Budget pens

[pvdiamon]

Now I'm perplexed, so I'm going to start a thread about the odor!

[lordjeebus]

Thanks to Apollo, I now have a Wality 52 (rose gold) and the Reform Skywalker.

 

I agree that these are great pens of superb value. The Reform is almost as smooth as my VP, at nearly a tenth of the price.

 

I noted that my Wality smells somewhat like an old library book.

[Apollo]

I got my Wality 69L eyedropper pen yesterday and I'm impressed again. The thing holds a whopping 4.5 ml of ink and is a heck of a wet writer. The nib is stamped FINE like my 52, but this one writes more like an Amer/Euro medium. The one thing I couldn't get over was the smell. Yes indeed, the nib on this puppy stunk to high heaven. It had a funk that I can only describe as old Army surplus. My co-worker was eloquent enough to point out that it smelled like it had been up someone's bum. It's strange that my 52 didn't have such a pungent odour. I had to rinse the nib several times with mild dishwashing liquid to minimise the scent. It's still there, but not as strong. I don't know what it is about the ebonite feed, but I don't know if other pens with ebonite feeds exhibit the same scent.

 

Pics are coming soon, but you can see what the pen looks like HERE

[krz]

The thing holds a whopping 4.5 ml of ink

I've got 2 52's I really like. I like fountain pens to hold ALLOT of ink. I should give the 69L a try too. I don't mind if it's a little stinkey.

[Maja]

Thank you for the excellent review of some overlooked budget pens, Apollo.

I own the clear (or "demonstrator", some might say ) Reform pen and agree that it is an excellent value. I also have a Reform "Bremen" pen which cost all of $5 USD + shipping (from ISellPens.com) and a Reform Calligraphy piston-filler which is fun to use.

[Apollo]

Hi Maja, I've got a Reform Bremen as well (also from Isellpens.com). It certainly is a great little pen for just under $5. It's nothing fancy, but it's a good inexpensive writer.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/mypens022.jpg

[Apollo]

KRZ, here are a few of quick shots of the 69L:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/mypens001.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/mypens002.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/mypens003.jpg

[krz]

KRZ, here are a few of quick shots of the 69L:

Thanks Apollo. Great pix! I'll have to get one my next round.

[tburke0]

Here's another budget pen from Todd & Theresa at ISellPens, the Hero 2004

 

Slightly shorter and thinner than the 100, the 2004, with its "arrow-esque" clip and open 14k nib, resembles the Parker 75. Fit and finish is on the same level as the 100. The aerometric filler on this pen is a removable convertor, and from the looks of it, the pen would use parker cartridges.

 

Edit: on closer inspection, it looks like international cartridges would be the way to go here...

 

The steel pen is hefty for its size, but is a well balanced writer both posted and unposted. The nib is rigid and smooth.

 

All-in-all, another $23 winner from Hero!

 

and a quick pic.

 

Your fellow cheapskate

Tom

Edited January 22, 2006 by tburke0

[Guest JohanO]

Hi Tom,

 

If the Hero 2004 uses Parker cartridges, it will also accept a Parker piston converter! Don't you think so?

 

That would be nice!

 

Johan

[tburke0]

Upon closer inspection and comparison to a parker convertor, It looks like the international convertors would be the ones that fit...

 

The BSF's (big squeeze fillers) hold a good amount of ink tho...

 

 

Tom

[Melnicki]

For those of you with the Reform Skywalker > how does it write upside-down? (to get it to write a more "fine" line)... I hate mediums, I can't scratch tiny notes in crevasses!

 

While I'm at it, I'm surprised that the Wality's write wet broader-than-fine lines. My Wality 77C is definitely not a medium. I don't know what a fine is supposed to be, but the 77C writes almost to my liking. No need to write upside-down on this one, though. But what about the 69L and the 52? What about the Reform Bremen?

[lordjeebus]

The Skywalker writes very reliably upside-down, and it's a little bit finer when you do so.

 

I was just able to write legible letters that are 1/16 inch tall, so it would probably work for any tiny notes you would want to take.

[Melnicki]

That's encouraging. It's probably not so remarkably smooth anymore when you write upside-down, is it?

 

I'd ask if anyone thinks it's convertible to an eyedropper, but it looks like it's got some metal in it, and that makes it a no-no.

[antoniosz]

That's encouraging. It's probably not so remarkably smooth anymore when you write upside-down, is it?

 

I'd ask if anyone thinks it's convertible to an eyedropper, but it looks like it's got some metal in it, and that makes it a no-no.

Reform demo's metal "thingy" in the barrel is very easily removable

Just heat it very lightly with a hair dryer (low setting) and the plastic expands enough for the metal to drop down. This changes the balance of the pen but it allows conversion to eyedropper.

[Watermoon]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/WalityEDweb.jpg

 

http://www.nexternal.com/swisher/images/Resine_Crystal_black_med.jpg

The Wality ED seems to be a clone of the Recife Crystal, made in France. I wonder how the nibs compare. (The second picture is from Swisher Pens.)

[Melnicki]

I just received an order from the Nussbaums. It included two Dukes (separate reviews of these will be necessary, but I need to "play" with them some more), a Wality 51, and as a bonus a Reform Skywalker was thrown in free! (nice, since I had been considering it, anyway!)

 

So, I don't have much to say about the Wality yet (other than it is light-weight!) because mine has MEDIUM written on the nib. It was supposed to have FINE written on the nib. I don't know if I should go through the trouble to send it back to the Nussbaums (a lot of trouble for a cheapie!). I'll probably tell them and see what they suggest, but I feel guilty for nit-picking on a cheapie. Nevertheless, I'm beginning to hate Mediums.

 

Which brings me to...

 

The Reform Skywalker. Now, I know by now (after a few months of full-on FP-addiction) to not judge a pen until I've inked it with something from a labeled bottle, but I inked it with the cartridge that came with it (presumably a no-name black). I don't like it. It is indeed a Medium, but writes a wider line than any of my other M's. I will say that it DOES write well upside-down, but then the black looks kind of grey. And the line-width is more like a light-medium or a Fine. It's also not so smooth (written either way). It's not terrible, but occasionally it catches on a "westward" stroke. Same goes for when writing upside-down. The Dukes I received are much much smoother, in fact now the smoothest I own. I'm not complaining, especially since I haven't tried a "real" ink yet, and the Skywalker was free, but I think this will be a "first one's free" FP to give to friends and get them addicted. I will say that the plastic feels softer-yet-stronger (less expected to crack) than other plastic pens I have (Kaweco Ice, Phileas/Kultur, Wality). Actually, it's on a parallel with the plastic Shaeffer Javelin I have.

[Melnicki]

So I inked the Wality 51. Todd Nussbaum told me that it should write more finely than a true Medium. (Mine is marked Medium on the nib). I have seen pictures of nibs that say Fine on the nib, but he was right, it does write quite like a Fine ought to. It's also not too wet a writer, so the green color on the Noodler's Sequoia actually shows up (few pens of mine actually do this, everything else makes the ink look black)... But the pen can write a darker line if you use pressure (which of course you're not supposed to do with FPs). Overall, I like the way the pen writes (although I will say: it does not write too smoothly).

 

But... mine is leaking ink out between the nib and the feed whenever I hold the nib towards the ground. When horizontal or nib-towards-the-ceiling, the beads of ink roll back into the pen. YUCK! Send it back? Try to fix it myself? I was very close to praising this pen (and damn it holds a lot of ink!)

[Sidney]

But... mine is leaking ink out between the nib and the feed whenever I hold the nib towards the ground.  When horizontal or nib-towards-the-ceiling, the beads of ink roll back into the pen.  YUCK! Send it back? Try to fix it myself?  I was very close to praising this pen (and it holds a lot of ink!)

My Wality does the same thing. Keep us updated as to what you do about it.

 

It seems the Wality issue has been moved to the repair section: Wality problems?

Edited March 29, 2006 by Sidney

[Melnicki]

Sidney,

I was told to send it back to the seller. I'll post here when I get my exchange (seems so silly for a cheapie!!)