Preferred Filling Mechanism

[Mendel]

Greetings from Mendel!

Experienced fountain pen users: Which filling mechanism do you prefer and why? Converter, cartridge, built in piston , etc.?

 

[brianw]

Lever, converter, and vacumatic

 

[Slivovitz]

For functionality, piston. Easy operation, decent capacity. Reasonably easy to clean

My actual favorite pens are vintage lever fillers which don't hold quite as much ink and are a bit harder to clean thoroughly. These specific ones write very well, though.

 

[AllenG]

Piston
Dip

 

[jaguar]

Piston Pelikan pens

 

[Rudy Vey]

Depends, I like the Pelikan piston fill. For pens that are not to be filled like this, I like converters. But I also have a couple of Preppies eye-dropper filled. I would use most pens with converters, unless they are piston fill.

 

[the_edski]

My sentiments exactly.

I would use most pens with converters, unless they are piston fill.

 

[strop]

I never would have thought I'd be saying this but I'm starting to really like the eyedropper fills. After that it would be lever, pisto,vac then converter,though admittedly it may be for aesthetic reasons

 

[Dave258]

Depends, I like the Pelikan piston fill. For pens that are not to be filled like this, I like converters. But I also have a couple of Preppies eye-dropper filled. I would use most pens with converters, unless they are piston fill.

I have to agree with Rudy! I love my two Pelikan piston fillers, and dare I say TWSBI's, they hold a great amount of ink, and easy to use and clean. The majority of my other pens are converters which I have no problem loading and using.
But, eyedroppers are climbing up on my list, too. These two preppies I filled almost 4 weeks ago are still going strong, and work on demand. And the Kaweco sports are great when eyedroppered.

 

[Suzuki]

Piston, converter and vac - in that order.

 

[nemo]

Piston, Vac, lever, cartridge

 

[Mendel]

Piston Pelikan pens

Nice use of alliteration...PPP.

 

[txinsk]

Piston, syringe, Ahab. I like large ink volumes and a converter does not hold enough and I will not go cartridges. I also like to have a way of seeing what is in the barrel so the various sac methods are out.

Rick

 

[dcobranchi]

I'm not experienced by any stretch of the imagination, but I really like the ED filled best. I even converted an old Sheaffer school pen to eyedropper. Works great with a bit of silicone grease on the threads.

 

[nosedog]

Syringe into a used cartridge has become my favourite method. All my pens have a cartridge converter but the converters now sit around unused.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Wow, they are all so cool--I don't want to choose! But if I had to put them into order, I guess it's piston, vacumatic, lever, converter, cartridge and eyedropper. I've never had any problems with an eyedropper-filled pen, but they fill me with anxiety nonetheless.

 

[strop]

but they fill me with anxiety nonetheless.

This is why I've always been wary, but everyones experience here seems to have been good, so I've started, and so far so good.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Piston- but I haven't tried a lever or Vacumatic yet.

on edit: since getting my Pelikan, I am unsure whether I will buy another converter pen.

 

[Andy]

For me it would be vac, piston, converter in that order.
Cartridge only under sufferance.

 

[maxman]

Piston, converter and vac - in that order.

+1. Me too.