A "step" In The Middle....

[Alexcat]

I don't know what the proper name for this, but Im curious to know what other folks think....

 

I've attached a photo, for purely illustrative purposes: the part where the barrel and the nib unit and grip all come together. Like a "step".

 

I find pens with this to be very uncomfortable, difficult to hold....but that might just be because my hands are relatively small, though long fingered, and my joints are hypermobile and headed towards arthritis.

 

Any thoughts or opinions very welcome. I'm trying to distract myself from some things about which I can do nothing, and I find that thinking/reading about/using my pens, plus listening to Leonard Cohen, is a very good way of at least taking the edge off somewhat....

 

Alex

[Uncial]

I generally avoid pens that have large steps as I find them irritating to write with. Some of them have small steps, but they can be sharp. Despite its beautiful nib, I find the sharpness of the step on the Pilot Metropolitan really infuriating. It's so awful that I have even given thought to how I might smooth it down. On the other hand, there are a few pens with considerable steps that I thought I would find annoying, but I don't because they have a slightly longer grip: the Netttuno Shark, the Conklin Herringbone and the TWSBI Vac700 being three examples.

[Alexcat]

I generally avoid pens that have large steps as I find them irritating to write with. Some of them have small steps, but they can be sharp. Despite its beautiful nib, I find the sharpness of the step on the Pilot Metropolitan really infuriating. It's so awful that I have even given thought to how I might smooth it down. On the other hand, there are a few pens with considerable steps that I thought I would find annoying, but I don't because they have a slightly longer grip: the Netttuno Shark, the Conklin Herringbone and the TWSBI Vac700 being three examples.

Thank you, Uncial, that's very helpful Im reassured that it's not just me

Alex

[Sailor Kenshin]

Yup. Step.

 

 

They annoy me, too.

[Buzz_130]

I need enough room from the step to the section to hold it comfortably. I don't have a problem with the Vac700 because there's plenty of room. But I also have a custom pen given to me as a gift which makes writing uncomfortable as it has a metal section, a step too close to the section, and a very back-heavy balance.

 

I dislike metal sections, and the step can make it worse.

 

Buzz

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

A step that's too close to the nib and/or a significant drop in girth is a deal-breaker for yours truly.

 

My grip is very relaxed, so the threads on barrels of pens such as the Pelikans don't bother me in the least. And small steps that are about half the thickness of the barrel wall are fine.

 

Also, I tend to grasp a pen rather high on the section, and find if a pen has a step and short section, I cluster my fingers and use a 'finger over' grip, which is not comfy for longhaul writing sessions.

 

I was rather irked at the step of the Pilot Metropolitan - just that little bit too great of a step and in just the wrong position. Otherwise I think it would've been a welcome addition to my array.

 

Even looking at some of the Nakaya pens, until I have the opportunity to try them in my hand, the only ones I would consider are the Briarwood models, which have a long smooth section.

 

Bye,

S1

[inkstainedruth]

I have a Metropolitan, but actually didn't really notice the step until someone pointed it out in another thread. Which surprised me, because I prefer pens with a smoother transition (or none) between section and barrel. But I have been shopping recently for lower- and intermediately-priced pens (i.e., under $100) as a possible replacement for a pen I thought I'd lost, and was, when comparing photos, tending to cross anything with a largish step down off my short list.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth