Pens are /g/ technology Where can I get a premium pen to write

>>60590946
Best all metal cheap pen is Pentel Energel which has a full-metal option for like $10.

I like pilot pens. The Acroball is my daily driver, I really like the G-2 but the ink takes longer to dry.

>>60590982
sshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh dont let the /g/oys know

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>>60590946
yes.

bomp

>>60590946
What is your budget? What kind of pen do you prefer? (ball, roller, fountain?)

>>60591036
As far as these new ballpoints go, the uniball jetstream and the pilot acroball (and whatever others that have similar tech) are way too slippery for my liking.

Writing with them is like writing with a grease tipped ballbearing on glass. Perhaps it's because I don't write with an a lot of pressure and a death grip, but I'm never comfy with this kind of ballpoint, on the oft times I actually use a ballpoint anymore.

>>60591606
MB is a joke.
The only pens worth buying from them are their fountain pens, and even then it's a relative thing as their modern fountains aren't worth it as far as FP's go in general.

As far as their ballpoints and rollerballs, they buy generic Schmidt cartridges like everyone else that they just modify to fit only their pens. I hear morons claiming all the time "omg the mb rollerball is soooo smooth compared with brand ______!" when it's the same fucking cartridge tech from the same fucking german maker. There's also that retarded mod that some enterprising fool devised that allowed for the use of a MB cartridge in some cheapo bic or pilot "granting the MB smoothness!". Easily placated placebo eating morons.

As far as their fountains go, though some of them might be aesthetically pleasing, they tend for an overdesigned, overwrought and gimmicky look these days, their nibs are generic and totally unremarkable made all the worse for abandoning ebonite feeds for horrible laser etched plastic.

Mind you I still wanted a 149 in broad (old broad, their new broad nibs suck shit) and it took me a while to track a NOS one down with the ebonite feed. The new ones do nothing for me.

>precious resin
lmao

Word on the street is that they're not even made in Hamburg anymore. I buy that. Richemont are a tricksy group.

Better pens elsewhere for cheaper (or more expensive but more worth it) without the nouveau riche implications of brand whore montblanc, which seems to be the go to brand for tryhard up and comers wanting a "nice" pen because they see it spammed everywhere and buy into the marketing.

Pilot V5

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>>60590946
Get in the chink shit thread there are some good cheap ones

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>>60590946
I guess I could make you one...

solid brass and stainless?

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>>60590946
By far the best pens

>>60592320
This rant is well-written

i made my own pen a few years ago, it has an laser pointer, military grade suppressor, wi-fi router and guitar jack, bic botnet fags jelly

Xiaomi Mi Pen obviously

>tfw you used an fp thinking the ink costs would be lower than the usual pens
>tfw you need better paper for it to not feather and bleed

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>>60596485
just use printing paper, cheap and it works.
>t. started to use a pilot metropolitan fp.
>>60592341
how good are the jinhao fountain pens?
>>60592320
what are some good brands in your opinion for fountain pens? jetpens site has some nice guides but there are a lot of brands out there, including custom made pens, i wonder is it worth looking deeper at it or just stick with the jetpens guides. I suppose that just like watches, certain brands just use cheap shit and add a lot of markup right?

Sailor > Iroshizuku > Diamine > Quink > Noodler

>>60592407
I want one!

>>60597923
Iroshizuku is an overpriced meme

>>60597020
>what are some good brands in your opinion for fountain pens?
I've used a FP for the past 17 years. I've been collecting for the past 10, though that's petered off in recent years as my preferences have matured and solidified. I've used and tried many kinds of pens from many different makers, vintage and new. Because of this, I may have preferences that do not necessarily adhere to any real logic and it's just because "I like them".

Here's still existent brands I like in no real order:
Pelikan
Sailor
Pilot
Visconti
Aurora
Nakaya
Lamy
Noodler's
Montblanc (vintage only)

If I were pressed for the most generic, not quirky at all "good for anyone" brand on my list I couldn't really say, as most pens have something good about them, and all have some niggling things that piss me off and might piss you off too; either you tolerate them or you move onto something else. It's a case by case basis for the most part and it's all too subjective.

Same goes for inks and papers (and of course, the nib, ink and paper trifecta). If you have any questions about the above modern makers or particular pens or nibs from them then shoot; I might own it, or I might have tried it.

Note: I like Visconti because they look good, and just feel good. But their QC is fucking atrocious and I cannot recommend them to anyone, unless you live in Florence and can return the fucking thing to the source for repair or replacement.

>>60599055
>>60597020
>jetpens site has some nice guides but there are a lot of brands out there, including custom made pens, i wonder is it worth looking deeper at it or just stick with the jetpens guides.
I only skimmed their "choosing a pen" guide just then. It seemed okay enough. They seem to specialise in jap pens with the exception of lamy and kaweco. There's more out there, of course. I don't see anything wrong with what they've said, though I've not tried most of those entry level pens on their list.

>I suppose that just like watches, certain brands just use cheap shit and add a lot of markup right?
Yes. There's some analogies to be made between the two. If you frequent the /wt/, you might have seen my autistic tangent rant against certain kinds of pens a few threads back: I likened cartridge converter pens and inbuilt filling mechanism pens to generic off-the-shelf unmodified movements and in-house movements respectively. Not an exact equivalence, but there's something similar there imo.

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>>60599055
>>60599070
ah, didn't start to go to the /wt/ until 3 threads ago, so i missed your rant, do you have a link to check in the archive? also nothing autistic about knowing your shit about pens (in my opinion at least), do you know anything about the Sabonis brand? there is just little information about them, i only know they're more marketed in LatAm than other places, some may been made in México, and the nib is german made. What do you recommend as a next purchase for somebody who just got a pilot metropolitan? should i bother going for something way more expensive? also post pic of your collection if you can
>>60597923
no love for kaweco?
>>60598679
they are, but i suppose they're overpriced because they have a "sheen" like pic related, it's Sailor Jentle Blue.

>>60599311
He's just one of those fags that says that you aren't owning a real X unless you pay 3x-100x more than a normal one, don't bother looking for it

>>60599496
i doubt he's actually trying to make that point, i'm not crazy enough and rich to go that way, but listening to different opinions is always a good idea.

>>60599311
Never tried it, where does it stand on the list?

Also, anyone know how Pelikan is?

>>60599311
>ah, didn't start to go to the /wt/ until 3 threads ago, so i missed your rant, do you have a link to check in the archive?
Cbf looking for it right now. Maybe tomorrow morning (it's late where I am).
>do you know anything about the Sabonis brand?
Never heard of it. Quick search turned up, as you say, mostly SA links with the odd american blogging about them in english.

>What do you recommend as a next purchase for somebody who just got a pilot metropolitan?
I can't recommend any next purchases because, as I've said, this shit is so very subjective. Do you have any preferences? Have you tried anything else besides that pilot? Is there anything about it that you really don't like? (because then there might be a pen that address that disliked property).

>should i bother going for something way more expensive?
It's not a requirement at all. See above concerning subjectivity. There are truly too many variables to discuss.

I collected this shit, so it took me to costly places but that was by choice; it wasn't by any means necessary for the enjoyment of the hobby and certainly not a requirement for the enjoyment of writing with an instrument with which, imo, one can attain the height of the act of writing itself (dip nibs and all that true calligraphic bullshit notwithstanding).

Say for example you said that you wanted a "smooth writing experience". Great. Buy something, anything; lots of cheap makers with smooth enough nibs and even if they're not to your liking you can rectify that shit yourself with the right know how.

The Noodler's man has the right philosophy, really, in that pens shouldn't have to be costly, and his focus is what comes out of the pen: the ink and what you write with it said ink. Every other decision is just delving into attaining subtleties of experience that are essentially unessential to the end act.

>also post pic of your collection if you can
If the thread is still up tomorrow I'll throw in a snap if you're still interested.

>>60599887
Just adding to your call for recommendations:
I got into collecting because I was sick of the pen I had when I was sent to school, and the ink I was using (the only one the school shop sold) was total fucking bullshit. (parker quick, where the "black" is grey and the "blue" is anemic, fading junk).

Come university, and I realised that I didn't have to put up with the same old shit I'd persevered with through habit and indifference any longer.

I had a problem with what I had, and moved on from there: Changing inks, and then getting another pen. Wasn't what I wanted, so I got another, then I saw that certain styles of writing and certain effects could only be achieved by certain kinds of nibs so I chased pens with those nibs for a time, then I'd buy something "because it was rare", or just because I liked how it looked and wrote.

Basically, if my first FP didn't give me any problems, I wouldn't have kept amassing all this shit and would've been content with just that one writing instrument. You only really need one (or two, if you need to write lots of notes with a few different colours or whatever).

If the pilot metro does you well, you don't need any more recommendations.

>>60599859
Kaweco is cheap but good, i suppose it's between Diamine and Quink. Do you ask about Pelikan pens or the inks?
>>60599887
>>60600044
>Do you have any preferences?
i suppose lightweight and durable, with standard cartridges or a squeeze converter, the one included in the metro doesn't hold much ink sadly, so i might want a bigger converter or a rechargable cartridge, haven't tried anything else besides the pilot, i just like simple designs, was looking at a sheaffer carbon fiber pen, it's a little heavy but seems good for the reviews i've seen, but i can't do italics on the metro because the tip is rounded and not flexible, so i've been looking for a second one, i've also looked at the transparent ones just to check how much ink i have left, i'm looking to use them for drawing and italic writing, i just need that, i'm just using printer paper and kaweco purple ink, for the moment.also don't worry if you can't post a pic, maybe someday if FP's discussion starts again in /wt/

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I use these.

>>60600278
>lightweight and durable
>with standard cartridges
>so i might want a bigger converter
>italic option
>transparent window for ink capacity

I would've liked to have come up with something less generic as far as recommendations go, but the Lamy Safari and its variants would appear to be right up your alley. They're durable, have a decent enough capacity as far as converters go, and have multiple nib options that are easily swapped out and they have italics.

They're easy to clean and maintain if you're into lots of ink changes and the price means you won't cry if it gets stolen or broken. The design is simple.

It is, and always will be, the quintessential student's pen (guessing that's what you are). That was its purpose, and why it was designed the way it was. However, you might not like the way the section forces a particular grip. I still have one functional one (vista, the transparent model), but only used it for testing a certain ink (I got it very cheap). It's not a bad pen, and the nib is good enough but I find it incredibly boring and it rarely gets use unless I'm using that specific ink.

>>60599859
Pelikan inks are well performing and extremely safe but they are on the dry side
Pelikan pens under the M800 are very good wet and smooth writers but are small and light. Build quality is there with all of them but the M800 and 1000 are the only 2 in the Souveran series with brass pistons, and the weight and size becomes perfect on the 800. (I haven't tried the 1000) M800 will be my next purchase on CultPens as they have the best prices on Pelikan.

>>60600821
>>60600278
My preferences, that will colour any recommendations I give, are as follows:
>In-built filling mechanism mandatory
>In-house nib production preferred, but not mandatory if it's a good nib
>must not be a sell-out company ie. a company that used to be made in one place, but decided to offshore to china because it was cheap and they shit on their entire history by doing so
>No more cartridge/converters (*with one exception*), which I see as a lazy choice for makers, albeit utilitarian and convenient for users.
>Range of nibs widths, prefer some feedback, not scratchy, little tooth is okay, not glassy smooth as it's too difficult to control. Stub is current fav
>width and weight: varies with mood
>colour/design: varies with mood
>Materials wise: Celluloid>ebonite>cellulose acetate>acrylic and other plastics>metal
>easy to disassemble for thorough cleaning once in a while

Though I recommend the safari with its C/C, I really don't like the system in general despite it being the easiest to clean. I use only bottled ink (rarely ever used cartridges) and nowadays insist on a pen with a more interesting filling mechanism than the generic standard. Lamy's converter system is exclusive to their safari-esquse models, but the principle is the same for me. Depends on your own wants and needs.

I would recommend you avoid Sheaffer. Sheaffer's heyday ended nearly 50 years ago. It's a bic owned brand that makes most of its shit in china last time I checked. My first FP was a Sheaffer, so I'm fond of it for that reason only: nostalgia. They don't write particularly well, unless they've changed drastically in the past few years, and they just seem like overpriced brass tubes with generic designs and crappy nibs. Sad. I'll have a look at them again when I pass a store next but I doubt my attitude will have changed.

I could never recommend to anyone any modern sheaffer, cross, waterman nor any modern parker. Fuck parker. Fuck parker right in the anushole.

>>60600278
The inks, I don't know shit about the pens

>>60600358
is that a rotring 600?
>>60600821
>>60600939
damn, i did look at those before, but the grip put me off of it, let's say if you remove the transparent window and lightweight, what would you recommend, i might use bottled ink only probably, so remove the standard cartridge and just a filling mechanism, what would you have in mind with that?
what's up with Parker? did they do pull a Panerai or what?
>>60600977
go with >>60600919 advice, adding to it, their chinese inks are good too, i use a technical pen (staedtler mars 700) with black chinese ink, it's what i've been using for /ic/ stuff (i'm just a begginer though) but i find it better than the staedtler ink that came with, it dries more quick and is slightly blacker.

>>60601096
Nope, it's a Rotring 800.

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>>60600919
>Pelikan inks are well performing and extremely safe but they are on the dry side
>Pelikan pens under the M800 are very good wet and smooth writers but are small and light. Build quality is there with all of them but the M800 and 1000 are the only 2 in the Souveran series with brass pistons, and the weight and size becomes perfect on the 800.
I concur with all you've said.

I have a soft spot for Pelikan (especially vintage), and of the 3 modern german makers that I own I like Pelikan's souverans the most (lamy 2k is a very close second); they're stately, serious pens but also playful (the colours, and look at the clips lol).

I would steer prospective buyers to at least the M800 because of the aforementioned brass piston. It's a question of theoretical longevity: the m800 can be properly serviced if it ever needed it or if you fucked it up somehow. The M300,400,600's are plastic piston housings, and I believe are either impossible to fix (in the same capacity as the m800,1k's) without either breaking them or with pelikan just replacing whole parts in a factory service. I don't recall the specifics, something to do with the way the piston mechanism is attached with plastic inset pins that break when you try to remove the piston housing (doesn't happen with the M800,1k's)

Not that they're prone to failure or anything; care for an M400 properly and it'll last for very, very long time. It's just a question of "if". A man can get a whole lot of autistical over the notion of "if".

However, despite this technical superiority of the M800 and M1000 (which, as I said, would not matter if you cared for your pens properly), they are significantly bigger/longer and heavier.

The M1000 is much heavier and kinda unbalanced as the nib is really fucking long. I find that I like the my M800's and M400's way more than my M1k. I don't recommend the M1000. It must be tried for a time before buying imo.

For most men: M800 size is the sweetspot size.

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>>60590946
Pilot Falcon is my main driver. But if I was to pick one pen for everything it would a fine nibbed twsbi mini.

>>60599887
Problem with Noddlers is that the ink dries out really fast. Creepers are really bad for this. Unless it's a pen that gets used each day I would not use one.

I'd say get a fountain pen, 30 or so bucks will get you a fine pen.

If you really want to write everything though make sure you get at least a fine or even extra fine nib. You also need to make sure you get some pretty good ink. Shitty paper is sadly very common.

Anyone with a Lamy Safari know how the EF compares to the Platinum Preppy EF?
It's the only fountain pen I have to compare and I'm looking at getting the Safari.

>>60590946
Muji 0.25 pens are bretty good.

>>60601670
Lamy EF are closer to a F Platinum. Japanese pens are almost always 1 grade smaller to equivalent western pens.

>>60590982
Can confirm

>>60599055
>Visconti QC
They've fixed their nib issues recently, unfortunately they will live with the reputation forever

>>60600939
Parker Duofold included?

>>60601670
Lamy EF is going to be like a Preppy F (Platinum labels their Preppy nibs by line width in mm)
>>60601707
MUJI pens have a lot of build issues and their Schmidt nibs are not well tuned for feedback or flow.
>>60590946
>>60601483
For 30 dollars and change you can get a TWSBI Eco. Piston filler with a decent Bock nib that's quite well tuned. I'd recommend a medium nib at first, usually a lot of newcomers to fountain pens, myself included only stick to fine nibs and slowly work their way up to broader, smoother and more satisfying nibs due to increased sheen, shading, and ink flow with different inks.
Of course you'll need good ink and better paper. I'd recommend Clairfontaine wirebound 90 sheet A4 notebooks. They are about $10 each and are of very high quality. You can write on both sides without error, therefore they are usually advertised as "180 page" books (45 pages being 90 sheets, watch out).
>>60601345
>>60599887
Noodler's inks are just too inconsistent. I bought a bottle of LCR (purple) and it was a royal blue, as did many other people. Nathan Tardiff refuses to use measuring instruments and sells fucked-up batches as a feature; the "uniqueness" of the ink.
I would recommend Diamine, Sailor, Pelikan, Montblanc, Pilot and Aurora inks for their colors and 'stability' (consistent and consistently good ink properties). Lamy inks are okay but too the colors are too flat and the ink is too dry for me.
>>60599887
Pilot Metro is an okay first pen, it's cheap and decently smooth (for the price...). Get the Medium nib because it's quite dry with most inks except for extremely wet stuff like Pilot Iroshizuku.

>unironically using fountain pens in 2017
*dib

>>60599055
>>60599887
>>60600939

Only nigga worth reading in this thread.
Post Nakayas please.

Lamy Safari, TWSBI Eco, or Faber Castell Loom?

What's something that will show me that fountain pens aren't just a silly gimmick like mechanical watches?