I have been enjoying my first FP, a Pilot Metropolitan. It looks and feels like a fountain pen should. I have been window shopping for my second pen and I see many pens have a transparent barrel. I must be old school...I don't like a transparent barrel. I don't need to see inside the pen. I think a FP should have a solid colour barrel. What are your thoughts on this? Do you like a transparent barrell?
Transparent barrels
- Thread starter Rusty Blade
- Start date
Some people like an "ink window" to see how much ink is left in the pen.
And then there are "demonstrator pens" which are completely transparent/translucent so you not only see the ink level but the workings of the fill mechanism too.
Yes, they are not to everyone's tastes ... but they are well-established types of pens and almost every major maker has examples of them in its lineup.
I like both ... but it's a personal taste thing, so if you don't ... we don't kick you out of the pen club or anything.
And then there are "demonstrator pens" which are completely transparent/translucent so you not only see the ink level but the workings of the fill mechanism too.
Yes, they are not to everyone's tastes ... but they are well-established types of pens and almost every major maker has examples of them in its lineup.
I like both ... but it's a personal taste thing, so if you don't ... we don't kick you out of the pen club or anything.
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
Those are called demonstrator pens. They come from back in The Day, when Parker and Sheaffer were developing unique filling systems to replace the then-common ink sacs. They made a small number of transparent pens for salesmen to “demonstrate” these new filling mechanisms like the Vacuumatic and Touchdown. Subsequently, the demonstrators became highly prized by collectors, both because of their rarity and the novelty of seeing the inner workings of the pen. In more recent times, demonstrators became popular because people liked seeing the piston or vac mechanism and the ink swirl around as they wrote. Also it’s a style unique to fountain pens, since ballpoints and rollerballs don’t have pistons or swirling ink. So, in that sense, demonstrators have a showy sensibility that appeals to certain hobbyists.
Personally, I don’t much care for demonstrators and wrote a pretty extensive rant in a different thread. I won’t rehash it here. You can go search that out if you like. Suffice to say, I don’t ever care to have my pens mistaken for vaping or drug paraphernalia. But hay, different strokes for different folks.
Personally, I don’t much care for demonstrators and wrote a pretty extensive rant in a different thread. I won’t rehash it here. You can go search that out if you like. Suffice to say, I don’t ever care to have my pens mistaken for vaping or drug paraphernalia. But hay, different strokes for different folks.
Demonstrators are great for showing you that ink is often stuck in places where you don't want it to be.
And again, some transparent pens are more equal than others.
And again, some transparent pens are more equal than others.
A possible compromise is the Parker Vacumatic where the ink level can be seen (depending on the model)
I like the ring around the nib end of my Pelikan that is not clear but has just enough transparency to let me check ink levels if I hold it up against the light.
I very much appreciate the practical value of seeing how much ink I've got left without disassembling the pen. For eye-dropper fills, including my Opus 88 which doesn't have a cartridge or converter option, it's a requirement, for me.
I've got a good number of opaque fountain pens, and they're fine. But my favorite resins are translucent, giving you a look at the mechanism and ink level if you hold them up to the light, but not nakedly transparent.
It's a personal thing, to a large extent, but generally adds to my FP enjoyment.
I've got a good number of opaque fountain pens, and they're fine. But my favorite resins are translucent, giving you a look at the mechanism and ink level if you hold them up to the light, but not nakedly transparent.
It's a personal thing, to a large extent, but generally adds to my FP enjoyment.
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
...and that's the crux of it right here.
I had a similar dislike for demonstrators not so long ago. I believe it was a thread I started that included the rant from @tankerjohn . However, seeing so much love for TWSBI pens out there, and also because they are affordable, I ordered a TWSBI. Aside from the transparency, it was kinda exactly what I was looking for. And then I ordered another.
Does part of me want a more classy opaque pen, so that when people see me writing they know I mean business? Well maybe. But people don’t see me write, and at work I’m using whatever free pen from a realtors office is closest to me.
Does part of me want a more classy opaque pen, so that when people see me writing they know I mean business? Well maybe. But people don’t see me write, and at work I’m using whatever free pen from a realtors office is closest to me.
I rather dislike demonstrators if they use cartridges or converters. On the other hand, piston fillers or (if they work well as such) eyedropper fillers do appeal to me when transparent or translucent. Obviously there's no strong logic behind this, just esthetic judgment.
Case in point, although I'm too lazy to illustrate it with a specially taken photo just now. I have two Pilot Custom Heritage 92s, which are piston filled. One is completely transparent, clear. You can see the ink inside it, see the piston, and to me, it looks good. The other is a translucent gray/black, I believe it's called "smoke". You can see the ink, but "as through a glass, darkly", and it helps to have a strong light behind it if you really want to see how much ink is left. I like both, but prefer the smoke one slightly.
I also have a Custom Heritage 91, which is the same external shape as the 92, but is a completely opaque black, and uses a CON-70 converter. I have both it and the smoke colored 92 inked right now. I don't know how I'd like the looks of the converter inside if the CH 91 were transparent, but experience suggests I wouldn't care for it.
What's really important, of course, is that all three of these pens write very well. I'll add that the majority of my favorite pens are not demonstrators, but it's not what they're not that makes them favorites, it's what they are.
Case in point, although I'm too lazy to illustrate it with a specially taken photo just now. I have two Pilot Custom Heritage 92s, which are piston filled. One is completely transparent, clear. You can see the ink inside it, see the piston, and to me, it looks good. The other is a translucent gray/black, I believe it's called "smoke". You can see the ink, but "as through a glass, darkly", and it helps to have a strong light behind it if you really want to see how much ink is left. I like both, but prefer the smoke one slightly.
I also have a Custom Heritage 91, which is the same external shape as the 92, but is a completely opaque black, and uses a CON-70 converter. I have both it and the smoke colored 92 inked right now. I don't know how I'd like the looks of the converter inside if the CH 91 were transparent, but experience suggests I wouldn't care for it.
What's really important, of course, is that all three of these pens write very well. I'll add that the majority of my favorite pens are not demonstrators, but it's not what they're not that makes them favorites, it's what they are.
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Not a "requirement" for me ... I have some 78g pens eyedroppered as well as as both Edison B&B LE pens ... but I certainly do enjoy a good Kaweco sport eyedropper!
I think there is actually some logic there, in that you want to see the sophisticated filling mechanism on display, rather than a mere cart/converter.
Same reason that a "display back" watch is much better with a manual/automatic mechanism than quartz.
Hah! ... I have "the other two" of these ... the blue and orange.
IMHO it's a fantastic pen ... and while the orange is great, the blue is absolutely stunning!
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
I admit, I kinda like the smoke CH92. That’s probably the one demonstrator I could get on board with. I do wish it had the #10 or #15 nib, though.
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