YOUR pen of the year?

[sansenri]

2021 is over with all its good and bad things...

I don't mind the fact that sometimes here we can limit ourselves to discussing just fountain pens... (I'm currently confined at home due to covid positive test...)

 

Suppose you had to mention YOUR pen of the year (this year) which one would it be?

Doesn't need to be a new pen or issued this year, just the one you sort of discovered this year and has struck you positively, more than all the others, this year.

It would be nice if you do own it, or at least that you have tried it in order to judge it and tell us why, for you, it is your pen for 2021 (next year, is another year).

(Mentions for pens you don't really own or have not tried would be too superficial and best left out)

 

My pen of the year:
Leonardo Momento Magico.

Not an exceedingly fancy pen, nor exceedingly expensive, but in my opinion clever.

While most pen makers are sadly abandoning piston fillers in favour of converters,  - and ok, I do appreciate the easy of use of converter pens, but I still maintain a preference for piston fillers -  Leonardo launches a mid sized pen, not a top of the line, not a very expensive pen, not a pen made with highly innovative materials, and at that a pen with a classic look that does not exceedingly surprise, and is offered also with a steel nib, but with a home designed piston filler mechanism!

Operating the piston is very smooth, it almost feels like using a Pelikan... that was quite a surprise for me, given how much I love Pelikans.

Everything I usually like is there, there is a useful ink window, the pen size is midsize, very reasonably lightweight despite the piston, a very slightly tapering body towards the end finial, so a pleasant looking body that feels nice in the hand, NO step-downs! (), a comfortable and classic shaped section and smooth threading.

The nib is Jowo, which isn't a very surprising  offer, although Leonardo does offer steel or gold nibs, but which could be the aspect I'd plan to upgrade (fortunately reasonably easily) perhaps with a custom ground gold nib. (the current nib on my MM is a Jowo stub 1.1 which has been perfect out of the box).

 

 

Not much else to say, I've enjoyed other pens this year too, but the MM seems to have been the most surprising.

[PAKMAN]

My pen of the year was actually made back in 1991. Got it at the Dallas Pen show. Mont Blanc 149 sterling solitaire! 

[Recursion]

My pen of the year is definitely the Pilot Custom 823 with a buttery smooth fine nib. 

[sansenri]

12 minutes ago, PAKMAN said:

My pen of the year was actually made back in 1991. Got it at the Dallas Pen show. Mont Blanc 149 sterling solitaire! 

 

Thank you Pakman, a great looking pen! would you care to tell us where it excels (although I think I can guess...)?!

[Checklist]

Mine is the Lamy 2000 that I finally pulled the trigger on in April.  I love the smooth, wet (but still relatively fine) nib, the styling, the piston fill, and it's generally high-quality feeling in the hand.  Instantly became my favorite pen.

 

ETA, how are you feeling, @sansenri?

[Jan Mathijs Rijck]

These three, I just realised, I had in my pocket practically every day of the year (they fit perfectly in the watch pocket of my jeans) and used at least one, sometimes all three, every day.
Even though I have other pens that I like better and that I write with more, these three have always been with me. I guess that makes them my pens of the year.

Kaweco Liliput copper, nib F
Traveller's Company, nib F
Fisher's space pen bullet (sometimes you need a ballpoint)

[sansenri]

1 hour ago, Checklist said:

Mine is the Lamy 2000 that I finally pulled the trigger on in April.  I love the smooth, wet (but still relatively fine) nib, the styling, the piston fill, and it's generally high-quality feeling in the hand.  Instantly became my favorite pen.

 

ETA, how are you feeling, @sansenri?

not so bad, all in all, infection struck the day before Christmas, my wife and daughter affected too...

Fortunately it's been reasonably mild, sort of a flu, my daughter almost just a cold, my wife and I more like a real flu with some temperature, cough, etc.

We are both on Astrazeneca second dose (we were booked for 3rd dose but that may shift forward now...), my daughter on Pfizer.

Effects lingers though, we both feel tired and some symptoms remain.

Christmas practically didn't happen at home, my two sons are stranded out of home! (I think they don't mind...)

New year's eve will be subdued too...

(nevermind, if nothing else I'm enjoying spare time with some pens... , oh, and the wife of course! )

[sansenri]

2 hours ago, Recursion said:

My pen of the year is definitely the Pilot Custom 823 with a buttery smooth fine nib. 

 

Great pen, it has been a favourite for a long time when I got it, in this same smokey finish.

[sansenri]

1 hour ago, Jan Mathijs Rijck said:

These three, I just realised, I had in my pocket practically every day of the year (they fit perfectly in the watch pocket of my jeans) and used at least one, sometimes all three, every day.
Even though I have other pens that I like better and that I write with more, these three have always been with me. I guess that makes them my pens of the year.

Kaweco Liliput copper, nib F
Traveller's Company, nib F
Fisher's space pen bullet (sometimes you need a ballpoint)

 

 

interesting to see the copper Liliput with such nice patina.
I have the brass version, the only problem I have with it is it disappears! I always have it in some pocket somewhere, problem is remembering which pocket! which jacket! which bag!

[TSherbs]

Platinum Preppy. I use it 365 days of the year, filled only with Noodler's H.O.D.

Nothing else comes close for worry-free reliability and consistency and ease of use and maintenance. 

 

[mtcn77]

23 minutes ago, sansenri said:

not so bad, all in all, infection struck the day before Christmas, my wife and daughter affected too...

Fortunately it's been reasonably mild, sort of a flu, my daughter almost just a cold, my wife and I more like a real flu with some temperature, cough, etc.

We are both on Astrazeneca second dose (we were booked for 3rd dose but that may shift forward now...), my daughter on Pfizer.

Effects lingers though, we both feel tired and some symptoms remain.

Christmas practically didn't happen at home, my two sons are stranded out of home! (I think they don't mind...)

New year's eve will be subdued too...

(nevermind, if nothing else I'm enjoying spare time with some pens... , oh, and the wife of course! )

What news on AZ? The rumours are it is safer for men... I'd be glad for your daughter. I was single dose on biontech, this last week had the second one and truth be told my lungs cleared & I feel less dehydrated. Eventhough I had 6288 iu antibodies(just 365 before with the inactivated coronavac)...

[sansenri]

9 minutes ago, TSherbs said:

Platinum Preppy. I use it 365 days of the year, filled only with Noodler's H.O.D.

Nothing else comes close for worry-free reliability and consistency and ease of use and maintenance. 

 

interesting statement, considering if I'm not mistaken, that you have access to quite a choice of other pens.

My Pelikan M200s usually takes that place, but since a number of years now.

[sansenri]

3 minutes ago, mtcn77 said:

What news on AZ? The rumours are it is safer for men... I'd be glad for your daughter. I was single dose on biontech, this last week had the second one and truth be told my lungs cleared & I feel less dehydrated. Even though I had 6288 iu antibodies(just 365 before with the inactivated coronavac)...

When my wife an I were first vaccinated, AZ was mandatory here for over 60s so we had no choice.

First dose did bring some slight symptoms (temperature went up 37.5 °C) but was ok within one day or so.

Second dose was even milder. I had no side effects whatsoever. 3rd dose will be either Moderna or Pfizer.

The rise in infection has been very fast in the last few days, presumably due to this omikron variant.

Very frankly I'm very glad we were all vaccinated in my family, I'm sure covid effects would have been much worse without it...

 

[TSherbs]

8 minutes ago, sansenri said:

interesting statement, considering if I'm not mistaken, that you have access to quite a choice of other pens.

My Pelikan M200s usually takes that place, but since a number of years now.

Just felt that my most reliable workhorse should get some cred. I "like" and value some other pens more, but I use them less. Is your best friend the one you only call every 6 months, or is it whom you prefer to talk to every day? 

[senzen]

2021 has been the year of the pretty but impossible pens, for someone who cares more about ink colour than the actual pens; two which I'd given up on at the price I'm willing to pay, Geha Goldschwinge, Waterman Man 33, both of which took a lot of effort, help from friends and patience; and one which I didn't use as it would always have starting problems, but finally managed to recover with a nice flowing ink, Sailor Rikyucha, keeping it stored and greasing the section threads: Faber Castell Ambition.

 

[senzen]

1 hour ago, sansenri said:

not so bad, all in all, infection struck the day before Christmas, my wife and daughter affected too...

Fortunately it's been reasonably mild, sort of a flu, my daughter almost just a cold, my wife and I more like a real flu with some temperature, cough, etc.

We are both on Astrazeneca second dose (we were booked for 3rd dose but that may shift forward now...), my daughter on Pfizer.

Effects lingers though, we both feel tired and some symptoms remain.

Christmas practically didn't happen at home, my two sons are stranded out of home! (I think they don't mind...)

New year's eve will be subdued too...

(nevermind, if nothing else I'm enjoying spare time with some pens... , oh, and the wife of course! )

 

Take it easy, hopefully you'll all be out of it soon!

 

[inkstainedruth]

Ooh, this is a tough decision.  Last year I managed to limit myself to the "Pen a Month Club" but this year?  Too many new acquisitions (I just did a count and it's 32....   New ones, vintage ones.  Ordered from online and bought in pen shops and antiques malls and estate sales and pen shows.

But in going down the list, I'd have to say that for me, the 2021 Pen of they Year is one of my grails: a French Blue Lamy Safari.  I lucked into a used one on eBay for not much more the US retail price of a new as-Star, after one of the NOS ones I'd been watching was relisted.  A bit of dickering with the seller got it down to the retail price of an al-Star, and only a few bite marks on the end of the barrel -- not really noticeable in the matte plastic....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[sansenri]

4 hours ago, senzen said:

2021 has been the year of the pretty but impossible pens, for someone who cares more about ink colour than the actual pens; two which I'd given up on at the price I'm willing to pay, Geha Goldschwinge, Waterman Man 33, both of which took a lot of effort, help from friends and patience; and one which I didn't use as it would always have starting problems, but finally managed to recover with a nice flowing ink, Sailor Rikyucha, keeping it stored and greasing the section threads: Faber Castell Ambition.

 

 

The Geha is really nice, I've been watching out for one too, but has not happened yet

[sansenri]

3 hours ago, senzen said:

 

Take it easy, hopefully you'll all be out of it soon!

 

🤞

[sansenri]

4 hours ago, TSherbs said:

Just felt that my most reliable workhorse should get some cred. I "like" and value some other pens more, but I use them less. Is your best friend the one you only call every 6 months, or is it whom you prefer to talk to every day? 

right!, M200 was my pen of the year quite a number of years ago