Upper End Fountain Pens

S

Sniper308

Joined
Oct 4, 1998
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I know very little about classy Fountain pens however since I often write checks in attorney offices for up to a million dollars, (Insurance money, not mine!) I don't feel that a Paper Mate Dyna Grip, or a Bic, projects what I intend.

I've got a Monte Blanc Roller ball and don't really care for it. (To slick to grip).

I'm thinking a buying a Fountain pen and I've looked at the Porsche Design Fountain pen by Faber-Castell, made out of TecFlex, and like the look but haven't written with one.

What other brands would you suggest I take a look at? The upper price point would be around $400.00. I will be in Vegas at the end of the month for the custom knife show and there are several shops in some of the casinos that would probably have some nice pens.

Also, I am guessing I would want a pen with a cartridge. What type of nib would I probably have the most use for? This would not be used for much writing as you can imagine.

Thanks for your suggestions.
 
If you plan to sign a lot, you should avoid a Fine or Extra Fine nib (these nibs are nice for writing but they might "skip" when you try to sign your signature, especially if you use large, quick strokes).
You should choose a good Medium or Bold nib with good ink flow.

All fountain pens come with different choices of nibs, so when you decide on a pen, you just have to order it with a M or B nib (M=medium, B=bold, F=fine, etc).


There are a lot of nice fountain pens out there, but you should stick with the larger manufacturers for your first pen.

Here are some sugggestions:

-Parker Duofold (two sizes, I carry the smaller one)
-Pelikan M1050 or M850 (same design, different size, 1050 is the largest)
-Waterman Edson (a classic)
-Waterman Serenite (for something different)

I'm sure there will be a lot more of these suggestions, but these are great upper end pens for the "beginner". I also have great pens by Omas, Delta, Visconti, Stipula, etc, but the list would grow very long. I chose the above pens thinking that when you buy your first upper end car, it should rather be a Mercedes than a De Tomaso or a Lamborghini, if you understand what I mean.

Costas
 
I have had very good service from a Parker Sonnet Cisele fountain pen. picture here

You can pick these up on Ebay for around $100, which is a great value in my opinion. For signing checks and such, the Broad Nib is best. I also prefer the easy stroke and bold lines a Broad Nib makes when writing a note especially but, also when writing an ordinary letter. The Parker cartridges are easily found so, unlike some of the other fountain pens, you don't have to go to a specialty shop to get more ink.

Before you step up to a $400 fountain pen, you really should buy a lesser model and use it for a little while so you can make an informed decision when you spend that much money. After all, the first knife you bought wasn’t a $400 custom was it? Using bad knives for a while makes me really appreciate the good ones I have now.
 
Coatas:

Thanks for the reply. I would probably be happier with the Bold Point nib, as I don't see myself doing much actual writing with it other than taking some notes, making comments, and signing documents. I like the idea of "Mercedes" quality rather than the uppper end. I'm looking now at lots of different sites to get a better idea of what I might be happy with.

Sid:

If I found a $100.00 pen I liked I'd be estatic. I'm only saying the upper limit I'd be willing to spend would be a little higher. I can also appreciate what you're saying about a less expensive custom although my first custom knife actually was $1300.00. (Emerson Custom, the first of many!) I like the link you provided me as it has a lot of good information.

What I'm really hoping to do here is pay what I feel comfortable with, and getting a pen that I really enjoy writing with, hoping that it doesn't spark my interest in wanting to continue to accumulate additional, even more expensive pens!

Any other suggestions out there? I'm needing help with all the choices out there and value all your input.
 
hi don , go to a borders or large bookstore there is a magazine called penworld check it out beware of any porsche design purchases i have had bax customer service issues with them stay well jack
 
I made a recommendation for a Cartier in the other thread and Im gonna do so again. For a bit below 400 you can get a great fountain, but I prefer the roller balls. Also, try buying one from a store, not the net or a catalogue, since most places are willing to bargain with you.
 
Hi Sniper,
Costas listed some good ones! You can't go wrong any of those, though they would feel very different from each other if you tried them!

There is some sense in buying some inexpensive ones first (e.g. Pelikan 200, or even a Waterman Phileas), to find out what you like.

You might also stop by a office store (the mega-stores often have a pen section) and ask to try some pens.

Every pen feels different: try before you buy! Try it with the cap posted and without (some will feel top-heavy), determine whether you like pens with thick grips or thin grips (some people can have problems with fatigue). If they let you dip it to try the nib, ask yourself whether the nib is too fine or too broad for your likes, whether smooth or scratchy, rigid or soft.

If you buy over the net, find a place that will take it back if it doesn't work for you. I have ordered from Fountain Pen Hospital, and from Swisher pens, both excellent service.

Another tip: if you buy a high-end pen and find that the performance isn't precisely what you wanted, there are people who can custom-tune fountain pens for you to your specs.
 
Grayson Tighe makes some very nice pens. I have a Damascus barreled pen with gold anodized fittings. The internal mechanism is a Cross but he also makes fountain pens. Dick
 
Thanks for all your suggestions and thoughts! After much searching on the internet and running around today looking and trying various models, and driving 40 miles across town yesterday to pick up a copy of "PenWorld" I finally made a decision.

It's nothing close to what I had originally intended to buy and doesn't fit the specs (exactly) but I ended up ordering:

The "Omas T-2 LE" from Nibs.com They are working up the Nib for what I need and I'm sure I'm going to be happy with this pen. If it doesn't write exactly as I want they assured me they will do what is necessary to make it perfect for me.

Thanks again one and all for your help!
 
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