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After much tortured deliberation and countless hours obsessing over different websites, and seeing as how I cant afford nor find an available LB5, Ive decided the closest Im ever going to get is a Sailor King of Pen. My question is, which one??? Are they all pretty much the same interior guts?

After checking in the "price increase" and the "my new pelikan" threads, I got to wondering what some of you folks might be searching for, hoping for, saving for, or planning to buy next to add to your flock? Are you happy where your flock is now? Frustrated by a rare one? Overwhelmed by the possibilities? Any regrets for missing one? Or for catching one that just didn't satisfy like you thought it would? I'm curious to find out a little more about Pelikan collecting from some of you who have done it longer than I have, and I'm sure there are others who'd find it enlightening too. And sure, I'll start. The next one on my list will likely be a 400 or 400NN with grey stripes. I think that would fit in the vintage side of my flock quite well. For modern pens, I'm telling myself to just wait and see what 2017 brings in the way of new offerings. I've grown the flock faster than I had intended this past 6 weeks so it's time to settle a bit... and wait for the stragglers to finally get here.

Hello, lovely penfriends! It’s been many years since I’ve posted here, and it transpires that since I’ve been away, I’ve become an adult! I have a real job (special education teacher) and a real wife (she’s amazing – A+++, quick response, would marry again) who is at present indulgent if not actively encouraging of my interest in writing instruments. What all this amounts to is that, since I first sank into this hobby as an undergrad and obsessed over it as a penniless M.A. student, for the first time in my life I’ve been able to save enough guilt-free, doesn’t-need-to-be-spent-on-other-things money to consider a really high-end, comparatively expensive pen. I’m now in a position to buy one of my grails. So, of course, indecision sets in. I’d be terribly grateful for some guidance. If you’re inclined, here’s the obnoxiously obsessive information about my preferences I can give you for context. I want a keep-at-home pen, which I’m happy to pamper as long as it’s not too fragile to use. Form must not compromise function.(To that end) I want a comfortable writer for looooong sessions at my desk. Metal sections and narrow sections are immediate deal-breakers for me. (I wrote my thesis longhand with my beloved Cross Townsend, and nearly lost my index fingernail because of my death-grip. I’d enjoy something girthier.)Given that my price range is higher, I’d really like to use this opportunity to get a big, (ideally) two-toned gold nib with pretty scrolling. Part of what inspires me to write is the hypnotic glint of the writing instrument.Similarly, I’d want to use this opportunity to try a larger pen with a construction material not normally available on less expensive pens; I know that plastics are tremendously varied, but even when I had a chance to hold a Montblanc 149, it wasn’t making my heart sing the way my lacquered metal pens have done. Briarwood or urushi-lacquered ebonite have been drawing most of my attention as I’ve been searching.For my hands, I’ve found that the Cross Townsend unposted is a great length and weight. I’m happy to go longer, but I’d prefer not to post unless the pen is specifically built for it. (My metal Pilot Falcon is too short for me unposted, and I don’t want to mar the lacquer by posting it.)I don’t mind bounce, but I would like a hard(er), medium-fine nib. Wet, with feedback, would be particularly nice.I'd prefer not to spend more than $1000 if I can possibly help it.Given all this, and after a lot of time spent reading and watching reviews, I have some candidates I’d like to run by anyone who’s still reading. Visconti Homo Sapiens Maxi Bronze (EF) – This has been my grail pen since it first came out, waaay back before I could imagine being able to afford it. The size of the pen, the nib, and the unusual material were big draws, but over time, my enthusiasm has been ablated by reported issues with quality control, the hyper-wetness of the nib, the ink soaking into the section, and the inability to check the reservoir. The EF nib would be to deal mitigate the reported Dreamtouch™ firehose. Pilot Custom 845 (M) – This pen seems large enough to use unposted, wide enough to hold comfortably, and the nib is enormous and lovely compared with what I’m used to (Cross Townsend, Sheaffer Prelude, and Pilot Falcon being my chief reference points). The aesthetics of the body are almost perfect for me (I’d consider the Sailor ProGear series if they were larger and non-resin). This would be my first ebonite and urushi pen, too, so my only hesitation here is that the section is still resin: I’ve only ever used resin sections, and I have nothing against them, but part of me wonders, if I’m spending the money, should I not spring for a pen that’s urushi “all the way down?” If you have experience with a lacquered grip section and have insight into the difference it makes beyond visual aesthetic, I’d love to know. This pen is otherwise likely the one I’d go for. Sailor King of Pen Briarwood (M) – Huge, beautiful nib, beefy section, and I absolutely love the look of briarwood. The expense breaks my ceiling, though, so it’d be a pen that I’d continue to save for over the next year, if this was the decision. My other hesitations include the cigar-shape, which I’m not crazy about, and my sense that it would be on the shorter side if unposted. Nakaya Desk Pens (M) – I’ve been looking at these because of their length and ebonite/urushi build (I don’t think I’ve heard anyone say a bad word about Nakaya, either). My hesitation here is that I don’t know how large the nib would be compared with the other options, and the section is the same width as my Cross Townsend… If anyone has experience with long writing sessions using desk pens, I’d love to hear about it. These reasons are also why I hesitate around Nakaya’s Briarwood collection, since the light gloss on briarwood is probably my ideal body material, at least visually. Aurora Optima (F) – Auroras were always priced out of my range and seemed too flashy for me, regardless. I’ve been considering Optimas now because the toothy nibs intrigue me (and they seem large), the intricacy of the piston, ink window, and general fit and finish together seem amazing, and the depth of the auroloide helps me get over hesitation around “plastic.” I appreciate that this would be a pen I’d need to post for it to be usable in my hands, though it seems made for that? Apologies in absentia to those who got tired of reading this along the way, and thanks very much to those of you who stayed, even if you don’t have any advice. I know this is also a weird market bracket to ask for help with: I get the sense that people who can afford high-end pens often collect several of them and may be impatient with my caution and baby steps, while those who can’t (like me, a few years ago) often look on with envy and detachment. If you have the patience and interest to follow me on this journey, I’ll let you know how it goes, and again, thank you so, so much for your time.

I received a beautiful le Visconti saturno in green as a gift. It has a fine palladium dreamtouch nib. A Homo sapiens has been a grail pen for me and I am trying to decide do I keep the gift or return and get the hs, which would be a price jump from the return. There isn't much about the saturno except one or two reviews I found online. Was it a flop? Appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

Graf von Faber-Castell Pen of the Years are stunning. the size and proportions are almost perfect. I also love the fact that they come in extremely exotic and rare materials. However, the ones with my favourite materials are too round. The 2014 one is nice, but it's too gold... I really like ebony wood and the GvFC Classic and Intuition come in that material, but the Classic is too thin and the Intuition is too fat. I love the gold lined nib and external feed on the Intuition, but the nib shape is odd. I also like matte black. The Omas Paragon and Parker Premier come in stealth, but I hate the guilloche on the Omas and apart from the stealth, the Parker's kinda meh. Sorry if you're a fan of those. Sterling silver and titanium are also nice materials, but the Yard-o-Leds are too silver and I can't find many pens in titanium. Oak's a nice wood, but I only know of one pen in this material and I don't think it's my grail. As you can see, the most important aspect of a fountain pen, to me, is the looks. It probably shouldn't be. The material is also what attracts me to a pen. I'm definitely being way too nitpicky with these pens. Of course I can't get my grail pen even if I discover it, because I don't even have the funds. Thanks for reading Sorry if I annoyed you.

I was thinking it might be good to have people do their grail pen posts in one area. I wish there was a main major post section for them myself. What us your grail pen? Old or new does not matter. Just the other day a friend sent me her grandmothers Waterman 452 with sterling silver filigree overlay to get working again. Basically I just need to replace the sac once I get it open and that's it. Along with this pen she sent me a Wahl Eversharp Doric with a #6 adjustable nib and the safety ink shut off button mechanism, as well as a Waterman 512 solid 14k gold cap and barrel overlay but missing the clip, just to rivet holes where it once was. I had seen both of these pens before and coveted then in a big way, I had no idea she was sending other pens so, it was awesome just to have them in my hands to see what they looked like and how they felt in my hand. A couple days after she sent them to me we were exchanging emails and she said I could have both of them. I nearly fell off my chair and jumped out of my skin. Both have been polished to look near new. The Doric needs an overhaul and the Waterman needs a clip and new sac. All of which but the cap will be in the works soon. Photos were taken before being cleaned/polished.