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Help me choose a new pen!

Hello nib folks! I could use some thoughts on choosing a new pen.

I currently have a Lamy Safari (EF nib) and I very much enjoyed using it. My wife has recently begun using it for drawing, and I figured I might as well let her have it and use that as a reason to buy a new pen.

My personal spending budget is stretched pretty thin (Thanks Brown Leaf sub-forum), but I would like to get something "real."

My current top picks are all in the $100-150 range, and are as follows.

Pilot Custom Heritage 92
Lamy 2000
Pilot Vanishing Point

I'm open to other suggestions as well, as long as they fit that price range.

I'm also hoping to start collecting pilot's Iroshizuku inks, if that matters at all.
 
I only have experience with the Lamy 2000 and the pilot custom heritage 91 which is similar to the 92 but not a piston filler. If I could only pick one pen to own for the rest of my days it would be the Lamy 2000
 
My current top picks are all in the $100-150 range, and are as follows.

Pilot Custom Heritage 92
Lamy 2000
Pilot Vanishing Point

I don't think you could go wrong with any of these 3 options. I own a Vanishing Point and L2K and have owned the Pilot Custom Heritage 74 (which is very similar to the 92). They are all great pens.

My only suggestion, is that if you are going to be using the pen for a bunch of quick notes or jotting lists here or there, then seriously consider the Vanishing Point, as its' one handed operation is incredibly convenient.
 

Claudel Xerxes

Staff member
It's hard to go wrong with any of those three. I've only owend the CH 92, but I can't even think of how many times that I've almost pulled the trigger on both the 2000 and VP.

The VP will be a great pen if you need to quickly pull it out to jot something down. Some people don't like how the clip is on/near the grip section.

The Lamy 2000 seems to fall in the "my daily driver" category for many people. I don't know exactly why I don't own one yet.

The CH 92 is one of my favorite pens. It can hold a good amount of ink, the size and weight are very comfortable to me, and the nib has just enough softness for me to get a bit of line variation when I want to.

Since, dws mentioned Edison Pens, I have nothing but good things to say about Edison pens. I have both the Pearlette and the Beaumont. I like the Beaumont's #6 nib, opposed to the Pearlette's #5, but I like the shape, size, and feel of the Pearlette better.

A Pelikan M200 or M205 is in your price range as well.

Truthfully, any of these pens would be a great choice. What do you primarily use your fountain pen for?
 
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As stated by others, any of the pens on your list would serve you very well (I hear the VP is a top choice if you are required to write frequently and on-the-fly). I have almost purchased each of your listed pens at least once. Of all the pens I have owned, my favorite is and will forever remain a Parker 51. This may just be me, but they're jam-packed with history, they're real work-horses and can stand up to vigorous daily use (and the occasional accidental abuse), and they're fine writers (given that there is no substantial damage to the nib or feed system). I prefer it over all my other pens, even my prized Namiki Falcon. As a matter of fact I would gladly trade-off the Falcon for a Vacumatic Parker 51 in good condition. The Parker 51 is second to none in my book!
 
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What do you primarily use your fountain pen for?
I primarily use my pen for sit down desk use ... bullet journaling and desk notes. I've never had an issue with caps before, and if that's the primary draw of the vanishing point (as a quick jotter) I don't really think that matters a whole lot to me.

I'm also liking the idea of the Pilot Falcon so I could play around with some flex in the nib/line variation...but I'm not sure how much a "normal" gold nib allows for. Maybe I should get something more standard first...

Also, lots of folks are saying the CH 92 is basically a piston filler Custom 74? Is it ACTUALLY the same nib, or is it just very close? If I'm not as concerned about ink capacity and mostly interested in the nib, would it make more sense for me to get a Custom 74?
 
I managed to snag what I think is an deal on the bay for a Pilot Falcon SF nib.

I'll probably end up picking up all the pens mentioned in this thread as the bug fully sets in. Thankfully my wife is an artist and wants to get some of these as much as I do.
 
I managed to snag what I think is an deal on the bay for a Pilot Falcon SF nib.

I'll probably end up picking up all the pens mentioned in this thread as the bug fully sets in. Thankfully my wife is an artist and wants to get some of these as much as I do.
Bonus for you!!!

The nibs on those are interesting. Please report back on how it works for you, once you've gotten acquainted.
 
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Claudel Xerxes

Staff member
I managed to snag what I think is an deal on the bay for a Pilot Falcon SF nib.

I'll probably end up picking up all the pens mentioned in this thread as the bug fully sets in. Thankfully my wife is an artist and wants to get some of these as much as I do.

Awesome! Congrats, Jared! If your wife is an artist and actually wants some fountain pens, then between the two of you, the BL ADs might be minor in comparison. Inks, paper, pens, nibs... there's a lot of fun to be had! :thumbup:
 

jar_

Too Fugly For Free.
Tell your wife to take a look at the Pilot Parallel Calligraphy series of pens.
 
The Faber-Castell E-Motion line is in that price range and the nibs are just wonderful. Gorgeous pen too. The TWSBI Diamond 580 is a great pen and is a piston demonstrator. Great value.

Iroshizuku inks are good performers in almost any of my pens but Sailor inks are amazing performers for less money.

Also, check out Jinhao's. They're around $5-15 and perform very well. Great for a pocket pen.
 

Claudel Xerxes

Staff member
I managed to snag what I think is an deal on the bay for a Pilot Falcon SF nib.

I'll probably end up picking up all the pens mentioned in this thread as the bug fully sets in. Thankfully my wife is an artist and wants to get some of these as much as I do.

How are you liking the pen, Jared?
 
I like it, but I'm not sure if I'll keep it long term or not. I got hit with fountain pen AD pretty bad, but I haven't been able to get on here and share. I also discovered a group buy site that was pretty hard on my wallet.

So far I have (* indicates new purchases):
Lamy Safari EF
Namiki Falcon SF*
Pilot CH 92 F*
Lamy Dialog 3 F*
Pilot Parallel (1.5mm and 3.?mm)
5 Jinhao x750's*
Oblique nib holder and various dip nibs*

On the way:
Lamy 2000 F
Faber Castell Basic F
Kaweco Calligraphy set

The Falcon is good, but I'm not a fan of the con50 converter just because its clicky-clacky. Makes the whole pen feel cheaper than it is (IMO.)

The Pilot CH 92 is also good, but the nib is scratchier than I expected. It came with some nib alignment issues. I adjusted them as best I could (15x loupe, looks ok to me) but its still a bit scratchy. A good pen for sure, but not my favorite feeling nib.

The Dialog 3 is the smoothest nib I own, and the smoothest nib I've ever experienced. I love this nib and the way it rights. Weight is a bit on the heavy side, but overall this is super cool pen. My only real issue with it is that on smooth papers it sometimes has false starting issues.

The Jinhao x750's are, without a doubt, the best bang for my buck pens. I cleaned their feeds/nibs before using them and all 5 are very smooth and good writers. I had to align the tines on only one of them.

The oblique nib holder made me realize that I don't care to have "flex pen" status in my fountain pens. For this reason, the Falcon may not be long lived in my collection. The Falcon flexes and its nice, but its not even close to what can be done with dip nibs.
 

Claudel Xerxes

Staff member
I like it, but I'm not sure if I'll keep it long term or not. I got hit with fountain pen AD pretty bad, but I haven't been able to get on here and share. I also discovered a group buy site that was pretty hard on my wallet.

So far I have (* indicates new purchases):
Lamy Safari EF
Namiki Falcon SF*
Pilot CH 92 F*
Lamy Dialog 3 F*
Pilot Parallel (1.5mm and 3.?mm)
5 Jinhao x750's*
Oblique nib holder and various dip nibs*

On the way:
Lamy 2000 F
Faber Castell Basic F
Kaweco Calligraphy set

The Falcon is good, but I'm not a fan of the con50 converter just because its clicky-clacky. Makes the whole pen feel cheaper than it is (IMO.)

The Pilot CH 92 is also good, but the nib is scratchier than I expected. It came with some nib alignment issues. I adjusted them as best I could (15x loupe, looks ok to me) but its still a bit scratchy. A good pen for sure, but not my favorite feeling nib.

The Dialog 3 is the smoothest nib I own, and the smoothest nib I've ever experienced. I love this nib and the way it rights. Weight is a bit on the heavy side, but overall this is super cool pen. My only real issue with it is that on smooth papers it sometimes has false starting issues.

The Jinhao x750's are, without a doubt, the best bang for my buck pens. I cleaned their feeds/nibs before using them and all 5 are very smooth and good writers. I had to align the tines on only one of them.

The oblique nib holder made me realize that I don't care to have "flex pen" status in my fountain pens. For this reason, the Falcon may not be long lived in my collection. The Falcon flexes and its nice, but its not even close to what can be done with dip nibs.

:lol: Welcome to the fold! :thumbup: I'm surprised about the CH92 being scratchy. It's the thinnest line out of everything that you've mentioned. It might be that you prefer a wider line.
 
I started with the Lamy, then moved up to the Waterman Expert. The Lamy Safari is a great own to learn on, but the Waterman puts a smike on my face every time I use it.
 
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