Recommend A Fp For Heavy Useage

[Spaceman Spiff]

I am trying to decide on an appropriate FP and need advice. I had a look at previous threads asking something similar to what I have asked below, but they were from 2006. I will continue looking at relevant threads.

 

What will I use it for?

I am a university student (post-grad) who writes a lot (around 50 pages or more of equations per day).

 

What do I use currently or used previously?

The university provides ballpoint and also fineliner pens. The ballpoint pens make my fingers ache after a few pages. As I put a bit of pressure, often in the heat of the moment, the tip of fineliners get pushed back inside and they no longer work. The alternatives I have are: gel pens and FPs; I have chosen FP due to lower operational costs.

 

I had a Parker FP (one of the Sonnets) which broke unfortunately (I fell asleep on it while writing in bed). I did not like this FP very much either as the ink cartridge was rather small, the pen dried up quickly during the pauses in writing, and ink flow was not smooth.

 

What do I want in the new FP?

• durable & reliable: heavy usage as mentioned above
• comfortable: good ink flow and smooth flow of the nib on the paper.
• good sized ink cartridge: while I can refill if I am at my desk, but this is not always the case.
• affordable: as a student I do not have a large budget; perhaps sub $100 (but can be stretched if absolutely needed).
• classy (not entirely necessary): I do not like very colourful or oddly-shaped designs very much; I like something that does not draw attention to itself. I like black, shades of grey, and white/silver/metallic colours. From the pens I have seen, Waterman Carene FPs, in my opinion, are the most beautiful of them all.
• misc: I write on rather cheap writing pads so fine or extra fine tips may be most suitable.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to help!

P.S: Please feel free to request more info if I have failed to mention something.

P.P.S: I apologise for my failure to spell the topic properly.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Spaceman Spiff

[1point1mm]

First off, Greetings and Welcome aboard the FPN!

 

Have you considered the Lamy Safari line? These are a "workhorse" of a Fountain Pen and certainly will not break the piggy bank. Anyways, hope you find what you're looking for and write on!

[pajaro]

Parker 51 aerometric. Still among the best.

[xwingrox]

Pilot Vanishing Point in Extra Fine. It will write very thin lines and get great ink-mileage if you use either the Con-50 or refilled cartridges. I always kept a VP with a refilled cart as my standby pen throughout my recent four years in college. Look around on ebay and you get a sub $100 VP from the usual Japanese sellers. Good luck! And try not to fall down the "Oh now I need multiple inks and pens" rabbit hole - As a student these things can easily run your monthly budget dry!

[Spaceman Spiff]

First off, Greetings and Welcome aboard the FPN!

 

Have you considered the Lamy Safari line? These are a "workhorse" of a Fountain Pen and certainly will not break the piggy bank. Anyways, hope you find what you're looking for and write on!

 

I have in fact tried this pen but found it rather uncomfortable. The grip is a bit too thin for my liking and also the grooves don't sit well with me.

 

@ pajaro & xwingrox:

Thank you for the suggestions. I will have a look at them.

[ac12]

Get TWO Parker 45s.

Use one as the primary pen and the 2nd when the first runs out of ink.

It is much faster to switch pens than to try to change ink cartridges in the middle of a class. Then change cartridges or refill after class.

You can get 2 of them + ink converters for under your $100 budget.

The Sonnet and 45 both use the same Parker cartridge, which I do not feel is too small.

I used the 45 thru college, and I still use it now.

 

Similarly you can get 2 Lami Safaris and keep under your $100 budget.

The advantage of the Safari is that it is a current production pen, so if you want to change nibs, it is easier to find a new nib for it than a Parker 45 nib. But having said that, if you know what you want, you won't be changing nibs.

 

While I like the 51, the problem is getting one with the tip size that you want. Unless you buy it from someone who knows pens and has tested the nib width, the sellers of most 51 on eBay have no idea of what the nib size is. You could get anything from a XF to a B. This is because the nib size is NOT stamped on the pen for them to look at.

[ncpenfan]

Namiki falcon is my suggestion. Very fine line, light weight. Slightly over budget but a great pen. Option two would be a pelikan 200. It holds a great deal of ink and is light weight.

 

With the amount you write, I would not suggest a metal or heavy pen.

 

The suggestion for a Parker 51 or 45 is excellent. They also last forever

 

LAmy would be fine but I personally would not choose the safari. The grip I ackward in my hand.

[ncpenfan]

I forgot about the pilot 78g. Very light, inexpensive and very functional. You could buy multiple and still have money left over for dinner and a movie.

[whitedot]

Welcome to FPN!

 

The Parker 51 Aerometric Mk I is a workhorse and a classic.

 

made to outlive you

well-balanced

low-profile

good capacity

doesn't dry out uncapped

 

With a EF or F nib, the ink could last you a week. The only downside: It is difficult to flush, when you switch inks.

Edited January 3, 2014 by whitedot

[whitedot]

Pilot/Namiki are excellent, reliable writers out of the box that lay down a precise and smooth lines at all nib widths.

 

The Falcon comes with a "Soft" nib, which may not be wise, if you tend to press hard now and then. The best FPs for super-speedy note-taking generally have firm and smooth nibs.

 

The VP and Decimo require a certain grip and rotation. The VP is thicker but probably too heavy for long periods of writing. The Decimo could be too slim, if you find the Lamy Safari problematic.

 

Have a look at the Custom 74 - IMO the best modern workhorse for your money. The solid colours are cheaper. The Con-70 converter has the largest capacity of all modern converters. I operate it using one hand, which makes filling on the go from a plastic vial a lot easier.

Edited January 3, 2014 by whitedot

[Hrafnsmerki]

Hello & welcome! I would recommend the TWSBI Vac 700. I'm not a student, but I do write a ton, & found it very useful.

 

• Durable & reliable: I cannot attest for this because I've never dropped it, but it has never failed me when I write.
• Comfortable: Very much. A bit on the heavy side when full, but with a good, big grip. The downside is that you can't really post it, it makes the pen enormous. The nib is a bit dry, but I have not had a problem with flowing
• Good sized ink cartridge: It holds a LOT of ink. When full it's twice or thrice what a normal cartridge holds.
• Affordable: Mine was $65 USD, with Goulet Pens.
• Classy: I wouldn't call it classy, it's a demonstrator & let's you see the machinery. It's cool, but not classy.
• Misc.: It comes in F & EF. It's a taiwanese brand, so the nibs are specially fine. It will work with almost any paper. (:

[discopig]

Lamy Safari, TWSBI 540/580/Vac 700, Pilot 78g, Pilot Metropolitan

 

If you want to go vintage: Parker 45 flighter, Parker 51

 

Any of those choices should be more than enough.

[whitedot]

Lamy Safari, TWSBI 540/580/Vac 700, Pilot 78g, Pilot Metropolitan

 

If you want to go vintage: Parker 45 flighter, Parker 51

 

Any of those choices should be more than enough.

 

The Pilot 78G is a budget FP and feels like one. It is made of thin plastic and is extremely lightweight. Therefore, it is also less robust and quite ill-balanced.

 

OP has said that Safari doesn't suit.

 

 

Hello & welcome! I would recommend the TWSBI Vac 700. I'm not a student, but I do write a ton, & found it very useful.

 

• Durable & reliable: I cannot attest for this because I've never dropped it, but it has never failed me when I write.
• Comfortable: Very much. A bit on the heavy side when full, but with a good, big grip. The downside is that you can't really post it, it makes the pen enormous. The nib is a bit dry, but I have not had a problem with flowing
• Good sized ink cartridge: It holds a LOT of ink. When full it's twice or thrice what a normal cartridge holds.
• Affordable: Mine was $65 USD, with Goulet Pens.
• Classy: I wouldn't call it classy, it's a demonstrator & let's you see the machinery. It's cool, but not classy.
• Misc.: It comes in F & EF. It's a taiwanese brand, so the nibs are specially fine. It will work with almost any paper. (:

 

 

The 540 has cracking issues. The 580 has a better track record thus far.

 

The Vac700 is a long and back-heavy pen in hard plastic. I find it extremely uncomfortable. YMMV.

 

TWSBI nibs are German. Therefore, they, being Western, do not run finer than Western nibs.

 

Whether a pen will "work with almost any paper" depends heavily on the ink inside it.

Edited January 3, 2014 by whitedot

[Keyless Works]

I think the Waterman Hemisphere or Waterman Phileas would be a great choice...if you are willing to go vintage the Parker 51 would be my top choice.

[herbsttag]

I'd recommend a TWSBI Diamond 580. It's a demonstrator, so you can clearly see the level of ink in the pen and determine if it needs a refilling. The ink capacity is huge, so one fill (combined with a F/EF nib) will last a very long time.

 

Mine is an EF nib which is quite fine. The thinness of the line is comparable to Lamy, although my TWSBI EF is thinner than my Lamy EF. You can also look at Goulet's "nib nook" to compare line thinness.

 

The whole pen can easily be taken apart, which is convenient for cleaning or if some issue with the pen were to arise. TWSBI also has great customer service, so if anything goes wrong with the pen it can be quickly remedied.

 

I also find the pen to be very attractive. The fact that it's a demonstrator, and plastic, may not appeal to everyone, but it feels very sturdy in hand and looks awesome when filled with a nicely colored ink.

[Buzz_130]

I agree with ac12. Two Parker 45s loaded with the ink you like. I personally use the Parker "51" as my EDC, and I carry two of them with me at all times. But it may take some time to find one you really like in XF, F, M, M/B, B, etc...

 

Have you thought about buying a box or two of Pilot Varsity fps? You can break, lose, bend, and use them to your heart's content. The prices are very affordable, the lines are extremely thin, and when I started using them, they have a good amount of ink. Because they are disposable, you can throw a bunch of extras in your bag and be ready for any class.

 

Buzz

[Spaceman Spiff]

Thank you all kindly for the suggestions. I am trying to go through them as fast as I can, but I am falling behind.

 

The following pens are either not suitable or do not sit well with my sense of vanity:

Lamy Safari: uncomfortable grip

Pilot Vanishing Point: the 'clicky' design does not appeal to me very much.

Pilot 78g: does not hold enough ink due to type of cartridge used.

Pelikan M200: well over my budget (unless I was looking at the wrong one)

Pilot Varsity: I'd like to start a long term relationship!

 

Pens I am considering:

Namiki falcon: a tad over my budget but still OK.
Parker 45 & 51 aerometric: would I be able to trust eBay retailers with these?

Pilot Metropolitan: very affordable but will look up its durability.

 

Pens that I may end up considering:

TWSBI 580 & Vac 700: I would prefer not to use a demonstrator FP, but other than that, these appear to be very popular.

 

Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

[migo984]

Italix Parson's Essential with convertor. www.mrpen.co.uk

Also takes international short cartridges for when you're on the move.

Classic styling, robust, great ink flow, smooth nibs, great value. A metal pen so has some weight but not too much. Good balance.

However, fine may not be fine enough for you, compared to Japanese nibs. I suggest talking to Peter Ford at Mr Pen to discuss. As they work on the nibs in-house he may be able to do something for you. I have 3 of these and use one of them all day every day at work. Here's my burgundy one; I also have it in the lovely black piano lacquer finish.

 

 

 

[usk15]

Pilot MR, is the European version of Pilot Metropolitan but with standard international C/C system!!! Can take any standard converters, also long or short cartridges! I got mine with 18 GBP.

I use mine only on cheap scrap paper and never skip!

http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Pilot-MR-Pens.html
http://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/showproduct.php?brand=Pilot&range=MR+Series&cat=pens

[kvz]

Pilot 78g: does not hold enough ink due to type of cartridge used.

 

 

Pens I am considering:

 

Pilot Metropolitan: very affordable but will look up its durability.

 

Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

 

I think the Metropolitan and the 74g use the same filling system CON-50 or CON-20 or the one they come with, so you may be concerned with the ink capacity of the Metro too.