What is your favourite pen brand?

[marklavar]

What is your favourite pen brand? Everyone has a favourite. Which is yours?

[wimg]

Hi Mark,

 

Could you maybe add a few brands, like Stipula? Or maybe "Other"? Either of those would be my preferred choice.

 

Warm regards, Wim

[JesseD]

I put myself down for Waterman, but I only really care for the old ones. Some of the LeMans looked nice but its the Waterman's from the 1910s and 1920s that I love. Classic design, comfortable in the hand, and a huge variety of different nibs available. Then there is the beautiful overlays. I often just stare at the Waterman overlay picture in FPOTW.

 

-Jesse

[Gerry]

Someone forgot Esterbrook!!!

 

Gerry

[southpaw]

Just one! Can't do it. Maybe I'm too new to fp's, or maybe I just like to many different pens (so many nice pens have been made by various manufacturers). Favorite pen varies with mood, time of day, type of writing, etc.

[Velma]

What if I have to say "Insufficient Data"? I love my Sheaffers, and have more of them than any other pen (save Platignum calligraphy pens from the 1980s and 1990s), but... I only have two Watermans, and one Esterbrook, and one Pelikan. How can I truly be sure? And now that I've exploring oblique and stub and italic nibs, I have to do more experimenting.

[RSVP]

Montblanc, deffinately. I have had no problems with either the quality nor the reliability of any Montblanc I own, or have owned.

 

Their deign and materials are top-notch too.

 

J.

 

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I would say it is the Pelikan. 1. Good materials, 2. Good pricing, 3. Very Reliable, 4. Conservative styling, 5. Large ink capacity (Applies to piston fountain pens only), and 6. Lighter pen (I can not use a heavy pen for long). I used to use a Parker Reflex, Parker Arrow, and Rotring Artpen. The Reflex was made of ABS and scratched a bit easily (I can count the scratches on one hand though). The Arrow was a bit heavy. Both were reliable, and also had convervative styling. The Reflex took me half a year to smoothen out. My M200 has been perfect from the start. The Rotring Artpen had more conservative styling than any other Rotring fountain pen I have seen. With these other pens, I had to refill once every two days for the Arrow and Reflex, and every day for the Artpen. I have to mention that the M200 fits my hand like a glove. The Reflex is a little big for me.

 

Dillon

Edited June 18, 2005 by Dillo

[KCat]

Both were reliable, and also had convervative styling. The Reflex took me half a year to smoothen out.

sorry to drift a bit here...

 

the fact that your Reflex smoothed out at all is why I am not wild about these pens. The tipping is very soft compared to better-made pens. i tried to stub one once - the more I tried to smooth it, the more pitted the nib became and I finally gave up. And I'm one that uses very high-grit mylar for such tasks so it isn't as if I was grinding it on stone.

 

Not to say they don't have their place in pendom. Just that you do get what you pay for in the case of the Reflex. At least the models sold here in the US - not really certain it's the same as the UK model. presumably so.

 

I'm so glad you're finding the Pelikan to be a good experience. A bad experience with any brand right off the bat can distort your view of the brand indefinitely. Hence my marginal appreciation of Sheaffers. I *know* people love them and have good stories to tell. But I have trouble getting past my not-so-good stories.

[RSVP]

I had a parker Reflex (UK) and used it at school for over a year , until the rubber rubbed away. It was an OK -> Good pen.

 

J

 

Edit: two typos

Edited June 18, 2005 by rimmerjar

[Titivillus]

What is your favourite pen brand?  Everyone has a favourite.  Which is yours?

That's mine today but you'll get a different answer tommorow

 

Kurt H

Edited June 18, 2005 by Tytyvyllus

[Moondrop]

Sheaffer, followed by Pelikan. My Sheaffers all write first time, every time - 1 vintage and a handful of moderns. I've got two Pelikans that share one nib for the moment.

[pmocz]

I have to agree with Tytyvyllus, it depends on the day and the mood. But, and it may be a stupid reason, my favourite pen is a black Mentmore button fill Diploma (looks somewhat like a Parker 51). The reason is, I had a West German Diplomat. One day in the Supermarket the pen slipped out of my hand and when it hit the ground it broke the nipple that the converter fits into :bonk: . My wife searched on E-Bay for a replacement for me as a surprise. She saw what was listed as a Diplomat and won the bid. Her excitement when she presented it to me was like a little kid opening a Christmas present ........, then she realised that it was not the same as the pen I broke . The first thing I did was fill it with ink and it wrote, the nib has a little tooth to it but it puts down a nice line and is smooth. Her thoughts and her patience make this my favourite pen. So for me the question is what is my second favourite and with this I have to agree with Ty.

 

Sorry for the rambling story but...... That's also how I got into collecting "old pens".

 

George

[RSVP]

Looking at this poll , it seems we have quite a few MB fans here (4 more than I knew about - loll). Perhaps some piccies and reviews are in order!

 

[Guest Denis Richard]

I think you MB fans have a duty to make us MB-sceptics appreciate them and forget our anti-luxury-marketing bias. So, James, you're right that you should lobby with reviews and pics... MB power !!

 

I'm also curious about vintage MBs. I rarely read about them.

[mr_inky]

Why does Wearever keep getting left out of these things? :bonk:

 

It's pen discrimination that's what it is! You're just jealous of Wearevers that's what it is! Yeah, JEALOUS! :ph34r:

[Keith with a capital K]

Esterbrook should really be added to this list so that Gerry, Elaine, and Brian (just to name a few) can cast their vote.

 

Seeing the we have a forum dedicated to Esterbrooks might suggest that this might be a really popular pen with a few people.

[Gerry]

Thanks Keith...

 

I *am* warming up to Sheaffer (hi there Jim...) but it's a slow process. I just can't imagine why people are afraid to recognize Esterbrook's superiority based on simple, yet thorough engineering.

 

I don't know - but I suspect it has something to do with cliques etc. (Rob - c'mon and pronounce here...)

 

Please add Esterbrook to the *Fav* list - and I'll be happy to vote.

 

Regards

 

Gerry

[ushat]

The list contains only companies in current production. That might give a rather misleading result, in a couple of ways. First, there are many people whose favourite pen brand may no longer be made. Considering the fine marques that have gone, that would hardly be surprising.

 

Second, the list includes Conway Stewart, for which I voted. My vote was for the pen company which died in the 70s, not for the company who now has title to that name but no real connection with the original make.

[grasshopper]

The list contains only companies in current production.  That might give a rather misleading result...

Yeah, and I also agree with the suggestion that, at the very least, an option for "other brand" should also be up there.

 

Personally, I'm chuffed to see that there's another Sailor fan around here somewhere.

 

Second, the list includes Conway Stewart, for which I voted.  My vote was for the pen company which died in the 70s, not for the company who now has title to that name but no real connection with the original make.

Interesting, Ushat. What's the reason for your distinction?