Who makes the best pens today ?

[sleek_lover]

QUOTE (lisa @ Oct 27 2006, 04:39 AM)

QUOTE (marklavar @ Oct 27 2006, 12:44 PM) Hey, it's not what I am saying, it's what these other people are saying!  I'm happy with my Watermans. Yeah, those other people, that was me. I expected the €50 pens to work, but they didn't in my case. You said I should try the Edson first before I decide if I like the brand. But then you decided to agree with me that a €50 pen should work so I guess it was miscommunication. Do one of you know were I can get an Edson for FIFTY pounds sterling??? Please, point me in that direction, quick. I have a number of Carenes, poor cousins of the Edson. They are wonderful...   So if I can get an Edson for about 10% of list price I want one...   Because that is what somebuddy's response is implying...   Bill..who thinks a US100$ Edson would be loverly.

[georges zaslavsky]

I voted parker because of the duofold, their patents and the quality of their nibs. Not that waterman is bad but their actual range of pens is not what I like the most. I really preferred the Le Man 100 and Le Man 200 to the Edson and the Carene.

[Ray-Vigo]

A vote for Waterman.

 

The Duofold is a nice pen for sure. But I prefer Waterman's line a bit better. I know the concentration is on high-end luxury pens, but I think the Phileas and Kultur pens are worth a mention here BECAUSE of and not DESPITE their prices. Those two pens I've found to be very reliable, robust, easy to fix and maintain, and a great value for the price. They can be obtained even at many common office supply stores. I think that level of ease and functionality are important.

 

 

 

[auscan]

I have a local Newsagent, that I thought had the bigest pen selection in melbourne, and they only stock these 3 brands. now I know if you want any other brands, you realy have to travel into the city (well over an hour away).

 

Actualy before joining this website, I didnt know other brands made fountain pens.

 

Out of these 3 makers, I would have to pick Waterman. They just feel and look like quality pens, even their cheapest models.

I love Parker pens, but there has been a few that i have questioned. Sheaffer............. Dosnt do it for me. I have many Sheaffer pens, they write fine, but they dont excite me.

[Col]

QUOTE (ericthered2004 @ Feb 16 2007, 05:38 PM)

You may be right about Pelikan and their markets both, but I've never been aware of much current anti-german feeling in the UK, and so haven't seen it directed towards German products.

No, neither have I.

 

QUOTE

In fact my knee-jerk reaction, right or wrong, is to associate German goods with high quality, and there are lots of German and "German-sounding" brands successful in the UK:  Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, Meile, Braun, that "the appliance of science" washing machine (off the top of my head).

Your knee jerked correctly - I think that is the general perception, patrticularly in the case of BMW. The 'appliance of science' though, is made by Zanussi. Maybe you were thinking of Bosch? They make a range of high-quality white goods.

[Curly2001]

[Curly2001]

I like Waterman and Pelikan. What happened to Cross? They are no longer a status symbol on ballpoints and from what I have heard, they are not hot for fountain pens. Just a comment.

Curly

[ericthered2004]

QUOTE (Col @ Feb 16 2007, 11:52 PM)

QUOTE (ericthered2004 @ Feb 16 2007, 05:38 PM) You may be right about Pelikan and their markets both, but I've never been aware of much current anti-german feeling in the UK, and so haven't seen it directed towards German products. No, neither have I.   QUOTE In fact my knee-jerk reaction, right or wrong, is to associate German goods with high quality, and there are lots of German and "German-sounding" brands successful in the UK:  Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, Meile, Braun, that "the appliance of science" washing machine (off the top of my head). Your knee jerked correctly - I think that is the general perception, patrticularly in the case of BMW. The 'appliance of science' though, is made by Zanussi. Maybe you were thinking of Bosch? They make a range of high-quality white goods. Zanussi! Thanks! It's been a bit since I heard from them, I'm afraid. Is that slogan still in use?   Regards, Eric.

[ediamond]

Big pen makers? I'll bet Pilot sells more pens than all three of those brands combined...they have a product line that stems from simple stick pens all the way up to rare one of a kind urushi pens. and I've never written with a bad one. They might not be as sexy as Waterman, but IMHO they are the best.

[kavanagh]

Dear Colleagues,

 

I have always given priority for my hard earned cash to : Pelikan and Lamy. Their consistency in quality pen making is better than Parker, Sheaffer and Waterman.

If you hold a Pelikan or Lamy, they feel more solid and have that ' if you drop me on the ground - I'm more likely to survive unscathed '.

 

Waterman pens are attractive - but on close inspection, they do not have the quality of construction that the Pelikan or Lamy pens have.

 

Another defining feature for me is that if you use a waterman, sheaffer or parker pen in a 'commercial' heavy duty environment eg. writing all the time and being subject to knocks and being thrown back in to the drawer .....the parker is more likely to survive.

 

I have friends who have abused their Pelikans and Lamy's ( not deliberately ) but because they use them all the time.......without a thought to cleaning them, or about knocks or abuse......and the pens have stood the test of time - that for me is what a fountain pens should be about...........pleasure of use anytime and anywhere..........and not worrying about knocks or scratches or maintenance.

 

The least durable for me are the waterman and sheaffers. The sheaffer targa may have a reputation for smooth writing.....but so do the Pelikan and Lamy pens.....except the build quality of the Targa will still be second to the Pelikan and Lamy.

[mr T.]

QUOTE

Looking at there FP pen range who do you think makes the best range of pens? And the best quality ?

 

Voted for Parker. The vote should have gone to Pilot. Pilot has a very good productrange and Pilot products do have very good quality. Japanese manufacturers were always good in quality control and so is Pilot. Parker comes second, but in my experience are their lower end products much better than fp's more upscale.

The only good experience I had with Waterman was with a Kultur I bought for about € 2,- at a discount store. Had also a cheap Waterman/JIF school FP that broke into three pieces after two weeks normal use (due to cheap plastic used). It was not replaced. Also got an Waterman product from their Apostrophe line and it didn't work at all. In my opinion, Waterman has a real problem with quality control. Shaeffer products do look in my opinion outdated.

[georges zaslavsky]

Watermans are very robust I never had any probs with a single of mine and same with my Parkers. I however do consider Lamys as inferior to Watermans and Parker in terms of quality and finish. The Exception from Waterman can easily hold a candle to Söveran and a MB 146 same with a Duofold Centennial. My Parkers are enough robust and never gave me troubles.

Edited March 4, 2007 by georges zaslavsky

[pvdiamon]

QUOTE (aircraft_electrician @ Oct 29 2006, 02:24 PM)

I voted for Waterman, though in general, I find they don't write any better than Parkers. In fact, I find Parkers and Watermans to write very similarly, but most Parker designs are fairly bland, in my opinion, compared to Waterman's pens. I guess the exception is the Duofold; absolutely beautiful! I really love my vintage Sheaffers, but I'm disappointed with some of the decisions BIC has been making lately. Why in the world would they do away with the Touchdown converter on the Legacy!?! I understand it costs more to make, but if you're going to call a pen the Legacy Heritage, shouldn't it have more in common with the company's legacy and heritage than the shape? I'm also really disappointed in the design of most of the new Sheaffers. The Heritage and Valor are the only good looking pens they make now. The Agio looks like a cross between a Targa and a Fashion, but the nib is boring. The Prelude and Javelin look too much alike, and neither is really an inspiring design. They are all fabulous writers, but the designs just leave a lot to be desired, especially from a company that once produced such innovative pens as the Balance, Touchdown fillers, Snorkel fillers, etc. Of course, this is all just my opinion. Tom

Of coure it's all subjective, but right now, my Sheaffer Prelude is my preferred pen. I found one in tortoise shell color, with black trim. It looks very different from the typical chrome, so it's really unique appearing to me. I also just got it back from repair. It had nib creep, and they seem to have fixed that, so it writes great now. I just wonder if Sheaffer is having problems with quality control on their nibs, as both of my Preludes needed work, once I figured out what was going on.

 

John

[meanwhile]

QUOTE (marklavar @ Oct 27 2006, 09:12 AM)

I have a feeling that Pelikan only markets in countries that do not have an ingrained anti-German national feeling. This explains the low visibility in the UK and maybe France. MB is too famous and too popular to care about this.

Uhh, yes. British consumers certainly don't like buying German products. No on drives a BMW, Golf, Audi, Merecdes or Porche.

 

Pelikan just haven't tried in the British market. I suspect part of the reason is the British are one of the more image conscious markets and Pelikan's visual design is appalling. There's a total mis-match between the cheap and modern looking plastic and the Art Deco cap and trim. MB at least get this right - their pens do look like they should.

[marklavar]

QUOTE (meanwhile @ Mar 4 2007, 05:27 PM)

QUOTE (marklavar @ Oct 27 2006, 09:12 AM) I have a feeling that Pelikan only markets in countries that do not have an ingrained anti-German national feeling.  This explains the low visibility in the UK and maybe France.  MB is too famous and too popular to care about this. Uhh, yes. British consumers certainly don't like buying German products. No on drives a BMW, Golf, Audi, Merecdes or Porche.   Pelikan just haven't tried in the British market. I suspect part of the reason is the British are one of the more image conscious markets and Pelikan's visual design is appalling. There's a total mis-match between the cheap and modern looking plastic and the Art Deco cap and trim. MB at least get this right - their pens do look like they should. Drop the sarcasm. I wasn't saying that noone in the UK buys German cars or other products. Just that German companies often need to try that extra bit harder over here. Not long ago a German group attempted to buy a well known British newspaper and was firmly rejected, despite their offer being the highest.   Pelikan designs are very conservative, and that is the biggest weakness of this brand. Unlike in Germany, few people in the UK buy fountain pens purely for usage; so it is necessary to design pens that give a certain image to the user.

[Oldtimer]

Here is an example of what I consider GOOD pens so far of those brands that I have been able to buy. Of course, for a price, since even if I had the budget I wouldn't buy a pen over $250 which is the most I have paid.

 

I must say I have not tried any Pelicans or MB, Viscontis (i wish I had one) Nakayas, and the likes of really expensive... although I had a MB when I first started working as a QA Engineer back then in the olden days and I can't remember the model or how it wrote. So much for a good impression .

 

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/anangeli/PENS/GROUP%20PHOTOS/MyBestPens-1_zpsfaa89a41.jpg

 

From left to right: (not in order of preference)

 

1- A Jinhao that looks like a Lamy Safari. Thrown In on an ebay transaction by the seller. Thank you, MykDonna, Smooth and practical. No fuss pen. Always write sthe first time, keeps wet and writing.

2- Parker 45; I think it cost me $30 a few months ago. Elegant, practical, vintage statement pen.

3- Waterman 52V- Great, soft flex! FP user dream!

4- A Waterman 5116 if I believe the seller, or a 513 if I believe other FP people. I don't know. Buttery smooth, flexy, elegant -- (The smoothest nibs I have are both Waterman's, Rosetta Xplorer and Jinhao)

5- TWSBI mini: a little dry writer but the stub gives me nice style writing. Great to carry anywhere.

6- Pilot Heritage 912: Great SFM nib. Yummy wet and fine

7- Pilot Namiki Falcon: slight flex for accents, SF nib.

8- Rosetta Explorer: Second in smoothness only to Waterman's... It is a $15 pen

9- Pilot PRERA: little practical pen I can also carry anywhere and can loose it or leave it. Wet writer. F nib

10- The fabulous Pilot 78G - Broad. A nice stylish writing is possible with this so cheaply priced pen. I don't care it is light and looks cheap. Sometimes under the proper light it looks expensive (LOL)

11- Lamy Safari (I have 3 of them) : Ugly, looking like a student's first pen, practical, unique design and smooth writer.

12- Jinhao X750; perfect writer (stub) for broad, wet writer. great weight and balance on my hand.

 

These are the pens I always have inked and use on a weekly basis because I enjoy writing and doodling with them.

 

BTW: I have 8 Pilot pens.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Oldtimer

[Cordovian]

Can you repeat the question?

[flipper_gv]

Why the thread necro?

[Freddy]

Why the thread necro?

 

Pray tell..why not?

Or why not this Who makes the best...03 February 2008 12:43....

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/52267-who-makes-the-best-fountain-pens-today/

 

Fred

I pledge to elect to ignore a given thread for whatever

 

reason. There is no ethical obligation to have my

decision validated by any outside source....If someone's

post/whatever makes you feel weird or uncomfortable

that's enough....

[PeterBeoworld]

Living in the UK, I find no anti-German feelings where I live. German products are thought of as high quality and Germans now own Mini, Rolls Royce and Bentley! The only country making higher quality products would be the Japanese! I do however agree that Pelikan has very low market awareness here - I have had three but use none of them - I swapped an M800 for a set of old encyclopedias from another member - too heavy for me (the pen, not the books) and the other two are M200s, one with a Richard Binder XXF nib which are a little to small for my hands.

 

On the original subject, I remember at school most people has Osmiroids (leaked a lot), Platinums (very cheap and nasty), or Parkers (I had a 45,very nice, 25, for some reason always inked my fingers (I have very hot hands) and a 61, the best). One boy had a MontBlanc and one had a Waterman. I do remember seeing a Sheaffer with the inlaid nib and thinking it looked very expensive. My very first pen was a Conway Stewart but is was very small.So I would have to vote Sheaffer purely on perception!