I'm A Piston Snob! Who Else?

[Opooh]

I have piston fillers, button fillers, and c/c pens. I use them all, I like them all. After all, they are all pens. That's all.

Can't but agree with that.

[Freddy]

But seriously..folks.....

 

I never met a pen I didn't like.....

 

 

Fred

I keep on going..guess I'll never know why.....

Life's been good to me so far.....<wink>

[Freddy]

Excuse the double post.....

 

Good nite everybody.....

 

Fred

Edited May 16, 2014 by Freddy

[dgturner]

Personaly I have a love of built-in filling mechanisms over c/c pens. Having said that, Japanese c/c pens do not elicit a negative response due to the better rate of flow they posses of international carts.

[oldmatekev]

I used to be a bit wary of lever fillers. I had it in my head that they had two major drawbacks; hard to clean and hard to know how much ink is left.

 

But in real use neither of them are issues at all. Firstly, I never clean them and secondly I'm not really fussed about how much ink is left. Sometimes I get a hint that it's getting low, but sometimes I just run out. It's not like I don't have any other pens nearby.

 

If I remember I'll fill it up, if I don't, it might run out, oh well.

 

Now I'm inclined to think it's my favourite filler, it's just so easy. Well I suppose cartridges are even easier but I don't use them except to re-fill (awkward and messy).

[oldmatekev]

Whoops.

 

To answer the original post and bring myself back to my original train of thought, I have a few piston fillers and I thought they were the best type of filler. But I've really changed my mind.

 

I find them awkward to use, when I'm actuating the knob every little movement is amplified because my left fingers are acting as a fulcrum near the back end and the nib end swings around wildly. Not a good thing in a small plastic ink bottle, or even a big Noodler's bottle where you have to let the nib dangle just below the surface.

 

I've found that I really like squeeze fillers, and levers of course.

[Zenistar]

I will consider any pen for purchase as long as I can use bottled ink with it, no preference on the actual system be it converter, piston, vacumatic etc.

 

Saying that I do have at least one pen in the collection that can only take a cartridge (MB Marlene Dietrich), that my wife loved and now never uses......

[Aurko]

Though I do like internal filling mechanisms, I tend to prefer c/c fillers. Mostly because:

1. They are extraordinarily easy to clean (which is great when switching from a dark ink to a light one)

2. The relatively low ink capacity means I can switch out inks often

3. It's great to have an emergency cartridge on hand, just in case I happen to need a black ink (I rarely use black or blue inks)

4. Good converters last a pretty long time (my Sailor converter has not failed in 10 years), and are easy to replace.

5. Refilling cartridges is an option, to use that last bit of ink an a bottle, and in case a converter failed.

6. C/C pens often have an eyedropper option!

[richardandtracy]

I prefer c/c's because

1. They hold less ink, so I can change colour more frequently.
2. They are cheap and cost effective.
3. Most companies make an international c/c, so I can replace a c/c with a mass produced one from any manufacturer. I have as much choice with them as I do the ink.
4. If I run out at an inconvenient time, I can use a cartridge
5. Reliability is not as good as a piston, but replacement costs during the equivalent life of a piston can't be as high.
6. They are simpler
7. The barrel can be removed from the pen safely, giving me something to fiddle with and also check ink level. With a piston, if I fiddle, I end up with ink on the desk. Not all piston fillers allow you to see how much ink there is.
8. They annoy snobs. Which is very gratifying.

Regards,

 

Richard.

[oldmatekev]

[*]They annoy snobs. Which is very gratifying.

Regards,

 

Richard.

What a wonderful sentiment.

 

When I use a cc (which isn't often though) I like to take it right off the pen and dip the nipple into the ink. I split the opening on a Diplomat converter once but that didn't stop me. I like to do what pleases me.

[arran]

I never understood the piston filler or huge capacity syndrome

Most important for me is that the pen writes well

I love them all!

Just one systems makes me doubt and that is the lever filler system because of less easier cleaning and and are more sensitive to break down

Due to the internal sac in it

[Sblakers]

C/c fillers feel cheap to me. Not sure why, but maybe it's the fact that almost all incredibly cheap pens are made with cc's -- they obviously choose this filling system because it's cheap. If I'm going to spend a good amount of money on a pen I would prefer it not to have the same internals as a 2 dollar pen. Just my 2 cents

[oldmatekev]

C/c fillers feel cheap to me. Not sure why, but maybe it's the fact that almost all incredibly cheap pens are made with cc's

 

Not that I'm trying to disagree with you, but a lot of very cheap Indian pens are piston fillers. Even more are eyedroppers, they don't need any parts in the barrel at all.

Also a lot of the really cheap Chinese pens on ebay use captive aerometric style fillers.

 

Piston fillers have moving parts, seals, threaded joints, rods, collars and blind caps (sometimes) that are all potential fail points. I know it's not the best example but my Konrad (another Indian pen) has a tendency for the piston assembly to unscrew a bit when I'm trying to wind the knob.

 

I suppose expensive pens would use better quality parts or be over engineered to an extreme degree, is a Pelikan M1000 mechanism any better than what's in the M200? Maybe it is, I don't know.

 

A little bit more labour must go into assembling an average piston filler pen, and a small amount more material cost.

[daintydimsum]

Personally the filling mechanism isn't as important to me as, say, the shape and balance of the pen. I like a comfortable pen.

 

That said, I don't like being annoyed. Levers tend to annoy me and are enough to not make me want to use a pen as often as I normally would. Piston fillers are also not my favourite; I don't like that I can't remove the mechanism, probably also why I like c/c fillers. Simplicity, convenience, not adding weight to a pen, and frankly, I don't find the amount of ink held in converters insufficient as I mostly use Japanese UEF/EF/F pens.

 

I'm also one of those who likes to switch inks so even less reason to hate c/c fillers.

[Sblakers]

Not that I'm trying to disagree with you, but a lot of very cheap Indian pens are piston fillers. Even more are eyedroppers, they don't need any parts in the barrel at all.

Also a lot of the really cheap Chinese pens on ebay use captive aerometric style fillers.

 

Piston fillers have moving parts, seals, threaded joints, rods, collars and blind caps (sometimes) that are all potential fail points. I know it's not the best example but my Konrad (another Indian pen) has a tendency for the piston assembly to unscrew a bit when I'm trying to wind the knob.

 

I suppose expensive pens would use better quality parts or be over engineered to an extreme degree, is a Pelikan M1000 mechanism any better than what's in the M200? Maybe it is, I don't know

 

 

 

A little bit more labour must go into assembling an average piston filler pen, and a small amount more material cost.

 

 

I would much rather have an eyedropper over a cc. This is the case where less is more IMO. I did not know that there were cheaper Indian pens that used a piston filled. Are you sure they are not captive converters? And by cheap are we talking $10 dollars or less?

[mt_hangglider]

Well, I definitely prefer pistons like Pelikan Souverans... however, I have 4 GREAT pens that are cartridge only or CC. In the beginning, after I got my first Pelikan, I figured I would likely never buy anything that wasn't piston fill. However, my MB Boheme, Sailor Mini, and YOL pocket definitely changed my tune on that...just because they are such superb pens. Now, I can go with pretty much any kind of filling system and be satisfied.

[chad.trent]

I would much rather have an eyedropper over a cc. This is the case where less is more IMO. I did not know that there were cheaper Indian pens that used a piston filled. Are you sure they are not captive converters? And by cheap are we talking $10 dollars or less?

Here are a couple. One is under $10. The other is under $20. I don't know much about the Guru, but the Dilli gets good reviews.

 

http://www.fountainpenrevolution.com/fpr_collection.html

[Sblakers]

Here are a couple. One is under $10. The other is under $20. I don't know much about the Guru, but the Dilli gets good reviews.

 

http://www.fountainpenrevolution.com/fpr_collection.html

Wow thank you for that chad Trent. I wonder how they compare to twsbi. They look like pretty good pens

[chad.trent]

Wow thank you for that chad Trent. I wonder how they compare to twsbi. They look like pretty good pens

I don't know. I've never used one. Been thinking about picking one up though.

 

I know I've seen several reviews of them on here and they seem to be pretty positive.

[Freddy]

Don't forget the Camlin Sleek and 47.....

They make great giveaway pens.....

My personal preference is the 47{bottom of scan}..has a wider barrel and Parker 51 feel to it..{happy smiley face time}.....In India they can be had for as much

as one dollar usd......

 

 

 

Fred