What Was Your Last Impulsive Pen Acquisition?

[Penguincollector]

On 8/18/2023 at 1:42 PM, inkstainedruth said:

An early (or late, depending on when it arrives) birthday present to myself: a Parker Vector with an interesting design I hadn't seen before:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/385946339678?nma=true&si=HTfaGgmI2hVzbLeCHQJrgCj8P5U%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Spotted it last night and decided I did in fact need another Parker Vector (and it's from a seller I've had good experiences with besides).  So waited till about 20 minutes to go, then bid the minimum.  

The only downside is that I probably won't get the pen until the middle of October, so it will be a belated birthday present.

Of course, once I get it I'll have to see if I've got a spare converter or not....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

  Ooh that’s a cute Vector, Ruth!

[inkstainedruth]

17 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

  Ooh that’s a cute Vector, Ruth!

Yeah, it was a design I hadn't seen before.  And from the same seller that I got the Shrek "Puss in Boots" Vector from a few years ago (when I saw *that* pen I said "OMG -- I must HAVE that!" ).

I know Vectors are considered "school pens" and I know that they are too small for some people to use comfortably (I would NOT want to write "the Great American Novel" with any of mine).  But mine are all little workhorses, nonetheless.  They're inexpensive, they write well, and they come in a lot of different colors and really neat designs.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penguincollector]

19 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Yeah, it was a design I hadn't seen before.  And from the same seller that I got the Shrek "Puss in Boots" Vector from a few years ago (when I saw *that* pen I said "OMG -- I must HAVE that!" ).

I know Vectors are considered "school pens" and I know that they are too small for some people to use comfortably (I would NOT want to write "the Great American Novel" with any of mine).  But mine are all little workhorses, nonetheless.  They're inexpensive, they write well, and they come in a lot of different colors and really neat designs.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

  I LOVE Vectors and their slightly more upmarket sibling, the 88/Rialto. I just ordered a blue Vector calligraphy set because I miss my old one. I don’t have any of the patterns, but I have the gold plated one and a few 88s. Have you tried the Slimfold? It’s a similarly slender pen with a nice soft nib, easy to find in broad and very affordable. The New Slimfold is similar to the 45.

  ETA: I just read that you do own a Slimfold, so you know all about that lovely 5 nib.

Edited August 20, 2023 by Penguincollector
Read another post that talked about same subject

[inkstainedruth]

I have one Slimfold, which I think is UK production (made at the Newhaven plant).  I had seen some stuff about them, and picked one up at a pen show a couple of years ago.  It's a nice size for me (reminds me somewhat of the Noodler's FPC pens).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penguincollector]

5 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

I have one Slimfold, which I think is UK production (made at the Newhaven plant).  I had seen some stuff about them, and picked one up at a pen show a couple of years ago.  It's a nice size for me (reminds me somewhat of the Noodler's FPC pens).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

    I think the Slimfold was a UK only model.  I don’t have any Noodler’s pens because I know one smells and I can never remember which one so I just avoid all of them. 

[inkstainedruth]

Oddly, I've never noticed the odor on any of my resin Noodler's pens (and only a little bit on the ebonite ones) -- and I'm the one that my mom had sniff the leftover meat in the fridge to see if it still seemed good....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[ruby.monkey]

I just nabbed a piston-filler Senator Calligraphy with a 1.9mm stub nib. 't'was cheap and looks like it'll be fun.

[metalhead]

4 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

I don’t have any Noodler’s pens because I know one smells and I can never remember which one so I just avoid all of them. 

Avoid the demonstrators if the odour is unbearable for you. Noodler's pens are made by Kanwrite in India, and they use Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB) for transparent/translucent pens. CAB is chemically treated wood pulp using butyric acid, which renders it tough, translucent and non-absorbent. But, it also smells terrible because of the butyric acid used. It has the characteristic smell of rotten eggs/meat and human vomit, its butyric acid that gives all of the above their odour. Some of the converters they use are also made from CAB, however the housing blocks the smell coming out, you may only notice it when you are filling the pen up. So yes, avoid the demos, for the rest of the models you shouldn't need a gas mask for an accessory.

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, rnjn said:

Avoid the demonstrators if the odour is unbearable for you. Noodler's pens are made by Kanwrite in India, and they use Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB) for transparent/translucent pens. CAB is chemically treated wood pulp using butyric acid, which renders it tough, translucent and non-absorbent. But, it also smells terrible because of the butyric acid used. It has the characteristic smell of rotten eggs/meat and human vomit, its butyric acid that gives all of the above their odour. Some of the converters they use are also made from CAB, however the housing blocks the smell coming out, you may only notice it when you are filling the pen up. So yes, avoid the demos, for the rest of the models you shouldn't need a gas mask for an accessory.

 Thank you.

[InkyColors]

On 7/26/2023 at 4:06 PM, InkyColors said:

Well, it came and it’s a pretty pen. Feels great in my hand, but it skips and needs some pressure to start writing. It’s going back to Endless Pens for them to check it.  We’ll see what they say. 

This was my first Leonardo pen purchase and unfortunately I got a bad nib.  It has taken a while, but Endless Pens sent me a new pen and so far it seems to be a good one.  I’ve not written with it very much as it only came yesterday. Just wanted to give Endless Pens credit for doing the right thing. 

[A Smug Dill]

More penny-wise, pound-foolish behaviour from me trying to trigger as many stackable discounts, coupons, and promo offers as I could in this round of ‘sale’ on AliExpress:

• Eight more Wing Sung 3008 piston-fillers. I don't seem to see them listed quite as often and quite as cheaply these days.
• A Majohn A1 in grey ‘fishscales’ finish.
• A smoke grey Asvine V126.

[txomsy]

A Fisher Space pen (my son is going to spend two months in Abisko (200km N of the Arctic Circle) and I wanted to make sure he can take notes there.

[ruby.monkey]

I've just ordered a couple of silver-trim Delta Dunas. I couldn't decide between the Oasis blue and Mirage pink/red so I compromised by buying both (one fine flex, the other 1.1mm stub). Let's see if they write as good as they look.

[Stompie]

[Penguincollector]

7 hours ago, txomsy said:

A Fisher Space pen (my son is going to spend two months in Abisko (200km N of the Arctic Circle) and I wanted to make sure he can take notes there.

  Smart. I had a Parker 45 barrel crack in Vermont due to the cold (-40 F) and had a gold Cross that I wore gloves with to write. (School, old buildings, no insulation). 

[Merrick]

I got three pens recently:

1. A clipless Majohn A1 because I got the fish scale version with the clip and it hurt my hand to use it for even a short time. The clipless version feels SO much better and writes really well!

2. A Kaweco Sport Iridescent Pearl. I’ve been wanting a few good pocket pens to use as everyday carry items and I waffled for quite a while on the Sport. Despite its low price, it seems like a real love it or hate it pen. Finally I decided to bite the bullet and get one with a pack of midnight blue Kaweco ink carts and…it’s decent. Feels fine in my hand but isn’t going to become a favorite writer. For about the same price I prefer the Pilot Prera, which I do also have in my bag, but it’s cheap enough that I don’t regret it. I do notice some skipping, and I have heard Sport nibs can be really hit or miss, so I may need to do some tuning to get it working at its full potential. 

3. Ensso Piuma ultem. I intended to order the pocket pen version, but accidentally ordered the full size and I’m really glad I did! The Ultem is light but feels solid and substantial. The nib writes well with a bit of feedback that is very pleasing. I really like the Piuma design from an aesthetic perspective, but a fully rounded pen with no clip is prone to rolling off a writing surface. That one quibble aside, I am very impressed with this pen and will definitely be checking Ensso’s site on Black Friday for deals on their other models.

[Misfit]

I recently bought a Nintendo Switch OLED. I has a black console with white controls. When pens have white pen bodies and black clips, some people think of Star Wars storm troopers. So I went looking for a MaJohn A1 or A2 with white body and black clip. Then I thought of the DeLike New Moon pen in green marble and bought that. I mean, if you watch Star Wars and like the Rebels….

[Waltz For Zizi]

Parker 45 FP and Jotter BP. I bought it because the price was incredible and I have another 45 in pristine condition I have not used and I wanted to keep it like that but this new one is in even better shape. It still has the white writing on it and it has a gold nib too, all for just 13$ shiping included.

I guess I need a third one now.🤣

 

[Gloucesterman]

2 hours ago, Waltz For Zizi said:

Parker 45 FP and Jotter BP. I bought it because the price was incredible and I have another 45 in pristine condition I have not used and I wanted to keep it like that but this new one is in even better shape. It still has the white writing on it and it has a gold nib too, all for just 13$ shiping included.

I guess I need a third one now.🤣

 

looks good and the price looks GREAT.

Congratulations...

[Merrick]

Saw a reasonable deal on a Sailor Pro Gear Realo in Amber and decided to go for it. Wow, this is one nice pen! I had a Pro Gear Slim and returned it because the resin felt cheap and the EF nib was so scratchy I thought it would tear up my paper. This one has higher quality resin, a beautiful M nib that writes very smoothly with just a touch of feedback, and it's bigger so fits better in my hand. Posted it feels wonderfully balanced, and frankly I simply love a good piston filler. This is giving my Lamy 2000 a run for its money as my number one pen. Also I just love the design aesthetic of the Pro Gear, easily my favorite Japanese pen design.