Vintage or Modern?

[andrew98]

I have a thing for modern pens. Although, I do enjoy the few vintage pens I have. It's the size, weight, craftsmanship, variety of colors, great designs, and reliability that draws me to modern pens more often, though. Most vintage pens seem too small, light and delicate to me.

I also have a desire to help great pen makers of our day succeed, and that keeps me interested in pens from companies like Pelikan, Franklin-Christoph, Edison, and Bexley. I really like buying American-made products when I can, but I also dig Japanese pens from Sailor, Pilot, and Platinum. Pelikan is fantastic, and the variety of vintage nibs is impressive. That brand is my big weakness when it comes to vintage nibs.

Almost all the reasons I listed for enjoying modern pens could be used by someone who prefers vintage fountain pens. That's why I'm curious. Which is it for you and why? Vintage or modern?

Thanks,

-Andy

 

[syngent]

To be fair my vintage experience is very lacking, but that is a plus for modern pens, if I want one I can get it anytime with little worry

Vintage flex sounds great to me... but until i get to a pen show i may never have the pleasure. .. so for at least right now ill stick to my modern pens

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

You can contract someone out to find a vintage flex for you

Anyways, I am copping out and saying I like both. Granted out of my dozen or so pens, only three are from the last twenty years. My modern pens see more use but I bought them with purposes in mind. If I never had my vintage pens I wouldn't know what I liked or what I was afraid of messing up.

I currently have my eyes set on some a good mix of new production pens (I'm looking at you Edison and a Bexley at some points since I could drive past the factory on my way to get homebrew supplies...) and some very vintage pens.

I like my vintage pens. They have something extra to them. They've been around the block and were used by people who used it as either a tool or a cherished heirloom.

Modern pens are mine. I'm making their story. I'm instilling that something extra to them. In ten years they will be well loved and used.

 

[Boro62]

yea im with johnny boy on this one...I'm completely copping out and saying i like both. After taking a head count in my pen box and pen pouch i came out with 7 modern and 6 vintage fountain pens. I am currently looking at a few modern pens that are on my want list. It's nice that they will be around so I'm never in a huge hurry to get them. However, if a nice vintage pen that I've been wanting pops up, they usually get bumped up the list before modern pens because sometimes they are harder to find and i know the modern pens will be there for me when I actually get to them.

As far as why I like each? A lot of the more modern pens are work horses and have filling mechanisms that I don't have to worry about. It seems like my Lamys work ever time without fail no questions asked no matter how long its been sitting and I havent used them. They tend to be easier to flush out than my vintage pens also, so they become the work horses.

But I still usually keep at least one vintage pen inked up. They are my special occasion pens. I tend to feel that they have extra meaning behind the pen and are more special to me knowing how old they are and the things they have seen in their life.

 

[biglebovski]

Vintage!

 

[Ru4scuba?]

I am mostly a modern guy but have owned three Parker 51s over the years and am looking to get another....few pens rival the mighty Parker modern or vintage IMHO

 

[Slivovitz]

I'd say both except for the way you put it. It's not 50/50, but more 70/30 in favor of vintage. I've got a couple of modern pens that I wouldn't want to give up, like my Vanishing Points or the Pelikan M205. On the other hand, I just find my vintage pens more interesting on the whole, the materials, the filling systems, the nibs, and the very fact that they have lasted this long. The Conklin Crescents, Parker Vacumatic, Eversharps, Esterbrooks, Sheaffer TD filler...there may be modern pens that are better in some objective sense, but they just don't appeal to me in the same way.

Of course, to paraphrase what Andy said, somebody needs to prefer modern pens in order to keep the fountain pen business going, but it doesn't need to be me. I do tend to recommend modern pens in those threads where people are asking what pen to start with, but that's because not every new FP user wants to deal with possible restoration issues from the outset.

 

[Snargle]

The largest part of my collection is vintage, but that's mostly because I can find them cheaply! I have several modern pens that I enjoy a great deal. I think a mix of old and new gives me the best of both worlds.

 

[Toothpick]

I'll take my razors vintage any day. But I like my pens modern.

Full disclosure - I've only ever wrote with a Lamy safari and Platinum Plaisir. So in my price range I think it's hard to find a nice vintage pen.

 

[Mr5x5]

I like both.

For me, function comes first, but I hope to instill some history in my pens before I shuffle off this mortal coil and pass them on to my kids.

 

[Vik-Thor]

I'm going to say Modern.

6/7 of my collection is modern (or 5/7 if you count the Pilot 78G as Vintage…)

The only Vintage pen I have, is an Esterbrook 44 Dip-Less pen. I actually have it at work, and use it to jot quick notes when on the phone, or Boss asks me something. After first seeing one, and learning about them, I got it for that specific purpose.

 

[Doc4]

While I have both, and greatly enjoy both, when I look at my pen collection the significant majority is modern, so I'll have to say modern. It's so great to see wonderful pens still being made.

 

[brianw]

Mostly vintage.... although i have quite a few Edisons and FC's

 

[coyotewhisper]

I personally chose vintage over modern. I do like my TWSBI 700 Vac though and several other moderns. My vintage pens have more character, I like the feedback the nib gives me.

Granted vintage fountain pens can be a bit finicky at times they are still a joy to use.

 

[Andy]

I chose 50/50, but am leaning further towards vintage.

That might change as I start to experience more higher quality modern pens.

 

[oc_in_fw]

To be fair my vintage experience is very lacking, but that is a plus for modern pens, if I want one I can get it anytime with little worry

Vintage flex sounds great to me... but until i get to a pen show i may never have the pleasure. .. so for at least right now ill stick to my modern pens

I wish my experience was as lacking as yours. I hold back because you just never know what you are going to get when you buy one. One of these days I am going to have to bite the bullet and buy a P51 and a Vacumatic and just know I am going to have them reconditioned.

 

[redbike]

Definitely vintage. I love using old things that look good and work well. For me my appreciation of older pens was a easy outgrowth of my appreciation for older Gillette razors. And the American craftsmanship is a plus too; Parkers, Sheaffers, and Eversharps comprise most of my collection of about 25 pens. And vintage pens are a lot of fun to restore!

 

[Bob L.]

I checked my pen box... Yes Andy, I did get hooked. Hope you are still enjoying that Sheaffer Connaisseur I sent you awhile back... No sellers remorse on my end. The pen just didn't fit me.

I have a couple of modern pens and a couple of vintage pens that are frequently inked. I find myself using the Parker 51 stub most of the time. It fits my work day better than any of my other pens. That hood keeps the ink flowing. The pull-off cap makes it quick and easy. The best "sitting at my desk and filling up the paper" pen is a Franklin-Christophe with a broad stub nib.

I'm firmly in the 50/50 circle. When I look at the pens I use the most I find the "form follows function" principle is always in play. Age/history is fun. But age/history coupled with poor design does nothing for me. I like the Parker 51s because they fit my work style. That doesn't mean I wouldn't be willing to give a Pilot Vanishing Point or its upscale partner a try.