoir

 

Dont think twice go for it.

[lefty928]

I have the Pilot Knight in brushed silver, and it looks quite sleek.

[Visoflex]

No flames please, but just a thought perhaps when buying a pen for someone else.

 

Once you've narrowed down the options, if possible, find somewhere where one can be tried out. As a pen is such a personal item, another person's idea of size, balance, weight etc, with respect to hand size will probably be different from yours.

 

After all the time you've spent researching, the last thing you'd want is for a nice pen to be put away in a drawer unused and unloved because "it doesn't fit".

[blueiris]

No flames please, but just a thought perhaps when buying a pen for someone else.

 

Once you've narrowed down the options, if possible, find somewhere where one can be tried out.  As a pen is such a personal item, another person's idea of size, balance, weight etc, with respect to hand size will probably be different from yours.

 

After all the time you've spent researching, the last thing you'd want is for a nice pen to be put away in a drawer unused and unloved because "it doesn't fit".

I agree with this. I am a "girl," and I have found that there are some pens that I just won't ever love because they're too heavy, too masculine-looking, or just the "wrong" color or "wrong" shape! Perhaps you could consider asking her to accompany you to browse for it, if possible (and you can buy it later on your own, while she's not watching). She already knows she's getting a pen (she told you she wanted one, right?), so it's not like you're going to ruin a surprise. If you want to make it as much of a surprise as possible, then you could take her shopping and narrow it down to several. When I went shopping for one for myself, I was able to narrow it down within minutes. Probably, you'll end up knowing which one is the "best" one for her, judging by her reactions to each pen.

 

I think it's a lovely gift idea! For the record, I considered the Aurora Ipsilon, Waterman Phileas, Pelikan 215, and Lamy Safari. I know they're all good writers, but seeing and holding them in person made me rule out the Aurora and Phileas based on my own idiosyncrasies. I love Pelikans and have several, but I also love my Lamy Safari. You mentioned that she wants a dressy pen and a bright yellow one won't do, but I wouldn't necessarily rule out the Safari, especially the matte charcoal-black one. Even though it's not as dressy as Pelikans can be, I think it's very sleek-looking and understated in that charcoal-black color and way dressier than disposable ballpoint pens carried by many at corporate meetings. I guess it's a matter of how dressy she wants it to be--if she's used to carrying a high-end ballpoint, then yeah, maybe the Safari wouldn't be elegant enough for her taste. Good luck! Don't forget the ink!

[Green Maned Lion]

I absolutely love my Pelikan, but I also happen to love the idiosyncracies of fountain pens. I don't mind the idiosyncracy for my left handed self that sometimes when I write fast I will slightly smear the ink, and that i often have a black stain on the side of my left pinky finger and sometimes on my palm. I tend to like thick, dark, and wet lines. I absolutely, as I said, love the Pelikan.

 

However, it is definately a fountain pen that has quite a few of the general idiosyncracies they have:

 

1) screw on cap. It can be a pain if you aren't... really into them.

2) You GOTTA fill it from a bottle. Fine for me, I don't mind getting my hands dirty. I dunno if a girl just starting on fountains would... enjoy that too much.

3) it is a really wet line. Easy for people used to a ball point to forget that part. (i.e. smears, transfers onto oppisite pages, runs due to shaking paper, etc) If you are used to fountain pens, you don't shake papers violently, avoid touching recent writing, and don't close notebooks or turn pages until the ink is atleast mostly dry. But...

4) I keep hearing that Pelikan has some issues with fine and extra fine steel nibs. Its a moot point for me, as I like relatively thick lines for most applications. I don't know if a ball point user would like it. The line of a ball point is often faded, so even though the actual width of a ballpoint and fountains line are the same, the dark wet line a Pelikan 200 medium lets down looks wider. I hear you can solve the fine problem by going with Richard Binder, but it probably would cost a bit more (not saying its not worth it).

 

That being said, I love the pen. It really depends on whether your g/f is willing to accept the idiosyncracies of a fountain pen like the Pelikan, and whether the learning curve might cause her to not like it.