International converters in higher end pens?

[Rockminer]

This isn't meant to be all that serious, but I think I'm becoming a converter snob

First let me say that I understand the concept of having something that is interchangeable over a wide number of pens. The ability to throw a cartridge in and write, especially in a pinch, is not lost on me.

I just like the different fill systems on pens so much that it turns me off to the converter, especially with more expensive pens. If I have no intention on using a cartridge, I would rather have a system to fill my pen that doesn't involve the limited capacity of a international converter, or the commonness of it. I guess I would just like the option to make a decision on an expensive pen.

Am I the only one who thinks this way?

 

[Dave258]

I agree with you to a certain extent. A c/c will not stop me from buying a pen, but I do like the options of a more advanced filling system or larger capacity of ink when spending more money.

 

[syngent]

C/C's can be convenient at times in pens you change inks out in a lot

But the piston with removable nib section in the pelikan is still my favourite system of all I own

 

[Doc4]

One high-end pen that needs something better than a low-capacity standard-issue converter is the Sailor King of Pen and large 1911 with the specialty Nagahara nibs ... those nibs can be very juicy indeed, and so go through ink at a phenomenal rate. There's enough metal in the threads &c that you can't eyedropper them. (Sailor does offer a Realo piston-filler version, but these are uncommon and expensive, and the added capacity is moderate at best.)

One advantage for the converter that often gets overlooked ... they are so easy to replace that the inevitable wearing out of the filling mechanism is a breeze to fix. If my Pelikan 215 piston breaks down ... eventually, it will ... I have to send it away to be fixed. When the converter on my Sailor 1911 wears out ... I pop in another one ... done.

 

[Slivovitz]

Of course, the question arises as to where "high end" starts. Counting shipping, my two most expensive modern pens, a Namiki and an Edison, were about $145 each. For me, that's amazingly expensive, but for others might count as "affordable". Both came with converters, one proprietary, the other "international". By contrast, I got two piston fillers, a TWSBI ROC 100 and Pelikan M205, for a combined cost near to one of those c/c pens (okay, I had a significant discount). They hold more ink, and I find a built in system more esthetically pleasing.

It's nice to have a piston filler on hand just for the ink capacity, and my Pelikan will probably remain more or less constantly in use. My Parker Vacumatics have a good capacity also, and I enjoy the vintage coolness of my various vintage lever and crescent fillers. On the other hand, I think I'm starting to appreciate converters a bit more. The smaller capacity, as long as it isn't too small, isn't such a disadvantage for someone who likes to rotate inks and pens quite a bit, while trying not to have too many inked at once. Converters do make pen cleaning easy, and most make it easy to check on your ink level. Finally, although I would rarely use a cartridge in one of these pens, I do have some on hand, and carrying one or two along is not a bad idea if a quick refill might be required.

I do think that if I were to go up a couple of levels in price range, a converter would seem out of place, but for now, that doesn't seem likely to happen. If I were to buy any more fountain pens at all, they would most likely be vintage models that did not come with cartridges or converters to begin with.

 

[Rockminer]

Thanks for the responses, keep em coming. Maybe I just have a problem with being able to see the converter, in a demonstrator. I started this thread after making a comment in another thread about a TWSBI and how I appreciated that they offered a pen with a different form of filler. The ability to clean the pen and switch inks easily, with a converter, is a very valid point.

For example, I could get a Beaumont with a gold nib for a little less than a pneumatic with a steel nib. Not sure which one I would pick if I decided to buy one or the other. On one hand the gold nib would be better quality and probably write better but I would enjoy the filler on the pneumatic and could upgrade the nib later on if I wish. I would probably get the pneumatic because there are plenty of pens in the converter market to satisfy me. Maybe i'm just a sucker for cool filling pens

 

[maxman]

The cartridge converter can be very nice to use. I prefer Piston fillers as my #1, but the converter is handy.
As others have said, it's easily replaceable.
To be honest, its buried inside the pen anyway, so it really doesn't bother me at all.

 

[jkingrph]

I like my higher end pens that are piston, or vacumatic filled but the c/c method does have advantages. If you are away from ink bottles, even if you start with a converter, you can easily carry some cartridges along should you run out of ink.

 

[Doc4]

Of course, the question arises as to where "high end" starts. Counting shipping, my two most expensive modern pens, a Namiki and an Edison, were about $145 each. For me, that's amazingly expensive, but for others might count as "affordable".

For most of us, it's not a question of "affordable" so much as it's a question of "I can't stop myself".

... mind you, you could eyedropper that Edison real easy, and then you'll have a ton of ink at your disposal.

Maybe I just have a problem with being able to see the converter, in a demonstrator.

IMHO, a c/c demonstrator misses the point of the demonstration, so yeah, I agree with you that it seems a little odd.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Since buying my Pelikan, I don't envision ever buying another converter pen again- especially not a high priced one.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

If it is more than $30 I don't want it to have a converter... Put a sac and lever on that beast if you can't piston fill it.

 

[Katia]

Thanks for the responses, keep em coming. Maybe I just have a problem with being able to see the converter, in a demonstrator.

Yes. I've always been of the mind that I'd expect a higher-end pen to be self-filling*, but especially a demonstrator. What's the point of... looking at the cartridge?

(Hi, I'm Katharine, and I never ever ever got over that "clear" thing from the 80s... )


*Although I do have a converter-filled Cross Apogee, but that was a gift... I suppose in a non-clear pen it doesn't bug me so much, but still.