Demonstrators Ie Transparent Ones

[Pen Nut]

Demonstrators i.e. Transparent Ones

 

I have been around for a bit and buy and sell pens for my own enjoyment and dont always share others passions for certain makes but each to their own.

 

A good friend of mine also has a pen affliction so a bit of competition surfaces from time to time and last night he called very excited about his lastest purchase, over a malt he got out a Pelikan 1005 clear demonstrator. I said it was lovely and will look great with his usual odd coloured ink in but to be honest I was lying to protect his feelings. It looked bloody awful and rather than representing a good buy at close on £400 it looked like a kid had won it on a fairground.

 

I can half understand someone collecting just demonstrators from various makers as an interest, or even a cutaway non functioning pen showing the workings, but why on earth would you get one to use if you have a fine collection at your disposal? I can grasp that a piston draws up ink into my pen and that my nib unit is screwed in but I dont need to be reminded of it everyday and would much prefer some lovely coloured resin (precious or otherwise) or metal finish to admire.

 

Does anyone else find the attraction of a functioning clear demonstrator pen odd ?

Edited January 10, 2012 by Pen Nut

[hari317]

I think it should cost the same to make an all clear injection molded pen. Why do manufacturers charge a huge extra for this? I guess since people are ready to pay.

[jar]

Yup. demonstrators have a place in the dealers sample case to "demonstrate" how the pen works, but I never quite understood why anyone would want to own one.

 

But some folk seem to like them.

[leod]

I am not warming up to transparent pens but some people have different taste and that's fine.

 

companies can charge any price as long as anyone is willing to pay for it

[torstar]

The transparency has let me know how much leakage is hidden by opaque plastic.

[Dindi]

Awww, c'mon. The sight of a beautifully hued ink, sloshing around in the barrel or convertor, doesn't fill you with joy? It's a sight I love...and yes, I'm easily entertained.

[Ernst Bitterman]

I'm not the world's biggest fan of them, and I certainly can't see spending more than TWSBI money on one (or... well, two), but they certainly serve to catch the interest of non-FP folk who see them in action. It takes all kinds to make a horserace, as they say; I find the jewel-encrusted LEs far less appealing than demonstrators, but someone must buy the buggers.

[johnlmiller620]

Very simple - I like seeing how much ink I have left, happens to be important enough to me that I'm undoing my opaque pens regularly to check when I use them. Might be a nervous tic, but a demonstrator obviously simplifies the process.

 

Aesthetically, transparent is the purest iteration of plastic, which for better or for worse is the material for the vast majority of modern pens. There's an honesty to that I appreciate.

 

Finer demonstrators also often have subtle machining to the barrel shape that make the pen "pop" visually. Colloquially, my Platinum Motosu, very slightly faceted so the convertor shows prismatically through the barrel, is my most commented-about pen when I use it.

 

John M.

[PenEngineer]

As a studying mechanical engineer, I am absolutely fascinated with how things work, and being able to see the inside of my pen while it is filling is one of the coolest things ever. As long as it is a built in filling system.

[PatientType]

Tastes do vary...

 

I have two Pelikan M800 Demonstrators that I find beautiful. The pen conveys a simplicity and elegance and the transparent portions of the pen really set off the metallic trim projecting a very different look than the traditional black or pin-stripe Pelikan offerings.

 

Visibility of the ink is both a practical and an esthetic asset. With a demonstrator your pen NEVER runs dry unexpectedly. Ever have several pens filled and, later, forget which ink you loaded into which pen? No need to test write to see which pen holds the Sherwood Green when you're using a demonstrator. You just look at the pen. I also like the look of the ink in the pen. You don't have a black or brown or red fountain pen. A demonstrator is a pen of many colors; a chameleon that can reflect a different color and mood with each ink filling.

 

Viva la difference!

[mejdrich]

I love 'em.

 

Tired of black and gold... Kinda' cliche at this point...

 

The transparency is refreshing and, to my eye, more pleasing than not...

 

Also, with the advent of "replica" pens in the market, I have yet to see a fake demonstrator...

 

Finally, I greatly enjoy the visual/tactile experience of using a fountain pen. Seeing the ink slosh around (only one of my current rotation will ever be filled with a solid black) as I write is more reinforcement of what I enjoy about the experience...

 

As a point of reference, I am using a 146 MB with platinum trim (F), a new TWSBI Diamond 540 (a DEMO, B filled with Noodler's Nightshade) a 144 sized MB RB and the MB Boheme 0.9MM black MP...

[Bigeddie]

I like my TWSBI and Pilot Custom 74 demonstrators, they do look good with a nice ink in. That said, I do find the premium that Pelikan charges for the demonstrator models to be excessive. I have a regular M1000 and enjoy it very much, I cant see that I would enjoy a demonstrator version any more. That said I'm sure some people would, and do, best of luck to them

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6557062057_2d95effe45_z.jpg

TSP posted by Bigeddie100, on Flickr

Photo taken for other purposes... but I think they look good! (TWSBI with Montblanc Ink of Joy)

Edited January 10, 2012 by Bigeddie

[torstar]

Awww, c'mon. The sight of a beautifully hued ink, sloshing around in the barrel or convertor, doesn't fill you with joy? It's a sight I love...and yes, I'm easily entertained.

 

 

When it went a perfect 3 for 3 as you described, I realized this must be happening in every one of my pens.

 

Whatcha gonna do...

[SimonOW]

I think it should cost the same to make an all clear injection molded pen. Why do manufacturers charge a huge extra for this? I guess since people are ready to pay.

 

Actually that isn't true. I know in Pelikan's case it's a very time-consuming process ensuring all the machinery is perfectly clean so that the clear plastic isn't marred. With all the parts visible, they have to be finished to a higher standard.

[rockspyder]

I have to admit, demonstrators and skeletons have steadily grown on me... :embarrassed_smile: There is something about them that is ethereally beautiful, like the delicate creatures of the deep.

[RudyR]

I think it should cost the same to make an all clear injection molded pen. Why do manufacturers charge a huge extra for this? I guess since people are ready to pay.

 

Actually that isn't true. I know in Pelikan's case it's a very time-consuming process ensuring all the machinery is perfectly clean so that the clear plastic isn't marred. With all the parts visible, they have to be finished to a higher standard.

 

That's right. That perfect machining on the plastic has to be done very well inside as well as on the outside. This particularly for a showcase pen such as Pelikan.

[gregamckinney]

If I were to only have one transparent or translucent pen, I think I'd keep one that isn't clear- either my Blue Ocean or my M800 Green Demo.

However, since I don't have that horrible, horrible restriction, I also have a number of clear demos. I like being able to see the mechanism work (piston or button fillers.)

Regards, greg

[Hex]

Yes, I too find them to be, shall I say unattractive, or borderline ugly.

I was in the market for a Pilot 823 until I saw that they only make demonstrators. Ughhhh.

To each his own.

[Pen Nut]

I had the Pelikan 1050 and thought the vermeil cap really gave it a real presence and bearing but when I saw that 1005 last night it actually stunned me for a minute, nearly as much as when he told me what he had paid. But each to his own as has been voiced.

 

Bentley showroom senario : Salesperson "so what colour has sir got in mind for your new Mulsanne? We do have some stunning colours available"

 

Buyer : " tell you what leave it in base metal or primer and while you are at it any chance of a perspex bonnet so I can see stuff going on? oh and dont think for one minute of charging me less!!"

 

(sorry that just slipped out)

[saskia_madding]

Man, do I absolutely LOVE demonstrators. I have what I consider many - some with overlays, some not. I love anything that lets me see the mechanisms (which I find fascinating), and the ink sloshing around inside the barrel (including vintage Sheaffers, which I've fallen in love with during the last 6 months).

 

I use a variety of different coloured inks, and I like seeing a rainbow of colours each time I open up my pen case and expose the 7 pens I take with me everywhere.

 

I know that other people find them ugly, but they are definitely my preference.

 

And for the record, I think a clear car would be equally fascinating to watch in action. Part of the appeal aesthetically for me is seeing how things work. But I understand if people are more concerned with plain 'how it looks' aesthetics.

Edited January 10, 2012 by simonerodrigue