Just started and can't stop

[McNutt]

Last November I bought a cheap Cross fountain pen at Staples. I liked it much more than my ballpoint pens and started looking online for better pens. Within a couple of months I had bought nine pens from TWSBI, Wing Sung, Jinhao, Pilot, Noodler and Moonman. The TWSBI 580 was a solid pen. Very reliable, but I was not crazy about the fine nib. The Jinhao's were better writers due to a pretty wet M nib, but they felt a lot cheaper than the TWSBI. I was not a fan of the Moonman pens and the Wing Sung had a nib that was completely unreliable. The Noodler was just flat out terrible (not to mention it had a horrible smell). The Pilot Metropolitan was pretty solid, but I wanted something better. For the next three months I treated myself to a really nice pen each month.

Pilot Custom 823 14k M
Diplomat Aero Steel M
Lamy 2000 14k M

Wow, these are all so incredibly nice to use.

Pilot - Classy look. Smooth writer with nice feedback. Great ink capacity. This is my favorite.
Diplomat - Stylish look. Ultra smooth nib that glides effortlessly.
Lamy - Great writer. Under-the-radar looks that won't attract attention in an office meeting.

The build quality on all three is top notch. They make me want to write forever. My other pens are now in a drawer and never get used.

With my last purchase (Pilot 823) I think I successfully scratched the itch and really don't have a desire for another pen. We'll see how long that lasts.

 

[ajkel64]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience with us. Nothing wrong with treating yourself to a nice pen every now and again.

 

[Rhody]

Thanks for posting. Enjoyed reading about your experience. Very nice trifecta of pens also.

 

[Lefonque]

Great start.

 

[Tomo]

The Lamy 2000 F is my daily driver. Great pen. I also have a Montblanc 146 that doesn’t see much action. A very nice pen but a little too flashy for my office environment.

In the past I had a good look at the Pilot 823, Pelikan 800 and Nakaya but never pulled the trigger. Yet....

 

[tankerjohn]

Fantastic capsule collection! Thanks for sharing. With those three, you might never need another pen. You'll likely never find better workhorse pens. The itch is scratched until you discover that specialty nib or limited edition or artisan pen that catches your eye.

I feel you on the cheaper pens. I think that happens to a lot of us in the "exploration" phase of the hobby when you collect up a bunch of cheap pens that don't get used once you figure out what you like and invest in some real quality writing instruments. I try to make best use of mine to experiment with new inks or just stash here and there as spares. Plus, they're good loaners for my kids too, who have started to take a shine to fountain pens.

 

[Ligeti]

Nice collection.
Successfully scratched the itch? Wait 'till you start building an ink-collection!

 

[Rhody]

I also like how you’ve settled on three. I’m buying a few more inks and find it difficult to resist inking up too many pens.

 

[Slivovitz]

Of course, you should definitely not move on to vintage fountain pens. Don't buy some classic Sheaffer imperials, or a Parker Vacumatic. No need to get a BCHR Waterman from the nineteen teens or twenties, or a Moore, or a classic (not reproduction) Conklin Crescent filler. Don't bother with an Eversharp Skyline from the 1940s, or...

Well, you get the idea.