Help me pick a new fountain pen

[Beerhunter]

I have a vintage Parker big red fountain pen. I am thinking of retiring it and buying a new version. Really
being out of the pen collection/hobby for a while. I wonder what the reputation of a modern Parker fountain pen is? Or would I be better off buying a different model pen altogether? I like a dark black ink.
any suggestions. Another stupid question do the modern pens have to b blotted clean after use?

 

[syngent]

Dont have to blot clean on any of my pens, just cap and pocket, only thing i do is flush between ink changes and if i stick with one colour at least once a month I give it a good cleaning as well

Ive never used any of the Modern Parkers as with so many options non of them have caught my eye as well as other manufacturers such as Pelikan, Pilot, and a few others have

Do you have a budget in mind Beer, Im sure we could find you a parker and a few other pens to look at, then explain some of the feature differences between them to help you decide what will work best for you

 

[whavens]

I have become a big Pelikan fan. If you start at the M200 level you can spend as much as you want on one. I love the way they write, and they hold a lot of ink.

 

[Beerhunter]

Sorry I didn't bring budget or needs.
before some jokester pen fan posts i should get one of these Agatha Christie fp, airbus skeleton, octavian fp
Lorenzo De Medici Pens these would be fine. however my pen needs are very simple easy care a good quality pen that would last. I am not really a writer anymore perse untill i broke my hand and i wound up writing wrong as a child. Hand cramps up very quickly and avoided writing lots at one time. Found out this was due to technique and not my hand. I was willing to buy a modern version to replace my big red. Vintage nos ideas would be also considered. I have looked at fahrney's pens and the pen hospital from time to time. i am just unfamiliar with quality/reputation of some types of pens on these sites. Price would have to at least under 300 or less. Thank you gents.
@sygent
thanks for your offer in helping me choose differences of features.

 

[syngent]

for 300 or less I would consider heavily looking at Pelikan

They have a piston filler, so you dont need to mess around with a converter, you twist the end of the pen and a large piston inside the body will rise and fall to create a vaccuum to suck in ink, but also the nib section unscrews from the pen so you can flush out and clean with incredible ease. They have a great selection of colour choices in the M200 or M2XX variants, at the top of your budget, and maybe a bit over you will find gold nib versions with some other body designs as well

Pilot also has a piston fill pen I rather like the looks of but havent used myself, although some other members here have Pilot pens and like them
the custom 92 is a great pen and under your budget

Sailor makes great smooth nibs and have a lot of versions but most of the differences are in size and colours, their better nibs lay in the gold veriety and if you like the looks of them we can help you find some great deals on the bay from trusted sellers we have dealt with in japan

Visconti is another manufacuter I have not used myself but we have some members with experience who own and love theirs the van gogh series is within budget and has some great looking pens to choose from

Both the Sailor and the Visconti mentions are converter style pens dont hold as much ink as a piston, but flushing and maintenance is simple enough

Other then the Visconti you can see the pens I am talking about at Nibs.com
the Visctoni you can find at goldspot.com

if you want the sailor like i said let us know and we can help you get a good buy on one

Happy window shopping, and feel free to ask any questions Ill keep an eye out to help as much as I can

 

[Beerhunter]

"you twist the end of the pen and a large piston inside the body will rise and fall to create a vaccuum to suck in ink"
this process of twisting and filling isn't a messy leaky process is it?
holy moly I like the sound of that. I had a cheap fp where the ink came in little plastic refills that was messy for me

 

[syngent]

hold on ill snap a pic I have my pelikan here,... and it isnt messy at all

 

[Vercin]

i'm new to this .. but I have few piston fillers .. and yeah they are easy to fill .. turn the knob until piston is at the lowest position .. dip the nib into the ink .. turn the knob in the other direction .. pass the nib with a paper towel and that's that.

 

[syngent]

this is better,... jumpt to 12.25 you can see it being filled

That whole air bubble thing he talks about, where he tips the pen upside down and squeezes out the air is not needed, ive never done this and never needed to

 

[Beerhunter]

sygent thanks against for all your help. It would appear I have some pen homework to do. One more question besides my Parker
jotter and some old paper ate from the 90's with the rubber worn off these are the few ball points I have that I'll use that haven't dried up. The fp pens do they dry up in short order or can they be relied to handle the job at task?

 

[Isaac]

For the price point, I would look towards a Pelikan

 

[Vercin]

The entry level Pelikan I guess - Student. So it only gets better then this on the other models .. Nib is a pull off (on this one) and you can see the knob on top in the open position you just screw it down to lift the piston and suck in the ink.
​

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Lots to choose from in that price range but I love my Pelikans. They seem to be very much in favor on the Nib currently.

Edisons are nice too. Different filling systems with them but I imagine you would love a pneumatic filler. Just as clean as a piston to fill.

 

[syngent]

The fp pens do they dry up in short order or can they be relied to handle the job at task?

Cheap pens with bad sealing caps can have this happen, in the price range your looking at I wouldnt worry about it, there is ink that can cause this but its simple to stay away from, I use Fountain pens at work,(and only fountain pens for that matter) and i never have an issue with a dried up pen, my better pens can sit for a couple of weeks and I pick them right up and write away, my Pelikan is like that and most of the time I use parker Quink because its available locally and fairly cheap at 8 bucks a bottle

never have an issue

 

[syngent]

Lots to choose from in that price range but I love my Pelikans. They seem to be very much in favor on the Nib currently.

Edisons are nice too. Different filling systems with them but I imagine you would love a pneumatic filler. Just as clean as a piston to fill.

I dont own any Edisons so I always forget about mentioning them, I would look to them as well Brian Gray, is a member and vendor here and does a lot of limited editions with us, the pneumatic fillers are pretty cool, if you remember the touchdown fillers from sheaffer, its the same style

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Watermans are highly spoken of but don't get a lot of coverage here either. A restored Parker 51 would get a lot of use... All comes down to if you want new/NOS/restored/etc.

I just dropped the same amount as your budget on a new chefs knife- needed a stainless variant for one job, using cheap kitchen knives was irking me so!!!- but I would get a vintage tortoise Pelikan of some sort for that kind of money and I would write with it confidently that it would still be writing when I am unable to and I'm only 29

 

[Beerhunter]

Cheap pens with bad sealing caps can have this happen, in the price range your looking at I wouldnt worry about it, there is ink that can cause this but its simple to stay away from, I use Fountain pens at work,(and only fountain pens for that matter) and i never have an issue with a dried up pen, my better pens can sit for a couple of weeks and I pick them right up and write away, my Pelikan is like that and most of the time I use parker Quink because its available locally and fairly cheap at 8 bucks a bottlenever have an issue

Thank goodness I like the dark wet look of the modern liquid ink pens but they do not last long(my mileage)unless you you use them on a daily basis.

 

[syngent]

Thank goodness I like the dark wet look of the modern liquid ink pens but they do not last long(my mileage)unless you you use them on a daily basis.

you no longer need to turn your tongue blue to get it to write lol

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

blacker inks can get cakey or leave a lot of residue depending on the ink... I need to try some registrars.

 

[RichieRich3902]

Here is my favorite piston filler. Holds a ton of ink, smooth 14k nib and a classic.