Mb Noblesse Vs Cda Ecridor Vs Sheaffer 330 Vs Waterman Carène

[Dreea]

Hello good people of FPN,

 

Been a lurker for a while, got into fps last year, and thanks to this forum I got my first fps last winter. A Cross Century (love small grips) and a Parker Sonnet (wanted to try a wider grip too, to see if they fit my hand).

I want an upgrade now, and I'm super undecided on how to proceed. My budget is not sky-high obviously, it can reach around 200e let's say.

I was initially looking for slim fps, so I read about MB Noblesse. But in between articles on the forum, I noticed people mentioning other fps as well. Then I got to CdA Ecridor, read good reviews on it too. Then someone mentioned that Carene is smoother than CdA. And smoothness is what I'm after! After almost being decided on the Carene, I read another thread mentioning the Sheaffer 330 as being better.

I am not sure I can find a place with high quality fps to try them on live, so I'm looking for your opinion. Which one is better, smoother, doesn't dry if you don't use it for a week, fits well in a (small) hand, etc?

Thank you.

 

[thx1138]

Every carene I have bought, either new or used, has been a perfect writer.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Old pens can and often have micro-corrosion of the 'iridium' tip......'iridium-rust'......or drag.

Very Careful use of micro-mesh (seconds only), will get rid of that. The 30-40 year old MB Noblesse.is old enough fro that to have happened if the pen was sat in the dark of a drawer for a generation or two.

Same goes for any old pen.

 

Actually the Brown Paper Bag trick will get rid of drag, but will not make a pen butter smooth....which most noobies think is a must.*** It is much harder to ruin a nib with a good quality brown paper bag than with micro-mesh.

 

I don't know when the Sheaffer 330 was made.

 

 

***I being lazy prefer good and smooth the level under butter smooth....gives me a slight tad of touch on the paper, and I can use slick paper like Rhodia or Clairefontane Triomphe with out sliding off.

Edited August 4, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson

[Dreea]

Every carene I have bought, either new or used, has been a perfect writer.

Thank you, am balancing between ecridor and carene more now, after reading more online.

[Dreea]

Old pens can and often have micro-corrosion of the 'iridium' tip......'iridium-rust'......or drag.

Very Careful use of micro-mesh (seconds only), will get rid of that. The 30-40 year old MB Noblesse.is old enough fro that to have happened if the pen was sat in the dark of a drawer for a generation or two.

Same goes for any old pen.

 

Actually the Brown Paper Bag trick will get rid of drag, but will not make a pen butter smooth....which most noobies think is a must.*** It is much harder to ruin a nib with a good quality brown paper bag than with micro-mesh.

 

I don't know when the Sheaffer 330 was made.

 

 

***I being lazy prefer good and smooth the level under butter smooth....gives me a slight tad of touch on the paper, and I can use slick paper like Rhodia or Clairefontane Triomphe with out sliding off.

Thanks for the precious information. Also, had no idea i can use micro-mesh to make my pens as i wish them to be. Which is yes, butter smooth (n00b alert).

I'll dig more into this.

My list went down to Ecridor vs Carene now. So it'll be easier.

Thanks once more.

[Bo Bo Olson]

When Richard Binder sells his compete nib grinding set, two junk pens are included so you can learn to grind nibs by ruining two junk pen nibs.

So do buy two junk pens to practice on.........what's gone is gone forever, when grinding at nibs.

And many noobies think they are 'polishing' and keep removing 'iridium tipping so end up grinding.

 

Problems of over polishing.....Babybottom...hard starts............making flat spots.

 

IMO any new Waterman or Cd'A will be butter smooth.****...........if not quite as smooth as you have read about...and think you are missing. Use a well lubricated ink and a slick paper, like Rhodia or Clairefontaine Triomphe.

Slippery ink on slick paper will make a rock butter smooth.

 

 

 

****odd as it may seem many of us like to feel a touch of the paper under the nib (some more/some less) . That helps not sliding off of slick paper...........a problem noobies with butter smooth nibs complain about.

That is curable easily.....use only poor paper.

 

 

Well I chase two toned shading inks so am not heavy into well lubricated inks....though of course I have a couple, good for every once in a while.

Reading about how someone muttering loves well lubricated ink can make one open up a bottle.

One does need an assortment of wet, dry....well lubricated or lesser lubricated inks.....and papers to have as much fun as you can.

 

I like two toned shading inks.....many 'noobies' think of that as 'wishy-washy' or pastel when they want a wet vivid boring monotone line of supersaturated ink.

One should have a mix of inks right from the start. Wet Japanese inks, Supersaturated Noodler inks, ...how wet are noodler inks.....Many Noodler users consider the once Wet Ink Waterman to be a dry ink. Pelikan 4001 and R&K are dry inks as is Herbin. MB is a middle ink like many Edelstein inks.

 

Writing is 1/3 nib width/flex, 1/3 paper and 1/3 ink and in that order.

 

Oh, for shading you need 90g/24 pound paper....common 80g/20 pound copy paper don't shade.

Rhodia is not common paper so it's 80g will shade. I only have the new 90g.

Hummmm....Rhodia is slick paper, so butter smooth nib with a well lubricated ink may be like driving on ice.

You can always go over to a dry 4001 ink is the lubricated one is too slick for Rhodia. 4001 inks shade well.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Drea you should flag yourself, that tells us where to direct you too.

If you are in the States or Canada, Goulet pens has ink samples at a fair price.

 

Do spend time in Ink Reviews.....I highly recommend reading any Ink Review by Sandy1. Our Ink Guru.....Zen Master of Inks.

 

Do take a look at what papers she uses...normally 4 but they change over time.....They are over the decade some 7-8 of them well worth having as a start of your paper collection.

 

I have over 40 papers and still feel so very 'noobie' with papers.

I got a lucky start of 'Bluten/hammered, laid, linen effect and marbled all at the same time and cheaply...............to us pen addicts we often confuse cheap with economical. You Don't Want Cheap Paper.

What you shove in your printer is one thing.......you aren't going to scribble on that Junk are you?

The ream of good stuff 90g that costs twice as much as your common copy paper can last a year or even more before you need to buy more.

In the meanwhile there is ink and paper to buy.................and pens.

[Dreea]

When Richard Binder sells his compete nib grinding set, two junk pens are included so you can learn to grind nibs by ruining two junk pen nibs.

So do buy two junk pens to practice on.........what's gone is gone forever, when grinding at nibs.

And many noobies think they are 'polishing' and keep removing 'iridium tipping so end up grinding.

 

Problems of over polishing.....Babybottom...hard starts............making flat spots.

 

IMO any new Waterman or Cd'A will be butter smooth.****...........if not quite as smooth as you have read about...and think you are missing. Use a well lubricated ink and a slick paper, like Rhodia or Clairefontaine Triomphe.

Slippery ink on slick paper will make a rock butter smooth.

 

 

 

****odd as it may seem many of us like to feel a touch of the paper under the nib (some more/some less) . That helps not sliding off of slick paper...........a problem noobies with butter smooth nibs complain about.

That is curable easily.....use only poor paper.

 

 

Well I chase two toned shading inks so am not heavy into well lubricated inks....though of course I have a couple, good for every once in a while.

Reading about how someone muttering loves well lubricated ink can make one open up a bottle.

One does need an assortment of wet, dry....well lubricated or lesser lubricated inks.....and papers to have as much fun as you can.

 

I like two toned shading inks.....many 'noobies' think of that as 'wishy-washy' or pastel when they want a wet vivid boring monotone line of supersaturated ink.

One should have a mix of inks right from the start. Wet Japanese inks, Supersaturated Noodler inks, ...how wet are noodler inks.....Many Noodler users consider the once Wet Ink Waterman to be a dry ink. Pelikan 4001 and R&K are dry inks as is Herbin. MB is a middle ink like many Edelstein inks.

 

Writing is 1/3 nib width/flex, 1/3 paper and 1/3 ink and in that order.

 

Oh, for shading you need 90g/24 pound paper....common 80g/20 pound copy paper don't shade.

Rhodia is not common paper so it's 80g will shade. I only have the new 90g.

Hummmm....Rhodia is slick paper, so butter smooth nib with a well lubricated ink may be like driving on ice.

You can always go over to a dry 4001 ink is the lubricated one is too slick for Rhodia. 4001 inks shade well.

Awesome tips, thank you. Still learning a lot.

Now I got my husband hooked too, he's on the broad side, this journey will be fun!

Thanks for the advice!

[Dreea]

Drea you should flag yourself, that tells us where to direct you too.

If you are in the States or Canada, Goulet pens has ink samples at a fair price.

 

Do spend time in Ink Reviews.....I highly recommend reading any Ink Review by Sandy1. Our Ink Guru.....Zen Master of Inks.

 

Do take a look at what papers she uses...normally 4 but they change over time.....They are over the decade some 7-8 of them well worth having as a start of your paper collection.

 

I have over 40 papers and still feel so very 'noobie' with papers.

I got a lucky start of 'Bluten/hammered, laid, linen effect and marbled all at the same time and cheaply...............to us pen addicts we often confuse cheap with economical. You Don't Want Cheap Paper.

What you shove in your printer is one thing.......you aren't going to scribble on that Junk are you?

The ream of good stuff 90g that costs twice as much as your common copy paper can last a year or even more before you need to buy more.

In the meanwhile there is ink and paper to buy.................and pens.

Belgium. Will work on my account, it's brand new

[Bo Bo Olson]

I've heard wonders of pen hunting at Belgium and Dutch flea markets..........not right now, but for later, when you learn more....one has to spend a lot of time learning to know what is going on.

At first every other post was something new..........and after two or three years you might not learn something new every day..........might anyway.

Then comes inks and papers.

There are many good Euro papers some quite near you....Belgium has a good paper....unfortunately for me, it's 100% cotton so won't shade my inks. Same with 50% cotton paper....Very smooth either. I like 25% cotton, that paper will shade.

 

Richard Binder's site, is the bible of fountain pens, nibs, filling systems, good advice on inks and so, so many beautiful pens. Will take you three days to read through it.

I still go back and review 10 years after I first was told about it.

Then 96% of what I knew came from there..............now it's only 92 1/2% ......after all after a decade one should have learned something.

 

 

The Golden Rule of fountain pens is to take your time......Do Not join the Pen of the Week in the Mail Club............same for the Pen of the Month. Pen of the quarter will get you a much better pen, that you had time to learn about....of why one should have that pen.....

One does want to avoid having all 51 colors of the P-51..........

 

 

I'm not sure if you learned to write with a fountain pen is school, but one should hold the fountain pen behind the big index knuckle. Let it 'rest' where it will, don't force it to be at 45 degrees, if it wants to rest at 40 degrees at the start of the web of the thumb..........or if it's heavy or long, it can rest in the pit of the web of the thumb.

 

95% of scratchy is misaligned tines....easy to cure and holding the fountain pen like a ball point before the big index knuckle.

 

One should hold a fountain pen lightly like a featherless baby bird.

And don't make baby bird paste!

That can lead to Death Grip.

Even if you learned in school, a reminder to hold the pen very lightly is not out of order.

Even though I learned back in B&W TV days, it took me quite a while before my grip lightened up.

 

Good luck, we do want you to have a fun time...nothing is simple....not even vanilla ice cream.

 

Just remember LA was not built in a Day!.....................and learning with out having to test is fun....

[Dreea]

I've heard wonders of pen hunting at Belgium and Dutch flea markets..........not right now, but for later, when you learn more....one has to spend a lot of time learning to know what is going on.

At first every other post was something new..........and after two or three years you might not learn something new every day..........might anyway.

Then comes inks and papers.

There are many good Euro papers some quite near you....Belgium has a good paper....unfortunately for me, it's 100% cotton so won't shade my inks. Same with 50% cotton paper....Very smooth either. I like 25% cotton, that paper will shade.

 

Richard Binder's site, is the bible of fountain pens, nibs, filling systems, good advice on inks and so, so many beautiful pens. Will take you three days to read through it.

I still go back and review 10 years after I first was told about it.

Then 96% of what I knew came from there..............now it's only 92 1/2% ......after all after a decade one should have learned something.

 

 

The Golden Rule of fountain pens is to take your time......Do Not join the Pen of the Week in the Mail Club............same for the Pen of the Month. Pen of the quarter will get you a much better pen, that you had time to learn about....of why one should have that pen.....

One does want to avoid having all 51 colors of the P-51..........

 

 

I'm not sure if you learned to write with a fountain pen is school, but one should hold the fountain pen behind the big index knuckle. Let it 'rest' where it will, don't force it to be at 45 degrees, if it wants to rest at 40 degrees at the start of the web of the thumb..........or if it's heavy or long, it can rest in the pit of the web of the thumb.

 

95% of scratchy is misaligned tines....easy to cure and holding the fountain pen like a ball point before the big index knuckle.

 

One should hold a fountain pen lightly like a featherless baby bird.

And don't make baby bird paste!

That can lead to Death Grip.

Even if you learned in school, a reminder to hold the pen very lightly is not out of order.

Even though I learned back in B&W TV days, it took me quite a while before my grip lightened up.

 

Good luck, we do want you to have a fun time...nothing is simple....not even vanilla ice cream.

 

Just remember LA was not built in a Day!.....................and learning with out having to test is fun....

Thank you once again. On Binder's site as we "speak".

[Bo Bo Olson]

Bon Voyage.