Initial Disappointment - New Pen

[Rindy_Ruth]

I'm wondering if any other FPN-ers suffer from a let-down when you receive a pen you had been longing for and find it is not blindingly perfect.

 

Allow me to elaborate. I just received the Diplomat Aero - fine in orange from Goulet Pens. On paper (see what I did there?) it was everything I could ever hope for: my favorite color, a snap cap, delicate high-end steel nib, unique body shape, solid metal body and that kicky flower design on the nib and the top of the cap.

 

And then I received it. I had Goulet dip-test the nib so I knew it would be smooth, and it was, but so was the section (is that what we call the part where our fingers grip?). When my hands are cool and dry (not sweaty) they want to slide down the section towards the nib unless I take a more aggressive grip - which is not what I want to do. Boo. While the pen is weighty, which I like, it feels a bit short unposted in my large hand, but posting it makes it feel back-heavy and throws off my writing. Yuck. I syringe filled the converter, then ran water, pen flush, and water again through the nib section before drying it. I reassembled it then dipped it in ink to get it primed and thought I was off to the races. But half a page later the ink started to look lighter and then it began skipping before it stopped writing at all. I opened it up and turned the converter plunger up and down a bit (but not so much as to flood the nib) and it is currently writing dark and wet, but I am worried about a repeat of the fading and skipping. Hmmm.

 

While I don't regret my purchase, the color is still my favorite and the snap cap is a joy, it has not been love at first write. I think it may take a bit of time for us to find our groove together. Has anyone else experienced a similar let-down when a pen you were waiting for does not live up to your fantasies about it?

 

Rindy_Ruth

[Erggg]

I longed for a Pilot E95S since I learned of it's existance. I bought the pen about a year ago. Personally I don't think I'm disappointed with the pen, but I do notice that I hardly ever used it. Maybe I'm subconsciously disappointed. If I am disappointed, I think I'm just disappointed in how difficult it is to clean the pen. I also find my nib finicky. Sometimes it's writes wet other times it's dry. I also find it to be such a lint magnet.

 

 

I am buying a Platinum PTL-5000A (Standard). I'm hoping the nib is not too scratchy. If it is I may be disappointed with that.

Edited August 9, 2018 by PanDeBer

[JakobS]

As far as the OP's writing experience goes, perhaps filling the convertor through the nib will better prime the pen, as it will fully fill the feed better than dipping I would imagine, and thus reduce any reduction in flow...

 

The only pens that have disappointed me were not initially but after a few years of use, and were my Lamy Safari's whose caps became loose readily first after 3-5 years and then 1-2 years after they were repaired. They were fine writers, just not durable caps...

Edited August 9, 2018 by JakobS

[Arkanabar]

Two such pens come to mind.

 

First was my Medieval Lapis Ahab. Nothing I tried made it usable. It dribbles ink, or it starves. There is no regulated flow. I imagine this is something like what Lewis Waterman experienced, that led him to develop the three-channel ink feed.

 

Second was my Pequod's Smoke Konrad. If it is not kept in CONSTANT use (that is, should I cap it and set it on its side for a few hours) it dries out to the point that only dunking the nib in water will get it writing again. Which is a terrible shame, as I really love its weight, balance, and form factor.

[SoulSamurai]

  On 8/9/2018 at 2:20 PM, Rindy_Ruth said:

Has anyone else experienced a similar let-down when a pen you were waiting for does not live up to your fantasies about it?

Yes. Pretty much every pen I have has something that I'm not quite satisfied with (usually something relating to reliability or comfort). I have some great pens that I love a great deal, just nothing that's quite perfect yet.

 

Perhaps the only exception is my Platinum Carbon desk pen, which simply works perfectly, but that's a specialist tool and not suitable as an everyday pen for me.

[SoulSamurai]

  On 8/9/2018 at 3:00 PM, Arkanabar said:

Second was my Pequod's Smoke Konrad. If it is not kept in CONSTANT use (that is, should I cap it and set it on its side for a few hours) it dries out to the point that only dunking the nib in water will get it writing again. Which is a terrible shame, as I really love its weight, balance, and form factor.

Consider an acrylic or ebonite Konrad: they shouldn't have the same drying issues as the resin ones.

[pajaro]

  On 8/9/2018 at 3:00 PM, Arkanabar said:

Two such pens come to mind.

 

First was my Medieval Lapis Ahab. Nothing I tried made it usable. It dribbles ink, or it starves. There is no regulated flow. I imagine this is something like what Lewis Waterman experienced, that led him to develop the three-channel ink feed.

 

Second was my Pequod's Smoke Konrad. If it is not kept in CONSTANT use (that is, should I cap it and set it on its side for a few hours) it dries out to the point that only dunking the nib in water will get it writing again. Which is a terrible shame, as I really love its weight, balance, and form factor.

 

That drying out is very common among pens I have, vintage and recent. I usually just refill the pen, then set it down for a very long nap.

 

I have been disappointed with some pens. I think my expectations were too high, fed by praises heaped on them here.

[doggonecarl]

I've accumulated over 80 pens, so there have been a few that haven't lived up to expectations. But the pen that tops the list of disappointment is the Tombow Zoom 101:

 

 

Love how it looks, the construction is stellar. But writing....the section is too short and the step is uncomfortable. And whatever ink I use, the nib feels dry and there is a lot of audio feedback.

 

I keep using it up, hoping I'll find the ink that will unlock its qualities, hoping I'll love it. Or even like it.

 

Hasn't happened yet.

[ErrantSmudge]

To address the specific problem the OP had with her Diplomat Aero.

 

If you continue to have the same ink starvation problems after writing a page of text, even after flushing the pen and trying different inks, the pen is likely defective. Send it back to Goulet for a replacement or refund. There is no reason you need to be unhappy with it.

[Manalto]

A good policy for new pens or people is to keep your expectations low. Once in a while you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[minddance]

Therefore it is important to buy pens from reputable shops with good refund/exchange policies.

 

It is easy to be surprised/shocked - for the correct or wrong reasons. We all have different expectations and writing habits and no pen is absolutely perfect, even roller balls, ball points, mechanical pencils may not be for everyone.

 

The pens that I have been disappointed with have all be refunded. And I keep only the pens I can live with

 

And there are pens for which I am willing to change my writing habits, knowing that they are technically perfect, and the only problem is me.

 

Some nibs and pens just take more time for my hands to get acquainted but some pens have problems and issues and I do not wish to get used to their problems.

 

Yes, there have been disappointments. And there are also 'second chance' pens which I repurchase just to give them - and myself - a second chance after I have refunded them. And very often, it happens that Diamine Midnight is the savior of many of these pens.

Edited August 9, 2018 by minddance

[gcconspiracy]

The pens that come to mind for me are as follows:

 

Pilot Metropolitan - smaller than I anticipated, awkward step from barrel to grip section

 

TWSBI 580 - just never clicked for me (love the Eco, though!)

 

Lamy Aion - wide convex section just didn’t work for me

[pajaro]

  On 8/9/2018 at 5:55 PM, ErrantSmudge said:

To address the specific problem the OP had with her Diplomat Aero.

 

If you continue to have the same ink starvation problems after writing a page of text, even after flushing the pen and trying different inks, the pen is likely defective. Send it back to Goulet for a replacement or refund. There is no reason you need to be unhappy with it.

 

I think it should be on the way back to Goulet already.

[Kodiac136]

Ahhh I'm sorry you have had a bad experience. I've debated on getting an aero for quite sometime.

 

I experienced this with my favorite pen (go figure), my Yard O Led Viceroy Grand Victorian. When I first saw it, I thought what a beautiful pen. Then I realized that it isn't perfect. The engravings don't look quite the same on the cap vs the barrel. And the pattern very faintly changes. And the nib was a little bit scratchy.

 

And then I realized -- duh, of course it isn't absolutely perfect. That's what makes it so beautiful, someone made it by hand and it shows. It remains my favorite pen. The nib is buttery smooth now with a little bit of nib work.

[chromantic]

Mine would be a 1st-gen Sheaffer Award - beautiful "Flighter"-style with a smooth F nib but ... very sharp step, a little short to use un-posted but back heavy when posted, and the 1st gen had a shallow brass knob the cap posted on so the cap was easily dislodged (this was later changed to a longer, plastic protrusion).

[Driften]

Good to hear your experience on the Aero. I was also thinking about getting one. I don't know if I would have the same issue with the section. Many people find the Lamy Studio too slippery and for me I am ok with it but would prefer a different section shape and material.

 

On the ink starvation. Is ink getting held up in the converter? Using the pen wash should have helped the converter flow better, but some inks like sticking in place more then others. For ink that likes to stick advancing the converter piston to drive the air out will fix it for a few pages. Also know that after washing out a pen and then not filling though the nib it can cause the pen to write lighter and not flow as well for about a day. At least it has often happened to me.

 

Back to your other question. Twice I have gotten Franklin-Christoph pens with S.I.G. nibs and was heartbroken to find the nibs cut paper when I tried to write with them. Good thing was F-C had no problem exchanging the nibs for ones I loved that was stubs and cursive italic. I loved the pens after that. They have great customer service.

[Honeybadgers]

  On 8/9/2018 at 2:38 PM, PanDeBer said:

I longed for a Pilot E95S since I learned of it's existance. I bought the pen about a year ago. Personally I don't think I'm disappointed with the pen, but I do notice that I hardly ever used it. Maybe I'm subconsciously disappointed. If I am disappointed, I think I'm just disappointed in how difficult it is to clean the pen. I also find my nib finicky. Sometimes it's writes wet other times it's dry. I also find it to be such a lint magnet.

 

 

I am buying a Platinum PTL-5000A (Standard). I'm hoping the nib is not too scratchy. If it is I may be disappointed with that.

 

I hope you like it. I gave mine to a professor since I just thought the plastic body felt really, really cheap.

 

I use my e95s as a pocket pen, but nothing more. I found the same problem with the vanishing point. I got the steel nib and am glad I did, because I just don't use it. at all.

[Tseg]

Sorry to hear of your experience but thanks for sharing. I have a TWSBI 580AL that had a Medium nib that would dry out by the bottom of the page. It was one of my first fountain pens. Maybe I should have returned it, but instead I "worked on the nib". While I had made some progress, getting it to write 2 pages before skipping, it never was right... I then accidently snapped the frail ink feed while trying to pull out or push in the nib for some more adjustment and that was the end of that nib. After some homework I spent $25 and got the TWSBI Broad nib and it works perfectly. But after extended writing I also got bothered by my fingers sliding down the metal section. I use it occasionally now. It is my only demonstrator pen so I keep Sheaffer Skrip Peacock ink in it and more enjoy looking at it than writing with it.

[Rindy_Ruth]

  On 8/9/2018 at 7:29 PM, Manalto said:

A good policy for new pens or people is to keep your expectations low. Once in a while you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

Touche, Manalto, Touche.

[Rindy_Ruth]

  On 8/9/2018 at 7:45 PM, minddance said:

Therefore it is important to buy pens from reputable shops with good refund/exchange policies.

 

It is easy to be surprised/shocked - for the correct or wrong reasons. We all have different expectations and writing habits and no pen is absolutely perfect, even roller balls, ball points, mechanical pencils may not be for everyone.

 

The pens that I have been disappointed with have all be refunded. And I keep only the pens I can live with

 

And there are pens for which I am willing to change my writing habits, knowing that they are technically perfect, and the only problem is me.

 

Some nibs and pens just take more time for my hands to get acquainted but some pens have problems and issues and I do not wish to get used to their problems.

 

Yes, there have been disappointments. And there are also 'second chance' pens which I repurchase just to give them - and myself - a second chance after I have refunded them. And very often, it happens that Diamine Midnight is the savior of many of these pens.

Interesting, Minddance. I will keep that in mind.