What pen(s) are you using today?

[Peter_H]

[mallymal1]

3 minutes ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

Very nice pen, imo. Now, if only I could get the flow in mine - currently, I suspect the feed mechanism, from ink sac to delivery conduits, is not clean enough. Other than cleaning fluid, not sure what I could try... 

 

Other thought is that you have a larger #5 nib, where you should have a medium sized #3. That might be causing the problem. 

 

I've had a quick look, and I don't seem to have a spare #3. 

[OldTravelingShoe]

52 minutes ago, mallymal1 said:

The #5 on yours, is possibly a later 1950's #5 nib, having a round breather hole. I find similar a nib on a 27 and a 28 pen.

The 286 I posted earlier (1930's - 40's)  has a #5 nib, but has a heart shaped breather hole

Interesting, and thanks for the comments. Whereas I was able to find quite a bit about the pens, their nibs remain a mystery to me. 

[OldTravelingShoe]

2 hours ago, mallymal1 said:

 

@OldTravelingShoe

 

It's ok.

 

I bought it as a used item. There's something wrong inside the cap, something loose? Not sure what it is, but it doesn't affect the writing experience, and the nib doesn't dry out. 

 

There isn't any flex, or softness, but I find some pleasant feedback. 

The first part matches my experience with the more recent Chinese pens designed around famous Western pens. Somehow, the execution is not good enough, the tolerances are just too much off, let alone that the chance of getting a pen that actually works has been low for my last 20-30 pens.

 

There are so many good pens around, including from China, with both new and known designs, that I have decided to stop randomly buying pens from AliExpress for a while. So, if people like @A Smug Dill or @Karmachanic or you, @mallymal1, so people whose opinion I trust, identify a particularly good pen, I'm glad to purchase it and try it out. But, for the time being, I've stopped my independent exploration of this production space, at least for the next few months.

 

To all: I'm using an exponential back-off approach, where each disappointment makes me withdraw an increasingly longer period of time; in the beginning or after I return, good experiences make me more tolerant and likely to return. I apply this to all sellers I encounter, no matter the source. One additional rule: If I encounter a (provably, in my view) bad-faith seller, my exponential back-off starts at one year or more, depending on the severity of the issue. What's your strategy?

[jandrew]

This one sees use every day --- it stays attached to the notebook I use as the careplan/log for my mother. 

[NgunnawalJack]

[PAKMAN]

[essayfaire]

7 hours ago, NgunnawalJack said:

I'm using a Sport today too, but in Dark Green! With  Diamine Dark Forest.

[br549]

These 3 Parker 51 beauties. From left to right, a 1949 aerometric, a 1947 vacumatic, and a 1955 Special. 

[Tashi_Tsering]

Platinum #3776 Balance, B

Parker Duofold International (MkII), F

Montblanc Monte Rosa 41P, M

Delta Profili, F

Osmia Supra 774D, EF

[mallymal1]

20 hours ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

The first part matches my experience with the more recent Chinese pens designed around famous Western pens. Somehow, the execution is not good enough, the tolerances are just too much off, let alone that the chance of getting a pen that actually works has been low for my last 20-30 pens.

 

There are so many good pens around, including from China, with both new and known designs, that I have decided to stop randomly buying pens from AliExpress for a while. So, if people like @A Smug Dill or @Karmachanic or you, @mallymal1, so people whose opinion I trust, identify a particularly good pen, I'm glad to purchase it and try it out. But, for the time being, I've stopped my independent exploration of this production space, at least for the next few months.

 

To all: I'm using an exponential back-off approach, where each disappointment makes me withdraw an increasingly longer period of time; in the beginning or after I return, good experiences make me more tolerant and likely to return. I apply this to all sellers I encounter, no matter the source. One additional rule: If I encounter a (provably, in my view) bad-faith seller, my exponential back-off starts at one year or more, depending on the severity of the issue. What's your strategy?

 

Don't randomly buy any pens. If you are buying a pen have a very good reason for it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ruby.monkey]

12 minutes ago, mallymal1 said:

 

Don't randomly buy any pens. If you are buying a pen have a very good reason for it.  

Even if the reason is just "I don't have one of those yet".

[Kumachan]

15 minutes ago, mallymal1 said:

 

Don't randomly buy any pens. If you are buying a pen have a very good reason for it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How about just nibs?

[mallymal1]

9 minutes ago, ruby.monkey said:

Even if the reason is just "I don't have one of those yet".

 

If you're a collector...that's a very good reason.  😁

[OldTravelingShoe]

Haha, thanks, @mallymal1, @ruby.monkey, @Kumachan - these are exactly my reasons. But replace collection with exploration 😄

[OldTravelingShoe]

8 hours ago, Tashi_Tsering said:

Platinum #3776 Balance, B

Parker Duofold International (MkII), F

Montblanc Monte Rosa 41P, M

Delta Profili, F

Osmia Supra 774D, EF

@Tashi_Tsering, this is turning into a "excellent pen, black, GT, please" collection 😄

[OldTravelingShoe]

9 hours ago, br549 said:

These 3 Parker 51 beauties. From left to right, a 1949 aerometric, a 1947 vacumatic, and a 1955 Special. 

Indeed beauties, thanks for sharing. If yoy have them inked: How do they write? 

[ruby.monkey]

7 minutes ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

Haha, thanks, @mallymal1, @ruby.monkey, @Kumachan - these are exactly my reasons. But replace collection with exploration 😄

From long experience with amassing photographic equipment, I like to call myself an accumulator rather than a collector. Collectors at least have some sort of discipline about their purchases beyond "Ooh, shiny!"

[Gloucesterman]

8 minutes ago, ruby.monkey said:

From long experience with amassing photographic equipment, I like to call myself an accumulator rather than a collector. Collectors at least have some sort of discipline about their purchases beyond "Ooh, shiny!"

As an accumulator I resemble that comment.

 

In a few weeks I expect to become a disburser of pens as I have a table at the Commonwealth Pen Show.

Come by, say hello, buy something and get a gift or discount.

At least stop by and say hello please.

[jandrew]

Midori MD fountain pen -- M nib, ground to F.