Pens Everyone Seems To Love That You Hate

[Cryptos]

 

Just as there is no "i" in team, there is no "c" in Sheaffer. Also, don't forget that the "p" is silent, as in swimming.

 

And, as we used to say in the labs, there is no 'f' in pathologist. That's all I'm sayin'

[Yaakova]

At least you (probably) know what the name was pre-Ellis Island. We have no earthly CLUE what my maiden name was originally (and my grandfather was brought to the US when he was a year old, and orphaned at an early age and raised by older siblings). Went to a Renaissance festival once, and there was one of those heraldry/family tree companies there, and their database listed the name as being Spanish. When my ancestors on that side were actually Polish (or Russian) Jews -- my grandfather was born in Warsaw). Go figure. (And if you saw me or many of my relatives it would be pretty clear that there's no Sephardic elements in my bloodlines; just -- mostly -- pure Eastern European/Ashkanazi.)

Interestingly enough, my grandmother, who was German, did NOT go through Ellis Island, apparently. She had a second class ticket (she was brought here by some cousins to be a servant), and her papers were processed on board ship. Only those who were passengers in steerage went through Ellis Island when they got to New York.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I discovered the last four generations of my family have the wrong last name. Apparently my great-grandfather's father died when he was very young and he took the name of his stepfather without ever being formally adopted.

[catbert]

When I first got back into fountain pens, about eight months ago, I set out to find the handful of pens I used growing up - a Sheaffer Imperial II Deluxe, a Sheaffer 440, a Parker 61. I know these names now, though I didn’t at the time. Quite by chance, I found them all NOS at Peyton Street (no affiliation, happy customer).

Then my wife, who didn’t grow up with fountain pens, and who likes a little more gold than my plain black and silver models offer, took an interest. We found this place and our horizons expanded. I read about the love for the Parker 51 and the Lamy 2000 and subsequently acquired both. I read how the 51 inspired the Nizzoli Aurora 88 and got one of those too, which led to more vintage Italians with gold trim.

The 51 I loved immediately. The 2000 took a bit longer to warm to. Not because of the hooded nib, the ‘ears’, the elusive sweet spot, or the metal section, all of which I’d read about and didn’t have any problems with. Maybe it was the girth. Unlike almost every video reviewer I’ve seen, I don’t have large hands. But it grew on me, and by the time I got the 88, thicker pens weren’t an issue. I got an Ahab after that.

Where am I going with this? So far, it’s been educational, informative, entertaining (and expensive!) but you haven’t steered me wrong. Maybe there’s something in the wisdom of the group. I have some pens that attract both love and hate here: Parker 51, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari (bought in the 80s), Noodler’s Ahab. They’re all fine, enjoyable pens to me. I don’t yet hate anything that everyone seems to love. I doubt I’d get a pen I don’t like the look of, so visually I’m already predisposed to love my pens. I’m not keen on ornate design, in pens or anything else. But even that could change. After all, I didn’t like gold before.

So anyway - first post. Hello.

 

[ink-syringe]

Pens every one seems to love is already a pretty small set

 

Pens I hate is equally small.

 

The union of those two sets is null.

 

The opposite type thing might be easier for me:

 

You'd think round non-flex nibs of medium size were the work of the devil. OMG SO BORING. NO FLEX, NO CURISIVE ITALIC, NO OBLIQUE ZOOM STUB NOODLEZ OMG WHY DON'T YOU JUST USE A BALL POINT OR JUMP OFF A BRIDGE ROFLORLORLOOL LOL, etc. & co.

 

I have flex nibs (Waterman, Pelikan). I have stubs-a-plenty.

 

But I also get lots of work ( W O R K ) done with good old fashioned round non-flex nibs and enjoy using them. Crazy right?

[AAAndrew]

But I also get lots of work ( W O R K ) done with good old fashioned round non-flex nibs and enjoy using them. Crazy right?

 

I'm with you on this. I love my stubs and wouldn't trade my P51 or Snorkel factory stubs for love or money, but most of my heavy-duty work writing just seems to happen with my round nibs. Now, usually a fine, but I've been known to use a fine-ish medium. My Sheaffer vacuum-fill triumph in Very Boring Brown is a total nail in a medium-ish fine, but I love it and can write with it for hours.

 

Sometimes it's form, and sometimes it's function.

Edited May 28, 2015 by AAAndrew

[T4TEXAS]

When I first stumbled upon this enabling site I quickly noted that there was a set of fountain pens considered to be 'great' in terms of value, ease of purchase and use. Some of them I had and others I didn't. Seeing that a lot of them tend not to be in the expensive category (although a few do creep that direction) I indulged. Naturally, my expectations for these pens was quite high, so the disappointment factor was unnaturally exaggerated. After about four of these great, crashing disappointments I began to wonder what on earth anyone saw in these 'wonder pens' and what was it about me that didn't seem to 'get it'. I thought it might be an idea to redress the balance - hence this thread. I will start the ball rolling with three pens that everyone and anyone seemed to give high praise to, but I ended up loathing.

 

First up for consideration is the Pilot 78G. It's tiny. Yes, that is a personal preference for some, but I like big pens. It doesn't hold a great deal of ink and it loves to leak. I read a few more reviews - nothing but elegant praise - and bought another one. It leaked in the same way. I gave it one more try. It also leaked and the nib was horrible. I ended up really annoyed at wasting my time and money on what looked and felt and acted like a cheap nasty pen.

 

Second offering is the Pilot Metropolitan. Now before you go all crazy, I have nothing against Pilot. In fact, I have a Pilot Falcon and an 823 Custom, both of which rate very highly in my pen collection. This one, on the other hand, was just damned ugly. The balance is a tad curious and that sharp step makes it the most irritating pen I have ever used. The nib is amazing, I will give it that - if only I could stick it on a different pen.

 

Last, but by no means least, the greatest disappointment of all, the Parson's Italix. It regularly gets very high praise here. I bought the nice amber coloured one and it is a lovely colour. I like it's little celtic patterns on the furniture. Then I picked it up. Boy is it a heavy pen. Normally I don't mind heavy pens at all; in fact I tend not to like pens that are too light, but this was just clumsy. This, however, was not my main issue. This pen is often described as having a truly great nib and certainly the website does have a bewildering set of options. I went for a fairly big stub, but it writes like a felt tip pen. It has absolutely zero line variation. It's nice and smooth, but it aint no stub.

 

All in all, it has still been a useful exercise. I don't necessarily regret buying these pens, but I do regret parting with the cash. It has taught me that one person's pleasure is another person's poison and when it comes to buying pens reviews can be very useful but they can't always be the main factor in a purchase.

Sorry to hear the bad luck! I don't have the Italix or Metropolitan, but do have 3 Pilot 78Gs that write well with no leaks ever. Hope your future pens work out better for you.

[max dog]

I think eventually all the best pens will end up on this list.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I think eventually all the best pens will end up on this list.

 

I think you're right. But then, that's sort of the point. Even the most popular pens aren't for everybody.

 

I contributed some of my own dislikes (not hates) in an earlier post, but the really interesting thing is seeing pens that I do like very much listed among the "hates". Most prominent, for me, is the Pilot Vanishing Point, one of my own favorites. I could see how it wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea, but it's mine. And the Lamy 2000 has made an appearance or two, another pen that I just plain like, but I can understand how it might not be comfortable to hold for some, might be unattractive to others.

[Frank C]

I think eventually all the best pens will end up on this list.

 

 

 

I think you're right. But then, that's sort of the point. Even the most popular pens aren't for everybody.

 

I contributed some of my own dislikes (not hates) in an earlier post, but the really interesting thing is seeing pens that I do like very much listed among the "hates". Most prominent, for me, is the Pilot Vanishing Point, one of my own favorites. I could see how it wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea, but it's mine. And the Lamy 2000 has made an appearance or two, another pen that I just plain like, but I can understand how it might not be comfortable to hold for some, might be unattractive to others.

 

I guess the purpose of this topic is to say that there is no pen that is perfect for everyone. I happen to like my Vanishing Points and Lamy 2000s, but they don't get much pocket time, for the reasons listed above.

[AAAndrew]

Ok, I can add a beloved pen to ones I don't like. Yesterday at the Triangle Pen Show I got the chance to try out the Lamy 2000 for the first time. Nope, not for me. Can't see how it would be comfortable for me.

 

But that's why they make lots of different kinds, right? If we all liked the same thing, there's only be a couple of types of pen.

 

Viva la difference!

[Uncial]

 

 

 

I guess the purpose of this topic is to say that there is no pen that is perfect for everyone. I happen to like my Vanishing Points and Lamy 2000s, but they don't get much pocket time, for the reasons listed above.

Yes, that's partly why I started it. I didn't mean it to be a thread bashing particular pen brands or models, which to be fair, it hasn't become. It is useful though (I think) to have a thread where people can write freely of their own experience as it is very easy to be caught up in other peoples' excitement regarding a new pen purchase, see another rave review and start to think it must be a really great pen.

[jmccarty3]

This is not a pen that I really hate, but it was one that didn't turn out well for me. I had heard that even the steel nibs from Faber-Castell were great, and I was intrigued by the shape of the E-Motion, so I ordered one of the dark wood ones with a medium nib. It was a lot bigger and heavier than I anticipated. Soon, some other things came to light. First, a lot of the weight was in the cap, which isn't really designed to post, so the pen wasn't really that heavy after all. However, the nib, even though it wrote well, appeared way too small for such a big pen, and I never could get a comfortable grip on the extremely slick metal section. In fact, I ended up dropping the pen. You know how bread always lands butter side down? Well, pens always land nib down, so I had an awkward pen with a bent nib. I decided to resolve this by sending it to Art Van Haselen at Artsnibs.com and asking him to straighten and stub the nib. He did a beautiful job, by the way, and I highly recommend him. The pen just doesn't feel right in my hand, so I'll probably end up selling it. I'm sure someone out there will love it, especially with Art's nice stub grind, but it just wasn't meant to be for me.

[TSherbs]

Yes, that's partly why I started it. I didn't mean it to be a thread bashing particular pen brands or models, which to be fair, it hasn't become. It is useful though (I think) to have a thread where people can write freely of their own experience as it is very easy to be caught up in other peoples' excitement regarding a new pen purchase, see another rave review and start to think it must be a really great pen.

good point, good idea

[pepsiplease69]

In some ways this thread is the anti-enabler (maybe disabler).

 

I like it because it deflates some of the hype.

 

All too often I've gotten caught up in the excitement and bought something I never wound up using for any appreciable duration (after the honeymoon)

[4lex]

LAMY 2000

Everyone seems to love Lamy 2000. I find it almost unusable. If I hold it near the nib the grip section is to narrow and slippery, if I hold it as i find it most natural there are metal bits sticking out making it really unpleasant!!!

And everyone keeps going on tis pen was exhibited in MOMA which is not true and how original the design is. The only thing significantly different from Lamy 27 is the clip. And btw Lamy 27 is 10 times better pen, when I get one in mint condition it will replace Lamy 2k in my collection.

 

And then MB 149 and Pelikan 1000.

They look great but they are rubbish pens for anything more then a page or two. They would never sell when FP was first and foremost writing instruments and FP were half the size of today. Now these two pens are for collectors, signature pens and for people with small d#***. But they are not really writing instruments.

Edited October 22, 2015 by 4lex Mood

[eloquentogre]

For me, the Pelikan M1000.

 

The nib - absolutely amazing. Springy, rich, heavy flow, it feels great to touch it down to the paper and write. Well it would, if the pen weren't so ridiculously back heavy. It's not even an incredibly heavy pen, it's where the weight is. All in the ass end. Thanks to that massive piston. It's not just that the piston is brass (which IMO does nothing for the pen's overall durability or longevity compared to a good plastic/polymer), but that it seems to actually deliberately be weighted. Compare a demonstrator model to the normal - the demonstrator piston works just as well, but seems to have redundant metal removed for better visibility, so much you can actually feel the difference. And even that is back heavy. The poor balance really marrs the pen in my eyes. It was my grail pen, but turned into a massive disappointment. Unpleasant to use in spite of that lovely nib.

[ele]

All TWSBIs because of their bogus nib assembly and ink chamber design: the nib assembly on all Diamond and Vac pens adds unnecessary complication and is just bad design, and one should not have to take out the piston unit in order to clean droplets of ink out of the barrel!! The Eco, with a proper friction fit nib design, only gets half a pass, because it retains the stupid pinhole barrel end.

Edited October 23, 2015 by ele

[dogpoet]

Stuff I've bitched about elsewhere, mostly.

 

The Lamy Safari.

The Noodlers Konrad.

Any of the Hero P51 copies.

The Parker Vector.

 

(Probably plenty more, but those are the ones that spring to mind straight off...)

Edited October 23, 2015 by dogpoet

[httpmom]

All TWSBIs because of their bogus nib assembly and ink chamber design: the nib assembly on all Diamond and Vac pens adds unnecessary complication and is just bad design, and one should not have to take out the piston unit in order to clean droplets of ink out of the barrel!! The Eco, with a proper friction fit nib design, only gets half a pass, because it retains the stupid pinhole barrel end.

+1 You're much better off with a Platinum Century 3776, especially since you can now buy one direct from Japan for about $60. The 3776 is a remarkable pen in every way.

[TSherbs]

+1 You're much better off with a Platinum Century 3776, especially since you can now buy one direct from Japan for about $60. The 3776 is a remarkable pen in every way.

$60! hmmm....