80 dollars limit

[Hawk]

Thanks for the Parker Sonnet links, however I do believe the Montgomery Sonnet could not have a gold nib, if it does that's a really good price.

Hawk

 

I bought two Sonnets from Montgomery via eBay auction, and beat the $81 price. They both came in Parker boxes, full Parker papers, converter and cartridge, and had the 18K gold nibs. But read the auction carefully. If it has that nib, he says it loud and clear. If not explicitly mentioned, it's steel.

 

I've received the pens, compared them to a much older Sonnet (10 years?) from Levenger. I'm convinced they are the real thing. One was about $70, one about $45, luck of the auction, and popularity of barrel color (I was looking for particular colors to color code with ink).

I totally agree John, you must always read the auction descriptions very carefully, every word, in addition buy only from someone that you can trust 100%.

Hawk

[DRP]

I agree that for a Christmas present, a new pen would be nice. As you have additional resources available to buy pens, the Marketplace would be a great place to look.

 

Consider a "new/old stock" Sheaffer Targa. Those pens last for decades and write like a dream. I would never give up the Targa I received as a gift nearly three decades ago.

[Waterman]

$80! How old are you? 

 

I'm 15 just to let you know <_<

[Waterman]

Thanks everyone for your kind considerations. But my girlfriend and I have devised a plan instead. I'll just ask my Mom for a game for the nintendo DS and then I'll just go downtown to a few FP stores and check out what pens I have interest in and just get it. I've been longing for either a Parker 100, Lamy 2000, Lamy Studio or the Sonnet with the gold nibs.

Can anyone give me a range of how much these pens will cost accordingly?

 

Thanks

Brad

[marklavar]

$80! How old are you? 

 

I'm 15 just to let you know <_<

Hey I didn't mean to mock you, just asking.

 

I would suggest a Faber-Castell e-motion FP. It should be just inside your budget and it's a very nice writer for the money. The steel nib keeps the cost down, but the quality is typical Faber-Castell. Go for it.

[marklavar]

Thanks everyone for your kind considerations. But my girlfriend and I have devised a plan instead. I'll just ask my Mom for a game for the nintendo DS and then I'll just go downtown to a few FP stores and check out what pens I have interest in and just get it. I've been longing for either a Parker 100, Lamy 2000, Lamy Studio or the Sonnet with the gold nibs.

Can anyone give me a range of how much these pens will cost accordingly?

 

Thanks

Brad

I think you'll find gold nibbed pens too expensive. $200 minimum, to be realistic.

[Waterman]

Sorry man, hard to tell if someone's mocking you or not when your only reading what they're saying. I was just checking the Aurora Style, do you knwo if that's a good pen?

 

Thanks Brad

[Claude]

Congratulations on your $80!

The first thing I would recommend is to check your local shopping malls to see if there is a pen shop located in one of them. I was surprised to find one in our local mall! They will let you try different pens to find the one that fits your hand.

Also try different nibs, Fine, Medium and so on, to find the one that fits your writting style. I prefer fine nibs!

I carried a Cross fine point, for many years and was very happy with it.

I also found the older Sheaffer snorkle to have a fantastic writting feel!

I'm currently getting to know my Pelkin 140. For a German pen it writes English very well but the Spell check leaves alot to be desired!

 

Good Luck and happy spending!

 

Claude

[helius]

If you want inexpensive pens, I think Office Depot is having a sale right now. The local store basically told me that pens that are under $69.xx are 50% off. You should be able to get the Pilot Knight and Phileas for around $20 each. These have stainless steel nibs, but are very well made.

 

Personally, I can't think of any $80 pen (gold nibbed or not) that is vastly superior to these two when it comes to how pens write. Sure, you may be able to get a flashier pen or one with a more interesting filler system such as a Pelikan m200. But this way you get two pens, and have around 50% of your budget left over for ink and such.

 

Edited to fix a typo.

Edited December 20, 2006 by helius

[Waterman]

Thanks for the heads up but I live in Canada so I'm not sure if that's the same for me but I'll be sure to check it out.

 

Thanks

Brad'

[FrankB]

If you have some pen stores in your area, I would say go ahead and have fun checking them out. I am not so lucky. I must buy all my pens on line.

 

For under $80, I would suggest a Retro 51 "88" (or "Double 8") or a Taccia "Continental" both of which sell for $68 US on the Swisher Pens site (no affiliation). The 88 comes in F, M or B, but the Continental comes with a M nib only. For just under $90 US there is the Bexley "Simplicity" which also comes in F, M, or B. Al three of these pens have steel nibs, but all three are good writing pens.

 

For dip testing pens in a store, remember to take along some of your own paper to see how the pen will function on your everyday paper stock. Above all, have fun!

[Waterman]

Thanks for your insight FrankB but I've got my eyes on the aurora style at montgomery pens, all I need now is to wait for my paypal transfer and I'm done. Any insights on pro's or con's on Aurora Generally, I've never had an aurora so this will be my first and it seems to be a underrated brand so I'm not really sure.

 

Thanks

Brad

[ngfchen]

For $80 I would get another of Richard's custom Pelikan nibs and fit it into one of the somewhat numerous Pelikan bodies I have at the moment.

wise choice

[funzoneplanet]

I like my Sensa Meridian with a fine nib. It's a very good writer. You could get 2 different color styles for under $80 if you do some looking around. I've only seen them available with a medium or fine nib but it's possible that other sizes of nib might be available.