Pen for a high grip with (fairly) big hands

[frolic838]

OK Pen Friends.  I have a problem.  I would love for my husband to get a fountain pen that he loves, but he has a very high grip and big hands.  He has tried a few of my pens and here is what we have discovered.  For reference, on a Safari he holds it just below the o-ring and can feel the ring with all three fingers.  He liked feel of the ECO-T.  His fingers are on the threads.  He says the balance is funky with the weight "heavy" in the crook of his hand when posted.  Unposted he wants to choke up to correct the balance, but then the piston screw on the back digs into his hand.  He gripped the Pilot Metropolitan above the "grip" section and it felt too thin.  The JinHao x750 felt too short unposted and pretty good posted, but he liked the ink flow on the TWSBI better.  Does the hive mind have any suggestions of pens that would fit his hands?  Bonus points if it either has or can be fitted with a 1.1 Stub.  We would prefer to not break the bank on it, so sub $150 please.

Thanks!

[Recursion]

Maybe you can give the Ranga Model 5 a try it’s a big pen and hand made in India. You can choose from many nibs including a 1.1 stub

https://rangapens.com/model-5

[amberleadavis]

I'd talk to Hinze Pens.  https://hinzepens.com/

 

 

Here are some of mine.

 

[dipper]

Here is a page by Shaun Newton about pens sizes in detail, with reference comparisons.

 https://newtonpens.wordpress.com/sizes/

 

You have to wait in line for a custom pen, but Shaun's current inventory stock is available for immediate purchase.

https://newtonpens.com/store/

 

A quick browse through current stock, thinking of large hands and high grip, led me to the "Hale" screw and cap design. (Though the Hale front end design would need to have an extra long body as the cap does not post. The fifteen examples in current stock may all be "smalls" or "slims"?)

https://newtonpens.com/production-run-hale/

 

I suggest an email to Shaun with the same text as your original post here.

[Paul-in-SF]

It sounds like I have a similar grip and hand-size to your husband's. The pen that sprang to mind was the TWSBI Vac 700R, offered with the caveat that I hold it so far back that my fingers are on the threads, and that doesn't bother me at all. It doesn't post and should be long enough that it doesn't need to. It seems pretty well balanced to me. Other bonuses to me: it is a demonstrator so you can see the ink, it has a shut-off valve for plane travel, and it holds a lot of ink. It comes with a 1.1 stub option, and costs around $65 (there's a sort of "rainbow trim" option called Iris that costs around $80).

 

Or if he might like vintage, a properly restored Parker 51 Aerometric is nearly bullet-proof, posts very deeply so it's well-balanced, is a slip cap so there are no threads, and is plenty big enough for my hands (if it's not a Demi size). A non-rare color with a steel cap should be well under $100. Buy from a reliable source who will stand behind their pen, but once you have it and know it works, it should continue to work for a long time to come. 

 

There are so many pens out there, I really wonder whether he would need to go the custom route to find something that fits. As with any pen, the best solution is to find a physical store where he can try stuff out, but that's not practical in a lot of areas. So I guess you need to find an online vendor who makes returns and exchanges easy. 

[sansenri]

I don't have big hands, but really do have an idiosyncrasy for step downs and sharp threads, as I also hold my pens quite far back.

As someone has mentioned, I would suggest to take a look at Ranga pens, but within Ranga stick to those models that do not have a step down, and in particular look at the larger size pens.

Ranga usually fits either Bock, Jowo, or Schmidt nibs (you can choose) so a stub from these nib brands can easily be fitted.

The Model 3 is already a reasonable large pen (Pelikan M800 size) and has no steps, while particularly in the ebonite versions the threads are really "soft". The Ranga 8B is also a similar size, but you can also go larger, in particular I would recommend the Ranga Splendour.
You might want to check here https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/363759-review-of-ranga-splendour/page/2/#

If you stick to a size 6 nib the pen is easily within your budget.

Neither the 8B nor the Splendour need to be posted they are longer than average, the Splendour also feels slightly heavier (not too heavy though).
They both also come in some very nice resins in alternative to ebonite.

 

 

Here is a size comparison of a Ranga 8B with a MB 146 and a Pelikan M800

 

And this is a size comparison of a Ranga 8B with a Splendour "torpedo" in red.