First Serious Pen Suggestions

[Drone]

ive been looking at some of the Edison production line pens (specifically the Collier) and I think that would probably be a good way to go, as someone had mentioned

 

I trust you have read my post #15 in this thread...

 

As I strongly suggested in my post: If you have done research then you must know by now that the Edison Collier pen, by design does not post.

 

A pen that does not post has, IMO several problems:

 

1. The pen may be too short for many hands because you cannot post.

 

2. A pen that does not post is not balanced IMO. Posting the cap balances the pen (provided the cap is not too heavy - ready Post #15).

 

3. A pen that does not post, suffers from the ability to roll off your writing surface. If the pen falls to the floor, you risk damage to the nib. The clip acts as a "roll-stop" to prevent this when the pen is posted. A pen with a faceted (not cylindrical) barrel design (fairly rare due to cost to manufacture) does not suffer from this issue as much..

 

I would like to add one more item to my pre-sale questions:

 

If a pen posts, does it post squarely on the barrel. Pens with tapered barrels may have cap liners that cause the cap to post crooked. This will require you to fiddle with the cap when you post - a big annoyance in my opinion (the Bexley Intrepid - now discontinued, is a good example of a pen that does not post well).

 

Again, when choosing a first-tier (relatively expensive) pen for the first time - read reviews & ask questions about the pen, before you buy.

[Hector67]

Save $250 more and buy a used Porsche Design 310, or any Porsche Design. They have beautiful designs and Faber Castell nibs, feed and convertors (Pelikan for this year). Faber Castell has some really nice designs in your price range. I just bought a new e-motion stealth pure black for $175. It is surprinsingly heavy, well constructed, well finished and the steel nib behaves better than some of the gold nibs I have.It is not a plastic pen and feels solid in your hand.

[FountainPen2001]

ive done quite a bit of research on the collier, and I was aware that It dint post. Now I've never been a particular fan of posting any of my pens, I find in most of the pens I have it make it unbalanced

 

Even so that was one of my precautions while look at the pen.

 

From there I watched some video review on the pen all of them saying that it's a well balanced pen, now they did say that It didn't post but, that the pen is long enough to compensate for that. and feels comfortable in the hands.

 

Finally I've always been interested in the Edison line of pens, mainly because I have yet to find many down sides if any to Edison's pens plus there made in the US witch for me is an added bonus, also I prefer larger pens and with the collier being as large as it is fits that category for me,

 

Ps I'm only really looking at the production line of Edison (what I can afford) so that's just one more reason I was headed toward the collier in that it was my favorite of their production line pens

[Nihontochicken]

A nicely restored vintage fountain pen will typically run far less than your budget. You could get a Parker Vac, 45, 51 (vac or aero), and even 75 in that range. Each of those pens has it's own look and style. The Vacs are true "lookers" and can write beautifully. The 51 is simply iconic and is worth its reputation. You could buy several 45s with different nibs to enjoy multiple colors. A 75 has a very distinct look as well and could brush against your budget. Esterbrook and Sheaffer also made some tremendous pens in the golden age of fountain pens and will stay well under your budget.

 

What he said.

 

Parker Vacumatic:

http://www.vintagepens.com/images/perm/vacs.jpg

 

Parker 51:

http://parkerpens.net/bilder_pennor/51/51-colours.jpg

 

Parker 51 Flighter:

 

http://www.vintagefountainpensinc.com/photos/5396.001.jpg

Parker 75 Cisele:

http://ulugtekin.com/pen/Ulugtekin%20Parker/Rare/Parker_75_cisele_Flat_Top/Parker_75_cisele_5.jpg

 

I don't see anything made today that compares with these, but that's JMHO and YMMV. A decent example of any of the above should run maybe $100-$150, perhaps a bit more for the Flighter and double jewel 51s.

[william2001]

Get something from Parker. Parker Sonnet was my first "serious" pen.

-William S. Park

[amk]

I have a Collier and am probably going to get my second next month. It's a lovely design, nice and fat in the hand but light and not wearisome to write with. Can definitely recommend it. And mine only has a steel nib (big fat broad, though - nice!)

[Ethereal Winter Wind]

He's what I recommend

• Lamy 2000
• Pelikan m205
• Pilot Falcon
• Pilot Custom Heritage 92
• Platinium 3776

If you adventurous the Pilot Vanishing Point is also good, but YMMV for the pen especially. There might be a good mid range Sailor (yes I do quite like Japanese pens) but I don't have experience with them.

[bhthib3381]

My first serious pen was a Pelikan M200. I don't have anything bad to say about it. The fine point wasn't quite fine enough for my tastes, but it still is a great pen. If you want a piston filler, I would recommend that. My daily pen is a Pilot Vanishing Point EF. The EF nib was a little scratchy at first, but after a little use, its a joy to write with. I love it, but it is cartridge/converter. I find the cartridges easier to deal with in my line of work.

In my limited experience, I'd recommend either of these.

Good luck in your search.

[de_pen_dent]

the best pen I've ever purchased in this price range is a second hand Montblanc 146.

 

^^ This.

 

I say this as someone who has owned a whole lot of pens in this price range - Pelikans, Pilots, Sailors, Viscontis, Omas, Montegrappa, Waterman, Sheaffer, Bexley, etc. Nothing comes close.

[Vinayj009]

A Pelikan 100/100N hands down the best pen ever.