Pens Everyone Seems To Love That You Hate

[Michigan]

Wow...you got a deal on those Platinum converters!

 

...which are also used in the Century, possibly even Nakaya?

John Mottishaw has them for $1 on his Nakaya accessories page. http://www.nibs.com/Nakaya-Converters.html

[Peppers]

Pilot Vanishing Point.

 

A fountain pen without a cap, is not a fountain pen in my head.

The nib is ugly.

Clip is horrendous.

 

 

http://www.engeika.com/data/engeika/product/20130729_60f0db.jpg

[Thunderpants]

Another vote for the Safari.

There's nothing to like about it. Horrible triangular section, acres of plastic, ugly as hell.

 

I really like the Lamy Studio, though - I have the Red Rubin and I've just ordered the plain metal version (The Rubin is too pretty to actually use!)

[tragique]

A fountain pen without a cap, is not a fountain pen in my head.

 

Then what would you call it?

 

"A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor, the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action."

Edited December 2, 2015 by tragique

[KBeezie]

Another vote for the Safari.

There's nothing to like about it. Horrible triangular section, acres of plastic, ugly as hell.

 

I really like the Lamy Studio, though - I have the Red Rubin and I've just ordered the plain metal version (The Rubin is too pretty to actually use!)

To me the main ugly thing about the safari is the clip. I could live with most of the rest, except the triangular grip it has isn't something I was able to get used to.

 

Studio was decent, but seemed to have it's own design flaws (Which could be self remedied to some extent), such as the clip causing deep horizontal scratches into the cap (cosmetic) or the inner cap getting loose and not snapping on completely (also making it hard to post). Otherwise felt nice compared to the Safari and wouldn't mind seeing a resin version at the same price point as the Safari.

 

The ones I've held, but couldn't love enough to keep (ie: just not my thing for one reason or another)

 

- Lamy Safari (likewise, Vista, Al-Star)

- TWSBI Mini

- Vanishing Point (had two standard ones and a fermo)

- Kaweco Sport and AL-Sport

 

I do still have my Lamy 2000, it's not my favorite, but I keep it, it works, it does not annoy me, just nothing really 'special'.

[pajaro]

Frankly, I have found the Safari charming. The grip is OK and the clip is cute. The nibs write better than almost all C/C pens I have had.

 

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I put all Pilot products on the love to not like list, plus Platinum, Sailor, Esterbrook (cheap) and Wearever (cheap).

 

Some pens grow on you over time, and you come to not like them.

 

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Lamy products generally have a mod styling and are sometimes cost effective.

 

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Love to hate Parker Vacumatic (dowdy, old lady pen), Sheaffer Targa (attractive looking, but have had sections swell up so the cap won't go on, and the thin version converters go south too fast, disappointing).

[Peppers]

 

Then what would you call it?

 

"A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor, the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action."

 

No idea. I am just sharing my personal opinion.

I have always thought of fountain pens as a cap, a nib, a feed, and a body. (Clip, etc included). The capless fountain pen is just not for me, it doesn't match my personal definition of fountain pen.

[Thunderpants]

Kbeezie mentioned Kaweco.... wait til you have had the Brass Sport in your hand. I've just purchased one for someone's Christmas present but I am having a hard time leaving it alone. I haven't touched it, as I don't want to get fingerprints all over it, but just holding it in the protective plastic bag it comes in is enough to make me want to keep it.

Ooh, it's a helluva nice pen!

[marcelo]

I do not hate, but do not like the classic, cigar-shaped Montblancs at all.

[KBeezie]

Kbeezie mentioned Kaweco.... wait til you have had the Brass Sport in your hand. I've just purchased one for someone's Christmas present but I am having a hard time leaving it alone. I haven't touched it, as I don't want to get fingerprints all over it, but just holding it in the protective plastic bag it comes in is enough to make me want to keep it.

Ooh, it's a helluva nice pen!

1) I'm not big on heavy pens (My Pelikan M640 is probably the heaviest one I have)

 

2) The material could change to sterling silver which would be just lovely... and the grip would still be tiny, and the filling method would still be a short international cartridge. (and the converters made for them do not work very well and end up being more ink lost in clean up than filled with)

Edited December 3, 2015 by KBeezie

[Thunderpants]

I don't know why they don't make a chunkier Kaweco Sport... the same design, just blown up a little to accomodate a proper converter.

[keegan]

I CANT stand the Lamy Safari. But people seem to love it.

[marcelo]

I CANT stand the Lamy Safari. But people seem to love it.

Hi!

 

What you don't like about the Lamy Safari? The body and clip design?

[Thunderpants]

Dull plastic, silly porthole, ugly shape, really annoying triangular section which forces you to hold it in a certain way. Impossible to use without Lamy cartridges. Converter is an extra expense.

The clip is some sort of relic from the 1980s school of design.

Apart from it's awesome...

 

(I don't dislike Lamys - I've just purchased my second Studio, and it's an absolute beauty. I could tolerate everything about the Safari's design if it weren't for that awful section.)

[Thunderpants]

 

Apart from it's awesome...

 

 

Apart from that it's awesome, is what I was trying to say.

[dogpoet]

For myself, the biggest issue with the Safari is that it costs far too much for what it is. The ugly design and the irksome cartridges are just an extra layer on a cake that's already been spoiled by that.

[Peppers]

Dull plastic, silly porthole, ugly shape, really annoying triangular section which forces you to hold it in a certain way. Impossible to use without Lamy cartridges. Converter is an extra expense.

The clip is some sort of relic from the 1980s school of design.

Apart from it's awesome...

 

(I don't dislike Lamys - I've just purchased my second Studio, and it's an absolute beauty. I could tolerate everything about the Safari's design if it weren't for that awful section.)

 

I own a Lamy Safari Fountain Pen, Rollerball & Pencil.

 

The fountain pen has 2 cuts to place your fingers, so it is not truly a triangular section. You are forced to hold it in 1 way, just like you said. If you think the fountain pen is awful, you probably haven't seen the rollerball nor pencil. Those last 2 have 3 cuts, a true triangular shape, it takes it to the next annoying level, fingers don't know what do to as I am used to the fountain pen only . The pencil is the worse, because the clip is located above and between 2 cuts, but it has 3, that means that if you want to place the clip towards the sky, you have to fiddle and rotate the pencil until you get it right.

 

You mention the clip being a relic from the old times. Isn't the super popular and must have Lamy 2000 also from the vintage era? Haha.

 

I love my Safari because its a light weight. My Studio looks fabulous, but it is quite heavy. Which Studios do you own?

[Thunderpants]

I admit I only have dim memories of the Safari. I bought a black one, used it for a day or two, then lost it. I haven't bothered looking for it since.

 

That really put me off Lamys and I thought I'd never buy another one. Then I noticed this absolutely gorgeous red Studio, the Wild Rubin. It just looks awesome. As soon as I found out they're a limited edition and are already mostly sold out, I grabbed one off an ebay seller who offered the whole choice of nibs, steel and gold. I got one of the last Ef steels.

 

And this morning the postman brought me my second Lamy Studio, a much cheaper model - brushed steel. It's actually more beautiful than I'd imagined it would be. I've taken the chrome section from the Rubin and put it on the brushed steel body and I think that's how I'll use it. The red parts of the Rubin can stay in its box most of the time. I don't want to wreck it by sticking it in my pocket with car keys etc!

 

Am I right in expecting a new Lamy Studio SE for 2016? I certainly hope so. If it's not staggeringly ugly - which is unlikely - I will probably be adding one to my collection of cheap and cheerful fountain pens.

[missuslovett]

I mostly collect vintage pens and I largely avoid Parkers. I don't know why...

[Blue_Moon]

The saying is true - Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. I love the way Safaris, Al-Stars, and Vistas look. I love the unique design and cool looking clip! I also especially love the feel of one in my hand. What's not to love? Lamy haters, don't answer that.