Thread: More fountain pens!

We need to start talking about fountain pens more. I am a big fan of those bexley pens, anyone else?

I like the Bexley pens but can't drop the 250.00 on one at this point. I have looked at the steel nibed Simplicity and the Fun Time but really want the Americana or Poseidon. I figure if Richard Binder sells the Simplicity it must be OK. I will probily save for the gold nib pen. Let me know what you think on the steel nib pens Mitch.

Don

I like the simplicity's the steel nibs are okay, but ideally you should save for the gold nib becuase the are just night and day from eachoter, but the poseidon is a solid pen.

I have a simplicity in black and silver I picked up from Dennis (ofParkville pen) over at FPN early 07. He had a special run of these made at that time. Very nice, simple lines, and reliable. Their steel nibs are pretty good, but, although I have no gold nibbed Bexleys, I agree it is hard to compare steel to gold nibs in general.

Originally Posted by RayG

I have a simplicity in black and silver I picked up from Dennis (ofParkville pen) over at FPN early 07. He had a special run of these made at that time. Very nice, simple lines, and reliable. Their steel nibs are pretty good, but, although I have no gold nibbed Bexleys, I agree it is hard to compare steel to gold nibs in general.

So, the gold nib is "worth it"? Unlike the higher prices often seen on stainless razors?

I'm still hesitating to buy the Waterman Carene, but I'm close...

Jordan

Gold nibs are softer, more flexible and springy, and usually smoother than their steel counterparts. That being said, some nibmeisters do wonders with steel - I have difficulty distinguishing between identical cursive italics nibs from Richard Binder, in steel and gold for some of my pelikans.

If you are looking for your first fountain pen, I would not say it was necessary to cough up the $$ - there are plenty of vintage pens (most of the old pens have gold nibs) professionally restored. I would also keep an eye on the BST forum at FPN and the Pentrace Green Board.

If you were to get a new one, I'd get it from Richard or John Mottishaw as they check and tweak the nib to their standard before sending it to you. A steel nibbed Pelikan 200 from Richard would be a really nice, comparatively inexpensive way to start.

Funny how the same people are into the same hobbies. I bought a vintage Aurora 88 from a member on the green board, and over a year later, he sold me a Boker here.

If you have not seen it, FPN has quite an extensive database of reviews. Be prepared for a new AD though.

I'm a college student, so cash for the finer things in life (besides my books, razors, and booze) is limited. However, I've always been fascinated with how distinguishing even a cheap fountain pen can be. I use those cheap Hero pens from China. I go through pens so quickly, mostly by loosing them that I would just kick myself if I lost an old Parker, much less a Waterman, or, dare say, a classic Mont Blanc!

I recently bought a 10 pack of Hero pens off of eBay for only about 10 dollars, shipping included. Granted, that's the cheapest I've bought a pack of them, but the first two I've pulled out write excellent!

I have four Fps at the moment. One is a vintage Schaeffer given to me when I started high school from my father. It has the most beautiful nib for writing I have ever used, but then I have had over 25 years to get it there I suppose. Just had it serviced, and was told that the rubber bladder (it is an older type squeeze filler) will last longer with blue ink. So I have Waterman ink in it.

I also have an older Parker Sonnet (the one with the thin trim around the cap). Not a bad pen, but I feel the nib is a bit scratchy.

I also use a Waterman (sorry, do not know the model) that my wife gave me a while back. It also writes very well.

Finally, I have a Mont Blanc Starwalker in black resin and platinum, medium nib. Nice pen, but no nicer to write with than the Schaeffer. Takes cartridges, and Mont Blanc do not make a converter to fit it, although apparently the Monteverde converters will fit well enough to allow cleaning when needed.

My father collects stationary and FPs. Some really old ones too - the type with the little lever on the side that you use to refill, for example. Most still work.

James.

I am a very firm believer that straightrazor users and fountain pen users go very well together, better than standard knife collectors due to the prices of straight razors. I have been an avid pen collector for all of my life. I probably started collecting pens before anyone else lol. For those who know who I am I smile and say thank you. For those of you who don't know I appologise and hope to meet you at a pen show or razor event.
But I have always loved fountain pens, and razors just took ahold so freely. I have always loved the feeling of a rzor shave and the only thing that compares is a smooth pen.