Another fountain pen thread

[sparq]

I quite like the Varsity pens. I even got their miniature version, the Petit 1. They are not luxurious items but work just fine.

Varsity and Vanishing point make IMO a perfect combination if you like writing with the real thing.

Disclaimer: /me is in love with my faceted Vanishing point.

[jockeys]

The Varsity is decent, but not great. The nib is a total nail. Best bang for the buck out there, for an entry-level pen, is the Sheaffer school pens. The Platinum Preppy is a very good sub 10$ pen, especially the eyedropper fill modified ones. If you are willing to spend a little more, the Shaeffer Viewpoint is a heckuva pen for under 20 bucks with classic styling reminiscent of the old Balance pens.

During the daily grind, I find myself most often returning to my Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point, one of the best pens in the 120-150 price range, fantastic nib. Sometimes I use a Lamy AlStar (basically a metal Safari). The Lamy pens are all very Bauhaus, stylistically, but have some of the most useful clip designs known to man. Decent nibs, but nothing will ever write as well as gold.

I exclusively use Noodler's Bulletproof inks.

[Quick Orange]

I actually have a sheaffer of some sort that I got from the art section of Hobby Lobby. It was a piece of crap, which is why I started this thread- I don't want to waste any more money. This pen is as leaky as a faucet and doesn't write for crap. I'm sure it was just the one pen in the bunch that was broken, but you can understand my frustration.

Thanks for the replies guys. I should get my varsity pens today, so we'll see!

[jakoblah]

I should have noted I haven't bought a pen from Levenger in 10 years or so, so I can't actually say how their pens are these days. I did have good luck with them before, though.

[Quick Orange]

I just got my varsity pens today, and I have to say that I really like them. Good flow, nice feel. It definitely gives a far thicker line than I like, but it's a nice start. What is the nib equivalent of .05? Typically it's extra fine on the rollerballs.

[devilscanyon]

Go to fountain pen hospital and order a lamy safari.
Nick

[Quick Orange]

As far as the Lamy Safari, what thickness of ink line am I looking at? I don't want anything thicker than .07. When sites refer to a converter, what are they referring to? I know it's something to do with the ink, but beyond that, I'm not sure.

[jockeys]

As far as the Lamy Safari, what thickness of ink line am I looking at? I don't want anything thicker than .07. When sites refer to a converter, what are they referring to? I know it's something to do with the ink, but beyond that, I'm not sure.

a converter makes a cartridge pen able to use bottled ink. there are a variety of ways this is accomplished, but it is always a good investment, bottled ink is orders of magnitude cheaper.

the main types are squeeze (basically works like an eyedropper, but is attached to the section) and screw (sometimes called piston) which sucks ink in through the nib.

here is a good picture of a screw type:

[Quick Orange]

Oooo *like the Toy Story little green men*

[Tonsor]

First you must define cheep. Thirty dollars is about where cheep starts for a new pen. I have a Lamy Vista that I use more than any other. I like my vanishing point better but I am a mechanic and the Lamy is more expendable than the VP. I can advise you to not get a Retro 51. They look ok but write poorly. I have a Parker 21 I picked up for .50 at a flea market and it is a good pen. Parker 21's can be had reasonable on Ebay. The 21 is no where near the 51 but is a usable pen with a little class.

The best advice is don't waste money on an inexpensive starter pen as I did. I bought the Retro 51 not to be confused with the Parker 51. It is 35.00 a wish I had used on a Lamy of put toward my Vanishing Point.

For a lot of good info on pens as well as a man that will sell you a great writing pen go to richardbinder(dot)com.

Don

Be very careful if you find a Parker 21 in the wild. These pens have a problem with brittle plastic. It is usually very obvious, but of all the P21s I've seen at antique shops, only two were not cracked. Check the plastic very carefully with a loupe. Unscrew the barrel and run a fingernail along the end of the barrel to see if you can feel any cracks. If in doubt, I'd pass on it.