Looking for Suggestions

[shane1]

Hi,

 

I am new here and I am looking for suggestions for a new fountain pen. I am open to all suggestions and this is what I have now:

 

MB 149

MB 146

MB Solitarie and others

Pelikan M400, M600, M800

Waterman Charleston

 

 

My pricepoint is under $400.00. Thanks,

 

shane

[woodwindmaster06]

Get a Sailor!!!! (Music and Zooms are great) but anything else is great as well!!!!!

[Michael Wright]

Hmm, lots of possibilities.

 

Aurora make nice pens -- either an Optima or an 88 would give you an Italian experience, without the temperament that sometimes implies.

 

Sailor would indeed be good -- or a Namiki, or more exotic Japanese pens -- but it might be good to stay with the mainstream at first (like, this is not going to be the last pen you buy, for sure).

 

Of course, for up to US$400, you are in the range for really bichen vintage pens. A good Duofold, either flat-top or streamlined. Pretty much any Vacumatic that's normally found. A good Doric -- they used some beautiful plastics, and for that money you could get one that has survived well. A Waterman 100 Year Pen. And, of course, a whole range of Sheaffer pens in the Balance and Triumph series. You could probably find a choice old pen in excellent condition, and have the money to send it for a full restoration/overhaul, all within your budget, and have a pen from the golden age as reliable as any modern, especially if you go with a Vacumatic or a Sheaffer.

 

Michael

 

dreaming with other people's money

[shane1]

I am considering one of the ones below:

 

 

Conway Stewart 100 Ivory Casein Fountain Pen

 

Pelikan Toledo 700 Vermeil Fountain Pen

 

Pelikan Limited Edition Concerto Fountain Pen

 

Sailor Naginata Togi Ribbed Black Fountain Pen

[woodwindmaster06]

Go with the Sailor, Naginata Togi Ribbed Black FP!!!!!!!!!!!

[handlebar]

How about a Visconti or Signum?? Both are a delight to use. Of course all you have listed are nice as well. can't argue that!!

 

Jim

[woodwindmaster06]

(Oh yea try it with the togi nib!)

[shane1]

I got the Sailor, Naginata Ribbed Black FP with the MF nib today but I was a little dissappointed that it did not have the Togi nib. It is a nice pen overall and the nib is still pretty good but it just does not seem like it is worth $375. Is there a big difference between the Togi nib and the regular nib? They do not have the Togi nib in stock, so should I keep it or exchange it for a different pen?

[John Cullen]

HI, sorry the pen is not all you hoped. Each manufacturer has a different feel to the nibs they produce. I am one of the few who does not like sailor nibs.

 

But even within one company, the feel of nibs varies. A waterman L'etalon nib does not feel like a Waterman Liaison nib, and I bet I could tell the difference blindfolded.

 

What other pens have you tried that you liked? Aurora makes great pens but the nibs are a little tooth, which someone once described nicely as meaning the feel you get from the nib is like the feel you would get running a clean and dry finger over paper. The feel is smooth but you can feel a slight resistance, a slight contact. Some nibs are so smooth they glide like an iceskater on ice, or as most people say butter in a hot pan.

 

Maybe sailor nibs are not for you? A CS nib would probably be more glassy than the sailor but would also pump out a lot of ink, whereas the sailor is more likely to be moderate in inkflow.

 

If you really don't like the sailor, clean it up and take it back if the place will take a return. Some places will not take returns after you ink the pen, which is a pain but also understandable given that other people won't pay full price for a pen that has been inked.

 

Maybe a few more specifics on which pens you have liked and what it is ab out the sailor you are not wild about? JC