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Pens & Razors - Compare Your Collections - What Are Your Go Tos?

Given that B&B is actually a shaving site, I figure most of us here are wet shaving enthusiasts. Many of us in this sub forum are also fountain pen enthusiasts. So, I thought it would be fun to compare our pen and razor collections.

In rough terms, the progression from the straight razor to today’s artisan razor makers parallels the advancement from the quill/dip pen through the various filling mechanisms to modern pens with today’s materials & workmanship. Compare your collections. What are your go tos in each collection?

RAZORS - I have a modest collection of razors. Most of my razors are vintage with the only exceptions being an ATT and a Feather Artist Club SS shavette. My go to razors, those I have ready to go daily, are a 1934 Gillette Aristocrat, a GEM 1912 and a Feather Artist Club SS shavette. The rest of my collection is in a storage drawer that protects them from the elements in my house - mostly dust. All of these razors are cleaned and ready to go. I have customized 2 razors: a Fat Boy that I had plated in black chrome and a 1940s Aristocrat with the same treatment.

PENS - I have a significant collection of fountain pens, many with matching pencils and a few with matching ball points or roller balls. My ratio of vintage to modern is significantly different than with my razors. At least half of my fountain pens are modern (1980 and newer). As with my razors, all pens are kept in working order, although at any point in time I may have a few waiting for a repair, generally vintage units needing a new sac, they will be returned to working order. Unlike my razors, all of my fountain pens get used, although I do have a go to group. The go tos include (these are pens that stay on my desk in a small case, although not all are inked up at the same time):
- Lamy All Star with medium nib - works well with t-shirts and polos and small enough nib for a pocket notebook
- Lamy Safari with 1.5 mm stub nib
- Bexley 20th Anniversary with 1.1 mm stub nib
- Montblanc 149 with broad nib
- Pelikan M800 blue & black with broad nib (has a matching pencil)
- Aurora Carlo Goldoni with broad nib
- Namiki Vanishing Point with broad nib - works great for meetings as most folks just think it’s a ball point and don’t derail the meeting to see the “nice pen”

Like with my razors, the rest of my pens are kept accessible, but protected from dust. Unlike my razors, I have not customized any of my pens - although, if I can get Lamy to sell me a gold nib with black trim that will fit my Safari …
 
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I have more fountain pens than razors, but for sure too many of each. My go-to pens would be my Visconti Homo Sapiens - particularly the recent Tuscan Hills - with EF nibs. My go-to razor is my Blackland Tradere OC - got some nice razors but nothing else delivers such close shaves so comfortably.

Edit: pics added because why not?

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AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I don't have a huge amount of either, but still struggle to remember the names of them if I haven't mentioned them in a forum post recently. :biggrin1: If it wasn't for the ability to search back through my posts on this forum, I'd have forgotten the names entirely.

Only one vintage DE razor, same age as me. Only one vintage pen, and again, same age as me...ish. Five fountain pens in general use, two commonly used razors. All the ball tipped pens get occasional use.

Fountain Pens:

Go to/users: (5) recently increased from 3

Baoer 388
Ohto Tasche
Wing Sung 3008
Parker IM Premium (geometric)
Parker 45

Others: (12) cull probably overdue

Parker Vector (3 nib calligraphy set)
Safari Clone
Jinhao X250
Unbranded 2 nib calligraphy pen
5x Baoer 388 (spare pens)
3x Wing Sung 3008 (spare pens - one fitted with stub nib)

Other Pens (10) recently culled from about 25

Cleo Messograph
Troika Toolpen
Zebra Mini Expandz
2x Zebra F-301
Fisher Stowaway
Parker Jotter
3x advertising pens that take Parker refills.

Razors

Go to/users: (2)

Edwin Jagger DE3D14
Merkur Open Comb on IKon Bulldog II handle

Others: (10) cull probably overdue

Wilkinson Sword Classic (black plastic version)
Gillette Super Slim Twist T4 (birth quarter razor)
IKon SBS dual comb head
Merkur 985
Dovo Shavette
Razorine Shavette
1x Sheffield straight
1x Solingen straight
Darwin Hollow Ground safety razor
Rolls Razor
 
I included one of my razors, a Schick L2 injector, in a recent post here in the Nib, because I don't actually have a lot to say about shaving these days. I acquired a large stock of wet shaving supplies, realized that I was satisfied, and haven't bought anything shaving related in perhaps six years. Never really wanted to get into the whole straight razor thing, but I found that old single edge safety razors, both the injectors and the Gem type, were perfect for me. That, a boar brush for face lathering, any one of my lifetime supply of perfectly good soaps, and I'm set.

My go to single edged razors would be a number of variants on the Gem 1912, call a "Damaskeene" my favorite. For injectors, my go tos would be an E2 and an M, plus the L2 I mentioned above.

Go to fountain pens.

Modern (still made):

  • Pilot Custom Heritage 92
  • Pilot Custom Heritage 91
  • Pilot Elite
  • Namiki (Pilot) Falcon
Semi-vintage (modern styling and fairly recent, but no longer made):

  • Parker 180
  • Pilot MYU
  • Pilot Murex
  • Montblanc Noblesse
Vintage:

  • Mabie Todd Swan 3180
  • Eversharp Skyline
  • Waterman's 12 PSF
  • Sheaffer Imperial TD filler
  • Sheaffer 3-25 Flat Top
  • Parker Vacumatic
That's a lot of go tos, and I have many other pens that get used from time to time. Less interested in cycling through my razor collection, which is larger than what is mentioned above, but then, I do more writing than shaving. :adoration:
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
I've many more fountain pens than I do razors, but, then, I've been collecting them for far longer. Maybe I have eight or ten razors, but I must have at least 50+ fountain pens.

Love the utility and workmanship of both products.
 
The go to pen is easy. The go to razor is a little harder. I’ll go with Lamy 2000 and Heljestrand MK31.

Side by side there are some similarities.

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musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
Daily razor: Wolfman.

Favorite pens: Pelikan M600 - Ruby Red is prettiest, Blue stripe is nice and older, smaller version in Black is very comfortable.
 
Favorite DE safety razor: 1965 Gillette Super Speed
Favorite straight razor: Mappin & Webb near wedge
Favorite fountain pen: Pilot Metropolitan (fine nib)
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Fun topic. Comparing my razors and pens, I had something of a different approach for each hobby. I collected numerous DE razors over the course of several years. I was also pretty active with PIFs and passarounds for a while. After using dozens of razors in that time, I pretty much settled on vintage Gillettes. My go-to razor is definitely the Gillette Red Tip, and I work a New Improved and Ranger Tech into the regular rotation. I probably should sell or PIF the rest, but just haven’t had time to mess with it and they don’t take up much space anyway besides.

On the other hand, I’ve been much more deliberate with my pen purchases. I generally research every pen extensively and target ones that add some new capability or writing experience to the collection. It’s probably no surprise the ones use most are also the newest and most expensive, my Lamy 2000, Pilot Custom 912, and Platinum 3776. My Pelikan M200s are my go-to pocket pens, often backed up by a Retro 51 rollerball.
 
Definitely a razor user, not a collector. I've owned and tried many DE razors over the years, techs, various super speeds, slims, and a number of modern razors. Over the last 10-12 years only three have been used more than a couple of times. Various DE89/R89 razors, a Baby Smooth, and now a Game Changer 84. Beyond the GC 84, all that is left is a Game Changer 68 base plate that I'll get rid of eventually and a Lady Gillette that never gets used. Everything else has been sold, traded or PIF'd. The Baby Smooth was traded for blades and the last R89 went to my son when he asked about "single blade" razors that all his college friends were using.

Hope to be the same with pens - more of a user than a collector. It will be more difficult. Got a starter pack in a trade that included a Pilot Metropolitan, a demonstrator Safari, and several Preppys. Have since acquired a Lamy 2000 and a Pelikan 400NN. Good for now and will eventually have to explore broader nibs.
 

Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
I have one razor, an Above the Tie Windsor, and two fountain pens, a small Pelikan Souveran for blue black ink and a low end Waterman for red ink. Since I retired and no longer need to mark up documents (I was a "deal" lawyer), I ought to let the Waterman go. I had two Mont Blancs, one being a Meisterstuck, but I preferred the Pelikan and let them go.
 

jar_

Too Fugly For Free.
Definitely more fountain pens than razors but definitely more of both than is reasonable. For the last couple years I have had my likely mid 1950's Aurora 888P in daily use. It is one of the early cartridge fillers and used a cartridge style that has been long discontinued. Fortunately modern Platinum cartridges and converters fit perfectly and there is also an adapter to allow using International Standard cartridges.

My preferences in razors runs towards the Gillette format and similar units but lately I've fallen in love with a really inexpensive electric razor. It is an Andis (Chinese company) and in style looks like a 1950's Remington or Ronson. It's certainly not modern looking and useless to trim beards or longer hair but amazing if used daily or twice daily.

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Definitely more fountain pens than razors but definitely more of both than is reasonable. For the last couple years I have had my likely mid 1950's Aurora 888P in daily use. It is one of the early cartridge fillers and used a cartridge style that has been long discontinued. Fortunately modern Platinum cartridges and converters fit perfectly and there is also an adapter to allow using International Standard cartridges.

My preferences in razors runs towards the Gillette format and similar units but lately I've fallen in love with a really inexpensive electric razor. It is an Andis (Chinese company) and in style looks like a 1950's Remington or Ronson. It's certainly not modern looking and useless to trim beards or longer hair but amazing if used daily or twice daily.

View attachment 1326936
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Are you sure it's a Chinese company? There is Andis that was founded in Wisconsin. I don't know of another one.
 
Favorite pens are early 30s Parkers, one has an original oblique nib the other has a 50s replacement, both superb.

Several MBs, about 10 vacumatics. Not much in the way of modern pens. I have had 10+ and always find them to be a troublesome apart from Parker 95s, 75s, Lattitude and another that I cannot remember the name of.

Razors, my favorite is a 1970 Gillette tech, with Personna blades I use a Wilkinson TTO

I have a Parker 96R which is much too aggressive for me, despite what was said in the reviews.
 
This sums it up for me:

full


Sheaffer PFM, a II in the image, was for me the highpoint of technological ingenuity in fountain pen design. The snorkel remains the most creative, and needlessly complex some would say, filling system, in a pen that has uniformly exceptional nibs. The PdAg ones are glorious.

The Slim hits the same peaks in the same era for razors, and the Rolex the same.

My other vintage pens are a combination of Sheaffers (Premier, Defender, Valiant, and a Targa), and Parkers (Maxima Vac, Senior Duovac), and the Montblanc double digit line from the same era as the artifacts in the photo.

All of these instruments have proved robust enough to continue to function flawlessly, and have what I consinder an understated style that captures the assured confidence of the space age.
 
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