Fountain pen users, rejoice!

[bunnspecial]

Personally, I have always found Parkers to be too large (and heavy) for my hand, but they are exceptionally well constructed pens and well deserve their popularity.

As a teenager, and, at university, I tended to use Cross, Papermate, or Shaeffer pens, and, then discovered Caran d'Ache.

However, for more than the past decade, I have used Mont Blanc pens and love them, as, when writing with them, they glide easily across the page, and they feel as though they are an extension of my wrist.

Unfortunately Parker seems to have gone the way of "metal=good" on a lot of their models. The vintage Duofolds, Vacumatics, and 51s were quality, well balanced premium plastic(or hard rubber in the case of the early Duofold).

Without weighing but otherwise doing a big of in-hand comparison, the Duofold I show above is essentially the same size as a Pelikan M800 and would be the same size as a 146 if not for the cap finials on the latter. It's a tiny bit heavier than the 146, and a bit lighter than the M800. I'll add the caveat that the 146 to which I'm comparing doesn't have the brass piston threads-if I had one handy I'd compare the two(the Duofold is similar in weight to my newest 149, which does have a brass piston).

With that said, these pens are balanced differently. A lot of the weight in the M800 comes from the piston mechanism, which puts it way up high. I don't generally use my pens(especially the larger ones) posted so having a lot of weight high up feels unnatural to me. The Duofold has a lot of brass in the section and almost none up top, so is very bottom heavy. The 146 is more evenly balanced along its entire length. I prefer the balance of the 146 overall, but like the "low" weight of the Duofold over the "high" weight of the M800.

As for nibs-I almost find modern MBs too smooth. Many older ones have an almost perfect amount of feedback-they're like writing with a sharp #2 pencil. I tend to get new MBs in B or larger or in oblique grinds where possible as I find that these have better feedback than the glassy smooth F and Ms. Among other things, Pelikans are largely too smooth for my liking.

 

[GerritV]

-

 

[cambookpro]

My first Montblanc arrived today - a lightly used 145 Platinum Line (also been called the Classique or Chopin). It’s an absolutely wonderful writer, with a smooth medium nib. I’ve always admired the classic design of the Meisterstück series and am so excited to be able to use one of my own! It was nowhere near the price of a brand new one, but still the most expensive pen I’ve ever purchased. Joins my small collection of FPs, the others currently being a Pelikan M400, Visconti Rembrandt, TWSBI Diamond 500, and Parker 75.

 

[AVBeatMan]

My first Montblanc arrived today - a lightly used 145 Platinum Line (also been called the Classique or Chopin). It’s an absolutely wonderful writer, with a smooth medium nib. I’ve always admired the classic design of the Meisterstück series and am so excited to be able to use one of my own! It was nowhere near the price of a brand new one, but still the most expensive pen I’ve ever purchased. Joins my small collection of FPs, the others currently being a Pelikan M400, Visconti Rembrandt, TWSBI Diamond 500, and Parker 75.

View attachment 1754790

It looks absolutely beautiful. May I ask where you bought it?

 

[cambookpro]

It looks absolutely beautiful. May I ask where you bought it?

Thank you! I bought it off eBay. It's tricky as I think there are a lot of counterfeits about, but it was a seller with a good history of selling pens. Passes all the sniff tests for a genuine MB (slightly transparent dark red resin, 'Pix' engraving on clip, lines in the text engraved on the centre band, engraved serial number, etc.) so I'm happy. New, they retail for £450ish. This is in pretty much mint condition and was mine for £190.

 

[Steven-iphone]

My first Montblanc arrived today - a lightly used 145 Platinum Line (also been called the Classique or Chopin). It’s an absolutely wonderful writer, with a smooth medium nib. I’ve always admired the classic design of the Meisterstück series and am so excited to be able to use one of my own! It was nowhere near the price of a brand new one, but still the most expensive pen I’ve ever purchased. Joins my small collection of FPs, the others currently being a Pelikan M400, Visconti Rembrandt, TWSBI Diamond 500, and Parker 75.

View attachment 1754790

I had that pen - loved it - such a classic

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My first Montblanc arrived today - a lightly used 145 Platinum Line (also been called the Classique or Chopin). It’s an absolutely wonderful writer, with a smooth medium nib. I’ve always admired the classic design of the Meisterstück series and am so excited to be able to use one of my own! It was nowhere near the price of a brand new one, but still the most expensive pen I’ve ever purchased. Joins my small collection of FPs, the others currently being a Pelikan M400, Visconti Rembrandt, TWSBI Diamond 500, and Parker 75.

View attachment 1754790

Congrats and well wear.

Gorgeous pen.

I have the Mont Blanc Meisterstuck pen in both the 144 and 145 sizes.

While I love them, above all, I love to use them, write with them.

Long may you enjoy it.

 

[Goran71]

I'd add that a good writing experience generally depends on three elements: the nib, the ink, and the paper.

It's generally easiest to experiment with inks and papers. I'm a big fan of Sailor's Jentle and Pilot's Iroshizuku inks. Mont Blanc makes some great inks, as does Pelikan.

For paper I've mostly used Tomoe River paper, which you can get loose or in notebooks. Right now I picked up a bunch of Seven Seas Writer journals. I like it, mostly -- it's very thin, so while there's no feathering or even bleed through, it's not really paper you can write on both sides of, and I like to fill my notebooks.

One of my favorite notebooks was an inexpensive one I got from Barnes & Noble that has a canvas cover.

I've heard great things about the Leuchtterm, and I think I have one somewhere, but I haven't used it. Moleskines, in my experience, feathered, but it might have been the ink or pen I was using.

Nibs are obviously more difficult to experiment with, as they mostly come with the pen itself (there are exceptions).

I highly recommend Goulet Pens, not just as a digital retailer but also as an educational resource. Their Nib Nook is terrific -- you can use a drop down to select several nib options so you can see how one pen's fine nib writes versus another brand's, or the difference between Pilot fine, fine-medium, and medium nibs.

I’m a classic type of person who loves and enjoys writing with a fountain pen maybe because I’m old school. Like you, I used a lot of different inks, although Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao would single out a nice shade of dark blue.

 

[Goran71]

Sorry, just saw this.

Blue is kind of one of the "classic" fountain pen colors. The downside is that most blues aren't waterproof(in fact an old name for them was "washable blue"). Lamy, Pelikan, Waterman, Montblanc, and the like are all great standard blue inks.

I've mostly sworn off reds because they can crud up pens and seem to never go away completely. If I do use a red now, it's one more toward the maroon end of the spectrum and not a "true" red. I honestly don't like Lamy and Pelikan red very much and really, really don't like Lamy red(Lamy Crystal Ruby is a different story and a great color). Diamine Oxblood is a current favorite of a lot of folks, although it's too brown for my taste.

You might look at blue-blacks, which again are another classic fountain pen color and offer an interesting range of colors from kind of a denim blue to nearly black.

If you want to stick to Lamy brand inks, take a look at the new Crystal line. Azurite is a great every day ink. It's a purple-tinged blue and is an ink with a lot of "depth" for lack of a better term. You also have Benitonite as a blue-black.

I enjoy brown inks. They can be passable for general correspondence/every day use, but are also interesting and something different. MB Toffee Brown is one of my favorites, but there are a lot out there and most ink lines have a brown ink. One of the well-behaved classics that's also inexpensive is Waterman Havanna Brown.

I probably have more green spectrum inks than anything, running the gamut from light, not very saturated green to dark, deep greens. There are a lot of possibilities here, and I hesistate to recommend any one because you have so many options. Again, I find Lamy green fairly uninspiring, but love Crystal Peridot. Pelikan Brilliant Green is a bright and not very saturated green. MB Irish Green is similar. I like good old Sheaffer green as a standard "reference" green. Private Reserve Sherwood Green is a great dark green. Pelikan Edelstein Olivine is a kind of olive color. Our eyes have better green sensitivity than any other color, so we can see subtle differences in a lot of these fairly easily. I tend to use green as a mark-up color in preference to red.

When it comes to pelican ink for green fountain pen, my favorite is Pelican Edelstein Jade.

 

[bunnspecial]

My first Montblanc arrived today - a lightly used 145 Platinum Line (also been called the Classique or Chopin). It’s an absolutely wonderful writer, with a smooth medium nib. I’ve always admired the classic design of the Meisterstück series and am so excited to be able to use one of my own! It was nowhere near the price of a brand new one, but still the most expensive pen I’ve ever purchased. Joins my small collection of FPs, the others currently being a Pelikan M400, Visconti Rembrandt, TWSBI Diamond 500, and Parker 75.

Beautiful pen, and enjoy it! The 145 is a bit small for me, but it's a great pen none the less.

When it comes to pelican ink for green fountain pen, my favorite is Pelican Edelstein Jade.

I don't have Jade, but have a couple of greens from the Edelstein line. I like Olivine as a more olive gray, but Adventurine is too light for my taste.

Here's some favorites of the greens I have. I think my favorite is Skrip Emerald Green, but vintage inks can also be unpredictable

 

[GerritV]

Hello Fountain Pen Users, are you still out there ? [there there ...ere ...ere ...re ...re] << echo of my voice in an empty room :-D

I'm quite excited at the moment, so I felt like sharing my story.

My wife had a few fountain pens from her school days way back in the late Sixties. They were specifically purchased for her Stenography classes. I knew about these pens, but long forgot about them - until recently.
We did find her pen case somewhere in a box with a whole bunch of stationary. It took me some sweet talk but in the end convinced her to let me have the pens ;-)

OK, on to these pens.
The first one is a simple Sheaffer "School" pen. It was a cheap pen, but a true workhorse. It was my wife's favorite. A slim body with a long steel nib, looking cool actually.
The second one is a Parker "17 Duofold" with a 14K gold nib (EF). A rather rare pen, since it does not have the hooded nib. This is already my favorite one. Lovely shape, stylish clip, name printed on the barrel...

Looking forward to inking them !

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Hello Fountain Pen Users, are you still out there ? [there there ...ere ...ere ...re ...re] << echo of my voice in an empty room :-D

I'm quite excited at the moment, so I felt like sharing my story.

My wife had a few fountain pens from her school days way back in the late Sixties. They were specifically purchased for her Stenography classes. I knew about these pens, but long forgot about them - until recently.
We did find her pen case somewhere in a box with a whole bunch of stationary. It took me some sweet talk but in the end convinced her to let me have the pens ;-)

OK, on to these pens.
The first one is a simple Sheaffer "School" pen. It was a cheap pen, but a true workhorse. It was my wife's favorite. A slim body with a long steel nib, looking cool actually.
The second one is a Parker "17 Duofold" with a 14K gold nib (EF). A rather rare pen, since it does not have the hooded nib. This is already my favorite one. Lovely shape, stylish clip, name printed on the barrel...

Looking forward to inking them !

View attachment 2122072 View attachment 2122073 View attachment 2122076

Yes, some of us are still here.

Delighted to see a new post in this thread.

I have to say that I always liked Shaeffer - my father used them, (for a man, he was a small, short, slim, guy) and, over time, he gave me quite a number of his pens; he never used Parker.

Anyway, I suspect that I may have liked them for the same reason your wife did, namely, that the body of the pen was slim, which made it easier to write with if you are female with small, slim (long-fingered) hands.

Now, I have never cared for Parkers, simply because - to my hand, or, rather, in my hands - they were always too thick, too heavy, too unbalanced and thus - too uncomfortable - to use for any length of time; I appreciate that they are well made and robust and are popular for a very good reason.

But Shaeffer, and Papermate, and Caran d'Ache, - and, most recently, obviously, the Mont Blanc Meisterstuck 144 above all (less so, the 145, although I have one) - have all been a pleasure to write with.

Anyway, lovely story, thanks for sharing; and enjoy the pens; above all, enjoy using them.

 

[GerritV]

Oh yes, Sheaffer. I have two Targa's from long ago - still inking them regularly.
Check 'm out here

In the meantime, I've been using the Parker Duofold. Unfortunately, I'm not an EF person at all. I might use it to write (small) in my passport size Travelers Notebook though.
The Sheaffer is a "School", and was a real cheap pen at the time. I fear it only takes Sheaffer propriety ink cartridges, so I still need to find some.

About Mont Blanc... I always found them a bit overpriced. I do consider buying a traditional looking fountain pen one day, but lean towards something in the line of a Pilot Custom 823 or a Pelikan M600.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Oh yes, Sheaffer. I have two Targa's from long ago - still inking them regularly.
Check 'm out here

In the meantime, I've been using the Parker Duofold. Unfortunately, I'm not an EF person at all. I might use it to write (small) in my passport size Travelers Notebook though.
The Sheaffer is a "School", and was a real cheap pen at the time. I fear it only takes Sheaffer propriety ink cartridges, so I still need to find some.

About Mont Blanc... I always found them a bit overpriced. I do consider buying a traditional looking fountain pen one day, but lean towards something in the line of a Pilot Custom 823 or a Pelikan M600.

I used to think that Mont Blanc were over-priced, and I certainly thought that they were over-hyped, until one came into my hands, and I marvelled at how comfortable it was in my hand, and how easy it was on my wrist, when writing with it.

While I love the aesthetic of the Meisterstuck series, above all, I love their ease of use, and the sheer comfort of using them; they glide over the page, instead of having to be forced, or pushed.

 

[GerritV]

I used to think that Mont Blanc were over-priced, and I certainly thought that they were over-hyped, until one came into my hands, and I marvelled at how comfortable it was in my hand, and how easy it was on my wrist, when writing with it.

While I love the aesthetic of the Meisterstuck series, above all, I love their ease of use, and the sheer comfort of using them; they glide over the page, instead of having to be forced, or pushed.

There's no doubt in my mind that the Meisterstuck is a high quality writer, but the same can be said about many others that cost about half the price of the Mont Blanc brand.
I think that overpriced breakpoint is a personal appreciation. I would never spend more than, let's say, €300 on any fountain pen (give or take a few cents). And in doing so, I would focus on writing experience rather than brand.

Either way, I'm glad that you found your grail pen in the Mont Blanc. Enjoy writing!

 

[GerritV]

Yes, some of us are still here.

Delighted to see a new post in this thread.

I have to say that I always liked Shaeffer - my father used them, (for a man, he was a small, short, slim, guy) and, over time, he gave me quite a number of his pens; he never used Parker.

Anyway, I suspect that I may have liked them for the same reason your wife did, namely, that the body of the pen was slim, which made it easier to write with if you are female with small, slim (long-fingered) hands.

Now, I have never cared for Parkers, simply because - to my hand, or, rather, in my hands - they were always too thick, too heavy, too unbalanced and thus - too uncomfortable - to use for any length of time; I appreciate that they are well made and robust and are popular for a very good reason.

But Shaeffer, and Papermate, and Caran d'Ache, - and, most recently, obviously, the Mont Blanc Meisterstuck 144 above all (less so, the 145, although I have one) - have all been a pleasure to write with.

Anyway, lovely story, thanks for sharing; and enjoy the pens; above all, enjoy using them.

The EF Parker nib really isn't my thing. So I contacted Appelboom, the only nib meister anywhere near to where I live.
Strangely enough, they didn't ask me to send the pen and discuss the possibilities. Instead, Joost Appelboom told me to just go ahead and place an online order of the full-monty total nib job, and they would take care of it.

I find that a rather strange way of handling a nib repair, so I'm going to decline on that.
Furthermore, I also have second thoughts about the Parker filling system (the plastic sack).
Oh well...

 

[GerritV]

Talking about brands...

Recently I was shocked when watching a Faber Castell Loom review. I immediately went to check mine that I bought a few months ago and indeed... Carefully tucked away in the underside of the clip (!) I discovered "CHINA" engraved in the metal. Well hidden, I had to lift the clip to even see a glimp of it.
So I contacted Faber Castell, and they confirmed that they have their "cheap" pens manufactured in China. Leaving me extremely disappointed, and at the same time wondering how long it would take for them to do the same with their more expensive models.

What a shame for a company with that kind of fame, to do business with China - of all places.
I for one hate the idea of writing with a Chinese Faber Castell, so I gave away my Loom and put my Perfect Pencil back into its box. Probably gonna give that away as well.

Well, I'm done with Faber Castell (and with Graf von Faber Castell for that matter). They are hypocrites.

 

[CooperBox]

I feel your frustration here, especially as the engraving was well hidden beneath the clip, which makes one think that Faber Castell were possibly not too proud of the change in production location. But there's perhaps a story to be learnt here.....

I can't help wondering if one was to compare a low cost Faber Castell pen manufactured in Gerrmany and another of their similar low cost pens recently produced in China or South America if there would be a noticeable difference in quality.

I'm a lover of pianos, and also aviation - where I've spent my entire career, and it may surprise many to know that some of the most prestigious piano makers now have production facilities for their sub brands in China, namely Bluthner in Guangzhou, and sub brands of Schimmel elswhere in China. Also some Seiler pianos are now manufactured in Indonesia. Specialist reviews of these pianos have recently been very complimentary.
Of perhaps greater significance is Airbus aircraft manufacture in China. I've spent several years in Asia, especially periods at their A330 production facility in Tianzin, and also full engine repair/manufacture facility in Hong Kong, and can vouch that the manufacturing techniques and exceptional quality control leave nothing to be desired compared to their European counterparts. ISO9000 is now commonplace across industries. It's a set of 5 quality management standards to ensure that orgainizations meet their customer's needs. I would be very surprised if Faber Castell China did not adhere to ISO9000 standards.
If fountain pen manufacture in China today is anything like some other production facilities there, imho I believe there should be little or no concern about quality.

I have somewhere several Chinese fountain pens purchased during my time there, which in due course I will discuss and provide photos of.

 

[GerritV]

I feel your frustration here, especially as the engraving was well hidden beneath the clip, which makes one think that Faber Castell were possibly not too proud of the change in production location. But there's perhaps a story to be learnt here.....

I can't help wondering if one was to compare a low cost Faber Castell pen manufactured in Gerrmany and another of their similar low cost pens recently produced in China or South America if there would be a noticeable difference in quality.

I'm a lover of pianos, and also aviation - where I've spent my entire career, and it may surprise many to know that some of the most prestigious piano makers now have production facilities for their sub brands in China, namely Bluthner in Guangzhou, and sub brands of Schimmel elswhere in China. Also some Seiler pianos are now manufactured in Indonesia. Specialist reviews of these pianos have recently been very complimentary.
Of perhaps greater significance is Airbus aircraft manufacture in China. I've spent several years in Asia, especially periods at their A330 production facility in Tianzin, and also full engine repair/manufacture facility in Hong Kong, and can vouch that the manufacturing techniques and exceptional quality control leave nothing to be desired compared to their European counterparts. ISO9000 is now commonplace across industries. It's a set of 5 quality management standards to ensure that orgainizations meet their customer's needs. I would be very surprised if Faber Castell China did not adhere to ISO9000 standards.
If fountain pen manufacture in China today is anything like some other production facilities there, imho I believe there should be little or no concern about quality.

I have somewhere several Chinese fountain pens purchased during my time there, which in due course I will discuss and provide photos of.

Thanks for sharing your interesting thoughts, CooperBox.

[Faber Castell were possibly not too proud of the change in production location.]
Exactly my impression as well, hence I call them hypocrites, traitors of "die Deutsche Gründlichkeit"

[If fountain pen manufacture in China today is anything like some other production facilities there, imho I believe there should be little or no concern about quality.]
Right now, I couldn't care less about the quality. I'm just not supporting the Chinese industry with its numerous rip-offs. Having bought the Loom is already bad enough for me to bear.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm really p*ssed ATM.
Perhaps I should go shopping for a Pelikan Soverän or something, that may ease my pain

 

[Dingster101]

Glad this thread is still going!

 

[GerritV]

Glad this thread is still going!

Of course, there was the hiatus from Aug 6, 2021 up to Dec 2, 2022

 

[FreakinEurekan]

What an interesting thread. I very seldom hand-write anything, other than with a carpenter’s pencil on wood 😉 which probably isn’t ideal for a fountain pen. However, I do carry a pen with me (a Fisher space pen) in case a signature is needed somewhere.

Adam Savage says something along the lines of, “If you’re not sure how useful a tool will be - buy the cheapest version you can get. If you find that it fits into your workflow, replace it with the most expensive version you can afford.” I’ve always found this to be good advice…. Sometimes the cheapest one suits my needs just fine, and in cases where I need something better it gives me the experience & knowledge to make an informed decision before spending big bucks.

Amazon literally sells a fountain pen for under $10, so I’m going to give it a try. Perhaps that’s as far as it’ll go; maybe I’ll just carry that instead of the Fisher. Or maybe I’ll be back in a few months looking for advice on something better 😬

 

[GerritV]

What an interesting thread. I very seldom hand-write anything, other than with a carpenter’s pencil on wood 😉 which probably isn’t ideal for a fountain pen. However, I do carry a pen with me (a Fisher space pen) in case a signature is needed somewhere.

Adam Savage says something along the lines of, “If you’re not sure how useful a tool will be - buy the cheapest version you can get. If you find that it fits into your workflow, replace it with the most expensive version you can afford.” I’ve always found this to be good advice…. Sometimes the cheapest one suits my needs just fine, and in cases where I need something better it gives me the experience & knowledge to make an informed decision before spending big bucks.

Amazon literally sells a fountain pen for under $10, so I’m going to give it a try. Perhaps that’s as far as it’ll go; maybe I’ll just carry that instead of the Fisher. Or maybe I’ll be back in a few months looking for advice on something better 😬

A few words of advice (just my 2 cents though):

- don't go with too cheap, you may have a poor fountain pen experience like a scratching nib, ink leakage...
- aside from a pen, also find a decent quality paper - because this is indeed part of the writing experience
- check out the YouTube Chanel of Goulet Pens, it's full of great fountain pen knowledge

I wish you the best of luck in your fountain pen endeavor, and look forward to you reporting later on.
Enjoy !

 

[stanza.richi]

Write when studying and at work (daily note and signature), owning:
- two Montblanc 149 Fine nib: bought bot second hand, for 350€ each one. One with Montblanc Irish Green, one with Sailor Kiwa Guro, both always with me and in use;
- Pilot Capless Fine nib: still have to decide if I like it or not. The capless is comfortable, but the ink tend to dry quickly if you don’t use it every day;
- Leonardo Officina Italiana Furore F nib: emerald green, very nice and comfortable;
- Visconti Duomo Modena F nib: a gift from an important friend, a little bit too generous to my taste but it’s really nice for gift card and similar and for signature;
- Sailor 1911 FM nib: bought in Japan during my fellowship, I love the 21k nib and use it with Sailor nanopigment ink (in this moment, filled with Sei Boku);
- Aurora 88 Big F nib: really dry nib excellent with Aurora Blue Black;
- Aurora Nizzoli F nib: from the grandfather of my wife, rarely used but a good old nib with a bit of flexibility.

Add: totally agree that the quality of paper is really really important when you write with a fountain pen 👍🏻

 

[GerritV]

[snip] - Visconti Duomo Modena F nib: a gift from an important friend, a little bit too generous to my taste but it’s really nice for gift card and similar and for signature; [/snip]

Never heard of nor saw that one before, nice looking pen !