Pens Around The $60 Mark?

[CharlieTurtle]

I'm about to complete my first semester of second year at University, and I'm going to buy myself a pen and some ink as a reward.

 

I was strongly considering the TWISBI Vac 700 but apparently a few people have had problems with those, so...

 

Here are my 'wants':

 

• Capable of taking a Goulet #6 nib, as I have one in a misbehaving Ahab that I'd like to swap into a better pen
• Capable of filling from a bottle
• Not too heavy (Faber-Castell Basic weight or less)
• Nice grip section, not too slippery
• Capable of posting

Any suggestions?

[5370H55V]

Jinhao x750 maybe? I know for sure they can fit a #6 nib, bit it might be a bit cheaper than what you want considering you want a pen "around" $60.

[Lady P]

I don't know about Goulet #6 nibs, but apart from that, TWSBI Mini should be an option. This is a rather small pen, but it becomes decent-sized when posted. My understanding is that TWSBI piston fillers (such as the Mini and the 580) are better behaved than than the TWSBI Vac 700.

[Lyander0012]

+1 for the TWSBI Mini. It's a shame that the ink capacity is diminished by its much smaller size, but considering how pocket-friendly it is (not to mention, you can post the thing), that's not too bad a trade-off. Also, as previously stated, there haven't been as many issues with regard to its build quality as there have been with the Vac 700. All in all, that seems to be your best bet.

 

There are a bunch of other pens I'd love to recommend (the Sheaffer Prelude, for one, was my first ever FP, and it's a great reliable pen that can take a beating), but I honestly have no idea about the Goulet nib, so there's that to consider.

 

 

Cheers, and best of luck with finding your new pen! I'm still considering a Vac 700, but I'm just as likely to get a TWSBI Mini now

 

Kevin

[CharlieTurtle]

I don't know about Goulet #6 nibs, but apart from that, TWSBI Mini should be an option. This is a rather small pen, but it becomes decent-sized when posted. My understanding is that TWSBI piston fillers (such as the Mini and the 580) are better behaved than than the TWSBI Vac 700.

 

I'm about 75% certain that all TWSBIs have the nib and feed friction-fitted in the section so theoretically, you can yank them out (gently, obviously) and swap something else in. Brian (Goulet) made a video about swapping the nibs on I believe the 580 around the time TWSBI were swapping from Bock to JoWo nibs?

 

I'm not too worried about capacity because I can refill daily if need be.

 

Edit: apparently not the mini. Oops.

Edited January 10, 2014 by CharlieTurtle

[tomgartin]

The Mini is a great pen and it comes with a great nib out of the box. I took a little brass flossing to mine to make it write wetter (I like the firehoses), but it was very smooth on its own. But you mentioned you'd like something that could make use of that #6 Goulet nib you have lying around. Are you willing to consider another Noodler's by trying an ebonite Konrad? From what I can make out in reviews, it's a pretty nice pen, worthy of rewarding your progress in school.

[CharlieTurtle]

The Mini is a great pen and it comes with a great nib out of the box. I took a little brass flossing to mine to make it write wetter (I like the firehoses), but it was very smooth on its own. But you mentioned you'd like something that could make use of that #6 Goulet nib you have lying around. Are you willing to consider another Noodler's by trying an ebonite Konrad? From what I can make out in reviews, it's a pretty nice pen, worthy of rewarding your progress in school.

 

Is the Konrad less likely to spit ink on me than the Ahab?

[tomgartin]

 

Is the Konrad less likely to spit ink on me than the Ahab?

 

Can't say, since I don't own one. From what I hear, the ebonite Konrad can be adjusted better (heat setting the nib/feed, etc.) but I can't back that up with experience.

[Pterodactylus]

TWSBI pens are nice.

 

You could also consider the Pelikan M200 you can get it for about 50-60€ and forget about the #6 nib swap thing, you will love the Pelikan nib.

[leeowens337]

How about the Monteverde Prima? Most sites have it for $56 US. It meets all of your criteria pretty well.

 

Definitely will take that #6 nib. Would also give you an opportunity to start out with a different size nib you might want to try, perhaps the stub?? Definitely a bottle fill, comes with the converter so that's a plus. Pen is acrylic resin so not too heavy.Definitely posts just fine. The section is plastic so your experience as far as slippery or not may vary...

 

I have the Turquoise and Tiger Eye models. They really look good, better in person than pictures show.

 

Just a suggestion at that price point... Hope you enjoy whatever you go for!

 

-Lee

[Brian C]

Toss the #6 nib and get a Parker 51 aero from ebay for about $60 maybe less.

[Koyote]

Buy two Lamy Safaris (with different nibs) from isellpens.com, and you should have money left over for a box of cartridges or maybe even a bottle of ink.

 

Skip TWSBI unless you like pens that break.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Koyote

[Buzz_130]

If you are willing to negotiate on the #6 nib, you can use the Parker 45 vintage pen. Light, easy grip, classic, good ink capacity, tons of replaceable parts, easy to maintain, and you could buy two of them for your price point ($25 each - fully restored). That would give you a backup or a different color ink of your choice.

 

The Parker 45 meets all of your other requirements.

 

Buzz

[CharlieTurtle]

Buy two Lamy Safaris (with different nibs) from isellpens.com, and you should have money left over for a box of cartridges or maybe even a bottle of ink.

 

Skip TWSBI unless you like pens that break.

 

I already have two Safaris and an Al-Star

 

If you are willing to negotiate on the #6 nib, you can use the Parker 45 vintage pen. Light, easy grip, classic, good ink capacity, tons of replaceable parts, easy to maintain, and you could buy two of them for your price point ($25 each - fully restored). That would give you a backup or a different color ink of your choice.

 

The Parker 45 meets all of your other requirements.

 

Buzz

 

Is this a sac filler? Because those worry me...

[Lyander0012]

Sac fillers aren't all that bad! You just need to make sure that you don't expose them to insane temperatures and that the inks you put in them aren't overly corrosive )

 

With regard to the Parker's filling system... I believe it was either an Aerometric or a Vacumatic filler. No idea

 

Cheers!

[Pterodactylus]

The Parker 45 is a CC pen, which sometimes comes with a squeeze converter.

[Lyander0012]

The Parker 45 is a CC pen, which sometimes comes with a squeeze converter.

 

Thanks! I was thinking about the squeeze converter when I was talking filling systems, haha. My bad