Understated Fountain Pens For Everyday Carry (Edc)

[corgicoupe]

I regularly carry an Aurora Ipsilon.

[sansenri]

Sansenri: Is this pen as purple as it appears in the photo? ...and, if so, where can I get one? Or, better put: WHERE CAN I GET ONE!?!?

 

 

 

It's perhaps not as purplish as in the photo, probably a tinge given by the daylight from a cloudy day

one of my usual sellers for Chinese pens is Jewelrymathematics on the bay

[Houston]

 

It's perhaps not as purplish as in the photo, probably a tinge given by the daylight from a cloudy day

one of my usual sellers for Chinese pens is Jewelrymathematics on the bay

 

Thanks!

[Antenociticus]

I'll join those suggesting the Lamy 2000. It's perfect for your purposes, and it's the pen I usually put in my bag when I'm going out to work. Sometimes I take my Sailor Pro Gear Slim for similar reasons, and if you want an everyday pen that's light, sturdy and inconspicuous its hard to beat.

 

Less expensive understated EDC:

PenBBS 309 in one of the more subdued colours

Wing Sung 618

[Purphoros]

Gosh, am I wrong or did no one mention the Pilot Vanishing Point? (I'm wrong ) That's a solid everyday pen that isn't too flashy, provided you go for a more traditional color of course. The Pilot E95s also looks traditional with added portability, if you like posting your pens.

 

As someone who owns both a Lamy 2000 and a Parker 45, I would say my Lamy 2000 is a far better everyday pen because it's comfortable to write with, looks nice (though discrete), and has a large ink capacity. While I love my Parker 45, the cap does not secure very tightly on my pen. I can't keep it in a sleeve because the cap pulls off when I try to take it out. I've also had a really bad experience with a mesh pouch in my bag, my 45 got tangled and I had to cut the pen out. That incident bent the clip on the 45, a problem the Lamy 2000 won't have because of its spring-loaded clip (and the fact the clip is much wider).

 

If you want a cheaper pen, a Platinum Preppy ($3-7) or a TWSBI Go ($15-25), both would work great in a school since they are durable and easy to replace. I love my Go even if filling it is a hassle. If you want something 'disposable' the Pilot Varsity is $1.50 per pen and can be refilled with a little convincing.

 

If you're concerned about using a fountain pen being distracting, go with a hooded nib, or a pen with a very small nib. Almost no one can tell from a glance the 45 is a fountain pen and most think it's a ballpoint until they try and write with it. The 2000 is also great at being incognito.

 

That being said, whatever you get, be sure to develop the habit of capping your pen whenever you are not writing with it. I've knocked many uncapped pens off my desk to their demise while working at cluttered school desks, nib repairs/replacements aren't cheap!

 

Hopefully we can find your your perfect pen, I wish you luck on your search!

 

 

Edits: Changed some wording.

Edited March 8, 2019 by Purphoros

[ParkerDuofold]

I regularly carry an Aurora Ipsilon.

I like the Ipsilon, too,... as well it's slightly younger sibling... the Style.

 

Be well all.

 

 

- Anthony

[OmegaMountain]

OmegaMountain's idea is a great one - Pelikanos, cheap and reliable! One of the things I love about Pelikan, like Lamy, is the way it sees its bottom of the range pens as equally important with the flagships.

 

Though the ones I favour are those in bright translucent orange and purple which you could hardly call understated :-)

 

A good reference on Pelikanos through the ages - http://www.pelikan-collectibles.com/en/Pelikan/Models/Cartridge-filler/Pelikano/index.html

 

 

Awesome resource page! I only have the one Pelikano - an M450 in the Stormtrooper configuration because I couldn't get my hands on a reasonably affordable Pelikan M100 at the time. I should go back and grab one now, but the Pelikano would be hard to beat except for the fact that it's not a piston filler. The M450 has a great steel nib, fits a converter and has an ink window so you can see if the converter still has ink. It's more affordable than a Lamy Safari too with a superior nib, in my opinion.

 

Edited March 8, 2019 by OmegaMountain

[tpacavalcante]

Hey guys, you are truly amazing!

 

Thanks for your time, all suggestions and comments, I read everything!

 

I did not define a budget on purpose, because someone could introduce to me a great pen that I can put in a wish list for the future.

 

And it just happed! I didn't know Montblanc 34 and I found it fantastic! It looks like Lamy 2k, a bit expensive, twice the price, but more classy! It can be perfect for other situations!

 

In summary, I liked the following suggestions (in order of preference):

 

1- Lamy 2k

2- Montblanc 34

3- Pelikan Stola III

4- Lamy Aion

5- Lamy CP1

6- Lamy Accent

7- Lamy Logo

 

I will probably buy the Lamy 2k, first, and then I will analyse if it is necessary buy some other less expensive to rotate.

 

Thanks again!

[sirgilbert357]

Funny how many Lamys made the list. Love my Lamy 2000. It is always inked and goes to work with me most days...

[biancitwo]

I shouldn't say a thing, but I can't help myself. My primary EDC is a dark blue Pelikan M605. It has a M CI by Pendleton Brown and writes beautifully. While it is understated, it is beautiful. I'm not familiar with every Lamy pen, but the ones I've seen are not attractive. I don't have the Montblanc 34, but I have two that look very much like it. They write very well, but they are too thin for longer sessions.

 

I don't look for understated pens for my EDC. I carry the best I have. My M605 just happens to be a wonderful pen and understated. I also carry my Nakaya, Homo Sapien, and M800. I also regularly carry my 3776s. I carry for the writing and the aesthetics.

 

By the way, I no longer carry my Aurora Ipsilon. It is a little too small. But, it is a great understated writer.

[A Smug Dill]

Love my Lamy 2000.

 

 

I forgot who told me on FPN (most probably Honeybadgers?) that the Lamy 2000 has been offered for around US$100 (or less?) on Massdrop. As such, I'd probably take a leap of faith and say it's a real contender against more expensive pens such as the Sailor Pro Gear and the like, although I'm still not convinced about Lamy's ability (as with Pelikan's) to make a precise gold EF nib myself, but at that tier of pricing I think it'd be definitely worth a try, and it seems there are plenty of prospective buyers of secondhand Lamy 2000 pens compared to, say, the Sailor Pro Gear (or Profit) Realo.

[Calabria]

 

 

I forgot who told me on FPN (most probably Honeybadgers?) that the Lamy 2000 has been offered for around US$100 (or less?) on Massdrop. As such, I'd probably take a leap of faith and say it's a real contender against more expensive pens such as the Sailor Pro Gear and the like, although I'm still not convinced about Lamy's ability (as with Pelikan's) to make a precise gold EF nib myself, but at that tier of pricing I think it'd be definitely worth a try, and it seems there are plenty of prospective buyers of secondhand Lamy 2000 pens compared to, say, the Sailor Pro Gear (or Profit) Realo.

Lamy nibs are very good now. I have 4 excellent EF nibs, not as fine as Japanese ones, but extremely well made, and with an interesting "architect's" grind. No comparison to Pelikan.

[A Smug Dill]

Lamy nibs are very good now. I have 4 excellent EF nibs, not as fine as Japanese ones, but extremely well made, and with an interesting "architect's" grind. No comparison to Pelikan.

 

 

Thanks. For years (at least since 2013, when I could claim first-hand experience), I've avoided Lamy pens because its steel F and EF nibs disappointed me — but, to be fair, at that point I was more ignorant and didn't have experience with >100 inks and didn't understand how the qualities of an ink makes a difference in flow, line width and feathering, etc. — but I'm really glad that I now have a Lamy CP1 and Lamy Safari, both with steel EF nibs, that write satisfactorily. Thus I can wholeheartedly second PanDeBer's suggestion of a Lamy CP1 as a good 'understated' fountain pen.

 

Even so, Lamy as a brand has always been 'second-tier' (akin to Rotring, which I love by the way) for fountain pens in my mind, more populist (and priced to matched) than artisan or elite. That's not a specific criticism of the Lamy 2000; just as some people love the cigar-shaped Sailor 1911 models (and some dislike them), some like the Sailor Pro Gear, and some like neither, it's a matter of personal taste and not 'objective' or universally acknowledged merit. However, at US$100 or so I consider it to be priced similarly to entry-level Sailor Profit (and Pro Gear Slim) and Platinum #3776 models with gold nibs, and worth another look. The piston-filler aspect of the Lamy 2000 is something I can live with for a gold-nibbed pen at that price, even though I'd prefer c/c-fill any day.

[MuddyWaters]

The Lamy 2000 seems a bit too precious to be an EDC though imo.