Are Manuscript Beginner Calligraphy Pens Reliable?

[TheIdealist]

Hello everyone,

 

This is my first post as a new member. I was wondering if any of you have tried the beginners sets from either Sheaffer or Manuscript. If any of you have, it would be great if you could give me a little review on them. I've tried looking for reviews on them, but I have certain questions those reviews could not answer. I'm currently learning calligraphy from a teacher and needing to buy a good inexpensive calligraphy pen that is reliable. I've considered these two sets, but am mainly worried about the reliability of the two pens. I'm leaning towards the Manuscript set for its wider range of nibs as well it's including of a converter. Problem is that I've gotten mixed reviews on the pen's reliability. Many say the pen has problems with ink flow from the feed and others say that the ink can get jammed halfway up the slit of the nibs. Any information or opinions would be appreciated.Thanks.

[Thrllskr]

Hello everyone,

 

This is my first post as a new member. I was wondering if any of you have tried the beginners sets from either Sheaffer or Manuscript. If any of you have, it would be great if you could give me a little review on them. I've tried looking for reviews on them, but I have certain questions those reviews could not answer. I'm currently learning calligraphy from a teacher and needing to buy a good inexpensive calligraphy pen that is reliable. I've considered these two sets, but am mainly worried about the reliability of the two pens. I'm leaning towards the Manuscript set for its wider range of nibs as well it's including of a converter. Problem is that I've gotten mixed reviews on the pen's reliability. Many say the pen has problems with ink flow from the feed and others say that the ink can get jammed halfway up the slit of the nibs. Any information or opinions would be appreciated.Thanks.

 

I use the beginner Manuscript pens everyday and all day at work. They are very reliable and other than the typical beginning of the day ink flow problems with fountain pens they have not given me any problems. They do have a softer nib on them and do require some minor honing and sharpening once a month if you use them daily. I have never had any ink flow problems with the cartridges or other FP inks such as Sheaffer, PR or Waterman.

I have never used the Sheaffer because I am 100% satisfied with Manuscript.

[smk]

Both Manuscript and Sheaffer will do the job nicely. Both are good choices and will give good results but I would recommend the Manuscript over the Sheaffer for exactly the reasons you mentioned - a bigger variety of nibs and the fact that you can use international cartridges or a converter. The Sheaffer uses proprietary cartridges - you can find a converter for them but it costs extra.

 

Here's an old thread with a similar topic: Calligraphy Pens.

 

Salman

Edited October 13, 2012 by smk

[TheIdealist]

Thanks guys. I think I am going to make a purchase now and start working on my Chancery Cursive!

[WayTooManyHobbies]

Thanks guys. I think I am going to make a purchase now and start working on my Chancery Cursive!

Good for you - I love my Manuscript pen.

[Lyutsin21]

I bought a set of three Sheafer calligraphy pens a few years ago, which came in a tin (metal box) and cost me $35 US dollars. Now I am sorry I wasted my money. I wrote a few greeting cards one time with them, then the next time I was going to use the pens, the ink from the cartridges that came with them had dried out in the pens and it took too long to clean them out.

 

Currently for writing calligraphy, I prefer a dip pen and calligraphy nibs. I bought a set of speed ball calligraphy nibs and nib holder earlier this year. It came with 6 nibs, 4 calligraphy nibs, only one of which is not too broad for my preferences, and two non-calligraphy nibs, which I have tried. I don't like this set but I do suggest that you stay away from calligraphy fountain pens and instead go with a dip pen and calligraphy nibs for writing calligraphy. This way you don't have to worry about ink drying up inside the pen, you can change colors easily, you have more choices of nib widths, and you can write with any ink, including waterproof inks or inks that are archival or permanent which would clog-up and ruin a fountain pen. There are sets of multiple-colors of drawing inks available.

Edited October 14, 2012 by Lyutsin21

[Paddler]

I have both sets. My Sheaffer pens are not as sharp as the Manuscript set and consequently don't give quite as much line width variation. But the trade-off is that they are easier to write with.

 

I have never had a problem with reliability with either set. However, the ink that came with the Manuscript pens was horrible. It dried so quickly that it made the pens look cranky, hard to start, and hard to keep going. Changing to regular fountain pen ink solved the problem completely.

[TheIdealist]

I've been considering dip pens as well. Are they that much better for calligraphy? By the way, do you guys have any tips for slanting your italic characters? Thanks for all of the replies!