Thoughts On Demonstrators

[DanF]

I'm not wild about them, but I do like my TWSBI 540 - looks good filled with Sailor Apricot sloshing around in the barrel. I'm definitely less enthusiastic about c/c models, though I have nothing against c/c as a filling system, just don't think they do much for a demonstrator. Especially in an expensive pen, I would much prefer a marbled celluloid or acrylic to clear plastic.

 

Interesting to see that the Visconti appears to have heavily "borrowed" From the TWSBI vac.

 

Dan

[Penne Stilografiche]

My feelings on demonstrators? I don't like them. They look cheap and ugly (to me), ink gets in places where it doesn't belong and stays there, making the pen look bad, and there are many other nicer pens out there that are opaque or translucent. The only demonstrator that I have is a Parker 51 demonstrator, but I will leave it un-inked as display piece.

 

I have owned other demonstrators, and as I said above, ink gets in places that it does not belong. Below is a picture of a Stipula Tendril that I once owned that got ink in the section.

 

 

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/STIPULA-ROSE-GOLD-TENDRIL-OVERLAY-DEMONSTRATOR-LE-FOUNTAIN-PEN-MSRP-2000-00-/00/s/MTA2NlgxNjAw/z/UkkAAOxy4c5RxL3k/$T2eC16NHJHgFFl6cMBBBBR)L3kRvFg~~60_57.JPG?rt=nc

 

 

 

 

 

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/STIPULA-ROSE-GOLD-TENDRIL-OVERLAY-DEMONSTRATOR-LE-FOUNTAIN-PEN-MSRP-2000-00-/00/s/MTA2NlgxNjAw/z/vV8AAMXQTT9RxL2j/$(KGrHqMOKpIFGu7!v!5hBR)L2iyh(w~~60_57.JPG?rt=nc

 

 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2013 by Penne Stilografiche

[Oranges and Apples]

 

My feelings on demonstrators? I don't like them. They look cheap and ugly (to me), ink gets in places where it doesn't belong and stays there, making the pen look bad, and there are many other nicer pens out there that are opaque or translucent. The only demonstrator that I have is a Parker 51 demonstrator, but I will leave it un-inked as display piece.

 

Ink gets where it does belong but on pens which are not considered demonstrators the ink is not visible while a demonstrators clearly demonstrates where the ink is does in fact belong.

[warblerick]

 

Ink gets where it does belong but on pens which are not considered demonstrators the ink is not visible while a demonstrators clearly demonstrates where the ink is does in fact belong.

Yes, I agree. The first time I inked my Aurora 88 Demo, I almost freaked out, thinking that the ink was going into places it did not belong. Took me a while to realize that it was perfectly normal. We don't see this on our regular pens, and maybe that's a good thing, but when you see it on a demonstrator, it's sort of scarey. Cool, but scarey.

[requiescat]

I feel equivocal about most demonstrators and also don't see the point of demonstrator c/c pens. Not all of them look good to me, and the tinted ones have yet to appeal to me, although it may just be that I haven't met the right tint. But watching the ink slosh around as you tilt the pen back and forth can be fun, especially with an ink light enough that the light shines through. The one demonstrator I own that I've come to like a lot is a Pelikan M200 with Rohrer & Klingner Salix (ink sample thanks to a pen). I suspect that I will not feel a need for another, however.

 

(I do have a Nemosine Singularity demonstrator that I was using as an eyedropper, but I've become concerned that it's fragile and retired it.)

[Oranges and Apples]

Being able to see the ink gets particularly annoying when attempting to store the pens because there is clearly ink still "stuck" in the section but again this happens to all of the fountain pens, whether seen or under the cloak of an opaque material.

 

And I love demonstrators! Loved my Pilot Custom 74 so much that I bought a broad in addition to my fine and then had a pen stand made.

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img43/7781/015ngj.th.jpg

Edited September 4, 2013 by Oranges and Apples

[Penne Stilografiche]

 

Ink gets where it does belong but on pens which are not considered demonstrators the ink is not visible while a demonstrators clearly demonstrates where the ink is does in fact belong.

Understood, but I still think that when ink gets in places in which it cannot not be cleaned out of, it looks unappealing.

[Oranges and Apples]

Understood, but I still think that when ink gets in places in which it cannot not be cleaned out of, it looks unappealing.

I agree to the extent when they are stored the section is not easily cleaned. When I shipped my Pilot Custom 74 to have the funnels made on the stand, it did irked me that I was not able to clear the ink from the section. While in use, I have no problem with it being there.

[51ISH]

 

And I thought it was just me

 

Full disclosure: I was one of the original TWSBI 530 "Stampede"....

This was my first 'Demonstrator'

The pen holds more ink than I usually use, so it took a while to leak past the seal.

Like all 'us OCD' (no offence intended to anyone) pen types I was emailing for my replacement

seals like a shot (duly supplied I might add) How do I know it is not leaking past my L2K?

Well, I can't see it, so.... it ain't...

 

Anyone got a Demonstator with a Con-70 fitted? Yes, me too....now I know why the guy before

me used carts..

 

Guys (and Girls) I can well understand why you all hate them, but there is something lovely

about watching a lovely blue or green, (never red, that would be too much bear, or too much

to worry about cleaning... sloshing around in there...

 

I can see why someone may keep a true Demonstrator (like say a P51)unused...but, the

'pretenders' ...ink them up, you don't know what you are missing!

[51ISH]

Being able to see the ink gets particularly annoying when attempting to store the pens because there is clearly ink still "stuck" in the section but again this happens to all of the fountain pens, whether seen or under the cloak of an opaque material.

 

And I love demonstrators! Loved my Pilot Custom 74 so much that I bought a broad in addition to my fine and then had a pen stand made.

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img43/7781/015ngj.th.jpg

 

Don't suppose you have a picture of that pen stand do you? I for one would like to see it!

 

EDIT TO ADD: So sorry. I'm away at the moment and the WiFi is not good, but I see it now. Looks great, by the way, thank you.

Edited September 4, 2013 by 51ISH

[SharkOnWheels456]

I'm not wild about them, but I do like my TWSBI 540 - looks good filled with Sailor Apricot sloshing around in the barrel. I'm definitely less enthusiastic about c/c models, though I have nothing against c/c as a filling system, just don't think they do much for a demonstrator. Especially in an expensive pen, I would much prefer a marbled celluloid or acrylic to clear plastic.

 

I have to agree. C/c's look very odd on demonstrators. Personally, if I were ever to purchase a demonstrator in the future, I would only get something with an internal filling method like a piston. C/c's are too cheap-looking for demonstrators.

[pokermon]

I like Demos. There is an appeal to them unique to themselves. Being able to see the inner workings has a very cool factor. Seeing the ink slosh around and knowing what color ink is in it with a simple glance has its usefulness. Although some people think a demonstrator might look cheap, many demos are built just as well and strong as many celluloid and acrylic pens. I also appreciate that a good demo's cap/barrel probably takes more work than other materials because a high polish is needed for it to be very transparent.

[nakiana]

I just can't bring myself to like clear demonstrators no matter how hard I try, which admittedly isn't very hard, but I realize many other people like them. I'm glad they have many options to choose from and I hope they enjoy their demonstrators just as much as I enjoy my other pens.

[F104]

I don't have a problem with clear demonstrators. I own several. I write with them, and haven't really experienced any problems with staining or wayward ink. Though there was a time when I looked at a freshly filled demonstrator pen and wondered, Is that normal? I got over it. Strange thing is, I never even thought about which pens were which, or what percentage of my pens were demonstrators, until I started reading various opinions on the subject here. I don't think the transparency of a pen affects its writing characteristics, and those are really the things that matter most to me: I suspect my fine point Platinum Sai writes about like a non-demonstrator fine point 3776 Century series pen, and vice versa.

[tonybelding]

I started out biased toward demonstrators instead of against them. I thought they looked cool. Nifty, even.

 

Since then my attraction has cooled somewhat. I still like pens with a visible ink supply, but I'd prefer a large ink window rather than a full demonstrator. My Edison bulb-fillers or my Gate City Belmont pen are good examples of what I mean.

[muskokabrian]

 

My feelings on demonstrators? I don't like them. They look cheap and ugly (to me), ink gets in places where it doesn't belong and stays there, making the pen look bad, and there are many other nicer pens out there that are opaque or translucent. The only demonstrator that I have is a Parker 51 demonstrator, but I will leave it un-inked as display piece.

 

Any chance you might post a couple of pictures of this pen? I'd love to see one.

[Penne Stilografiche]

 

Any chance you might post a couple of pictures of this pen? I'd love to see one.

I will post pictures when I get it back from Ron Zorn, I sent it out to restored by him about 4 weeks ago.

 

Regards,

Vincenzo

[51ISH]

I have to agree. C/c's look very odd on demonstrators. Personally, if I were ever to purchase a demonstrator in the future, I would only get something with an internal filling method like a piston. C/c's are too cheap-looking for demonstrators.

Sorry, I have to (dis) agree, I would say....it depends.....or as one of my old Auditors used to say "Not always" as in ....was 'this' done correctly ...

"Not always..."

Was that done correctly..."Not always..."

 

I confess, I do like Demonstrators...or Clear Pens....whatever...I did think a clear C/C was not 'real' ....but taking a look at Post No.3 ....can anyone say that's

true? I have a Pilot Custom 74...honestly it looks better (or as good as) to me than my TWSBI 530 Inked up

[F104]

 

Personally, if I were ever to purchase a demonstrator in the future, I would only get something with an internal filling method like a piston. C/c's are too cheap-looking for demonstrators.

 

Question: Are not converters internal? Put another way: Is there such a thing as s a pen with an external converter? It's (somewhat) analogous to a firearm having a fixed or detachable magazine, to my way of thinking. Either way, you load 'em up, and the contents are internal to the device where and when it counts. And a converter that's visible on a demonstrator is apt to be quite a bit like, if not identical to, a converter in a non-demonstrator pen in the same line... Is it any more effective, desirable or otherwise suitable to a pen wherein it can't be seen, even though its materials, design and function are similar if not identical?

[PAKMAN]

I'm in the "Love" clear "demonstrator" pens camp! My Pelikan 800 is beautiful. I really like my how my TWSBI 540 looks. I was completely bowled over by the Visconti Opera Crystal, it is stunning, mine is inked as we speak. I also have the Typhoon finsh and visually the Crystal still does it for me! I recently got my hands on the prettiest demonstrator ever built in uninked condition with a 1.1 mm stub nib... the Stipula Etruria Nuda!

 

http://www.stylophilesonline.com/04-05/04demo.htm